Chapter 14: the Organization of Work Behavior

CHAPTER 14: THE ORGANIZATION OF WORK BEHAVIOR

Learning Objectives

Module 14.1 Describe the concepts of bureaucracy, division of labor, and span of control and why they are important in classic theories of organizations. Describe the Human Relations approach including McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y. Explain how the contingency approach has been used in the study of organizations and in predicting their proper structure.

Module 14.2 Explain the concepts of climate and culture and describe how they can be integrated. Explain the challenges confronted when viewing culture and climate from a multicultural perspective. Describe the process of organization socialization and how it is related to P-O fit.

Module 14.3 Distinguish between organizational change and organizational development. Describe Lewin’s 3-stage process of organizational change. Distinguish between episodic and continuous change. Give several examples of large scale organizational change initiatives.

Chapter Outline Module 14.1 The Conceptual and Theoretical Foundations of Organizations Organizations and People Organization as Integration Theories of Organization Classic Organizational Theory Human Relations Theory Contingency Theories Systems Theory Conclusions about Theories of Organization Module 14.2 Some Social Dynamics of Organizations Climate and Culture A Brief History of Climate and Culture Organizational Climate and Culture from the Multicultural Perspective When Cultures Clash An Application of Culture and Climate: Safety Socialization and the Concept of Person–Organization (P–O) and Person–Job (P-J) Fit Organizational Socialization Positive Consequences of Socialization Socialization and National Culture Models of Socialization and Person–Organization Fit Module 14.3 Organizational Development and Change Organizational Change Episodic Change Continuous Change Resistance to Change Examples of Large-Scale Organizational Change Initiatives Total Quality Management (TQM) Six Sigma Systems Lean Production Manufacturing Emerging Commonalities among Organizational Interventions

Glossary Terms for Chapter 14

This list of key terms and important concepts from Chapter 14 can be used in conjunction with reviewing the material in the textbook. After reviewing Chapter 14 in the textbook, define each of the following key terms and important concepts fully. Check your answers with the textbook, and review terms with which you have difficulty. Good luck!

Module 14.1 organization bureaucracy division of labor delegation of authority structure span of control organizational chart classic organizational theory human relations theory Theory X Theory Y contingency theories of organization small-batch organization large-batch and mass-production organization continuous-process organization mechanistic organization organic organization

Module 14.2 climate autocratic climate democratic climate culture socialization realistic job preview (RJP) person-job (P-J) fit person-organization (P-O) fit attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) model

Module 14.3 unfreezing changing refreezing episodic change continuous change rebalance total quality management (TQM) Six Sigma systems lean production just-in-time (JIT) production

Practice Questions for Chapter 14

Multiple Choice Items: Please choose the correct answer to the following questions. Answers are shown at the end of the chapter in this Study Guide.

1. Max Weber, in his development of early organizational theory, described an organization according to all of the following dimensions except: a. Span of control b. Satisfaction of workers c. Delegation of authority d. Division of labor

2. According to Argyris (1943), the natural experience for individuals is growth. He suggested that individuals develop in all of the following ways except: a. From dependent to independent organisms. b. From unawareness to awareness of surroundings. c. From passive to active organisms. d. From organisms with few abilities to organisms with many abilities.

3. An auto company produces cars according to a standard set of specifications. Workers and machines are located along an assembly-line operation. What type of organization best describes this type of company? a. Specialty batch b. Small batch c. Continuous process d. Large batch/mass production

4. Compared to mechanistic organizations, organic organizations tend to have: a. larger spans of control. b. smaller spans of control. c. about the same span of control. d. negligible spans of control.

5. The ecological/evolutionary approach concentrates on explaining why: a. some industries are inherently profitable while others are not. b. some employees succeed and others remain mediocre. c. some organizations thrive and others atrophy. d. some behavioral types are desirable for certain jobs.

6. I-O psychologists have suggested that multiple climates exist within any organization and that these climates are defined: a. less by structural components than by the goal of the group. b. less by the goal of the group than by structural components. c. equally by structural components and the goal of the group. d. with only minimal consideration to the goal of the group and structural components.

7. ______is about the context in which action occurs, while ______is about the meaning that is intended by and inferred from those actions. a. Treatment; perception b. Perception; treatment c. Climate; culture d. Culture; climate

8. Socialization refers to: a. The creation of more opportunities by the organization for its employees to socialize with each other. b. The process by which new employees become aware of the values and procedures of an organization. c. The atmosphere of the organization in terms of the cohesiveness and camaraderie of its employees. d. The organization’s social consciousness and its relationship with the community and environment.

9. The three suggested stages of socialization include all of the following except: a. Encounter stage b. Recruitment stage c. Metamorphosis stage d. Selection stage

10. According to the textbook, the appropriate model for continuous change is: a. Unfreeze-Change-Refreeze b. Freeze-Rebalance-Unfreeze c. Freeze-Change-Refreeze d. Unfreeze-Rebalance-Refreeze Chapter 14 Exercises

Exercise 14.1. Assume that you work for a health club as a manager. There have been increasing complaints from members about the cleanliness of the facility. Apply either TQM or Six Sigma and develop a plan for dealing with the problem.

Exercise 14.2. The federal government has proposed using a Six Sigma approach for detecting terrorists who might attempt to infiltrate the United States. How could a Six Sigma approach be used with airport security personnel who screen passengers?

Exercise 14.3. Ashkenasy and Jackson (2001) describe four different approaches to handling discrepancies between organizational cultures. Which of these approaches is likely to increase tension between the parties? Which of these approaches would you expect to take the longest and cost the most? Which of these would most likely lead to a quick and effective resolution of cultural clashes?

Exercise 14.4. Would initiatives such as lean manufacturing and TQM be more likely to be classified as episodic or continuous change? Explain your choice. Answer Key for Multiple Choice Questions for Chapter 14 1. b 2. b 3. d 4. a 5. c 6. a 7. c 8. b 9. d 10. b