Organizational Behavior Test #1 PDF

There are four chapters on exam What is OB Attitudes and work behaviors Topic 1: What is Organizational Behavior? Define organizational behavior: Organizational behavior (OB): is the systematic study and application of knowledge about how individuals and groups act within organizations...

There are four chapters on exam What is OB Attitudes and work behaviors Topic 1: What is Organizational Behavior? Define organizational behavior: Organizational behavior (OB): is the systematic study and application of knowledge about how individuals and groups act within organizations where they work Studying OB looks at work attitudes and workplace behaviors Fountains of OB Knowledge Anthropology: values, attitudes, behaviors Psychology: dispositions, emotions Sociology: groups/cultures/social structures Medicine: physical health/stress Economics: decision-making/incentives Political Scene: coalitions/persuasion, leadership What are the three levels of analysis in OB? Write an example of what’s studied for each level. 1. Organization: understanding and valuing the people within the organization a. Ex. How the organization’s culture affects organizational performance 2. Group: resolving intra- and intergroup conflict and building cohesion a. Ex. How a given managers personality affects the team 3. Individual: getting along with others, lowering stress levels, making more effective decisions, etc. a. Ex. The manager’s personality itself Characteristics of successful organizations - Providing employment security - Engaging in selective hiring - Using self-managed teams - Being decentralized - Paying well - Training employees - Reducing status differences - Sharing information Isn’t OB just Common Sense? Ob is the systematic study and application of knowledge about how individuals and groups act within the organizations where they work If something makes sense, it doesn’t mean we understand it It is important to rule out alternative explanations one by one In groups, build a theory like the one shown, for one outcome below. Job satisfaction - Pay satisfaction - Promotion satisfaction - Supervision satisfaction - Coworker satisfaction - Satisfaction with the work itself Job stress - Stressors are events or contexts that cause a stress reaction by elevating levels of adrenaline and forcing a physical or mental response - Causes of stress at work - Role demands and overload - Work/ family conflict - Financial stressors, unemployment, and job insecurity - Uncertainty - Anticipatory stress and rumination Research Concepts, Tools, and Approaches Ob researchers work with hypotheses based on - Their own observations - Reading on the subject - Information from individuals wishing organizations Based on these, they set out to understand the relationships among different variables Then, they use different research methods to examine these relationships and their hypotheses Hypotheses Does a manager's higher frequency of expressed gratitude make employees work harder? If so, why? Which matters more for job attitudes- making sure reward outcomes (ex- bonuses/promotions) are perceived as fair or making sure the policies and procedures to achieve the outcomes are fair? Is stress always bad in organizations? Research What does it do? Give an example Method Case Studies Offer an in-depth description of a Blockbuster video single company or industry Involve a great deal of detail about the Turned down an offer to topic being studied but difficult to partner with Netflix generalize to other areas Deeply rooted culture Embedded routines (physical stores, late fees) Field Studies Gratitude intervention study Conducted in actual organizations Usually involves surveying employees Asked 147 volunteers to but could involve and experimental journal there work day for design two weeks and randomly Treatment group: the group of assigned one of two employees assigned to the conditions change/behavior condition Control group: the group that does not get the change/behavior condition Compare these to determine if the change was effective Laboratory Organizational Political Affiliation Studies (good Consist of manipulation group(s) and and Job Seekers: If I don’t Identify evidence) control group(s) with your party, am I still attracted? Can often help determine causal rather than simple correlational relationships  Controlled conditions- high degree of internal validity but potentially low generalizability RANDOM Machine Using machine learning and Twitter Learning The availability of a large amount of data (Big Data) has made traditional approaches to data analysis is not feasible Machine learning algorithms generate models based on available data and update and adjust as new information is available This can be used to simulate what respondents might say or do Meta-Analysis Sexual Harassment Meta-Analysis A technique used to summarize what other researchers have found on a given topic Variables from several studies are weighted and analyzed to determine if the effect holds or not This analysis is only possible if sufficient research has been done on the topic in question Surveys One of the primary methods of Sample Survey About the management researchers use to learn Effectiveness of Goal Setting about OB Involves asking individuals to respond to a number of open-ended or close-ended questions Reliability vs Validity Reliability refers to the consistency of measurement Validity refers to whether the measure captures what it intends to measure Correlation and Causation Correlation means that two things co-vary  Causation is the act of making something happen Datum vs Data Datum is used when you have only one observation Data refers to multiple observations Big data refers to the volume, variety, velocity, and veracity of data Your key takeaways from the chapter reading and the lecture: Topic 2: Individual Differences & Perception Define values: Values refer to stable life goals that people have, reflecting what is most important to them - Can affect the types of decision people make and their behaviors - Can impact how people perceive their environment Rokeach Value Survey assesses individual values - Terminal values refer to end states people desire in life - Instrumental values refer to views on acceptable modes of conduct Values are shaped early in life, but can change in response to historical context Terminal Values Instrumental Values A world of beauty Broad-minded An exciting life Clean Family security Forgiving Inner harmony Imaginative Self-respect Obedient Origin: early childhood, family experiences and dynamics Context: generational differences in values are often exaggerated and don’t warrant special treatment Effects: job choice, job tenure, satisfaction with work, etc. Define personality: Personality helps explain the differences in: - How people behave in organizations - The types of careers people choose - How satisfied people are with their jobs - How well people handle stress - How effective people are as leaders Describe the Big 5 Personality Traits: These are your default behaviors that tend to emerge across contexts Tend to be stable across time Validated across cultures 1. Extraversion - Assess the tendency to seek social interaction and stimulation - Introverts - Quirt, deliberative - Extravert - Outgoing, bold - Shyness ≠ Introversions - Bill Gates → Introverted, not shy - Shyness is the fear of negative judgment - Extroversion seems to matter more in jobs where the rules of behavior are ill-defined (ex- leadership, sales) 2. Agreeableness - Disagreeable vs Agreeable - Tendency to challenge vs. accommodate others - Disagreeable - Strengths: speaking up/out, holding firm on your beliefs - Vulnerabilities: seen as rude or confrontational, failing to pick battles - Agreeable - Strengths: promoting positive interaction, appeasing, gaining consensus, teamwork - Vulnerabilities: becoming a pushover, compromising important values 3. Neuroticism (Emotional Stability) - Degree to which a person is anxious, irritable, temperamental, and moody - Low neuroticism (high emotional stability) - Better at self-regulating emotions - May underreact in situations - High neuroticism (low emotional stability) - Tendency towards anxiety - Tend to prepare (lots of overlap with perfectionism) - Often overreact or infer ulterior motives 4. Openness to Experience - Curious, original, intellectual, creative, and open to new ideas - Tendency to seek novelty vs familiarity - Traditional - Strengths: clarity of beliefs and principles, preserving traditions - Vulnerabilities: resisting change, defending the status quo  - Open - Strengths: receptivity to change, creativity & breadth of experience - Vulnerabilities: lack of focus, fluctuating identity 5. Conscientiousness - Organized, systematic, punctual, achievement-oriented, and dependable - Focused/structured vs Careful/playful - Strengths - Attention to detail, setting & achieving goals - Strongest predictor of job performance across the Big 5 (although only a modest correlation) - Vulnerabilities - Blindly following rules - Not seeing the big picture The Interactionist Perspective: The Role of Fit According to the interactionist perspective, behavior is a function of the person and the situation interacting with each other Person-organization fit refers to the degree to which a person’s values, personality, goals, and other characteristic match those of the organization Person-job fit is the degree to which a person’s skill, knowledge, abilities, and other characteristics match the job demands Overqualification is a situation in which the employee has more skills, education, and experience than the job requires How predictive is personality? Extraversion is good for sales and leadership roles Conscientiousness → Job Performance Conscientiousness → Organizational Commitment Positive and Negative Affectivity Behavior is also a function of moods - Good moods can lead to more cooperation, more smiles, and friendly behavior - Bad moods can lead to being picky, irritable, and less tolerant of different opinions Positive affective people experience positive moods more frequently Negative affective people experience negative moods with greater frequency This personality trait sets the tone in the work atmosphere Self-Monitoring Self-monitoring refers to the extent to which a person is capable of altering his or her actions and appearance in social situations High self-monitors understand what the situation demands and modify their behavior accordingly - Tend to be more successful in their careers and are more likely to advance - Tend to be less accurate when evaluating someone else’s performance - May experience higher levels of stress - May be less committed to their companies Low self-monitors tend to act the way they feel Proactive Personality Proactive personality refers to a person’s inclination to fix what is perceived as wrong, change the status quo, and use initiative to solve problems Advantages to a proactive personality: - Tend to be more successful in their job searches - Tend to be more successful over the course of their careers - Can adjust to their new jobs quickly because they understand the environment - Often make friends more quickly - Are more responsive to the feedback Describe the difference between self-esteem and self-efficacy Self-Esteem Self-esteem is the degree to which a person has overall positive feelings about oneself High self-esteem people: - View themselves in a positive light - Are confident - Respect themselves Low self-esteem people: - Experience high levels of self-doubt - Question their self-worth Sensitive to social feedback; can creates challenges for leaders giving feedback Self-Efficacy Self-efficacy is a belief that one can perform a specific task successfully The belief we can do something is a good predictor of whether we can actually do it - Self-efficacy predicts job performance Self-efficacy is task specific People with high self-efficacy set higher goals for themselves and are more committed to these goals People with low self-efficacy tend to procrastinate Locus of Control Locus of control deals with the degree to which people feel accountable for their own behaviors Could be the 6th personality trait High internal locus of control people believe they control their own destiny - Feel greater control over their own lives - Are more involved with their jobs - Demonstrate higher levels of motivation - Adopt problem-focused coping strategies High external locus of control people feel that things happen to them What is perception? Perception: is the process with which individuals detect and interpret environmental stimuli Perception is not entirely rational- what we see in the environment is a function what we value, our needs, our fears, and our emotions Each person’s perception is their reality, and is the lens through which they will interpret everything that happens in the workplace Self-Perception Self-enhancement bias is the tendency to overestimate one’s own performance and capabilities (view self in a positive light) Self- effacement bias is the tendency to underestimate one’s own performance and capabilities (view self in a negative light) False consensus error occurs when individuals overestimate how similar they are to other people Social Perception Our perceptions of the environment are influenced by our values, emotions, feelings, and personalities, which in turn influence our actions Stereotypes or generalizations based on perceived group characteristics lead to biased perceptions Self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when people act as if an established stereotype is accurate, leading to reactive behavior from the other party that confirms the stereotype - Ex) women pretending they’re not leaders Selective perception means paying attention to only certain parts of the environment and ignoring others - Ex) ignoring that Bob, your pal & subordinate, is a jerk to his coworkers  First impressions are initial thoughts and perceptions we form about people, which tend to be stable and salient to contrary information Why does perception matter? It helps us form judgements about people and situations: - Is this person an a-hole? - Is this organization trustworthy? These judgements are influenced by our attributions or the reasons we use to explain behavior/situations Attribution Theory Attribution theory suggests that we observe an individual’s behavior, we attempt to determine whether it was internally or externally caused Attributions An attribution is the causal explanation we give for an observed behavior - Internal attribution: is using a person’s characteristics to explain behavior (ex- joes is an a-hole; Cindy is a pushover) - External attribution: is using the situation to explain behavior (ex- Joe’s not an a-hole it was just a crazy situation; Cindy isn’t a pushover, she must have been pressured into that decision) What is consensus? Comparing across people High consensus: everyone else behaves the same way Low consensus: non one else behaves the same way What is distinctiveness? Comparing across tasks High distinctiveness: this person does not usually behave this way in different situations. Low distinctiveness: this person usually behaves this way in different situations What is consistency? Comparing across time Low consistency: this person usually does not behave this way in this situation High consistency: every time this person is in this situation, he/she acts the same way Internal vs. External: External: it’s the situation Internal: it’s the person Attribution Theory- We always look good, others always look bad Self-serving bias is the tendency to attribute our failures to the situation while attributing our successes to internal cases  Fundamental attribution error is the tendency to underestimate the influence of external factors and overestimate the influence of internal or personal factors These are tendencies… not absolutes What are the major perceptual shortcuts we should be aware of? Primary effect - Belief perseverance - Once a person has formed an initial impression, they maintain it even when presented with concrete evidence that it is false - Ex) first impressions Recency effect - Not only do people remember what they experience first, they also remember the most recently presented items or experiences - Ex) remembering the last thing mentioned in an interview Availability bias - When a person’s judgment are based on what most readily comes into a person’s mind - Ex) How easy is it to recall a person’s mistakes over the course of a year versus their success? - We encode negative memories in much greater detail an in long-term memory - Ex) “People are saying the stock market is way up, let’s buy now!” “I heard there were shark attacks recently, let’s avoid the beach because it’s dangerous” Contrast effects - We do not evaluate a person in isolation - Our reaction to one person is influenced by other person we have recently encountered - Ex) an interview situation in which one sees a pool of job applicants can distort perception - Distortions in any given candidate’s evaluation can concur as a result of is or her palace in the interview schedule Halor error - Halo (or its opposite, horns) error occurs when a rater’s overall positive (or negative) impression strongly influences ratings of specific attributes - Ex) performance appraisals and liking Pygmalion effect - Perceptions sometimes result in a self-fulfilling prophecy in which high expectations of performance by leaders actually create conditions in which followers succeed  - Self-fulfilling prophecy or Pygmalion effect characterizes the fact that people’s expectations determine their behavior. Expectations become reality - The opposite (involving low expectations) is the Golem effect - Unleashing Pygmalion - Communicate high expectations to follower in four ways: - Create a warmer emotional climate - Teach more and increase challenge - Invite followers to ask questions - Provide feedback on performance Your key takeaways from the chapter reading and the lecture: Topic 3: Attitudes and Behaviors at Work Work Attitudes Making sense of how people behave at work depends on understanding their attitudes An attitude refers to our opinions, beliefs, and feelings about aspects of our environment Two work attitudes: - Job satisfaction: refers to the feelings people have toward their job - Organizational commitment: is the emotional attachment people have toward the company they work for Job engagement: refers to the investment of one’s mental, emotional, and physical energies into work Define job satisfaction: Reflects how you think and feel about your job (a global assessment) What can we expect from satisfied/dissatisfied employees? Define organizational commitment: Reflects employee’s desire to remain as a member of the organization Affects whether they stay (are retained) or leave (turnover) What can we expect from employees who are not committed but haven’t yet quit? What causes positive work attitudes? People pay attention to several aspects of their work environment - How they are treated - The relationships they form with colleagues and managers - The actual work they perform Personality also plays a role  - Extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness → higher job satisfaction & commitment - Neuroticism → lower levels of satisfaction & commitment Factors contributing to Job Attitudes Personality: traits like internal locus of control and extraversion tend to enhance satisfaction by increasing feelings of control and social engagement Person-Environment Fit: a good fit between individuals values and job environment leads to greater job satisfaction because people feel aligned with organization's goals Job Characteristics: autonomy, task variety, and meaningful work increase satisfaction by fulfilling intrinsic motivations Psychological Contracts: when employers meet implicit agreements, employees feel more committed; breaches reduce trust and satisfaction Organizational Justice: fair treatment increases trust and commitment… Why are some employees more satisfied than others? Generally, employees are satisfied when their job provides things that they value Values: are those things people consciously want to seek or attain Life Satisfaction Job satisfaction is strongly to life satisfaction, the degree to which employees feel a sense of happiness with their lives People feel better about their lives when they feel better about their jobs Increases in job satisfaction have a stronger impact on life satisfaction than do increases in salary or income What are the three types of commitment? Affective - Employees with high levels of affective commitment - Have strong emotional bonds with fellow employees, the job, the work environment, and/or their bosses Continuance - Exists when there is a profit associated with staying and a cost associated with leaving - Tends to create a more passive form of loyalty - Increase continuance commitment - Total amount of investment (in terms of time, effort, energy, etc.) and employee has made in mastering her work role of fulfilling her organizational duties - Lack of employment alternatives  -Focuses on personal and family issues more than the other commitment types, because employees often need to stay for work and nin-wrok reasons Normative - Exists when there is a sense that staying is the “right” or “moral” thing to do - The sense that people should stay with their current employers may result from personal work philosophies or more general codes of right and wrong developed over the course of their lives - To build normative commitment: - Create a feeling that the employee is in the organization’s debt - Become a particularly charitable organization Why should managers care about employee attitudes? Three systematic ways to companies can track work attitudes: Attitude surveys: give employees a chance to voice their concerns Exit interviews: involve meetings with departing employees which can identify areas of improvement Sentiment analysis: entail the automatic identification and coding of positive and negative sentiments in a text Job Performance Job performance: refers to the degree which an employee successfully fulfills the factors included in the job description - Measured by the quality and quantity of worm performed, its accuracy and speed, and the overall effectiveness - Determines whether a person is promoted, rewarded, given additional responsibilities or fired Major predictors of job performance: - General mental ability - Perceptions of organizational justice and interpersonal relationships - The stress experienced on the job - Work attitudes like job satisfaction and job engagement - Conscientiousness, emotional intelligence, and proactive personality Give an example of the following: Organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs): Are voluntary behaviors employees perform to help others and benefit the organization - Helping a new coworker understand how things work - Volunteering to organize company picnics Major predictors of citizenship behaviors: - Understanding organizational justice and interpersonal relationships  - People who are conscientious and agreeable - Positive job attitudes - Age Counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs): Abusing others Production deviance Theft Sabotage Withdrawal behaviors - Taking long breaks - Being tardy or skip work Differentiate between Absenteeism & Turnover: Absenteeism - refers to unscheduled absences from work - Causes of absenteeism: - Health reasons - Work-life balance - Poor work attitudes - Age Turnover - Refers to an employee leaving an organization - Voluntary turnover refers to departure initiated by the employee - Involuntary turnover is initiated by the organization - Reason for turnover: - Employee’s performance level - Work attitudes - Stress levels - Personality - Age and how long the employee;s been at the organization - Job embeddedness can reduce turnover when employees have strong links to the organization and leaving would entail sacrifices What is job embeddedness and how can organizations cultivate it? Embeddedness summarizes a person’s links to the organization and the community, sense of fit with that organization and community, and what he would have to sacrifice for a job change Strengthens continuance commitment by providing more reasons why a person needs to stay in her current position (and more sources of anxiety if she were to leave)  Links Fit Sacrifice Your key takeaways from the chapter reading and the lecture: Topic 4: Theories of Motivation at Work What is the performance equation? Performance = Motivation x Ability x Environment Motivation is the desire to achieve a goal or a certain performance level, leading to goal-directed behavior Ability is having the skills and knowledge required to perform the job Environmental factors include the resources, information, and support one needs to perform well Define motivation: Motivation determines the: - Direction of effort - Intensity of effort - Persistence of efforts Intrinsic/Extrinsic motivation: Intrinsic motivation: pursuing an activity because it is inherently enjoyable and absent of apparent rewards. Extrinsic motivation: performing an activity because it is related to desirable outcomes such as financial rewards, status, or approval from others. Why are some employees more motivated than others? Several theories attempt to summarize the key factors that foster high motivation - Need-based theories - Maslow, ERG, Two-Factor, Acquired Needs - Process-based theories - Equity - Expectancy theory - Reinforcement - Goal setting theory - Organizational structure/design - Job characteristics - Psychological empowerment Needs-based Theories (Key Insights): Self-actualization Esteem Belongingness Security Physiology Maslow’s Hierarchy & the ERG Theory: What did ERG add to Maslow’s Theory? The theory collapses Maslow into three levels: - Existence- psychological and security needs - Relatedness- need to belong and earn esteem - Growth- self-esteem and self-actualization A frustration-regression element allows a person to back down the hierarchy when frustrated Suggest that one can be motivated by one or more needs at the same time Two-Factor Theory (Differentiate between Hygiene & Motivation Factors): People’s satisfaction and dissatisfaction are influenced by two independent set of factors- motivation factors and hygiene factors Herzberg concluded satisfaction and dissatisfaction were not opposite ends of a continuum, but on different continuum - Motivation factors fell on the satisfaction continuum - Hygiene factors fell on dissatisfaction continuum Herzberg believed that motivators (not hygiene factors) are what truly motivate employees Hygiene factors are part of the context in which the job is performed - Company Policy - Supervision and Relationships - Working Conditions - Salary - Security Motivators are intrinsic to the job - Achievement - Recognition - Interesting Work - Increased Responsibility - Advancement and Growth Acquired-needs Theory: Need for achievement: - Is the desire to accomplish a goal or task more effectively than in the past. Need for affiliation: - Is the desire for human companionship and acceptance Need for power: - Is the desire to be influential in a group and to control one’s environment The implication of needs-based perspectives is that they discuss what motivates people, but do not describe how people are motivated Process-based Theories (Key Insights): Equity Theory: Fairness is when the input-to-outcome ratio is similar to the input-to-outcome ratio of a comparison person Inputs are the contributions people feel they are making to the environment Outcomes are perceived rewards A referent may be another person or a category of people When people perceive inequity they are motivated to reduce it Who is the referent? How do people react to inequity? Define & give an example of each form of justice: Reaction to Unfairness Distort perceptions Increase referent’s inputs Reduce own input Increase own outcomes Change referent Leave the situation Seek legal action Overpayment Inequity Equity theory predicted people would feel guilty if they were over-rewarded However, research suggests individuals actually experience less distress as a result of being over-rewarded Individual Differences in Reactions to Inequity Equity theory assumes that once people feel a situation is inequitable, they are motivated to react Equity-sensitive individuals: - Expect to maintain equitable relationships - Experience distress when they feel they are over or under rewarded Benevolents: are those who dive without waiting to receive much in return Entitleds: expect to receive substantial compensation for relatively little input Fairness Beyond Equity: Procedural and Interactional Justice Distributive justice refers the degree to which the outcomes received from the organization are perceived to be fair Procedural justice reverse to the degree to which fair decision-making procedures are used to arrive at a decision Interactional justice refers to the degree to which people are treated with respect, kindness, and dignity in interpersonal interactions Expectancy Theory: Expectancy theory argues that motivation is determined by a rational calculator in which individuals evaluate their situation Effort → Performance → Rewards Expectancy: - Effort → Performance - Can be hindered by: - Lack of necessary resources - Lack of supportive leadership - Low self-efficacy - Low ability Instrumentality: - Performance → Outcomes - Can be hinder by: - Poor methods for measuring performance, as Instrumentality could actually be rewritten to be Performance → Evaluation → Outcomes - Inadequate budget to provide outcomes, even when performance is high - Use of policies that reward things besides performance, such as attendance or seniority - Time delays in doling out rewards  Valence: - Anticipated value of outcomes - Extrinsic - Intrinsic - If valence is valued (its positive) What hinders expectancy? What is self-efficacy? What hinders instrumentality? Reinforcement Theory (Define the types of reinforcement): According to reinforcement theory, behavior is a function of its outcomes Positive reinforcement - Positive behavior filled by positive consequences - Manager praises the employee Negative reinforcement - Positive behavior followed by removal of negative consequences - Manager stops nagging the employee Punishment - Negative behavior followed by negative consequences - Manager demotes the employee Extinction - Negative behavior followed by removal of positive consequences - Manager ignores the behavior Goal Setting Theory: Goal setting theory of motivation - Assumes behavior is a result of conscious goals and intentions - Original theory - Goal difficulty- challenging and requires effort - Goal specificity- clarity and precision of goal - Expanded theory - Goal acceptance- makes goals their own - Goal commitment- wants to reach the goal Goal-setting theory is one of the most influential theories of motivation Goal-setting theory has been supported in over 1,000 studies with employees ranging from blue-collar workers to research-and-development employees Strong support that setting goals is related to performance improvements Thousands of companies around the world are using goal setting in some form How effective is it? - Feedback  - Employees should receive feedback on the progress they are making toward goal accomplishment- quantitative figures are useful -Ability - Employees should have the skills, knowledge, and abilities to reach their goals- people are likely to feel helpless when they lack the abilities to reach a goal - Goal Commitment - Goal commitment refers to the degree to which a person is dedicated to reaching the goal When is goal setting most effective? Job Characteristics Theory: The job characteristics model describes five core job dimensions leading to three critical psychological states Core job Characteristics - Skill variety - Task identify - Task significance - Autonomy - Feedback Psychological States - Meaningfulness - Responsibility - Knowledge of results Outcomes - Motivation - Performance - Satisfaction - Absenteeism - Turnover For motivation to occur, people need to feel at least 3 things: 1. My work counts (meaningful) - Variety (utilizes different skills & talents) - Identity (completing a whole, identifiable piece of work) - Significance (substantial impact on lives of others) 2. What i do matters (responsibility for outcomes) - Autonomy (provides freedom, independence, and discretion) 3. I know how well/poorly I’m doing (knowledge of results) - Feedback (clear information about your performance directly from the job)  What does the theory say about motivation? When is motivation fostered? Psychological Empowerment Theory: Psychological empowerment: reflects an energy rooted in the belief that work tasks contribute to some larger purpose - Meaningfulness captures the value of a work goal or purpose, relative to a person’s own ideals and passions - Self-determination reflects a sense of choice in the initiation and continuation of work tasks - Competence captures a person’s belief in his or her capability to perform work tasks successfully - Impact reflects the sense that a person's actions “make a difference” - that progress is being made toward fulfilling some important purpose Empowerment may also be defined as the removal of conditions that make a person powerless What did empowerment theory add to job characteristics theory? Your key takeaways from the chapter reading and the lecture: