Organizational Behavior
And Small Group Dynamics
Study Questions and Case Scenario for Midterm Assessment
Fall 2018
Respond to the following questions in a short descriptive essay form. Some questions can be
bulleted. Please print legibly. If I can’t read your writing, I can’t grade the exam. Do not write
name or identification of any kind on the front of the exam. Name and Identification should go
on the back of the last page only. Do not detach the exam from your answer sheets. You will have approximately 60minutes to respond to the questions as presented below. Be concise and to the point. There is a ten-point value for each
question.
Above Instructions for In-class Exam Only
Organizational Behavior
Individual Level of Analysis
Fall 2018
1. Organizational behavior is an applied behavioral science built upon contributions from a number of
different disciplines. Define organizational behavior. What are these disciplines and why is it important
to replace intuition with systematic study in our attempts to understand behavior within organizations?
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2. What is the relationship between age and the organizational issues of productivity, turnover and satisfaction?
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3. What is learning?
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4. Discuss the three components of an attitude.
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5. Most of the research in OB has been concerned with three attitudes: job satisfaction, job involvement, and organizational
commitment. Explain the difference between these attitudes.
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6. Discuss whether employee satisfaction is related to positive customer outcomes.
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7. Discuss the importance of values.
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8. What is the self-fulfilling prophecy and its relationship to Galatea?
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9. How does positive or internal self-efficacy disposition impact workplace performance?
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10. Why would management want to share its decision-making power with subordinates?
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11. Explain the differences between the following terms: affect, emotions, and moods.
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12. What should managers do to motivate professionals?
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13. What is locus of control? What is the difference between an internal and external locus of control?
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14. Describe three determinants to personality.
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15. Define and discuss the theory of cognitive dissonance.
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16. Discuss the types of diversity reflected in the workplace today and how organizations can value and support diversity.
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17. Define display rules. Give several examples of how display rules impact work cultures in different countries.
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18. Define emotional intelligence and identify two of the four competencies of emotional intelligence.
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19. Briefly describe the common types of distortions that occur within the perceptual process.
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20. How do content theories of motivation and process theories of motivation differ?
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21. How people behave can often be better predicted by their beliefs about their capabilities than by what they are
actually capable of accomplishing. What theory would apply here? Explain.
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FORMAT OF CASE STUDY
There will be a two-part case study. Your response to the case study should be evaluated within the individual level of
analysis. From a management and employee perspective. What issues does a manager face? Base on the independent
and dependent variables, what issues will a manager face given the scenario to be presented and what is the best
resolution to resolve the issue, problems, or challenges that and what will be the benefit or otherwise in the organization. In
preparation for the case study, you should review the case studies identified in the text and assigned readings. A practice
case study scenario – Car Wash is also available for your study.
Case Study – At The Car Wash
Practice Sample
A person worked at two car washes during the summer in a small city and operated by different owners. What problems are generated
in the first scenario. What impact does it have on the organization, its customers, management and employees? In the second
scenario, what benefits avail themselves to the organization, customer, management, and employees? What other ways can the
issues be addressed?
In the first, the dripping vehicle would come off the rinse line, where four teenagers waited with towels to wipe it dry. When the wipers
were finished, they signaled the car owner by leaving the car door standing open. The car owner would generally walk past a pot
placed in his or her path with a sign that read “TIPS, THANK YOU”, climb into the car, and drive away with the windows still wet and
water streaming from some parts of the car. Occasionally, one of the wipers dropped a wet towel on the ground, only to pick it up and
continue wiping. One customer complained to the manager that the wet towel could pick up sand from the pavement and scratch the
car. Only a few small coins got into the pot. Turnover of wipers was high, and they expressed hostile attitudes toward management.
The second car wash was opened by a vigorous, enthusiastic young owner. A system was established whereby each customer paid
for the service when entering the wash. A ticket was handed to the customer (a practice not followed at the first car wash), which was
to be given to the final wiper when the car was dry. The car coming off the rinse line was received by four teenage wipers, three of
whom would go on to another car after doing the initial work, while the fourth did the final wiping. This individual did all possible to
please the because the customer was not inclined to give the ticket to the wiper until the work was done to his or her satisfaction. The
customers usually stood beside the wiper pointing out places where more drying was needed. While doing this, the customer was
generally seen to take change out of pocket or purse and wait for the wiper to ask for the ticket. Tips were generous and customers
drove away in well-dried cars. The manager often got the entire work crew together for pep talks that ran something like this:
We’re the best car wash on the coast. We do the best work, have the most satisfied customers, have the happiest
workers, and hopefully make the most money of any car wash of equal size. Your tips will be good if you do a perfect job.
I’ve set up 10 customer chairs alongside the wiping area. This is your audience. Show them how well you can do. When
you finish, give your customer a guided tour of the car and ask if everything is all right. With this treatment, your customer
standing there waiting to give you the ticket will develop the expectation that you should have a good tip. The “audience”
on the sideline will see you get tipped. The audience will also tell other people what a great job we do here.
The owner’s practices also included job rotation so workers did all jobs (all got a share of the wiper jobs so they would get tipped),
flexibility in choosing work hours, and (on weekends) bonuses if a certain volume was reached. The car wash prospered.
What basic concepts and approaches to motivation can be applied to this case?
Case Study Assessment Rubric
It ain’t the thing you don’t know that’ll get you in trouble, but
the things you know for sure that ain’t so.
Charles Kettering
Things You Should
Know
All Levels of Analysis
Definition and
Origin of OB/OD
Independent
Variables
Guiding Principles
Dependent
Variables
Concerns for
Management /
Organizations
Problem Solving /
Decision Making
Interventions
Individual Level of
Analysis
Case Scenario Practice Form—Process for Problem Solving
Problem Solving
Models
All Levels of Analysis
Individual Level of
Analysis
Problem Identification
State
Define the Problem
Diagnosis Stage
Generation of Alternative
Solutions
Evaluate and Select an
Alternative
Implement and
Evaluative Follow Up
Case Study Assessment Rubric
It ain’t the thing you don’t know that’ll get you in trouble, but
the things you know for sure that ain’t so.
Charles Kettering
Things You Should
Know
All Levels of Analysis
Definition and
Origin of OB/OD
Independent
Variables
Guiding Principles
Dependent
Variables
Concerns for
Management /
Organizations
Problem Solving /
Decision Making
Interventions
Individual Level of
Analysis
Case Scenario Practice Form—Process for Problem Solving
Problem Solving
Models
All Levels of Analysis
Individual Level of
Analysis
Problem Identification
State
Define the Problem
Diagnosis Stage
Generation of Alternative
Solutions
Evaluate and Select an
Alternative
Implement and
Evaluative Follow Up
Case Study – At The Car Wash
Practice Sample
A person worked at two car washes during the summer in a small city and operated by different owners.
What problems are generated in the first scenario. What impact does it have on the organization, its
customers, management and employees? In the second scenario, what benefits avail themselves to the
organization, customer, management, and employees? What other ways can the issues be addressed?
In the first, the dripping vehicle would come off the rinse line, where four teenagers waited with towels to
wipe it dry. When the wipers were finished, they signaled the car owner by leaving the car door standing
open. The car owner would generally walk past a pot placed in his or her path with a sign that read
“TIPS, THANK YOU”, climb into the car, and drive away with the windows still wet and water
streaming from some parts of the car. Occasionally, one of the wipers dropped a wet towel on the ground,
only to pick it up and continue wiping. One customer complained to the manager that the wet towel could
pick up sand from the pavement and scratch the car. Only a few small coins got into the pot. Turnover of
wipers was high, and they expressed hostile attitudes toward management.
The second car wash was opened by a vigorous, enthusiastic young owner. A system was established
whereby each customer paid for the service when entering the wash. A ticket was handed to the customer
(a practice not followed at the first car wash), which was to be given to the final wiper when the car was
dry. The car coming off the rinse line was received by four teenage wipers, three of whom would go on
to another car after doing the initial work, while the fourth did the final wiping. This individual did all
possible to please the because the customer was not inclined to give the ticket to the wiper until the work
was done to his or her satisfaction. The customers usually stood beside the wiper pointing out places
where more drying was needed. While doing this, the customer was generally seen to take change out of
pocket or purse and wait for the wiper to ask for the ticket. Tips were generous and customers drove
away in well-dried cars. The manager often got the entire work crew together for pep talks that ran
something like this:
We’re the best car wash on the coast. We do the best work, have the most satisfied
customers, have the happiest workers, and hopefully make the most money of any car wash
of equal size. Your tips will be good if you do a perfect job. I’ve set up 10 customer chairs
alongside the wiping area. This is your audience. Show them how well you can do. When
you finish, give your customer a guided tour of the car and ask if everything is all right.
With this treatment, your customer standing there waiting to give you the ticket will
develop the expectation that you should have a good tip. The “audience” on the sideline
will see you get tipped. The audience will also tell other people what a great job we do
here.
The owner’s practices also included job rotation so workers did all jobs (all got a share of the wiper jobs
so they would get tipped), flexibility in choosing work hours, and (on weekends) bonuses if a certain
volume was reached. The car wash prospered.
What basic concepts and approaches to motivation can be applied to this case?
Case Study Assessment Rubric
It ain’t the thing you don’t know that’ll get you in trouble, but
the things you know for sure that ain’t so.
Charles Kettering
Things You Should
Know
All Levels of Analysis
Definition and
Origin of OB/OD
Independent
Variables
Guiding Principles
Dependent
Variables
Concerns for
Management /
Organizations
Problem Solving /
Decision Making
Interventions
Individual Level of
Analysis
Case Scenario Practice Form—Process for Problem Solving
Problem Solving
Models
All Levels of Analysis
Individual Level of
Analysis
Problem Identification
State
Define the Problem
Diagnosis Stage
Generation of Alternative
Solutions
Evaluate and Select an
Alternative
Implement and
Evaluative Follow Up
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