WGU C715 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
STUDY GUIDE | EXAM QUESTIONS &
ANSWERS WITH DETAILED EXPLANATIONS |
A+ GRADED
1. PERSONALITY & INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
Personality is the consistent way a person thinks, feels, and behaves across
different situations. In organizations, personality matters because it influences job
performance, communication style, leadership behavior, and teamwork. People
don’t behave randomly personality helps explain predictable behavior patterns.
TRAITS
Traits are stable characteristics that describe how a person typically behaves. They
don’t change quickly and apply across many situations. For example, a
conscientious person will usually be organized at school, work, and home.
BIG FIVE PERSONALITY MODEL
This is the most important and widely used personality model in OB:
• Extraversion → how social and energetic a person is. High extraversion =
talkative, outgoing, assertive. Low = quiet, reserved, prefers solitude.
• Agreeableness → how cooperative and kind a person is. High = trusting,
helpful, friendly. Low = competitive, skeptical, sometimes rude.
• Conscientiousness → how disciplined and organized a person is. High =
responsible, reliable, structured. Low = careless, spontaneous, disorganized.
, • Emotional stability (Neuroticism) → how well a person handles stress. High
stability = calm and confident. Low stability = anxious, moody, easily
stressed.
• Openness to experience → how open someone is to new ideas. High =
creative, curious, imaginative. Low = traditional, prefers routine.
Conscientiousness is the strongest predictor of job performance across most jobs.
OTHER PERSONALITY CONCEPTS
• MBTI → divides people into 16 types based on preferences (e.g., introvert
vs extrovert). Used in workplaces but less scientifically reliable because
people don’t fit fixed boxes.
• Core self-evaluation → how a person sees their own worth and ability.
Positive = confident, motivated, satisfied. Negative = self-doubt and lower
performance.
• Machiavellianism → a manipulative personality style. High Mach people
focus on winning, even if they manipulate or deceive others.
• Narcissism → excessive self-focus, ego, need for admiration, and belief of
superiority. Can create leadership problems.
• Self-monitoring → ability to adjust behavior based on environment. High
self-monitors act differently in different situations; low self-monitors stay
consistent.
• Proactive personality → someone who takes initiative, solves problems
early, and drives change instead of waiting.
,2. VALUES & CULTURE
VALUES
Values are deep beliefs about what is right, important, or desirable. They guide
decisions and behavior. Unlike personality, values are more about “what should
be” rather than “how you act.”
TYPES OF VALUES
• Values → general beliefs about what matters in life
• Terminal values → end goals in life (e.g., success, peace, happiness,
security)
• Instrumental values → behaviors used to achieve goals (e.g., honesty,
discipline, hard work)
• Value system → ranking of values from most to least important
CULTURAL DIMENSIONS
These explain differences between societies:
• Individualism vs collectivism → Individualism values independence and
personal success. Collectivism values group loyalty and teamwork.
• Power distance → High power distance means people accept hierarchy
(bosses have more power). Low power distance means equality and shared
decision-making.
• Masculinity vs femininity → Masculine cultures value competition,
achievement, and success. Feminine cultures value care, cooperation, and
quality of life.
• Uncertainty avoidance → High means people prefer rules and structure to
avoid risk. Low means people are comfortable with uncertainty and change.
, • Long-term vs short-term orientation → Long-term focuses on future
rewards, planning, and persistence. Short-term focuses on tradition,
immediate results, and social obligations.
3. PERCEPTION & ATTRIBUTION
PERCEPTION
Perception is how we interpret reality. Two people can see the same situation and
interpret it differently because perception is shaped by experience, beliefs, and
expectations.
ATTRIBUTION THEORY
This explains how we judge the cause of someone’s behavior:
• Internal attribution → behavior caused by personality or ability (e.g., “he is
lazy”)
• External attribution → behavior caused by situation (e.g., “he was
overworked”)
COMMON PERCEPTION ERRORS
• Fundamental attribution error → blaming personality instead of situation
when judging others
• Self-serving bias → taking credit for success but blaming failures on
external causes
• Halo effect → one positive trait influences overall impression (e.g.,
attractive = intelligent assumption)
STUDY GUIDE | EXAM QUESTIONS &
ANSWERS WITH DETAILED EXPLANATIONS |
A+ GRADED
1. PERSONALITY & INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
Personality is the consistent way a person thinks, feels, and behaves across
different situations. In organizations, personality matters because it influences job
performance, communication style, leadership behavior, and teamwork. People
don’t behave randomly personality helps explain predictable behavior patterns.
TRAITS
Traits are stable characteristics that describe how a person typically behaves. They
don’t change quickly and apply across many situations. For example, a
conscientious person will usually be organized at school, work, and home.
BIG FIVE PERSONALITY MODEL
This is the most important and widely used personality model in OB:
• Extraversion → how social and energetic a person is. High extraversion =
talkative, outgoing, assertive. Low = quiet, reserved, prefers solitude.
• Agreeableness → how cooperative and kind a person is. High = trusting,
helpful, friendly. Low = competitive, skeptical, sometimes rude.
• Conscientiousness → how disciplined and organized a person is. High =
responsible, reliable, structured. Low = careless, spontaneous, disorganized.
, • Emotional stability (Neuroticism) → how well a person handles stress. High
stability = calm and confident. Low stability = anxious, moody, easily
stressed.
• Openness to experience → how open someone is to new ideas. High =
creative, curious, imaginative. Low = traditional, prefers routine.
Conscientiousness is the strongest predictor of job performance across most jobs.
OTHER PERSONALITY CONCEPTS
• MBTI → divides people into 16 types based on preferences (e.g., introvert
vs extrovert). Used in workplaces but less scientifically reliable because
people don’t fit fixed boxes.
• Core self-evaluation → how a person sees their own worth and ability.
Positive = confident, motivated, satisfied. Negative = self-doubt and lower
performance.
• Machiavellianism → a manipulative personality style. High Mach people
focus on winning, even if they manipulate or deceive others.
• Narcissism → excessive self-focus, ego, need for admiration, and belief of
superiority. Can create leadership problems.
• Self-monitoring → ability to adjust behavior based on environment. High
self-monitors act differently in different situations; low self-monitors stay
consistent.
• Proactive personality → someone who takes initiative, solves problems
early, and drives change instead of waiting.
,2. VALUES & CULTURE
VALUES
Values are deep beliefs about what is right, important, or desirable. They guide
decisions and behavior. Unlike personality, values are more about “what should
be” rather than “how you act.”
TYPES OF VALUES
• Values → general beliefs about what matters in life
• Terminal values → end goals in life (e.g., success, peace, happiness,
security)
• Instrumental values → behaviors used to achieve goals (e.g., honesty,
discipline, hard work)
• Value system → ranking of values from most to least important
CULTURAL DIMENSIONS
These explain differences between societies:
• Individualism vs collectivism → Individualism values independence and
personal success. Collectivism values group loyalty and teamwork.
• Power distance → High power distance means people accept hierarchy
(bosses have more power). Low power distance means equality and shared
decision-making.
• Masculinity vs femininity → Masculine cultures value competition,
achievement, and success. Feminine cultures value care, cooperation, and
quality of life.
• Uncertainty avoidance → High means people prefer rules and structure to
avoid risk. Low means people are comfortable with uncertainty and change.
, • Long-term vs short-term orientation → Long-term focuses on future
rewards, planning, and persistence. Short-term focuses on tradition,
immediate results, and social obligations.
3. PERCEPTION & ATTRIBUTION
PERCEPTION
Perception is how we interpret reality. Two people can see the same situation and
interpret it differently because perception is shaped by experience, beliefs, and
expectations.
ATTRIBUTION THEORY
This explains how we judge the cause of someone’s behavior:
• Internal attribution → behavior caused by personality or ability (e.g., “he is
lazy”)
• External attribution → behavior caused by situation (e.g., “he was
overworked”)
COMMON PERCEPTION ERRORS
• Fundamental attribution error → blaming personality instead of situation
when judging others
• Self-serving bias → taking credit for success but blaming failures on
external causes
• Halo effect → one positive trait influences overall impression (e.g.,
attractive = intelligent assumption)
