MGT-143 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Soft Skills, Active Listening, Organizational Culture
10 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
MGT 143 Test 1 Outline
Textbook Sections
Ch 1 (omit 1.2)
Ch 14
Ch 2-3
Lectures
Why OB? Intro & Overview
Rise of Mgmt Profession & Theories of Mgmt
Job Performance & Organizational Commitment
Organizational Culture
National Cultural Systems
Personality & Ability
Values, Attitudes, Moods, & Emotions
Textbook Notes
Chapter 1
1.1: Value of OB to my Job/Career
• Knowing-doing gap: difference between what people know and what they ctually do
• Contingency approach: calls for using OB concepts and tools that best suit situation instead of relying on “one
best way”
• Contingency perspective – contemporary foundation of OB
1. No single best way to manage people, teams, or org. Particular management practice that worked today
may not work tomorrow→ depends on situation
• Self-awareness gives capacity to learn from mistakes and successes
• Common sense suffers 3 major weaknesses:
1. Overreliance on hindsight – what worked before should work again
2. Lack of rigor – may not apply effort to analyze/solve problems
3. Lack of objectivity – lack basis in science
• OB = scientific means for overcoming limits/weaknesses of common sense
• Contingency approach in OB means don’t settle for options based on experience or common
practice
• Goal of OB = give you more than common sense
Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills
• Hard skills: technical expertise and knowledge required to do a particular task or job function
• Soft skills: relate to human interactions and include both interpersonal skills and personal attributes
o not job specific → portable skills: more or less relevant in every job, at every level, throughout career
Four skills most desired by employers (all soft skills)
1. Critical thinking – using logic/reasoning to identify strengths/weaknesses of alternate solutions
2. Problem solving – identifying complex problems and reviewing related info to develop and evaluate options and
implement solutions
3. Judgment and decision making – considering relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose most
appropriate ones
4. Active listening – giving full attention to what other people are saying; taking time to understand points being
made; asking questions as appropriate and not interrupting
Personal attributes – to build goodwill and trust and demonstrate integrity (attitudes, personality, teamwork, leadership)
Interpersonal skills – to foster respectiful interactions (active listening, positive attitutdes, effective communication)
1.3: Applying OB to Solving Problems
• Problem: difference or gap between actual and desired state or outcome
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
o Arise when goals are not being met
• Problem solving: systematic process for closing these gaps
3-Step Approach (pg 22)
1. Define the problem in terms of desired outcomes
a. Then test each one by asking, “Why is this a problem?”
2. Identify potential causes using OB concepts and theories
a. Test causes by asking, “Why or how does this cause the problem?”
3. Make recommendations and take action
a. Map recommendations onto causes
1.4: Structure and Rigor in Solving Problems
• OB concepts and theories can be classified into 2 broad categories: person factors and situation factors
o Person factors: infinite characteristics that give individuals their unique identities
o Situation factors: elements outside ourselves that influence what we do, the way we do it, and the ultimate
results of our actions
• Many observers believe some people by their nature are better suited than others to perform well at work; others
believe some people are better in a given job or situation
• Interactional perspective: behavior is a function of interdependent person and situation factors
o Supported by research in psychology and OB
• OB distinguishes among 3 levels at work: individual, group/team, organizational
• Person-situation distinction allows you to consider unique individual factors + situation factors that might be
source of a problem
Ex:
o Person factors: do departing coworkers have something in common? Anything about their personalities
that make work difficult for them? What about age? Gender? Skills?
o Situation factors: have there been changes in job market? Increase in employment opps at better wages?
Working conditions such as promotion opps become less attractive?
o Individual level: has the job itself become boring and less meaningful or rewarding to employees who
quit?
o Group/team level: have there been changes to work group, including manager, that might make work less
satisfying? How does turnover in dept compare to that in other depts in org?
o Organizational level: has org changed ownership or rewritten company policies or restructured?
1.5: Organizing Framework for Understanding and Applying OB
• Organizing Framework: systems model wherein inputs influence outcomes through processes
o Implies that person and situation factors are initial drivers of all outcomes that managers want to achieve
o Using OF to solve problems:
▪ Step 1: define problems
• In terms of outcomes in organizing framework, and these outcomes occur at 3 levels
▪ Step 2: identify causes
• Often best thought of in terms of inputs (person/situation) or processes at various levels
(individual, group/team, organizational)
▪ Step 3: make recommendations
• Consider most appropriate solutions using OB knowledge and tools; then map onto
causes (inputs/processes)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
• Constraints – important consideration; most people lack time, knowledge, or access to data to routinely follow
rigorous procedure
o Selection most often requires you to consider various constraints – on time, money, your own authority,
and info- that can occur at different levels
• Insights
o More person factors that affect processes than situation factors
o Solving problems requires you to think across levels
o OB concepts are both inputs and processes
Applied approaches to selecting a solution – do you want problem resolved, solved, or dissolved?
• Resolving – most common action; choosing a satisfactory solution, one that works but is less than ideal
o Ex: putting a doughnut or temp spare tire on a flat
• Solving – optimal or ideal response
o Ex: buy a new, high-quality, full-size spare to keep in your trunk
• Dissolving – changing or eliminating situation in which problem occurs
o Ex: use public transportation instead of driving (which needs a car which needs a tire)
Elements to help qualify best solution
1. Selection criteria – identify criteria for decision you must make, such as its effect on
a. Bottom-line profits, you and classmates/coworkers, your org’s reputation with customers, your own
values, ethical implications
2. Consequences – consider for each alternative, especially trade-offs between pros and cons, such as:
a. Who wins/loses, ideal vs. practical options, perfection vs. excellence, superior vs. satisfactory results
3. Choice processes – who will participate in choosing solution→ if more than once person, agree on method:
a. You, third party, team
*Hypothetical problem-solving scenario (pg 36)
Ch 1: Key Points
1.1
• OB is interdisciplinary/applied field that involves managing behaviors of individuals, groups/teams, organizations
• Practical benefits of OB are based on contingency approach
o Says that best or most effective approach requires us to apply knowledge and tools appropriate to given
situation rather than relying on one best way across all situations
• Self-awareness is critical to applying contingency approach and achieviign short/long term success at work and
school
• OB helps you enhance your attractiveness to employwers who want hard and soft skills
• OB is more than common sense
o Common sense has limits/pitfalls that OB knowledge/tools help you avoid and overcome
1.3
• Problem = difference or gap between current and desired outcome or state
• Problem solving = systematic means for closing such differences/gaps
• 3-step problem solving approach defines problem, uses OB ocncpets and theories to tunderstand causes of
problem, and makes recommendations and action plans to solve problem
1.4
• Person-situation distinction is a fundamental way to organie, understand, and apply OB concets
• Person factors are many charactiersistcs that give individuals their unique identities
• Situation factors consist of all elemnts outside ourselves that includence what we do, way we do, ultimate results
of actions
• Workplace behavior occurs at 3 levels – individual, group or team, organizational
1.5
• Organizing Framework is a tool that helps you organize, understand, and apply iknowledge to solve problems
• Systems approach – inputs, processes, outcomes- is basis of Organizing Framework
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Rise of mgmt profession & theories of mgmt. Personal attributes to build goodwill and trust and demonstrate integrity (attitudes, personality, teamwork, leadership) Interpersonal skills to foster respectiful interactions (active listening, positive attitutdes, effective communication) 1. 3: applying ob to solving problems: problem: difference or gap between actual and desired state or outcome, arise when goals are not being met, problem solving: systematic process for closing these gaps. 1. 5: organizing framework for understanding and applying ob: organizing framework: systems model wherein inputs influence outcomes through processes. Implies that person and situation factors are initial drivers of all outcomes that managers want to achieve: using of to solve problems, step 1: define problems. Insights: more person factors that affect processes than situation factors, solving problems requires you to think across levels, ob concepts are both inputs and processes. 14. 2: impact of org culture types on outcomes: competing values framework (cvf): practical way for managers to understand, measure, and change organizational culture.
