INSTRUCTOR’S SOLUTIONS MANUAL
ESSENTIALS OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
16TH EDITION
CHAPTER NO. 01: WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR?
Discussion Questions
1. Define organizational behavior (OB). How can learning OB help you in your daily life?
Answer: OB is the study of the influence that individuals, groups, and structures have on
behavior within organizations. The chief goal of OB is to apply that knowledge toward improving
an organization’s effectiveness.
The second question will vary depending on the student, but there should be a direct link
between life situations and the areas covered by OB. Students should give
some indication that by having a systematic understanding of behavior, rather than just an
individual experiential understanding of behavior, a better outcome would be achieved.
2. Why has the study of OB become a standard component of business school Programs?
Answer: Business schools have come to realize, as have most managers, that learning just the
technical aspects of management is insufficient for long-term managerial success. Business schools
have realized the significant role that interpersonal skills play in determining managers’ and
employees’ effectiveness. This realization led to the birth of OB, which, at its core, focuses on
individuals and groups in organizations. The important factors for this long-term managerial success
are gaining an understanding of human behavior and developing increased communication skills.
3. How does the systematic study of OB help managers be more effective?
Answer: Most people learn human behavior through their own individual observations. This
method of learning always contains the potential for error. By coupling this individual learning with
the systematic scientific study of OB and evidence-based management, managers benefit from the
experiences and study of thousands of social scientists, rather than just relying on their own limited
experiences. This broader base of understanding is more likely to help the manager make much
better decisions and influence people more effectively. Systematic study and evidence-based
management add to intuition. For example, a review of hundreds of studies suggests that data-
driven judgments were about 10 percent more accurate than human’s intuitive judgments.
4. What behavioral sciences contribute to our understanding of OB? Select one of these behavioral
sciences and describe how it helps managers.
Answer: Psychology, social psychology, sociology, and anthropology are the behavioral sciences that
contribute to our understanding of OB.
The answers to the second question will vary depending on the students. The answer should tie the
primary learning areas of one of the behavioral sciences (see below) to typical managerial problems.
Ensure that the student indicates that knowing more about OB will make managers more effective
through either (1) a greater ability to understand and influence other people, (2) a better design of
organizations and jobs, or (3) a better understanding of group behavior.
Psychology: individual (micro) focus, in the areas of learning, perception,
personality, emotions, training, leadership effectiveness, needs,
motivation, job satisfaction, decision making, performance appraisals,
attitude measurements, employee selection, work design, and job stress.
, Social Psychology: individual and group (macro) focus, in the areas of change,
measuring and changing attitudes, communication patterns, building
trust, group behavior, power, and conflict.
Sociology: group and organizational (macro) focus, in the areas of group
behavior, organizational culture, organizational theory and structure,
communications, power, and conflict.
Anthropology: group and organizational (macro) focus, in the areas of values,
attitudes, behaviors between organizations and countries. Anthropology
also studies organizational culture and environment.
5. Select one of the OB concepts given in the chapter and apply it to a situation in your
work or school life. How did this concept help with the situation, or if it was not
applied, how could it have helped in the outcome?
Answer: The answers will vary depending on the student. Ensure that the student
clearly ties the situation to an OB concept and indicates an understanding of the
concept by explaining how the concept would help the situation.
6. Taken from a managerial point of view, what do you think is the major OB challenge
facing businesses today?
Answer: This may again vary depending on the particular viewpoint and experience
of the student, but it should be one of the following. Based on the text, the best
answers are (1) workforce diversity and inclusion or (2) continuing globalization.
Other acceptable answers are: (3) technology and social media, (4) (un)ethical
behavior, (5) corporate social responsibility, or (6) positive work environments.
Ensure that the student provides a good rationale for the answer.
7. Compare and contrast the three levels of OB analysis.
Answer: The three levels are individual, group, and organizational systems.
Common aspects: the study of human behavior, including decision making, emotion,
perception, and motivation. Unique aspects for each level deal primarily with the
focus of the research activity: person, group, or larger grouping (such as society,
organization, or country). It should be noted, however, that each successive level
builds on the theories and findings of the lower levels.
8. What are some of the concerns you have with the use of PPT 1.27
artificial intelligence in organizations?
Answer: Student answers will vary. Generally, students recognize the potential and
dramatic changes in the nature of work and work processes emanating from the
increased use of AI. However, the improvements in efficiency and effectiveness
cause concerns about the employees being replaced by technology and an
expectation for a student to be proficient with AI as a work tool at graduation.
Ethical concerns with employee privacy, AI-provided biased information, and
alterations to the way employees communicate are also common concerns noted by
students.
9. A recent study found that those people who woke up in a positive mood and then
regularly accessed Facebook throughout the day generally experienced declining
moods as the day progressed. Facebook time has also been found to be correlated
with lower satisfaction levels. How can managers address this?
, Answer: Student answers will vary. Suggestions that managers should share and
openly talk with employees about the negative effects of social media during the
workday, encourage work tasks and breaks, allow employees to disconnect from
electronic devices, promote healthy habits, etc. are appropriate first steps.
Exercises
1. Self-analysis. What do you hope to gain from the study of OB? How well do you think
you currently understand human behavior in organizations? Have you ever been
surprised by the actions or reactions of another person? Why? Describe what
actually happened and what you were expecting to happen. What do you think may
have caused the difference?
2. Web Crawling and Generative AI Prompting. Using an Internet search engine or
generative AI of your choice, find information that relates to OB. Those conducting
an internet search should find an article in either the popular press or a professional
journal. Describe the key points of the article and detail how OB was used or should
have been used in the situation.
3. Current Event. In a small group (four or fewer people per group), discuss a current
event that was influenced by, or could have been positively influenced by, a clear
understanding of OB. Prepare a ten-minute group presentation that concisely
describes the current event and what the team believes to be the impact of OB.
Discuss the team’s results with the class.
4. Three-Minute Elevator Introduction. Have students introduce themselves by giving
their name and any other information you deem appropriate, and by offering one
short one- to three-minute story about an experience they had with an organization.
Give students several minutes to think about their story. Keep time, and stop
students who go too long. Tell them to imagine they are new employees and
introduce themselves to coworkers met in an elevator.
5. Experiences with Managers. Divide the class into groups of three students, and have
them discuss their experiences with managers. They may discuss items such as their
last performance appraisal, a job interview, or a customer service issue. Use this as a
starting point to discuss the importance of "people" in an organizational context.
6. Where Do You Want to Work? Lead a class discussion on what makes one
organization good to work for and another organization bad to work for. Create two
lists on the board (good and bad) and write the ideas as the students brainstorm
them. Once the class has given 10–20 answers on each list, stop them, and start
grouping their responses into relevant key ideas. Point out how these key ideas are
the primary topics of OB studies.
7. Learn from Experience. If you have older adult students, have them share their
experiences regarding how the workplace used to look. Examine such issues as the
demographic make-up of the organization and the attitudes of workers toward
management. Emphasize how new the field of OB is based upon these anecdotes.
8. Analyzing Your Organization (Cumulative Project). This on-going activity will help
the student better understand their organization, or, if the student is not currently
working, the organization they would like to work for. This cumulative “hands-on”
project will build on the concepts of each chapter. The point of the exercise is to take
the OB theories and concepts and apply them to real organizations.
, There are many ways you can use this project. For example, it could serve as
homework to be turned in each week or a project to be built upon each week and
turned in at the end of the class as a term paper/project. You could also use the
exercise as a class discussion item, selecting students to do short discussion starter
presentations several times per term. Still another use is to have them summarize
their findings in small groups, and have each group report a summary to the class.
Most of these activities will involve interviewing someone who is knowledgeable
about the topic. While interviewing someone in the subject organization is
preferable, you may wish to allow students to interview outside experts to gain a
greater understanding of the concepts.
Use the questions provided after each chapter of the Instructor’s Manual as a
guideline, but be sure to adapt them to the students’ needs. Students should obtain
written approval from their manager or supervisor early on in the process. Because
OB deals with potentially sensitive issues, it is best if the students detail the project
to the relevant parties early on in the process. You may choose to have written
approval as part of the first deliverables for this project.
9. Levels of Analysis. Divide the class into small groups of three or four students. Have
them choose a team or group within an organization. Have them identify several
inputs, processes, and outcomes at each of the three levels of analysis (individual,
group, and organizational levels). Additionally, identify at least one contingency
variable at each level of analysis.
Suggested Assignments
1. Have the students discuss your course syllabus, including a description of the
project, with their supervisor (or the person who will be their primary contact in
cases where the student is not working for the organization to be studied in
Analyzing Your Organization, No. 8 above). Submit the written approval.
2. Have the students briefly describe their chosen organization, discussing what goods
or services are produced, how many employees it has, what the structure looks like,
and a general overview of how the organization in the study is managed. Ensure
students include their relationship to the organization. (They are employees, job
seekers, or simply interested parties.)
3. Have students go to the O*Net Interest Profiler, complete the 60-item survey, and
find a suggested occupation that appeals to them. Have students identify and discuss
which OB skills are necessary for that occupation, and how they can best prepare
themselves to learn those skills. https://www.mynextmove.org/
Other Teaching Resources
1. Chauhan, R. S. (2019). Occupation Exploration: Using O*NET in the Management
Classroom. Management Teaching Review, 4(1), 79–88.
https://doi.org/10.1177/2379298118806548
2. Gerard, J. G. (2012). Linking in With LinkedIn®: Three Exercises That Enhance
Professional Social Networking and Career Building. Journal of Management
Education, 36(6), 866–897. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562911413464
3. Schwartz, H. M., & Bilimoria, D. (2020). Busting the Gender Binary: Activities for
Teaching Transgender Issues in Management Education. Management Teaching
Review, 5(4), 335–350. https://doi.org/10.1177/2379298118819258
4. The Center for Evidence-Based Management has numerous resources including
articles and presentations. https://cebma.org/
ESSENTIALS OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
16TH EDITION
CHAPTER NO. 01: WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR?
Discussion Questions
1. Define organizational behavior (OB). How can learning OB help you in your daily life?
Answer: OB is the study of the influence that individuals, groups, and structures have on
behavior within organizations. The chief goal of OB is to apply that knowledge toward improving
an organization’s effectiveness.
The second question will vary depending on the student, but there should be a direct link
between life situations and the areas covered by OB. Students should give
some indication that by having a systematic understanding of behavior, rather than just an
individual experiential understanding of behavior, a better outcome would be achieved.
2. Why has the study of OB become a standard component of business school Programs?
Answer: Business schools have come to realize, as have most managers, that learning just the
technical aspects of management is insufficient for long-term managerial success. Business schools
have realized the significant role that interpersonal skills play in determining managers’ and
employees’ effectiveness. This realization led to the birth of OB, which, at its core, focuses on
individuals and groups in organizations. The important factors for this long-term managerial success
are gaining an understanding of human behavior and developing increased communication skills.
3. How does the systematic study of OB help managers be more effective?
Answer: Most people learn human behavior through their own individual observations. This
method of learning always contains the potential for error. By coupling this individual learning with
the systematic scientific study of OB and evidence-based management, managers benefit from the
experiences and study of thousands of social scientists, rather than just relying on their own limited
experiences. This broader base of understanding is more likely to help the manager make much
better decisions and influence people more effectively. Systematic study and evidence-based
management add to intuition. For example, a review of hundreds of studies suggests that data-
driven judgments were about 10 percent more accurate than human’s intuitive judgments.
4. What behavioral sciences contribute to our understanding of OB? Select one of these behavioral
sciences and describe how it helps managers.
Answer: Psychology, social psychology, sociology, and anthropology are the behavioral sciences that
contribute to our understanding of OB.
The answers to the second question will vary depending on the students. The answer should tie the
primary learning areas of one of the behavioral sciences (see below) to typical managerial problems.
Ensure that the student indicates that knowing more about OB will make managers more effective
through either (1) a greater ability to understand and influence other people, (2) a better design of
organizations and jobs, or (3) a better understanding of group behavior.
Psychology: individual (micro) focus, in the areas of learning, perception,
personality, emotions, training, leadership effectiveness, needs,
motivation, job satisfaction, decision making, performance appraisals,
attitude measurements, employee selection, work design, and job stress.
, Social Psychology: individual and group (macro) focus, in the areas of change,
measuring and changing attitudes, communication patterns, building
trust, group behavior, power, and conflict.
Sociology: group and organizational (macro) focus, in the areas of group
behavior, organizational culture, organizational theory and structure,
communications, power, and conflict.
Anthropology: group and organizational (macro) focus, in the areas of values,
attitudes, behaviors between organizations and countries. Anthropology
also studies organizational culture and environment.
5. Select one of the OB concepts given in the chapter and apply it to a situation in your
work or school life. How did this concept help with the situation, or if it was not
applied, how could it have helped in the outcome?
Answer: The answers will vary depending on the student. Ensure that the student
clearly ties the situation to an OB concept and indicates an understanding of the
concept by explaining how the concept would help the situation.
6. Taken from a managerial point of view, what do you think is the major OB challenge
facing businesses today?
Answer: This may again vary depending on the particular viewpoint and experience
of the student, but it should be one of the following. Based on the text, the best
answers are (1) workforce diversity and inclusion or (2) continuing globalization.
Other acceptable answers are: (3) technology and social media, (4) (un)ethical
behavior, (5) corporate social responsibility, or (6) positive work environments.
Ensure that the student provides a good rationale for the answer.
7. Compare and contrast the three levels of OB analysis.
Answer: The three levels are individual, group, and organizational systems.
Common aspects: the study of human behavior, including decision making, emotion,
perception, and motivation. Unique aspects for each level deal primarily with the
focus of the research activity: person, group, or larger grouping (such as society,
organization, or country). It should be noted, however, that each successive level
builds on the theories and findings of the lower levels.
8. What are some of the concerns you have with the use of PPT 1.27
artificial intelligence in organizations?
Answer: Student answers will vary. Generally, students recognize the potential and
dramatic changes in the nature of work and work processes emanating from the
increased use of AI. However, the improvements in efficiency and effectiveness
cause concerns about the employees being replaced by technology and an
expectation for a student to be proficient with AI as a work tool at graduation.
Ethical concerns with employee privacy, AI-provided biased information, and
alterations to the way employees communicate are also common concerns noted by
students.
9. A recent study found that those people who woke up in a positive mood and then
regularly accessed Facebook throughout the day generally experienced declining
moods as the day progressed. Facebook time has also been found to be correlated
with lower satisfaction levels. How can managers address this?
, Answer: Student answers will vary. Suggestions that managers should share and
openly talk with employees about the negative effects of social media during the
workday, encourage work tasks and breaks, allow employees to disconnect from
electronic devices, promote healthy habits, etc. are appropriate first steps.
Exercises
1. Self-analysis. What do you hope to gain from the study of OB? How well do you think
you currently understand human behavior in organizations? Have you ever been
surprised by the actions or reactions of another person? Why? Describe what
actually happened and what you were expecting to happen. What do you think may
have caused the difference?
2. Web Crawling and Generative AI Prompting. Using an Internet search engine or
generative AI of your choice, find information that relates to OB. Those conducting
an internet search should find an article in either the popular press or a professional
journal. Describe the key points of the article and detail how OB was used or should
have been used in the situation.
3. Current Event. In a small group (four or fewer people per group), discuss a current
event that was influenced by, or could have been positively influenced by, a clear
understanding of OB. Prepare a ten-minute group presentation that concisely
describes the current event and what the team believes to be the impact of OB.
Discuss the team’s results with the class.
4. Three-Minute Elevator Introduction. Have students introduce themselves by giving
their name and any other information you deem appropriate, and by offering one
short one- to three-minute story about an experience they had with an organization.
Give students several minutes to think about their story. Keep time, and stop
students who go too long. Tell them to imagine they are new employees and
introduce themselves to coworkers met in an elevator.
5. Experiences with Managers. Divide the class into groups of three students, and have
them discuss their experiences with managers. They may discuss items such as their
last performance appraisal, a job interview, or a customer service issue. Use this as a
starting point to discuss the importance of "people" in an organizational context.
6. Where Do You Want to Work? Lead a class discussion on what makes one
organization good to work for and another organization bad to work for. Create two
lists on the board (good and bad) and write the ideas as the students brainstorm
them. Once the class has given 10–20 answers on each list, stop them, and start
grouping their responses into relevant key ideas. Point out how these key ideas are
the primary topics of OB studies.
7. Learn from Experience. If you have older adult students, have them share their
experiences regarding how the workplace used to look. Examine such issues as the
demographic make-up of the organization and the attitudes of workers toward
management. Emphasize how new the field of OB is based upon these anecdotes.
8. Analyzing Your Organization (Cumulative Project). This on-going activity will help
the student better understand their organization, or, if the student is not currently
working, the organization they would like to work for. This cumulative “hands-on”
project will build on the concepts of each chapter. The point of the exercise is to take
the OB theories and concepts and apply them to real organizations.
, There are many ways you can use this project. For example, it could serve as
homework to be turned in each week or a project to be built upon each week and
turned in at the end of the class as a term paper/project. You could also use the
exercise as a class discussion item, selecting students to do short discussion starter
presentations several times per term. Still another use is to have them summarize
their findings in small groups, and have each group report a summary to the class.
Most of these activities will involve interviewing someone who is knowledgeable
about the topic. While interviewing someone in the subject organization is
preferable, you may wish to allow students to interview outside experts to gain a
greater understanding of the concepts.
Use the questions provided after each chapter of the Instructor’s Manual as a
guideline, but be sure to adapt them to the students’ needs. Students should obtain
written approval from their manager or supervisor early on in the process. Because
OB deals with potentially sensitive issues, it is best if the students detail the project
to the relevant parties early on in the process. You may choose to have written
approval as part of the first deliverables for this project.
9. Levels of Analysis. Divide the class into small groups of three or four students. Have
them choose a team or group within an organization. Have them identify several
inputs, processes, and outcomes at each of the three levels of analysis (individual,
group, and organizational levels). Additionally, identify at least one contingency
variable at each level of analysis.
Suggested Assignments
1. Have the students discuss your course syllabus, including a description of the
project, with their supervisor (or the person who will be their primary contact in
cases where the student is not working for the organization to be studied in
Analyzing Your Organization, No. 8 above). Submit the written approval.
2. Have the students briefly describe their chosen organization, discussing what goods
or services are produced, how many employees it has, what the structure looks like,
and a general overview of how the organization in the study is managed. Ensure
students include their relationship to the organization. (They are employees, job
seekers, or simply interested parties.)
3. Have students go to the O*Net Interest Profiler, complete the 60-item survey, and
find a suggested occupation that appeals to them. Have students identify and discuss
which OB skills are necessary for that occupation, and how they can best prepare
themselves to learn those skills. https://www.mynextmove.org/
Other Teaching Resources
1. Chauhan, R. S. (2019). Occupation Exploration: Using O*NET in the Management
Classroom. Management Teaching Review, 4(1), 79–88.
https://doi.org/10.1177/2379298118806548
2. Gerard, J. G. (2012). Linking in With LinkedIn®: Three Exercises That Enhance
Professional Social Networking and Career Building. Journal of Management
Education, 36(6), 866–897. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562911413464
3. Schwartz, H. M., & Bilimoria, D. (2020). Busting the Gender Binary: Activities for
Teaching Transgender Issues in Management Education. Management Teaching
Review, 5(4), 335–350. https://doi.org/10.1177/2379298118819258
4. The Center for Evidence-Based Management has numerous resources including
articles and presentations. https://cebma.org/
