Organizational Behavior and Personality Traits

Study Notes

Organizational behavior examines individual, group, and organizational levels within a workplace.
Individual aspects include perception, emotions, decision-making, job attitudes, and motivation.
Group levels include leadership, group dynamics, and distinguishing groups from teams.
Organizational levels encompass change, culture, structure, power, and conflict.

Defined as the sum of an individual's reactions and interactions with others.
Product of both heredity and environment.
Difficult to accurately measure, relying on self-reports like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Big Five personality traits.

A collection of personality traits that can negatively affect workplace dynamics.
Includes Machiavellianism (manipulative, ends justify means), narcissism (excessive self-importance), and psychopathy (lack of empathy and guilt).

Represent an individual's personal beliefs about what is right, good, desirable, and preferable.
Stable and enduring, yet vary across individuals and groups.
Form a value system with two components:
- Content: What aspects are deemed important.
- Intensity: How significantly important those aspects are.
Values are categorized into instrumental and terminal values:
- Instrumental values: Focus on how goals are achieved.
- Terminal values: Focus on desired outcomes and accomplishments.

Defined as evaluative statements about objects, people, or events.
Reflected in feelings of favor or disfavor towards a specific entity.
Composed of three components:
- Cognition: Thoughts and perceptions about the entity.
- Affect: Emotional response to the entity.
- Behavior: Actions taken regarding the entity.

The force that drives and directs an individual's effort towards a goal.
Measured in terms of direction, intensity, and persistence of effort.
Explained through Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, where lower needs must be met before higher needs can be pursued.

Two contrasting views on human nature and motivation:
- Theory X: Assumes people are inherently lazy, dislike work, and need to be coerced, monitored, and controlled.
- Theory Y: Assumes people enjoy work, seek responsibility, and don't require coercion, monitoring, or control.

Highlights the importance of self-determination and feeling in control.
Suggests that extrinsic rewards and deadlines can actually decrease motivation when perceived as coercive.
Emphasizes intrinsic motivation as a driver of effort and performance.

Effective goal setting requires specific, measurable, difficult (yet realistic), and feedback-driven goals.
Specific and measurable goals guide effort and provide clear benchmarks for progress.
Difficult goals, as long as they're realistic, push individuals to achieve more and strive for excellence.
Regular feedback helps individuals track progress, identify areas for improvement, and stay motivated.

Proposes that individuals are motivated to maintain fairness in their work relationships.
Based on the formula:
- Input: Effort, skills, experience contributed to the job.
- Output: Rewards received for the work.
Individuals compare their input/output ratio to that of others in similar situations.
Perceived inequity can lead to demotivation and dissatisfaction.