Summary WGU C715 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Study Guide () (Verified)
personality
characteristics that describe an individual's behavior.
personality traits
characteristics that describe an individual's behavior in a large number of situations
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
A personality test that taps four characteristics and classifies Behavior
Big Five Model
A personality assessment model that taps five basic dimensions. extraversion,
agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism.
extraversion
A personality describing someone who is sociable and assertive (confident and
forceful )
agreeableness
A personality that describes someone who is good natured, cooperative, and trusting.
conscientiousness
A personality that describes someone who is responsible, dependable, persistent, and
organized.
emotional stability
A personality that characterizes someone as calm, self-confident, and insecure.
openness to experience
A personality that characterizes someone in terms of imagination, sensitivity, and
curiosity.
core self-evaluation
Bottom-line conclusions individuals have about their capabilities, competence, and
worth as a person.
Machiavellianism
The degree to which an individual is pragmatic, maintains emotional distance, and
believes that ends can justify means.
narcissism
The tendency to be arrogant, self-importance, require excessive admiration, and have a
sense of entitlement.
self-monitoring
where an individual's has ability to adjust his or her behavior to external, situational
factors.
proactive personality
People who identify opportunities, show initiative, take action, and persevere until
meaningful change occurs.
values
Basic convictions that a specific mode of conduct or end-state of existence is personally
or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or end-state of
existence.
value system
,A hierarchy based on a ranking of an individual's values in terms of their intensity.
terminal values
Desirable end-states of existence; the goals a person would like to achieve during his or
her lifetime.
instrumental values
Preferable modes of behavior or means of achieving one's terminal values.
personality Job-fit theory
A theory that identifies six personality types and proposes that the fit between
personality type and occupational environment determines satisfaction and turnover.
power distance
where society accepts that power in institutions and organizations is distributed
unequally.
individualism
where people prefer to act as individuals rather than as members of groups.
collectivism
A national culture attribute that describes a tight social framework in which people
expect others in groups of which they are a part to look after them and protect them.
masculinity
where culture favors traditional masculine work roles of achievement, power, and
control.
femininity
indicates little differentiation between male and female roles; where women are treated
as the equals of men in all aspects of the society.
uncertainty avoidance
A national culture attribute that describes the extent to which a society feels threatened
by uncertain and ambiguous situations and tries to avoid them.
long-term orientation
A national culture attribute that emphasizes the future, thrift, and persistence.
short-term orientation
A national culture attribute that emphasizes the past and present, respect for tradition,
and fulfillment of social obligations. people value the here and now; they accept change
more readily and don't see commitments as impediments to change.
heredity
factors determined at conception; one's biological, physiological, and inherent
psychological makeup.
Perception
A process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order
to give meaning to their environment.
attribution theory
An attempt to determine whether an individual's behavior is internally or externally
caused.
fundamental attribution error
The tendency to underestimate the influence of external factors and overestimate the
influence of internal factors when making judgments about the behavior of others.
self-serving bias
, The tendency for individuals to attribute their own successes to internal factors and put
the blame for failures on external factors.
selective perception
The tendency to selectively interpret what one sees on the basis of one's interests,
background, experience, and attitudes.
halo effect
The tendency to draw a general impression about an individual on the basis of a single
characteristic.
contrast effect
Evaluation of a person's characteristics that is affected by comparisons with other
people recently encountered who rank higher or lower on the same characteristics.
stereotyping
Judging someone on the basis of one's perception of the group to which that person
belongs.
self-fulfilling prophecy
A situation in which a person inaccurately perceives a second person, and the resulting
expectations cause the second person to behave in ways consistent with the original
perception.
decisions
Choices made from among two or more alternatives.
problem
A discrepancy between the current state of affairs and some desired state.
rational
Characterized by making consistent, value-maximizing choices within specified
constraints.
rational decision-making model
A decision-making model that describes how individuals should behave in order to
maximize some outcome.
Steps in the rational decision-making model
1. Define the problem. 2. Identify the decision criteria. 3. Allocate weights to the criteria.
4. Develop the alternatives. 5. Evaluate the alternatives. 6. Select the best alternative.
bounded rationality
A process of making decisions by constructing simplified models that extract the
essential features from problems without capturing all their complexity.
intuitive decision making
An unconscious process created out of distilled experience.
anchoring bias
A tendency to fixate on initial information, from which one then fails to adequately adjust
for subsequent information.
confirmation bias
The tendency to seek out information that reaffirms past choices and to discount
information that contradicts past judgments.
availability bias
The tendency for people to base their judgments on information that is readily available
to them.
escalation of commitment
Study Guide () (Verified)
personality
characteristics that describe an individual's behavior.
personality traits
characteristics that describe an individual's behavior in a large number of situations
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
A personality test that taps four characteristics and classifies Behavior
Big Five Model
A personality assessment model that taps five basic dimensions. extraversion,
agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism.
extraversion
A personality describing someone who is sociable and assertive (confident and
forceful )
agreeableness
A personality that describes someone who is good natured, cooperative, and trusting.
conscientiousness
A personality that describes someone who is responsible, dependable, persistent, and
organized.
emotional stability
A personality that characterizes someone as calm, self-confident, and insecure.
openness to experience
A personality that characterizes someone in terms of imagination, sensitivity, and
curiosity.
core self-evaluation
Bottom-line conclusions individuals have about their capabilities, competence, and
worth as a person.
Machiavellianism
The degree to which an individual is pragmatic, maintains emotional distance, and
believes that ends can justify means.
narcissism
The tendency to be arrogant, self-importance, require excessive admiration, and have a
sense of entitlement.
self-monitoring
where an individual's has ability to adjust his or her behavior to external, situational
factors.
proactive personality
People who identify opportunities, show initiative, take action, and persevere until
meaningful change occurs.
values
Basic convictions that a specific mode of conduct or end-state of existence is personally
or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or end-state of
existence.
value system
,A hierarchy based on a ranking of an individual's values in terms of their intensity.
terminal values
Desirable end-states of existence; the goals a person would like to achieve during his or
her lifetime.
instrumental values
Preferable modes of behavior or means of achieving one's terminal values.
personality Job-fit theory
A theory that identifies six personality types and proposes that the fit between
personality type and occupational environment determines satisfaction and turnover.
power distance
where society accepts that power in institutions and organizations is distributed
unequally.
individualism
where people prefer to act as individuals rather than as members of groups.
collectivism
A national culture attribute that describes a tight social framework in which people
expect others in groups of which they are a part to look after them and protect them.
masculinity
where culture favors traditional masculine work roles of achievement, power, and
control.
femininity
indicates little differentiation between male and female roles; where women are treated
as the equals of men in all aspects of the society.
uncertainty avoidance
A national culture attribute that describes the extent to which a society feels threatened
by uncertain and ambiguous situations and tries to avoid them.
long-term orientation
A national culture attribute that emphasizes the future, thrift, and persistence.
short-term orientation
A national culture attribute that emphasizes the past and present, respect for tradition,
and fulfillment of social obligations. people value the here and now; they accept change
more readily and don't see commitments as impediments to change.
heredity
factors determined at conception; one's biological, physiological, and inherent
psychological makeup.
Perception
A process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order
to give meaning to their environment.
attribution theory
An attempt to determine whether an individual's behavior is internally or externally
caused.
fundamental attribution error
The tendency to underestimate the influence of external factors and overestimate the
influence of internal factors when making judgments about the behavior of others.
self-serving bias
, The tendency for individuals to attribute their own successes to internal factors and put
the blame for failures on external factors.
selective perception
The tendency to selectively interpret what one sees on the basis of one's interests,
background, experience, and attitudes.
halo effect
The tendency to draw a general impression about an individual on the basis of a single
characteristic.
contrast effect
Evaluation of a person's characteristics that is affected by comparisons with other
people recently encountered who rank higher or lower on the same characteristics.
stereotyping
Judging someone on the basis of one's perception of the group to which that person
belongs.
self-fulfilling prophecy
A situation in which a person inaccurately perceives a second person, and the resulting
expectations cause the second person to behave in ways consistent with the original
perception.
decisions
Choices made from among two or more alternatives.
problem
A discrepancy between the current state of affairs and some desired state.
rational
Characterized by making consistent, value-maximizing choices within specified
constraints.
rational decision-making model
A decision-making model that describes how individuals should behave in order to
maximize some outcome.
Steps in the rational decision-making model
1. Define the problem. 2. Identify the decision criteria. 3. Allocate weights to the criteria.
4. Develop the alternatives. 5. Evaluate the alternatives. 6. Select the best alternative.
bounded rationality
A process of making decisions by constructing simplified models that extract the
essential features from problems without capturing all their complexity.
intuitive decision making
An unconscious process created out of distilled experience.
anchoring bias
A tendency to fixate on initial information, from which one then fails to adequately adjust
for subsequent information.
confirmation bias
The tendency to seek out information that reaffirms past choices and to discount
information that contradicts past judgments.
availability bias
The tendency for people to base their judgments on information that is readily available
to them.
escalation of commitment
