OBHR 317 Midterm 1 Exam Questions With
Complete Answers
Organizational Behaviour (OB) - ANSWER a field of study that looks at the impact that
individuals, groups, and structure have been on behaviour within organizations for the
purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving an organizations effectiveness
Organization - ANSWER a continuously coordinated social unit, made up of a group of people
who work together on common goals on a relatively continuous basis
Building Blocks of OB - ANSWER 1. Psychology
2. Social Psychology
3. Sociology
4. Anthropology
5. Political Science
Systematic Study - ANSWER looking at relationships, attempting to attribute causes and
effects, and basing our conclusions on scientific evidence
Evidence based management (EBM) - ANSWER bases managerial decions on the best
scientific evidence
,Intuition - ANSWER a gut feeling, not necessarily supported by research
Contingency approach - ANSWER an approach taken by OB that considers behaviour within
the context in which it occurs
"depends on the situation"
Organizational Commitment - ANSWER the degree to which an employee identifies with the
organization and wishes to remain there
Affective commitment - ANSWER the strength of an individuals emotional attachment,
identification with, and involvement in the organization
Challenges at an individual level - ANSWER 1. individual differences
2. job satisfaction
3. motivation
4. empowerment
5. behaving ethically
Challenges at a group level - ANSWER 1. working with others
2. workforce diversity
Challenges at an organizational level - ANSWER 1. stimulating innovation and change
, 2. use of temp workers
3. developing effective employees
4. positive work environment
5. work-life balance
6. responding to globalization
Perception - ANSWER the process by which individuals select, organize, and interpret their
sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment
Factors influencing perception - ANSWER 1. the perceiver
2. the target
3. the context
Attribution Theory - ANSWER when we observe what seems to be atypical behaviour by an
individual, we attempt to determine whether it is internally or externally caused
Distinctiveness - ANSWER refers to whether an individual acts similarly across a wide variety
of situations
- high (seldom) -> external
- low (often) -> internal
Consensus - ANSWER asks if everyone faced with a similar situation responds in the same way
Complete Answers
Organizational Behaviour (OB) - ANSWER a field of study that looks at the impact that
individuals, groups, and structure have been on behaviour within organizations for the
purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving an organizations effectiveness
Organization - ANSWER a continuously coordinated social unit, made up of a group of people
who work together on common goals on a relatively continuous basis
Building Blocks of OB - ANSWER 1. Psychology
2. Social Psychology
3. Sociology
4. Anthropology
5. Political Science
Systematic Study - ANSWER looking at relationships, attempting to attribute causes and
effects, and basing our conclusions on scientific evidence
Evidence based management (EBM) - ANSWER bases managerial decions on the best
scientific evidence
,Intuition - ANSWER a gut feeling, not necessarily supported by research
Contingency approach - ANSWER an approach taken by OB that considers behaviour within
the context in which it occurs
"depends on the situation"
Organizational Commitment - ANSWER the degree to which an employee identifies with the
organization and wishes to remain there
Affective commitment - ANSWER the strength of an individuals emotional attachment,
identification with, and involvement in the organization
Challenges at an individual level - ANSWER 1. individual differences
2. job satisfaction
3. motivation
4. empowerment
5. behaving ethically
Challenges at a group level - ANSWER 1. working with others
2. workforce diversity
Challenges at an organizational level - ANSWER 1. stimulating innovation and change
, 2. use of temp workers
3. developing effective employees
4. positive work environment
5. work-life balance
6. responding to globalization
Perception - ANSWER the process by which individuals select, organize, and interpret their
sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment
Factors influencing perception - ANSWER 1. the perceiver
2. the target
3. the context
Attribution Theory - ANSWER when we observe what seems to be atypical behaviour by an
individual, we attempt to determine whether it is internally or externally caused
Distinctiveness - ANSWER refers to whether an individual acts similarly across a wide variety
of situations
- high (seldom) -> external
- low (often) -> internal
Consensus - ANSWER asks if everyone faced with a similar situation responds in the same way
