SOLUTIONS MANUAL
CANADIAN ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
12TH EDITION
CHAPTER NO. 01:
INTRODUCTION TO THE FIELD OF ORGANIZATIONAL
BEHAVIOUR
CHAPTER SUMMARY BY LEARNING OBJECTIVE
1-1 Define organizational behaviour and organizations.
Organizational behaviour is the study of what people think, feel, and do in and around organizations. It examines
how individuals and teams in organizations relate to one another, and how organizations interact with their
external environments. This field of knowledge emerged around the early 1940s, but organizations have been
studied by other disciplines for more than 2,000 years. Organizations are groups of people who work
interdependently toward some purpose. They consist of people who interact with one another in an organized
way and have a collective sense of purpose.
1-2 Explain why organizational behaviour knowledge is important for you and for organizations.
Organizational behaviour is important for you because it offers a core foundation of knowledge and skill
development for your success in organizations. The skills and knowledge that employers look for in new hires,
above anything else, are the topics found in organizational behaviour, including problem solving, working
effectively in teams, communication, and adaptability/initiative. More broadly, OB helps you adopt better
personal theories to understand, predict, and influence organizational events. OB knowledge is for everyone, not
just managers.
OB theories and practices are vital to the organization’s survival and success. In fact, most OB theories implicitly
or explicitly try to improve organizational effectiveness—an ideal state in which an organization has a good fit
with its external environment, effectively transforms inputs to outputs through human capital, and satisfies the
needs of key stakeholders. Organizational behaviour knowledge is highly relevant to the open systems view of
, organizations by identifying organizational characteristics that “fit” some external environments better than
others. OB theories offer guidance on how to effectively transform inputs to outputs.
OB is also important for organizations because it identifies ways for organizations to develop and leverage the
potential of human capital—the knowledge, skills, abilities, creativity, and other valued resources that employees
bring to the organization. Several organizational behaviour topics also give us a better understanding of relations
with stakeholders—individuals, groups, and other entities that affect, or are affected by, the organization’s
objectives and actions. This latter focus includes the role of corporate social responsibility—organizational
activities intended to benefit society and the environment beyond the firm’s immediate financial interests or legal
obligations.
1-3 Describe the anchors on which organizational behaviour knowledge is based.
The systematic research anchor states that OB knowledge should be based on systematic research, consistent with
evidence-based management. The practical orientation anchor states that OB theories need to be useful in practice,
such as by helping organizations become more effective. The multidisciplinary anchor states that the field should
develop from knowledge in other disciplines (e.g., psychology, sociology, economics), not just from its own
isolated research base. The contingency anchor states that OB theories generally need to consider that there will be
different consequences in different situations. The multiple levels of analysis anchor states that OB topics may be
viewed from the individual, team, and organization levels of analysis.
1-4 Summarize the workplace trends of diversity, equity, and inclusion; work–life integration; and remote work.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are integrated concepts and practices. Diversity refers to surface-level and
deep-level heterogeneity of the organization’s workforce. Equity is about treating everyone fairly by practising the
various forms of organizational justice. An inclusive workplace refers to how well the organization values
diversity and allows people of all identities to be fully themselves while contributing to the organization. It
enables people of all backgrounds to feel psychologically safe, engaged, valued, authentic, listened to, and
respected. Organizations that support diversity, equity, and inclusion tend to have better decision making,
employee attitudes, team performance, and a host of other favourable outcomes for employees and the
organization. However, diversity also poses challenges, such as dysfunctional conflict and slower team
development.
Work–life integration refers to the degree that people are effectively engaged in their various work and nonwork
roles and have a low degree of role conflict across those life domains. Various work and nonwork roles are
inherently integrated because the physical, cognitive, and emotional resources produced or consumed by one role
potentially enrich or undermine the success and enjoyment of other roles. There are several ways to maximize
work–life integration, such as by doing things that mix two roles, engaging in flexible work scheduling, ensuring
that work and nonwork roles are aligned with your personal characteristics, and engaging in some degree of
“boundary management” across roles.
An increasing percentage of the workforce performs their job remotely some or all of the time rather than at the
organization’s physical work site. Some organizations are completely remote—everyone works at home and cafés
and the company has no physical head office. Working remotely potentially benefits employees and employers,
but there are also disadvantages. The effectiveness of remote work depends on the employee, job, and
organization..
1-5 Diagram the MARS model and describe the four factors that directly influence individual behaviour and
performance.
Four variables—motivation, ability, role perceptions, and situational factors—which are represented by the
acronym MARS, directly influence individual behaviour and performance. Motivation represents the forces within
a person that affect their direction, intensity, and persistence of voluntary behaviour; ability includes both the
natural aptitudes and the learned capabilities required to successfully complete a task; role perceptions are the
, extent to which people understand the job duties (roles) assigned to them or expected of them; and situational
factors include conditions beyond the employee’s immediate control that constrain or facilitate behaviour and
performance.
1-6 Summarize the five types of individual behaviour in organizations.
There are five main types of workplace behaviour. Task performance refers to goal-directed behaviours under the
individual’s control that support organizational objectives. It includes proficiency, adaptivity, and proactivity.
Organizational citizenship behaviours consist of various forms of cooperation and helpfulness to others that
support the organization’s social and psychological context. Counterproductive work behaviours are voluntary
behaviours that have the potential to directly or indirectly harm the organization. Joining and staying with the
organization refers to agreeing to become an organizational member and remaining with the organization.
Maintaining work attendance includes minimizing absenteeism when capable of working and avoiding scheduled
work when not fit (i.e., low presenteeism).
CANADIAN ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
12TH EDITION
CHAPTER NO. 01:
INTRODUCTION TO THE FIELD OF ORGANIZATIONAL
BEHAVIOUR
CHAPTER SUMMARY BY LEARNING OBJECTIVE
1-1 Define organizational behaviour and organizations.
Organizational behaviour is the study of what people think, feel, and do in and around organizations. It examines
how individuals and teams in organizations relate to one another, and how organizations interact with their
external environments. This field of knowledge emerged around the early 1940s, but organizations have been
studied by other disciplines for more than 2,000 years. Organizations are groups of people who work
interdependently toward some purpose. They consist of people who interact with one another in an organized
way and have a collective sense of purpose.
1-2 Explain why organizational behaviour knowledge is important for you and for organizations.
Organizational behaviour is important for you because it offers a core foundation of knowledge and skill
development for your success in organizations. The skills and knowledge that employers look for in new hires,
above anything else, are the topics found in organizational behaviour, including problem solving, working
effectively in teams, communication, and adaptability/initiative. More broadly, OB helps you adopt better
personal theories to understand, predict, and influence organizational events. OB knowledge is for everyone, not
just managers.
OB theories and practices are vital to the organization’s survival and success. In fact, most OB theories implicitly
or explicitly try to improve organizational effectiveness—an ideal state in which an organization has a good fit
with its external environment, effectively transforms inputs to outputs through human capital, and satisfies the
needs of key stakeholders. Organizational behaviour knowledge is highly relevant to the open systems view of
, organizations by identifying organizational characteristics that “fit” some external environments better than
others. OB theories offer guidance on how to effectively transform inputs to outputs.
OB is also important for organizations because it identifies ways for organizations to develop and leverage the
potential of human capital—the knowledge, skills, abilities, creativity, and other valued resources that employees
bring to the organization. Several organizational behaviour topics also give us a better understanding of relations
with stakeholders—individuals, groups, and other entities that affect, or are affected by, the organization’s
objectives and actions. This latter focus includes the role of corporate social responsibility—organizational
activities intended to benefit society and the environment beyond the firm’s immediate financial interests or legal
obligations.
1-3 Describe the anchors on which organizational behaviour knowledge is based.
The systematic research anchor states that OB knowledge should be based on systematic research, consistent with
evidence-based management. The practical orientation anchor states that OB theories need to be useful in practice,
such as by helping organizations become more effective. The multidisciplinary anchor states that the field should
develop from knowledge in other disciplines (e.g., psychology, sociology, economics), not just from its own
isolated research base. The contingency anchor states that OB theories generally need to consider that there will be
different consequences in different situations. The multiple levels of analysis anchor states that OB topics may be
viewed from the individual, team, and organization levels of analysis.
1-4 Summarize the workplace trends of diversity, equity, and inclusion; work–life integration; and remote work.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are integrated concepts and practices. Diversity refers to surface-level and
deep-level heterogeneity of the organization’s workforce. Equity is about treating everyone fairly by practising the
various forms of organizational justice. An inclusive workplace refers to how well the organization values
diversity and allows people of all identities to be fully themselves while contributing to the organization. It
enables people of all backgrounds to feel psychologically safe, engaged, valued, authentic, listened to, and
respected. Organizations that support diversity, equity, and inclusion tend to have better decision making,
employee attitudes, team performance, and a host of other favourable outcomes for employees and the
organization. However, diversity also poses challenges, such as dysfunctional conflict and slower team
development.
Work–life integration refers to the degree that people are effectively engaged in their various work and nonwork
roles and have a low degree of role conflict across those life domains. Various work and nonwork roles are
inherently integrated because the physical, cognitive, and emotional resources produced or consumed by one role
potentially enrich or undermine the success and enjoyment of other roles. There are several ways to maximize
work–life integration, such as by doing things that mix two roles, engaging in flexible work scheduling, ensuring
that work and nonwork roles are aligned with your personal characteristics, and engaging in some degree of
“boundary management” across roles.
An increasing percentage of the workforce performs their job remotely some or all of the time rather than at the
organization’s physical work site. Some organizations are completely remote—everyone works at home and cafés
and the company has no physical head office. Working remotely potentially benefits employees and employers,
but there are also disadvantages. The effectiveness of remote work depends on the employee, job, and
organization..
1-5 Diagram the MARS model and describe the four factors that directly influence individual behaviour and
performance.
Four variables—motivation, ability, role perceptions, and situational factors—which are represented by the
acronym MARS, directly influence individual behaviour and performance. Motivation represents the forces within
a person that affect their direction, intensity, and persistence of voluntary behaviour; ability includes both the
natural aptitudes and the learned capabilities required to successfully complete a task; role perceptions are the
, extent to which people understand the job duties (roles) assigned to them or expected of them; and situational
factors include conditions beyond the employee’s immediate control that constrain or facilitate behaviour and
performance.
1-6 Summarize the five types of individual behaviour in organizations.
There are five main types of workplace behaviour. Task performance refers to goal-directed behaviours under the
individual’s control that support organizational objectives. It includes proficiency, adaptivity, and proactivity.
Organizational citizenship behaviours consist of various forms of cooperation and helpfulness to others that
support the organization’s social and psychological context. Counterproductive work behaviours are voluntary
behaviours that have the potential to directly or indirectly harm the organization. Joining and staying with the
organization refers to agreeing to become an organizational member and remaining with the organization.
Maintaining work attendance includes minimizing absenteeism when capable of working and avoiding scheduled
work when not fit (i.e., low presenteeism).
