Final Exam Solutions (Leadership and Organizational Behavior) Essay

1. TCO A, B) Define organizational behavior and list the four emotional intelligence competencies that contribute to understanding ourselves and others within the organizational behavior environment. 2. (TCO D) Referring to the team decision-making process, define consensus and unanimity and explain the difference between the two. 3. (TCO E, F) Although conflict is usually considered a negative experience to be avoided, it actually has the potential to produce positive organizational outcomes. Please identify three ways in which conflict can be a positive influence. 4. (TCO G) There are six sources of position power in organizational settings. Identify and define three of these sources. 5. (TCO H, I, J) The senior executive team at AllGoodThings.com, after a strategy review session with the Board of Directors, has decided that it’s time to invest some time and capital in improving the corporate culture. The company has rebounded from a near calamity two years ago, and while it was a great scramble, the company survived and is in the strongest position ever. They knew that the culture had been strained by the episode and wanted sincerely to work to bring things back to â€Å"normal.† With the assistance of local HR offices, a case was made to the employee population that certain aspects of their current culture might have suffered over the past few years and that it was time to think about change. They announced that they would be undergoing an organizational culture review and that everyone’s opinion was valued. A whopping 79% of the employees participated in the survey that they administered. Senior management had worked with the consultants for a few months before the survey was given and had determined their â€Å"Ideal† scores. The survey confirmed their suspicions. 6. (TCO C) As a manager you are in a situation where a key employee seems to have lost his excitement about the job. The employee’s familiar positive tone and high energy approach to the job and the workplace seem to be on the wane. You really don’t know what is going on with this person. But, you can try to start to understand this employee by examining various motivation theories. Use elements from each of Maslow’s theory, Herzberg’s Two-Factor theory, and Equity theory and assemble your own motivation theory to help you to start understanding this employee. Be sure to fully explain and define all elements that you use in your new model of motivation. Finally, compose a short case to demonstrate how your motivation model can actually be applied. 7. (TCO G) The Michigan and Ohio State studies represent seminal research on leadership theory. Both studies identified two basic forms of leader behaviors. What were the similarities in the findings from these two studies and what was the significance of the research? 8. (TCO A, B) In order to meet organizational goals and objectives management must comprehend organizational behavior in relationship to the functions of management. List and describe the management process functions and describe how the five personality traits contribute to the management process. 9. (TCO E, F) Neff Incorporated is a small business with 100 employees and 4 managers. 10.(TCO D) Define the concept of social loafing. Why does social loafing occur? Give an example of social loafing and a suggestion for how to prevent it.