This OB in Action describes how the largest manufacturers of iPhones, Foxconn and Pegatron, have faced numerous challenges in managing employee work hours, wages, and the overall organizational climate. 1. What are three potential benefits of these practices? 2. What are three potential drawbacks?
> Pike Place Fish Market is a Seattle-based fish market whose employees decided they wanted to become “world” famous. Along with the support of the owner, John Yokoyama, the employees ostensibly made this vision happen through sheer commitment to their sta
> SCENARIO 1 Dave, who is one of your direct reports, comes to you and says that he and Scott are having a special commitment ceremony to celebrate the beginning of their lives together. He has invited you to the ceremony. Normally the department has a par
> 1. Why is uncontrolled anger a sure road to failure? 2. Is it possible to express anger without insulting others? Explain. 3. Which is more difficult, controlling anger in yourself or defusing someone else’s anger? Why? 4. What useful lessons did you lea
> This Problem-Solving Application expands on the woes of the University of Colorado Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED). The ED was overcrowded and utilizing inefficient processes, policies, and practices. All of this damaged relationships with both phys
> An increasing number of companies are using smoking as a reason to turn away job applicants. Employers argue that such policies increase worker productivity, reduce health care costs, and encourage healthier lifestyles. They raise the ante on earlier and
> This OB in Action describes external and internal job swaps. An external job swap is when an employee “trades jobs” with an employee of another company for a short time to be able to gain insight into how to better perform his role by performing the role
> This Take-Away Application encourages students to reflect on the extent to which their personal values are aligned with important goals they have set for themselves. 1. Consider the extent to which your personal goals are aligned with the top five value
> 1. Which do you think are most important for this course? Which are most important for your current, last, and most desired jobs? 2. Describe how you could use this knowledge to improve your performance in this class (and your job if you’re working).
> This case describes an incident that occurred at Hurley Medical Center in Michigan and resulted in a lawsuit. Tonya Battle, a veteran black nurse in Hurley’s neonatal intensive care unit, was taking care of a baby when a man with a swastika tattoo walked
> An upper management executive of a magazine publishing company, JBL Publishing, is negotiating with a union representative regarding production workers’ contracts. The main issues are salary increases, health benefits, and flexible work schedules. The Un
> This OB in Action allows students to see how one company uses rites and rituals to reinforce its culture. 1. How are clan and market cultures being reinforced by Salo? 2. Which industries are the best fit for Salo’s cultural approach, and why?
> This OB in Action profiles employee monitoring done with hardware and software that provides real-time location and activity logs for employee activity. Monitoring data can help employers restructure work spaces, identify employees' most productive work
> 1. Assume that stress is an individual-level problem in this case. Determine two potential OB causes of this problem and explain how they influence employee stress. Utilize only evidence actually included in the case when crafting your response. 2. Expla
> This OB in Action profiles the founders of Life is Good, brothers Bert and John Jacobs. The brothers advise other entrepreneurs to start with a mission or purpose, remain open to feedback, and work and play. 1. What are the potential sources of the Jaco
> More companies are using GPS apps to track the whereabouts of their employees. Companies claim such devices increase productivity and help locate employees in times of a crisis, such as the 2016 terrorist attack in Paris. For example, the city of Aurora,
> This Take-Away Application encourages students to reflect on the benefits of positive emotions. 1. What were the benefits to you? 2. Did anybody else benefit? If so, how? 3. Think of ways you can create and experience each of these at either school, wor
> This Problem-Solving Application profiles city officials’ attempts in Albuquerque, New Mexico to cut costs by paying trash collection crews for eight hours of work no matter how long it actually took them to finish their routes. The hope was that the cre
> 1. What are your reactions to this exercise? 2. Did the exercise help you to reframe negative beliefs into positive ones? Provide examples. 3. How might you use this technique in a more immediate way? In other words, which of the ABCDEs are most importan
> A Wall Street trading company, Smith/Blackwell, is coming to the end of their 4th Quarter. BesTel Inc. has offered to invest 4 million dollars with Smith/Blackwell which would not only save the department from lay-offs but would create year-end bonuses f
> Assume you are a nursing director for a nursing home. You’ve been working at your facility for a few short months when you learn the company that owns the home has been improperly overbilling Medicare for the care and services provided to your residents.
> Be as specific and realistic as possible, trying to remain true to any historical facts you uncover, but also use your imagination. Remember, the idea is to provide advice about managing people from another person’s point of view and, in some cases, at a
> How can I integrate and apply the many OB concepts and tools to solve problems?
> How can the Organizing Framework help me understand and apply OB knowledge and tools—and improve my problem-solving skills?
> How could I explain to a fellow student the practical relevance and power of OB in problem solving?
> How can I apply OB in a practical way to increase my effectiveness?
> Why do people fall into ethical lapses, even unwittingly, and what lessons can I learn from that?
> This OB in Action profiles the company Mars and discusses some of the inputs, processes, and outcomes of the company that may differ from other companies with which students may be familiar. 1. What positive outcomes does Mars produce at the organizatio
> This OB in Action allows students to consider some of the practices that should be used for keeping valuable employees and allowing them to achieve work-life balance. 1. How could you apply the contingency approach to make these and other policies more
> How can I use knowledge of OB to enhance my job performance and career?
> One of the most stunning events of the 2016 Australian Open Tennis Tournament occurred off the court. Maria Sharapova, one of the top women's players for more than a decade and the world's highest-paid female athlete, failed a drug test. Sharapova tested
> We discussed in this chapter how the balanced scorecard identifies four categories of organizational effectiveness criteria. Community-related measures of effectiveness, such as satisfaction with services or benefits provided by a company, are one compon
> How can more recent approaches to leadership improve my effectiveness at work?
> How can I use transformational leadership when working with others?
> How do I know when to use a specific leader behavior?
> Do effective leaders behave in similar ways?
> How can I use trait theories to improve my ability to lead?
> How does having an integrated model of leadership help me become an effective leader?
> A national media communications company acquires a regional communications company. As a result of the merger, the regional marketing department is re-organized, combining the staff of the two organizations. Our manager is overseeing the restructuring pr
> This OB in Action allows students to reflect on how firms can successfully implement a horizontal structure. 1. What are the pros of Gore’s structure? 2. What are the drawbacks? 3. Do you think this type of structure would work in most organizations? Ex
> This Problem-Solving Application encourages students to reflect on how big data can be used to improve a company’s processes, resulting in better customer service and profits. 1. What problem was Kroger trying to solve by installing QueVision? Based on
> Bryan Dobbs, director of marketing at Sarga Inc., has received multiple complaints about Davy Siegler over the past two months. Apparently, he spends his day surfing the net, passes all his own work on to subordinates, and disrupts those around him by dr
> This Problem-Solving Application discusses some eye-popping statistics on the productivity loss of employees playing fantasy sports. For example, the price tag for productivity lost to fantasy football was $16 billion in 2015. That's $1 billion a week du
> How can knowing about the basic communication process help me communicate more effectively?
> How can I increase my effectiveness using presentation skills, crucial conversations, and managing up?
> How can social media increase my effectiveness at work and in my career?
> How do gender and age affect the communication process?
> What key aspects of interpersonal communication can help me improve my communication competence?
> The video focuses on Zappos.com, an online shoe and merchandise company. The video discusses its thriving employee culture, and CEO Tony Hsieh. Mr. Hsieh believes that it is possible to keep customers, employees, and investors happy by allowing his emplo
> This Problem-Solving Application profiles the Dabbawalas in Mumbai, India. Dabbawalas deliver 200,000 or more lunch boxes every day. The Dabbawalas first pick up meals customers have prepared for themselves at home, then deliver them to offices in late m
> The video begins with a statement that many people avoid conversations due to fear. Bernardo Carducci states that most of that fear comes from a fear of saying something stupid. However, this is an unfounded fear. If you are simply nice, and follow the f
> 1. How does this exercise foster open-system thinking? Give examples. 2. Why do managers need clear priorities when it comes to dealing with strategic constituents?
> What are organizations doing to effectively manage diversity, and what works best?
> What are the most common barriers to implementing successful diversity programs?
> What is the business rationale for managing diversity?
> How does awareness about the layers of diversity help organizations effectively manage diversity?
> How do I tend to interpret employee performance?
> How can I use awareness of stereotypes to make better decisions and manage more effectively?
> How do I form perceptions of others?
> Dilbert creator, Scott Adams, who receives over 150 messages a day from people complaining about their cubicles, decided to reach out to world-renowned industrial designer, IDEO, and asked them to design a cubicle even Dilbert would enjoy. IDEO is known
> 1. Based on the case, it is evident that Volkswagen’s reputation has suffered as a consequence of the crisis. Based on the organizing framework, what are other organizational level problems for Volkswagen after the scandal? Justify your answer using conc
> Jeff Lebesch, Founder of New Belgium Brewers, started making beer as simply a hobby. After visiting Belgium, he discovered how to brew beer the “Belgium” way and began brewing beer in his basement. This endeavor eventually transformed into the New Belgiu
> This challenge involves the behavior of Bernadine Pearce. Pearce was the supervisor of Michelle Ruppert, a clerk in the Office of the Tax Collector in the Borough of Point Pleasant, N.J. Pearce worked at the local government for about 40 years. Ruppert f
> This OB in Action profiles how the hospitality industry is using surveys to identify the causes of employee dissatisfaction and turnover and perhaps discover why there is a shortage of good cooks. Do you think the changes described above will reduce emp
> This OB in Action allows students to learn about a variety of methods used for onboarding. What are the drawbacks of Apple’s approach of hiring employees into dummy positions (for reasons of secrecy)? What are the trade-offs?
> A well-entrenched and ever-growing trend in companies today is employer-sponsored wellness programs. Healthy employees provide many benefits for employers, such as increased productivity and morale, reduced absences and accidents, and lower stress and he
> This OB in Action profiles Activision, one of the leading developers and publishers of video games that has created blockbuster hits such as Call of Duty, World of War craft, and Guitar Hero. Activision’s culture appears to be a combination of all four c
> This Take-Away Application encourages students to consider their important needs in the context of the content theories of motivation. 1. Which ones have your highest levels of need satisfaction? 2. Given that flourishing is related to satisfying higher
> This Take-Away Application encourages students to consider ways to increase their mindfulness. 1. What can you do in class to stay focused on what is being discussed? 2. How can you remain mindful in one-on-one conversations?
> This Take-Away Application encourages students to develop an action plan for improving their PO fit. 1. Now use the 12 embedding mechanisms just discussed and suggest at least two things you can do and two things your manager might do to improve your le
> This Take-Away Application encourages students to consider how task and maintenance roles are fulfilled in groups of which they are members. 1. Describe how at least three task roles are fulfilled. Explain how the roles are fulfilled using examples of s
> Three months ago, Patrick was given the goal of implementing a computerized tracking system on the factory floor with the expectations that it would raise quality control and workflow by a significant percentage. The team spends an enormous amount of tim
> This Take-Away Application encourages students to consider what can foster defensiveness and how they can facilitate nondefensive communication. 1. Were the potential causes of the defensive communication pattern? 2. Identify three things you could have
> This OB in Action discusses the stress that junior Wall Street players face. Historically, it has been common for junior employees to work without a day off for weeks on end, including pulling regular all-nighters and the occasional 72-hour stretch. Extr
> This Problem-Solving Application profiles how Whole Foods is moving from an organic to mechanistic structure. Historically, the company was more organic and relied on decentralized decision making. The company is now moving more of the responsibility for
> This Problem-Solving Application demonstrates to students the impact of biases in the decision-making process and how they can have deadly consequences. 1. What was the problem in this example? 2. How did the confirmation bias and overconfidence bias co
> This OB in Action profiles a situation between a flight attendant and passenger that quickly escalated to air marshals intervening. 1. Why do you think the situation escalated? 2. What could the passenger have done differently to avoid escalation?
> Glenn Lamar, managing director of PaperKlip Office Supplies, is conducting a grievance meeting with Gloria Westfield, a senior executive who has reported feeling physically threatened by a male subordinate. During the meeting various things occur: the ma
> Has the Internet impacted your memory? Researchers Betsy Sparrow, Daniel Wegner, and Jenny Liu sought to answer that question in a series of studies with some surprising results. Their findings indicate that when people think that information will be ava
> Scenarios 1. Sean, a high school ballplayer, buoys the spirits of Dahir, a teammate who struck out at a key moment, by emphasizing Dahir's game-winning hit last week and noting that even the greatest big-league hitters fail about 7 times out of 10. Sean
> The video discusses the strategic plans for Starbucks from 2008 forward while discussing the errors of the company from 2000-2008. According to Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, the company is now striving to be a company based on humanity, rather than s
> As you likely knew before you read this chapter, arbitration is an alternative form of dispute resolution. In theory and in practice it often is intended to save time and money and achieve better outcomes than going to court. If you haven't actually been
> This OB in Action allows students to consider the importance of building an effective team. 1. What are the benefits to Kevin Ryan’s approach to team building? 2. What are the potential shortcomings?
> In this Problem-Solving Application, students are asked to analyze the pros and cons of the increasing use of technology in the workplace. 1. What problem is described in this example? 2. Identify two potential causes (be sure to link the causes to the
> This OB in Action allows students to consider the difficulties of managing teams. Challenges discussed include dynamic composition, technology and distance, and the ultimate telecommuters. 1. What team challenges do you think would be most enjoyable for
> This Problem-Solving Application profiles Whole Foods Market’s decision to launch the Responsibly Grown program. This program requires suppliers to address water usage, migrant worker treatment, etc. Current suppliers are quite worried about this program
> 1. How did your personal top 10 list compare with your group’s top 10 list? If there is a serious mismatch, how would it affect your motivation? (To promote discussion, the instructor may have several volunteers read their personal top 10 lists to the cl
> This Take-Away Application encourages students to prepare a goal-setting plan for improving their performance on the exams for the course. 1. Identify how you will assess your progress in completing the tasks or activities in your action plan. 2. Now wo
> This OB in Action profiles Pirch, an organization that reinvents the way people shop for home appliances (i.e., shoppers can test products). Also, “customers being first” is integral to the company’s strategy. 1. What do you think about the concept of t
> This OB in Action profiles United Shore Financial, which requires that employees only work 40 hours a week. There is no after-hours e-mailing or coming in on weekends. 1. What do you think are the benefits of United Shore's "firm 40" practice for the fi
> This Problem-Solving Application describes the troubling increased rate of turnover at the Arizona Department of Child Safety. 1. What is the problem in this case? 2. What are the key causes of this problem?
> 1. Identify one aspect of personal competence from Table 3.6 and describe how you can improve it. Be specific. 2. Identify one aspect of social competence from Table 3.6 and describe how you can improve it. Be specific.
> This Problem-Solving Application encourages students to think creatively about how to motivate high school students to excel academically. 1. What problem is Tim Richard trying to address? 2. What OB concepts or theories are consistent with Mr. Richard’
> This case considers the long-term implications of Apple’s decision to deny local and federal requests to unlock data on iPhones. It all started with the terrorist attack perpetrated by Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife. The couple killed 14 people in San B
> Samantha Peters, Technical Director at Quantum Gaming, a video-game company, is conducting a scheduling meeting where she must ask employees to put in a serious amount of extra hours to meet a valued customer’s request. In addition to various challenges
> This OB in Action describes Cameron Mitchell, a successful restaurateur who currently runs 48 upscale restaurants. Mitchell believes in “people first” and makes sure his company is committed to employees and also creates a climate that fosters trust, aut
> This Problem-Solving Application outlines the first ever informational picket by Southwest Airlines pilots in 2012. Pilots believe there has been an erosion of Southwest's company culture of shared sacrifice and shared success. Southwest’s record profits
> What work-related outcomes are associated with job satisfaction?
> How can changes in the workplace improve job satisfaction?
> Why should management pay attention to workplace attitudes?
> How do personal attitudes affect workplace behavior and work-related outcomes?
