WGU C715 COMPETENCY:
BEHAVIOR INFLUENCES
C715 Organizational Behavior
Chapter Summaries
COMPETENCY: BEHAVIOR INFLUENCES
Chapters 5, 6 and 7
Chapter 5: Personality and Values
Overview: This chapter explores how personality and values drive behavior in organizations.
Managers benefit from understanding both to predict employee behavior and foster better
person–environment fit.
Key Topics:
PERSON–JOB FIT VS. PERSON–ORGANIZATION FIT:
* Person–Job Fit refers to matching individuals’ personalities to the requirements of
specific roles.
* Person–Organization Fit centers on alignment of personal values with organizational
culture.
Example: A highly detail-oriented, methodical person thrives in an
accounting role (strong person–job fit), while someone who values
innovation and autonomy may flourish in a startup with a flat
culture (strong person–organization fit).
PERSONALITY MEASURES AND MODELS:
* Includes the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Big Five model, and darker traits like
the Dark Triad.
Example: A conscientious employee (Big Five trait) reliably meets
deadlines and delivers quality work; a manager using MBTI might
identify someone as an “INTJ” who excels in strategic planning.
CORE SELF-EVALUATIONS, SELF-MONITORING, PROACTIVITY:
* These traits influence how individuals perceive themselves and engage with work
environments.
Example: A proactive individual anticipates project needs and takes
initiative, improving team performance.
ROLE OF SITUATIONAL FACTORS:
* Personality’s impact varies depending on context.
1
,Example: An extrovert may shine in collaborative tasks but may also
struggle when working alone under tight deadlines.
ABILITIES. INTELLECTUAL AND PHYSICAL:
* Recognizes how varying abilities affect job fit and performance.
Example: A job requiring fine motor skills (e.g., laboratory work)
suits someone with strong physical dexterity.
TYPES OF VALUES:
* Distinguishes between terminal values (end goals) and instrumental values (modes of
behavior).
Example: Seeking “self-fulfillment” is a terminal value; being
“honest” is an instrumental value guiding behavior.
2
, Chapter 6: Perception and Individual
Decision-Making
Overview: Examines how people perceive reality (which may differ from objective facts), the
biases that shape those perceptions, and how these influence decision-making processes.
KEY TOPICS:
• Perception Process & Influencing Factors:
• Perception is organizing sensory inputs to construct meaning.
• Influenced by characteristics of the perceiver (e.g., expectations), the situation (e.g.,
setting), and the target (e.g., novelty).
Example: In a high-stress meeting, someone may perceive neutral
comments as critical due to their emotional state.
* ATTRIBUTION THEORY & JUDGMENT SHORTCUTS:
Helps explain whether behavior is attributed to internal traits or external circumstances.
Common biases include fundamental attribution error, self-serving bias, halo effect, selective
perception, and stereotyping.
Example: A manager attributes a team member’s missed
deadline to laziness (internal attribution) instead of
considering workload issues (external factor).
* DECISION-MAKING MODELS:
Includes the rational model, bounded rationality, and intuition.
Example: A manager uses bounded rationality by choosing the first acceptable
vendor proposal rather than evaluating all possibilities satisficing for efficiency.
* COMMON BIASES IN DECISION-MAKING:
Includes overconfidence, anchoring, confirmation bias, availability bias, escalation of
commitment, randomness error, risk aversion, and hindsight bias.
Example: An investor holds onto a failing stock due to
escalation of commitment refusing to admit a mistake.
* INFLUENCES ON DECISION MAKING:
Individual differences (e.g., personality, gender, intelligence), and organizational constraints
(e.g., policies, time pressure).
Example: A rule-heavy organization limits a manager’s
ability to adaptively solve problems due to rigid
procedures and deadlines.
3
BEHAVIOR INFLUENCES
C715 Organizational Behavior
Chapter Summaries
COMPETENCY: BEHAVIOR INFLUENCES
Chapters 5, 6 and 7
Chapter 5: Personality and Values
Overview: This chapter explores how personality and values drive behavior in organizations.
Managers benefit from understanding both to predict employee behavior and foster better
person–environment fit.
Key Topics:
PERSON–JOB FIT VS. PERSON–ORGANIZATION FIT:
* Person–Job Fit refers to matching individuals’ personalities to the requirements of
specific roles.
* Person–Organization Fit centers on alignment of personal values with organizational
culture.
Example: A highly detail-oriented, methodical person thrives in an
accounting role (strong person–job fit), while someone who values
innovation and autonomy may flourish in a startup with a flat
culture (strong person–organization fit).
PERSONALITY MEASURES AND MODELS:
* Includes the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Big Five model, and darker traits like
the Dark Triad.
Example: A conscientious employee (Big Five trait) reliably meets
deadlines and delivers quality work; a manager using MBTI might
identify someone as an “INTJ” who excels in strategic planning.
CORE SELF-EVALUATIONS, SELF-MONITORING, PROACTIVITY:
* These traits influence how individuals perceive themselves and engage with work
environments.
Example: A proactive individual anticipates project needs and takes
initiative, improving team performance.
ROLE OF SITUATIONAL FACTORS:
* Personality’s impact varies depending on context.
1
,Example: An extrovert may shine in collaborative tasks but may also
struggle when working alone under tight deadlines.
ABILITIES. INTELLECTUAL AND PHYSICAL:
* Recognizes how varying abilities affect job fit and performance.
Example: A job requiring fine motor skills (e.g., laboratory work)
suits someone with strong physical dexterity.
TYPES OF VALUES:
* Distinguishes between terminal values (end goals) and instrumental values (modes of
behavior).
Example: Seeking “self-fulfillment” is a terminal value; being
“honest” is an instrumental value guiding behavior.
2
, Chapter 6: Perception and Individual
Decision-Making
Overview: Examines how people perceive reality (which may differ from objective facts), the
biases that shape those perceptions, and how these influence decision-making processes.
KEY TOPICS:
• Perception Process & Influencing Factors:
• Perception is organizing sensory inputs to construct meaning.
• Influenced by characteristics of the perceiver (e.g., expectations), the situation (e.g.,
setting), and the target (e.g., novelty).
Example: In a high-stress meeting, someone may perceive neutral
comments as critical due to their emotional state.
* ATTRIBUTION THEORY & JUDGMENT SHORTCUTS:
Helps explain whether behavior is attributed to internal traits or external circumstances.
Common biases include fundamental attribution error, self-serving bias, halo effect, selective
perception, and stereotyping.
Example: A manager attributes a team member’s missed
deadline to laziness (internal attribution) instead of
considering workload issues (external factor).
* DECISION-MAKING MODELS:
Includes the rational model, bounded rationality, and intuition.
Example: A manager uses bounded rationality by choosing the first acceptable
vendor proposal rather than evaluating all possibilities satisficing for efficiency.
* COMMON BIASES IN DECISION-MAKING:
Includes overconfidence, anchoring, confirmation bias, availability bias, escalation of
commitment, randomness error, risk aversion, and hindsight bias.
Example: An investor holds onto a failing stock due to
escalation of commitment refusing to admit a mistake.
* INFLUENCES ON DECISION MAKING:
Individual differences (e.g., personality, gender, intelligence), and organizational constraints
(e.g., policies, time pressure).
Example: A rule-heavy organization limits a manager’s
ability to adaptively solve problems due to rigid
procedures and deadlines.
3
