Sei sulla pagina 1di 14

FACULTY OF ACCOUNTANCY

AC 220
MGT 430: Organizational Behaviour
Compilation of Past Year Questions and Answers
(June 2015)
Prepared for:
Madam Norida Abu Bakar

14

Question 1
(a) Explain with example the concept of organisational behaviour.
(5 marks)
Organizational behaviour is an interdisciplinary field dedicated to better
understanding and managing people at work. Concept of organizational behaviour
can be divided into three which are individual, group and organizational.
1) Organizational behaviour at the individual level of analysis, involves the study of
learning, perception, creativity, motivation, personality, task performance,
cooperative behaviour, ethics, and cognition. At this level, organizational
behaviour draws heavily upon psychology, engineering, and medicine.
2) Organizational behaviour at the group level of analysis, involves the study of
group dynamics, intra- and intergroup conflict and cohesion, leadership, power,
norms, interpersonal communication, networks, and roles. At this level,
organizational behaviour draws upon the sociological and socio-psychological
sciences.
3) Organizational behaviour at the organization level of analysis, involves the study
of topics such as organizational culture, organizational structure, cultural diversity,
inter-organizational cooperation and conflict, change, technology, and external
environmental forces. At this level, organizational behaviour draws upon
anthropology and political science.
(b) The charging workforce is one of the emerging trends in organisational behaviour.
Discuss three (3) workforce changes and identify two (2) consequences of these
charges for organisations.
(15 marks)
1) Demographic changes
Demographic changes causes organizational to adapt their practices in order to
respond for increasing diversity within labour markets. Changing demographic
profile of the broader population means that organizational need to grow strategies
that will meet the needs and desires of the countrys citizens. Diversity will alters
pools of potential employees, and the need of employees, as well as influencing
broader business objectives like service provision.
2) Changing workforce is the ageing population.
The employers must understand the needs and motivation of the younger
generation who will soon be replacing the older generations. According to
Humphrey, Costigan and Pickering(2003), states that companies feel the need to

14

recruits and retains younger workforce to replace an estimated amount of 75


millions of departing older workforce.
3) Changing in work environment.
A typical worker in early 20th Century industry would clock in and clock out
of work. A mechanical device will recorded for every individual worker based on
start and finish tines. The traditional work pattern was fixed usually 9.00 a.m to
5.00 p.m working day. Basically, worker were paid weekly wages based on an
hourly rate given for the job. Meanwhile, management and professional roles
tended to be paid monthly salaries. There have been many social and economic
changes which make such fixed work arrangements difficult or inappropriate. In
the 21st Century, more women are working and people, in general, live longer.
This show that all employees are treated equally. These demographic and social
trends place enormous pressure on those with family responsibilities, especially
women, although recent research has shown that fathers also want to play a more
active role in bringing up their children..
There are two consequences of these changes for organizations that is first, rising
shares of employees will have over 25 years of experience or less than seven years
of labour market experience. Fewer will be in their early careers. The age shifts in
the labour force should utilize little or no impact on the aggregate unemployment
rate. Given today's unemployment rates within age categories, the overall
unemployment rate in 2006 will be like today's average rate. Changes in the age
distribution of the workforce will neither raise nor lower the overall
unemployment rate.
Second consequences for the organization of this change, older generations were
fulfilling their job with the potential of a lasting relationship between the
employee and the organization than the younger generations. Based on
Collier(2012), the latter showed little interest in team working and company
loyalty. In other words younger generations look for working for the sake of
money only, and are not interested in being under pressure at work. Thus
organizations need to focus on succession planning in order to be ahead of this
graying curve.

14

Question 2
(a) Identify and explain with example two (2) reasons why employee involvement tends
to increase organisational commitment.
(10 marks)
1) Responsibility
When employees are involved in decision-making process, they gain professional and
personal stake in the organization and its overall success. The involvement gives them
a sense of responsibility and commitment towards the organizations being in
ensuring continuing success. This commitment leads to increased productivity as
employees are actively participating in various aspects of the company and wish to
see their efforts succeed overall. This is not only beneficial to company growth, but is
also on-the-job training for workers. The increase in responsibility expands employee
skill sets, preparing them for additional responsibility in the future.
2) Teamwork
Participation in the decision-making process gives each employee the opportunity to
voice their opinions, and to share their knowledge with others. While this improves
the relationship between manager and employee, it also encourages a strong sense of
teamwork among workers. The expression of viewpoints opens dialogue between coworkers, with each worker bringing their individual strengths to a project. It is also a
good way to gather information about the employees as to how they work in a team
environment, and where training may be necessary, all of which leads to an increase
in effectiveness, and ultimately an increase in good teamwork and performance. When
there is teamwork, the work environment would be better. Employees will be
motivated to work in the organization and thus, increases organization commitment.
(b) Describe the four (4) dimensions of emotional intelligence.
(10 marks)
The four quadrant model, organizes emotional intelligence into four dimensions
representing the recognition of emotions in ourselves and in others, as well as the
regulation of emotions in ourselves and in others.
1) The first dimensions is awareness of own emotions. This is the ability to perceive
and understand the meaning of your own emotions. For example, you are more
14

sensitive to subtle emotional responses to events and understand their message.


Self- aware people are better able to eavesdrop on their own emotional responses
to specific situations and to use this awareness as conscious information.
2) Second dimensions is management of own emotions. Emotional intelligence
includes the ability to manage your own emotions, something that we all do to
some extent. For example, we keep disruptive impulses in check. We try not to
feel angry or frustrated when events go against us. We try to feel and express joy
and happiness toward others when the occasion calls for these emotional displays.
We try to create a second wind of motivation later in the workday. This situation
indicates that management of your own emotions in a particular situation. It
includes generating or suppressing emotions. In other words, the deep acting
described above requires high levels of self-management component of emotional
intelligence.
3) Third dimension is awareness of others emotions. This dimension refers to the
ability to perceive and understand the emotions other people. This can be until the
extent of awareness of other peoples emotions which represented by empathy.
Empathy is having an understanding of and sensitivity to the feelings, thoughts,
and situations of others. This ability includes understanding the other persons
situation, experiencing his or her emotions, and knowing his or her needs, even
though unstated. Awareness of others emotions extends beyond empathy to
include being organizationally aware, such as sensing office politics and
understanding social networks.
4) A fourth dimension is management of others emotions. This dimension of
emotional intelligence involves managing other peoples emotions. It includes
consoling people who feel sad, emotionally inspiring team members to compete a
class project on time, getting strangers to feel comfortable working with you, and
managing dysfunctional emotions among staff who experience conflict with
customers or other employees.
Question 3
(a) Define:
i.
Perception
(2 marks)
Perception is a cognitive process that enables us to interpret and
understand our surroundings. For example, People recognize familiar

14

objects in their environments such as you would recognize a picture of


ii.

your best friend.


Attribution
(2 marks)
Attribution is the process which behaviour can be attributed either to
internal factors within a person such as ability or external factors within
the environment such as a difficult task

i.

Stereotyping
(2 marks)
Stereotyping is assigning traits to people base on social category
membership which occurs because of the categorical thinking and innate
drive to understand and anticipate others behaviour.

(b) Illustrate and discuss the Four-Drive Theory of motivation and explain how these
drives influence employee motivation.
(14 marks)

1) Drive to Acquire
Drive

to

acquire is drive to seek, take, control and retain objects and


personal experience. It extends beyond basic food and water. Drive
to acquire includes enhancing ones self-concept through relative
status and recognition in society. The drive is insatiable ( never satisfied ) because the
purpose of human motivation is to achieve a higher position than others, not just to fulfil
ones physiological needs.
2) Drive to bond
Drive to bond is drive to form social relationships and develop mutual caring
commitment with others. Individual forming social identities by aligning their selfconcept with various social group. It may also explain why people who lack social
contact are more prone to serious health problems. It motivates people to cooperate. Drive

14

to bond also is fundamentals ingredient in the success of organizations and the


development of societies.
3) Drive to learn
Drive to learn is satisfying our curiosity to know and understand ourselves and the
environment around us. When faces with uncertainties that not consistent with or beyond
our current knowledge, we will experience tension that motivates us to minimize the
information gap. People who are removed from any novel/ new info will crave even
boring info. This theory related to the higher order needs of growth and self-actualization
and also proactive in nature and actively seek to improve.
4) Drive to defend
Drive to defend is drive to protect ourselves physically and socially. It must be stimulated
by a threat to become active. Threats to the individual, their group and the firm as a whole
can trigger to drive to defend. The firm then can work adjust to this drive to defend. The
firm then can work adjust to this drive by eliminating sources of unintentional or
misguided threats. It can also provide workers the means to respond to legitimate threats
in the firms competitive or regulatory environment.
Question 4
(a) Define and explain how team norms are developed in an organisation.
(8 marks)
Norms is an attitude, opinion, feeling or action shared by 2 or more people that guides
their behaviour. Norms also helps organizational members determine right from
wrong and good from bad. Group members positively reinforce those who adhere to
current norms with friendship and acceptance.
Norms are developed through influenced by past experience or initial team
experiences, values that members bring to the teams and critical events in teams
history. Besides that, it is also developed through experience and values members
bring to the team. Team norms also developing by explicit statements given by
supervisors or core workers. Next, the critical events in the groups history and
primacy also contribute on how the team norms are developed. The other way is by
carryover behaviours from the past situations.

14

(b) Describe team cohesion and four (4) factors affecting team cohesion.
(15 marks)
Team cohesion is a process whereby a sense of we-ness emerges to transcend
individual transcend individual differences and motives. Members of a cohesive
group stick together and they are reluctant to leave the group. The reason on why they
are stick together is because they enjoy others company and need each other to
accomplish a common goal.
Four factors affecting team cohesion are members similarity, team size, member
interaction and team success.
1) Members similarity
Generally, people are attracted to others who are similar to them. Similarityattraction effect occurs because we assume that people who look like us and have
similar backgrounds are more trustworthy. It also bring more likely to accept us.
People also expect to have fewer negative experiences such as conflicts and
violations of our expectations and beliefs.
2) Team size
It is smaller teams tend to have more cohesion than larger teams because it is
easier for a few people to agree on goals and coordinate work activities. However,
smaller teams have less cohesion when they lack enough members to perform the
required tasks.
3) Member interaction
Teams tend to have more cohesion when team members interact with one another
fairly regularly. This occurs when team members perform highly interdependent
tasks and work in the same physical area.
4) Team success
Team cohesion increases with the teams level of success because people are
attracted to groups that fulfil their needs and goals. Furthermore, individuals are
more likely to attach their social media identity to successful teams than to those
with a string of failures.

14

Question 5
(a) Explain two communication problems that could cause conflicts at works
(5 marks)
1. Noise
The first communication problem that could arise conflict at work is noise. The
noise will affect the information receive. This make employees fail to deliver the
information on requested directives. A weak delivery can cause the intended
receiver to fail to act. Additionally, noise and distraction in the work environment
can cause confusion during the reception and interpretation of message.
2. Information overload.
Second, the communication problem is information overload. Information
overload is a condition in which the volume of information received exceeds the
persons capacity to process it. Employees have certain amount of information
that they are able to process in a fixed unit of time. Information overload creates
noise in the communication system because information get overlooked or
misinterpreted when employees cannot process it fast enough. This will result in
poorer quality decision as well as higher stress in the workplace

14

(b) Describe five (5) interpersonal conflict handling styles with a diagram.
(15 marks)

Concern for others

Hig

Integrating

Obligating

h
Compromising
Low

Dominating

Avoiding

High

Low
Concern for self

There are five styles of interpersonal handling conflict styles which consist of
integrating (problem solving), obliging (smoothing), dominating (forcing),
avoiding and compromising.
1) Integrating (problem solving)
This style shows high concern for others as well as for self. People who
encounter conflict usually confront the issue, identify the problem and find
ways or alternatives on how to solving the issues. This style is one of the best
styles for complex issues caused by misunderstanding. Nevertheless, it is
inappropriate for resolving issues caused by opposing value systems. Its
primary strength is its longer-lasting impact because it deals with the
underlying problem rather than merely with symptoms and its weakness of
this style that is time consuming.
2) Obliging (Smoothing)
Obliging person shows low concern for self and high concern for others. This
type of person usually tend to minimize the differences and maximize
similarities in order to please others. This is style is appropriate for conflicthandling strategy when it is possible to eventually get something in return,
however it inappropriate for worsening problems. The strength of this style is
it encourages cooperation and the weakness is it is temporary fix that fails to
confront the underlying problem.
3) Dominating (forcing)

14

This style shows low concern for others but high for self which means the
other parties needs are ignored in order to force compliance. This style
encourages I win, you lose tactics. This style also called as forcing because
it relies on formal authority to force compliance. It is appropriate to use when
an unpopular solution must be implemented, the issue is minor or deadline is
near. It is inappropriate to use in an open and participative climate. The
strength of this style is speed and its weakness is it is often breeds resentment.
4) Avoiding
This tactic may involve either withdrawal from the problem or active
suppression of the issue. Avoidance is appropriate for trivial issues or when
the costs of confrontation outweigh the benefits of resolving the conflict. This
style is inappropriate to use for complex problems same like obliging style. Its
strength is that is buys times in folding or ambiguous situations and its
weakness is that the tactics provides a temporary fix that sidesteps the
underlying problems.
5) Compromising. This style applies moderates concern for both self and others.
It appropriate to use when parties have opposite goals or possess equal power.
Nevertheless, it is inappropriate when overuse would lead to inconclusive
action that is failure to meet production deadlines. The strength is that
everyone gets something and the weakness is it is temporary fix that can stifle
creative problem solving.
Question 6
(a) Describe and explain five (5) sources of power in organisations.
(15 marks)
There are 5 sources of power in the organizations which are reward power, coercive
power, legitimate power, expert power and referent power.
1) Reward Power
Reward power is a power that managers use mostly to obtain compliance from
the employees. Managers are the person who always has the reward power.
This reward can be view as something which is positive because it can boost
up the motivation of the employees and thus increase the performance of the
employees. For instance, manager plan to give bonus to the employees in
particular months. This bonus is given to those employees who had achieved
the target of the company achievement.
2) Coercive Power
14

Coercive power is a power that is use to punish to an individual who fail to


obey with the policies. Obtain compliance through threatened or actual
punishment. For instance, a sales manager who threatens to fire any sales
person who uses a company car for family vacations.
3) Legitimate Power
Legitimate power is a power that is use to obtain compliance through formal
authority. There are two types of legitimate power which are positive and
negative. Positive legitimate power focuses constructively on job performance.
For instance, HP broad ousted the CEO for inappropriately using company
funds. While for the negative legitimate power tends to be threatening and
demeaning to those being influenced. Its main purpose is to build the power
holders ego. For instance use their legitimate power for something that should
not be.
4) Expert Power
Expert power is a power that is use in order to gain compliance through the
expert knowledge that one have over the one who need the knowledge or
information. The power of supervisor is enhance because they know about the
work assignments and schedules before their employees do. For example, a
supervisor who always needed by the subordinates to guide them in the work
assignments.
5) Referent Power
Referent power is a power that comes into play when ones personal
characteristics become the reason for compliance. Charisma is commonly
associated with referent power. For instance, in the Asian cultures,
characteristics such as age, gender or family name are sources of social status
and power. Role models are also having referent power over those who
identify closely with them. Ones reputation is also a form of power. For
instance, many teenagers nowadays, tend to take singer as their role model.
They often use them as a guide for them to follow what the singer wear or do.
(b) Use the expert to explain two (2) strategies of coping with uncertainty in an
organisation.
(5 marks)
Expert power means obtaining compliance through ones knowledge or information.
1. Acquiring information about the future trend
Market research units within sport organizations are designed exactly for this
purpose. If they are successful in predicting trends such as product demand, they
can become a very powerful entity within the organizations.
14

2. Absorption
It is involved taking action after an event has occurred. For example, if sporting
goods store that encounters a sharp drop in sales can counter with some novel
selling method. It will cope via absorption.
Question 7
(a) Explain how change agents perceive resistance to change.
(5 marks)
Change agent is someone who is catalyst in helping organizations to deal with old
problems in new ways. It can be external consultants or internal employees.
1) External consultant originated outside the organizations. There are four key
external forces for change which are demographic characteristics, technological
advancement, market changes and social and political pressures.
2) Internal employees come from inside the organizations. It may come from both
either human resource problems or managerial behaviour or decisions. These
forces can be subtle (low job satisfaction) or can manifest in outward signs (low
productivity, conflict or strike)
(b) List any three (3) behavioural and two (2) physiological symptoms of stress.
(5 marks)
Behavioural symptoms
i. Sleeping difficulties/Amnesia
ii. Lack of punctuality
iii. Absenteeism
Psychological symptoms
i.
ii.
iii.

Anxiety
Depression
Disengagement

(c) Explain with example four (4) stress reductions techniques.


(10 marks)
There are four example of stress reduction techniques which are muscle relaxation,
biofeedback, meditation and holistic wellness technique
1) Muscle Relaxation
The first stress reduction techniques is muscle relaxation. It is uses slow deep
breathing and systematic muscle tension reduction. This strategy are inexpensive and
easy to use but may require a trained professional to implement.
2) biofeedback.
14

This is a machine being used to train people to detect muscular tension. Then the
muscle relaxation is used to alleviate this symptom of stress. This strategy are
expensive due to the costs of equipment. However, the equipment can be used to
evaluate effectiveness of other stress reduction programs.
3) meditation.
The relaxation response is activated by redirecting one thought away from oneself.
There are 4 step procedure used to attain passive stress free state of mind. This
strategy least expensive and simple to implement and can be practiced almost
anywhere. For example, yoga.
4) holistic wellness technique.
This is a broad interdisciplinary approach that goes beyond stress reduction by
advocating that people strive for personal wellness in all aspects of their lives. The
technique inexpensive but often behaviourally difficult lifestyle changes.

14

Potrebbero piacerti anche