, Know these definitions and you’re good for
the exam!
Chapter 1: What is Organizational Behavior –
Glossary
Definitions
A process that includes defining goals, establishing strategy, and
Planning
developing
plans to coordinate activities.
Determining what tasks are to be done, who is to do them, how
Organizing
the tasks are to
be grouped, who reports to whom, and where decisions are to be
made.
A function that includes motivating employees, directing others,
Leading
selecting the
most effective communication channels, and resolving conflicts.
Monitoring activities to ensure they are being accomplished as
Controlling
planned and
correcting any significant deviations.
Manager An individual who achieves goals through other people.
A consciously coordinated social unit, composed of two or more
Organization people that functions on a relatively continuous basis to achieve
a common goal or set of
goals.
Technical Skills The ability to apply specialized knowledge or expertise.
The ability to work with, understand, and motivate other people,
Human Skills
both
individually and in groups.
Conceptual The mental ability to analyze and diagnose complex situations.
Skills
A field of study that investigates the impact that individuals,
Organizational
groups, and structure have on behavior within organizations,
Behavior (OB)
for the purpose of applying such knowledge toward improving
an organization’s effectiveness.
Looking at relationships, attempting to attribute causes and
Systematic
effects, and
Study
drawing conclusions based on scientific evidence.
Evidence-Based
Management The basing of managerial decisions on the best available
(EBM) scientific evidence.
Intuition A gut feeling not necessarily supported by research.
The science that seeks to measure, explain, and sometimes
Psychology
change the
behavior of humans and other animals.
An area of psychology that blends concepts from psychology and
Social
sociology and that focuses on the influence of people on one
Psychology
another.
Sociology The study of people in relation to their social environment or
, culture.
Anthropology The study of societies to learn about human beings and their
activities.
Contingency Situational factors: variables that moderate the relationship
Variables between two or
more variables.
The concept that organizations are becoming more
Workforc
heterogeneous in terms of gender, age, race, ethnicity, sexual
e
orientation, and inclusion of other diverse
Diversity
groups.
Positive
An area of OB research that concerns how organizations
Organizational
develop human strength, foster vitality and resilience, and
Scholarship unlock potential.
Ethical
Dilemmas Situations in which individuals are required to define right and
And wrong conduct.
Ethical
Choices
An abstraction of reality. A simplified representation of some
Model
real-world
phenomenon.
Input Variables that lead to processes.
Chapter 2: Diversity in Organizations –
Glossary
Actions that individuals, groups, and organizations engage in as
Processes
a result of
inputs and that lead to certain outcomes.
Outcomes Key factors that are affected by some other variables.
Task The combination of effectiveness and efficiency at doing your
Performance core job tasks.
Citizensh Discretionary behavior that contributes to the psychological and
ip social environment of the workplace.
Behavior
Withdrawal
The set of actions employee take to separate themselves from
Behavior
the organization.
The extent to which members of a group support and validate
Group Cohesion
one another
while at work.
Group The quantity and quality of a work group’s output.
Functioning
Productivity The combination of the effectiveness and efficiency of an
organization.
The degree to which an organization meets the needs of its
Effectiveness
clientele or customers.
Efficiency The degree to which an organization can achieve its ends at a low
cost.
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