Behave Yourself: /s A Wild Ride Through OB-land

Syllabus :

Questions :

1. What is perception? What are the factors affecting perception? What are interpersonal sources of power?

2. Define politics. What is the intensity of politics in an organization? What is the importance of job satisfaction? Explain the Big Five Model of personality.

3. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the MBTI model. What are the challenges and opportunities of Organizational Behavior (OB)? Define personality. What are the different methods to study personality?

4. Describe the relationship between behavior and attitude. What is cognitive dissonance? Write a short note on group and team dynamics.

5. What are cross-cultural differences? How do they affect organizational behavior? What are the trends and future challenges in OB?

6. Which disciplines contribute to the field of OB? What is the application of OB in industry? What are biases in interviewing and evaluation? Define attribution theory and describe its determinants.

7. Compare classical and operant conditioning. Explain Alderfer’s ERG Theory of motivation.

8. Compare Maslow’s and Herzberg’s motivation theories. What is job stress and what are its effects?

9. Explain trait theory of personality. What are the causes of cognitive dissonance and how can it be resolved?

10. What is Maslow’s theory of motivation? Define attitude. What are the consequences and causes of work stress?

11. What factors affect perceptual selectivity? What is social perception? Explain the Managerial Grid model. What are perceptual errors? Explain Fayol’s 14 Principles of Management. What are different leadership styles?

12. What are the different types of groups? Explain the stages of group development. What are different techniques of conflict management? What skills are required for negotiation?

13. What are virtual teams? What is groupthink? Explain the role of emotion and emotional intelligence in OB.

---

1. What is Perception? Factors of Perception and Interpersonal Source of Power

Perception is the process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting sensory information to make sense of the environment.

Factors of Perception:

1. Perceiver – past experiences, motives, and emotions.

2. Target – novelty, motion, sound, background.

3. Situation – time, place, and social setting.

Interpersonal Sources of Power:

1. Legitimate Power – based on formal authority or position.

2. Reward Power – ability to provide rewards.

3. Coercive Power – ability to punish.

4. Expert Power – based on knowledge or skills.

5. Referent Power – based on personal traits, charisma, or admiration.

---

2. What is Politics? Intensity of Politics, Importance of Job Satisfaction, Big Five Model of Personality

Politics refers to the informal, unofficial, and sometimes behind-the-scenes efforts to sell ideas, influence an organization, or achieve personal objectives.

Intensity of Politics:

• Low: minor influence, healthy debate.

• Moderate: strategic influence, self-interest emerges.

• High: manipulation, power struggles, toxic environment.

Importance of Job Satisfaction:

1. Enhances productivity.

2. Reduces absenteeism and turnover.

3. Improves morale and motivation.

4. Supports teamwork and cooperation.

Big Five Model of Personality (OCEAN):

1. Openness – curiosity, creativity.

2. Conscientiousness – organized, reliable.

3. Extraversion – sociable, energetic.

4. Agreeableness – cooperative, compassionate.

5. Neuroticism – emotional instability, anxiety.

---

3. MBTI Strengths and Weaknesses, Challenges of OB, Define Personality, Personality Methods

MBTI Strengths:

• Helps in understanding personality differences.

• Useful in career planning and team-building.

MBTI Weaknesses:

• Lacks scientific reliability and validity.

• Oversimplifies personality types.

Emerging Challenges in OB:

1. Managing diverse and global workforce.

2. Rapid technological changes.

3. Remote and hybrid work models.

4. Increased focus on mental health.

Opportunities in OB:

• Data-driven decisions.

• Better employee engagement strategies.

• Innovative leadership models.

Personality is the stable pattern of behavior, thoughts, and emotions that defines how an individual responds to different situations.

Methods to Study Personality:

1. Self-report questionnaires.

2. Observation by others.

3. Projective techniques like Rorschach test.

4. Behavioral and situational testing.

---

4. Relationship Between Behavior and Attitude, Cognitive Dissonance, Group and Team Dynamics

Attitude is a mental position or feeling toward a fact or state, while behavior is the outward expression or action based on that attitude.

Cognitive Dissonance is the psychological discomfort experienced when holding two conflicting thoughts or beliefs.

Group and Team Dynamics:

• Groups: collection of individuals.

• Teams: interdependent people with a common goal.

• Dynamics include communication, cohesion, conflict, and role distribution.

---

5. Cross-Cultural Differences and Impact, OB Trends and Future Challenges

Cross-Cultural Differences and Impact:

• Impact communication, leadership styles, motivation techniques, and decision-making.

• Affects how individuals perceive authority and time.

OB Trends:

1. Remote work and digital collaboration.

2. Diversity and inclusion initiatives.

3. Emotional intelligence and mental health.

4. Use of AI in HR and management.

Future Challenges:

• Managing virtual and global teams.

• Maintaining organizational culture.

• Ethical and data privacy concerns.

---

6. Disciplines Contributing to OB, Application, Interview Bias, Attribution Theory

Disciplines Contributing to OB:

1. Psychology

2. Sociology

3. Anthropology

4. Political Science

5. Economics

Application of OB in Industry:

• Recruitment and selection.

• Leadership and motivation.

• Team building and conflict resolution.

• Change management.

Interviewing & Evaluation Biases:

• Halo effect – judging based on one trait.

• Recency effect – focus on recent behavior.

• Stereotyping – generalized assumptions.

Attribution Theory:

• Describes how people explain causes of behavior.

• Internal (personal) vs external (situational) attribution.

Determinants of Attribution:

1. Consensus – comparison with others.

2. Consistency – behavior over time.

3. Distinctiveness – behavior across situations.

---

7. Classical vs Operant Conditioning, Alderfer's ERG Theory

Classical Conditioning (Pavlov):

• Learning through association.

• Involuntary response to a stimulus.

Operant Conditioning (Skinner):

• Learning through consequences.

• Voluntary behavior shaped by rewards or punishments.

Differences:

• Classical: passive learning, stimulus-driven.

• Operant: active learning, consequence-driven.

Alderfer’s ERG Theory:

• Existence, Relatedness, Growth.

• Allows for flexibility and regression when a higher need is not met.

---

8. Maslow vs Herzberg Motivation Theories, Job Stress and Effects

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:

1. Physiological

2. Safety

3. Social

4. Esteem

5. Self-actualization

Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory:

• Motivators: recognition, achievement.

• Hygiene factors: pay, policies, work conditions.

Link Between Maslow and Herzberg:

• Herzberg’s motivators align with Maslow’s higher needs.

Job Stress Effects:

• Physiological: fatigue, illness.

• Psychological: anxiety, depression.

• Behavioral: absenteeism, aggression.

---

9. Trait Theory, Causes and Resolution of Cognitive Dissonance

Trait Theory in OB:

• Identifies consistent personality traits that influence behavior.

• Examples include Big Five traits.

Causes of Cognitive Dissonance:

• Value-behavior mismatch.

• Forced compliance.

• Decision conflict.

Resolutions:

• Change behavior.

• Adjust beliefs.

• Minimize importance of conflict.

---

10. Maslow’s Theory, Attitude, Work Stress

Maslow’s Hierarchy (see Q8)

Attitude:

• A learned tendency to react to people, objects, or ideas.

Components of Attitude:

1. Cognitive – beliefs and thoughts.

2. Affective – emotions.

3. Behavioral – actions.

Functions:

• Adjustive, ego-defensive, value-expressive, knowledge.

Consequences of Work Stress:

• Poor health, low performance, job dissatisfaction.

Causes of Stress:

• High workload, role conflict, poor management, lack of support.

---

11. Perceptual Selectivity, Social Perception, Managerial Grid, Perceptual Errors, Fayol's 14 Principles, Leadership Styles

Factors Affecting Perceptual Selectivity:

• Motivation, interest, background, expectations.

Social Perception:

• Interpreting and understanding others’ behavior.

Managerial Grid Model:

• Developed by Blake and Mouton.

• Plots concern for people vs concern for production into 5 leadership styles.

Perceptual Errors:

• Halo effect, stereotyping, contrast effect, projection.

Fayol’s 14 Principles of Management:

1. Division of work

2. Authority and responsibility

3. Discipline

4. Unity of command

5. Unity of direction

6. Subordination of individual interest

7. Remuneration

8. Centralization

9. Scalar chain

10. Order

11. Equity

12. Stability of tenure

13. Initiative

14. Esprit de corps

Leadership Styles:

• Autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire, transactional, transformational.

---

12. Types of Groups, Stages of Group Development, Conflict Management, Negotiation Skills

Types of Groups:

• Formal: task groups, committees.

• Informal: social or interest groups.

Stages of Group Development (Tuckman Model):

1. Forming

2. Storming

3. Norming

4. Performing

5. Adjourning

Conflict Management Techniques:

• Avoiding

• Accommodating

• Competing

• Compromising

• Collaborating

Negotiation Skills:

• Preparation and planning

• Clarifying and justifying

• Bargaining and problem solving

• Closure and implementation

---

13. Virtual Teams, Groupthink, Role of Emotion and Emotional Intelligence

Virtual Teams:

• Teams working remotely using technology.

• Benefits: flexibility, cost-effective.

• Challenges: communication issues, lack of cohesion.

Groupthink:

• Group pressure discourages dissenting opinions.

• Leads to poor decision-making.

• Symptoms: illusion of invulnerability, direct pressure to conform.

Role of Emotion and Emotional Intelligence (EI):

• EI includes self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, social skills.

• Helps in managing conflict, stress, and improving teamwork.

---

MCQ:

1. ORGANIZATION BASICS – “3G OB = Group, Goal, OB”

---

---

2. CLASSICAL THEORISTS – “Taylor Fixes, Mayo Cares, Weber Rules”

---

---

3. LEARNING THEORIES – “Pav-Skin-Tol = Learn Trio”

---

---

4. PERSONALITY & BEHAVIOR – “Big 5 = OCEAN, Freud = IES”

---

---

5. STRESS & CONFLICT – “Stress → CARE; Conflict → PAD”

---

---

6. MOTIVATION THEORIES – “Mas-Herz-McA-Vroom”

---

---

7. MANAGEMENT SKILLS & ROLES – “Katz = THC, Mintz = DIP”

---

---

8. PERCEPTION & ATTITUDE – “SHPS-ACT”

---

9. LEADERSHIP THEORIES – “X-Y-Z + LPC-PG”

---

---

10. MODELS OF OB – “ACSC = All Models”

Mnemonic: ACSC → Auto Cars Support College

---

11. OTHER IMPORTANT THEMES

---

---

CHEAT GRID – Answer These Rapidly

---

---

Final Mnemonics Summary:

---

Important names in PDF :

If time permit see this names too : ( theory z is imp )

---