COM4806 ORGANISATIONAL
COMMUNICATION RESEARCH 1 2026
CERTIFICATION EVALUATION TEST PAPER
QUESTIONS SOLUTIONS GRADED A PLUS
◉ Exam Guide: Behaviour change question.
Answer: Go to L2 TPB/AIDA and L7 EAST/ABC. Use TPB to explain
behaviour, AIDA/Domino for process, EAST for design, ABC for
message structure.
◉ Exam Guide: Motivation/performance question.
Answer: Go to L6. Start by defining motivation with Pinder (2008)
and linking to performance + wellbeing from L1. Use
intrinsic/extrinsic, Herzberg, Expectancy, Job Design, SDT.
◉ Exam Guide: Leadership question.
Answer: Go to L8. Start by defining leadership as influence and
mention leader vs context debate. Use
transformational/transactional, charismatic leadership, Zaleznik,
Judge & Piccolo, Landay et al., substitutes.
◉ Exam Guide: Change/resistance question.
,Answer: Go to L7. Use change curve, marathon effect, cycles of
change, RECIPE. Add EAST/ABC for behaviour change.
◉ Exam Guide: Decision-making/management quality question.
Answer: Go to L5. Use EBP, research-practice gap, barriers, scientist-
practitioner model. Add TPB to explain why behaviour does not
match attitudes.
◉ Exam Guide: Inequality/diversity question.
Answer: Go to L9. Start with glass ceiling + inequality increasing
over career progression. Use pay gap, pipeline, children/choices,
bias studies, gender schemas, accumulation of advantage.
◉ Exam Guide: Structure/culture question.
Answer: Go to L1. Start with organisations balancing efficiency,
people and context. Use Schein, flat vs tall, contingency approach.
◉ Exam Guide: Fit/job satisfaction question.
Answer: Go to L3. Use person-job fit, person-organisation fit,
supplementary vs complementary fit, Holland/RIASEC.
◉ Exam Guide: Communication/PR question.
Answer: Go to L2 + L4. Use planning framework, organisational
listening, and the four PR models.
,◉ L1: Core aim of occupational/organisational psychology.
Answer: Increase organisational efficiency/effectiveness while
improving employee job satisfaction.
◉ L1: Core tension in O/O psychology.
Answer: Organisations want performance, while employees need
wellbeing. This performance-wellbeing tension runs through the
module.
◉ L1: Key focus areas of O/O psychology.
Answer: Personnel selection/training, motivation, leadership,
organisational change, and team functioning.
◉ L1: Taylor/scientific management core idea.
Answer: Work can be optimised scientifically to maximise
productivity through standardisation, control, and division of labour.
◉ L1: Taylor pig iron study.
Answer: Worker output increased from 12 tons to 47 tons/day
through structured rest and strict control.
◉ L1: Taylor shovelling study.
, Answer: Taylor identified the optimal shovel weight and
standardised tools, producing a 3-4x productivity increase.
◉ L1: Taylor's four principles.
Answer: Scientific study of work; scientific selection/training; close
supervision; division of labour between managers planning and
workers executing.
◉ L1: Taylor underlying assumption.
Answer: Workers are treated like cogs in a machine and are assumed
to be primarily economically motivated.
◉ L1: Critique of Taylorism.
Answer: Dehumanising; ignores social needs, emotions and
autonomy; can deskill labour and increase monotony.
◉ L1: Human Relations approach core idea.
Answer: Work is social, not just mechanical. Employee feelings,
relationships and being valued affect productivity.
◉ L1: Hawthorne Studies finding.
Answer: Productivity increased regardless of lighting changes and
dropped after the study ended, suggesting being observed/valued
affected behaviour.
COMMUNICATION RESEARCH 1 2026
CERTIFICATION EVALUATION TEST PAPER
QUESTIONS SOLUTIONS GRADED A PLUS
◉ Exam Guide: Behaviour change question.
Answer: Go to L2 TPB/AIDA and L7 EAST/ABC. Use TPB to explain
behaviour, AIDA/Domino for process, EAST for design, ABC for
message structure.
◉ Exam Guide: Motivation/performance question.
Answer: Go to L6. Start by defining motivation with Pinder (2008)
and linking to performance + wellbeing from L1. Use
intrinsic/extrinsic, Herzberg, Expectancy, Job Design, SDT.
◉ Exam Guide: Leadership question.
Answer: Go to L8. Start by defining leadership as influence and
mention leader vs context debate. Use
transformational/transactional, charismatic leadership, Zaleznik,
Judge & Piccolo, Landay et al., substitutes.
◉ Exam Guide: Change/resistance question.
,Answer: Go to L7. Use change curve, marathon effect, cycles of
change, RECIPE. Add EAST/ABC for behaviour change.
◉ Exam Guide: Decision-making/management quality question.
Answer: Go to L5. Use EBP, research-practice gap, barriers, scientist-
practitioner model. Add TPB to explain why behaviour does not
match attitudes.
◉ Exam Guide: Inequality/diversity question.
Answer: Go to L9. Start with glass ceiling + inequality increasing
over career progression. Use pay gap, pipeline, children/choices,
bias studies, gender schemas, accumulation of advantage.
◉ Exam Guide: Structure/culture question.
Answer: Go to L1. Start with organisations balancing efficiency,
people and context. Use Schein, flat vs tall, contingency approach.
◉ Exam Guide: Fit/job satisfaction question.
Answer: Go to L3. Use person-job fit, person-organisation fit,
supplementary vs complementary fit, Holland/RIASEC.
◉ Exam Guide: Communication/PR question.
Answer: Go to L2 + L4. Use planning framework, organisational
listening, and the four PR models.
,◉ L1: Core aim of occupational/organisational psychology.
Answer: Increase organisational efficiency/effectiveness while
improving employee job satisfaction.
◉ L1: Core tension in O/O psychology.
Answer: Organisations want performance, while employees need
wellbeing. This performance-wellbeing tension runs through the
module.
◉ L1: Key focus areas of O/O psychology.
Answer: Personnel selection/training, motivation, leadership,
organisational change, and team functioning.
◉ L1: Taylor/scientific management core idea.
Answer: Work can be optimised scientifically to maximise
productivity through standardisation, control, and division of labour.
◉ L1: Taylor pig iron study.
Answer: Worker output increased from 12 tons to 47 tons/day
through structured rest and strict control.
◉ L1: Taylor shovelling study.
, Answer: Taylor identified the optimal shovel weight and
standardised tools, producing a 3-4x productivity increase.
◉ L1: Taylor's four principles.
Answer: Scientific study of work; scientific selection/training; close
supervision; division of labour between managers planning and
workers executing.
◉ L1: Taylor underlying assumption.
Answer: Workers are treated like cogs in a machine and are assumed
to be primarily economically motivated.
◉ L1: Critique of Taylorism.
Answer: Dehumanising; ignores social needs, emotions and
autonomy; can deskill labour and increase monotony.
◉ L1: Human Relations approach core idea.
Answer: Work is social, not just mechanical. Employee feelings,
relationships and being valued affect productivity.
◉ L1: Hawthorne Studies finding.
Answer: Productivity increased regardless of lighting changes and
dropped after the study ended, suggesting being observed/valued
affected behaviour.
