DSST Organizational Behavior cheat sheet

Organizational behavior (OB) is the study of how individuals and groups act in organizations; it draws on psychology (individual level), sociology (group and structure level), social psychology, anthropology, and political science.

Evidence-based management: decisions rest on best available research evidence, not intuition alone; Pfeffer and Sutton identify barriers such as 'the great idea' and 'the doer' biases that cause managers to copy fads.

Scientific method sequence: observation, problem statement, hypothesis, research design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and replication; a hypothesis must be falsifiable to be testable.

Theory is a set of interrelated constructs and propositions that explains or predicts relationships; a model is a simplified representation of reality used to test predictions.

Correlation coefficient r ranges from -1 to +1; r = 0 means no linear relationship; correlation does not establish causation.

Validity types: internal (causal inference), external (generalizability), construct (measures what it claims), and statistical conclusion validity; threats include history, maturation, testing, and selection.

Reliability is consistency of measurement; a measure can be reliable without being valid, but cannot be valid without being reliable.

Classical management theorists: Taylor (scientific management, time-motion study), Fayol (five functions, 14 principles), Weber (bureaucracy, rational-legal authority).

True experiment: random assignment to treatment and control groups, manipulation of an independent variable, and control of extraneous variables; strongest design for internal validity.

Quasi-experiment: treatment is manipulated but assignment is not random (e.g., intact work teams); weaker internal validity than a true experiment.

Correlational (field) study: measures variables as they naturally occur without manipulation; cannot establish causation but supports external validity.

Case study: in-depth analysis of a single individual, group, or organization; rich qualitative detail, low generalizability.

Meta-analysis: statistically combines effect sizes across many studies to estimate an overall relationship; reduces sampling error and increases statistical power.

Longitudinal design measures the same subjects over time and controls for individual differences; cross-sectional design compares different subjects at one point in time.

Field vs. laboratory research: field settings have high external validity and low control; lab settings have high control and low external validity.

Between-subjects design assigns different participants to each condition; within-subjects (repeated measures) design exposes the same participants to all conditions, reducing error variance but risking order effects.

Questionnaire surveys are efficient for large samples but susceptible to common-method bias, social desirability bias, and nonresponse error.

Interviews (structured, semi-structured, unstructured) yield rich qualitative data; structured interviews improve reliability and comparability.

Observation can be participant or nonparticipant, overt or covert; reactivity occurs when subjects alter behavior because they are being observed.

Archival and secondary data (personnel records, absenteeism logs, financial reports) are inexpensive and unobtrusive but may be incomplete or collected for other purposes.

Likert scales measure attitudes with graded response options (e.g., strongly disagree to strongly agree); reliability is often assessed with Cronbach's alpha, where values of .70 or higher are commonly acceptable.

Sampling: probability methods (simple random, stratified, cluster, systematic) allow generalization; nonprobability methods (convenience, purposive, snowball) do not support statistical inference to a population.

Triangulation uses multiple methods, sources, or researchers to increase confidence in findings and reduce single-method bias.

Measurement scales: nominal (categories), ordinal (rank order), interval (equal intervals, no true zero), ratio (equal intervals with true zero); scale type determines permissible statistics.

Big Five (OCEAN): Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism; conscientiousness is the strongest predictor of job performance across occupations.

Locus of control: internals attribute outcomes to their own actions; externals attribute outcomes to luck or outside forces; internals generally show higher job satisfaction and performance.

Maslow's hierarchy (physiological, safety, social, esteem, self-actualization) is a need-based theory; progression is upward after lower needs are met.

Herzberg two-factor theory: hygiene factors (pay, working conditions, policy) prevent dissatisfaction but do not motivate; motivators (achievement, recognition, responsibility) produce satisfaction.

Vroom expectancy theory: Motivation = Expectancy × Instrumentality × Valence; if any term is zero, motivation is zero.

Equity theory (Adams): employees compare their input-output ratio to a referent; perceived inequity motivates restoring equity by changing inputs, outcomes, referent, or leaving.

Goal-setting theory (Locke): specific, difficult goals with feedback produce higher performance than vague 'do your best' goals.

Perception: attribution theory distinguishes internal (dispositional) from external (situational) causes; the fundamental attribution error is overattributing others' behavior to disposition; self-serving bias credits success to self and blames failure on situation.

Tuckman group development stages: forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning; storming involves intragroup conflict over roles and leadership.

Group roles: task roles advance the work, maintenance roles preserve cohesion, and self-oriented roles divert group effort.

Group norms are informal shared standards of behavior; conformity to norms is enforced through sanctions ranging from subtle cues to exclusion.

Groupthink (Janis) symptoms include illusion of invulnerability, self-censorship, pressure on dissenters, and mindguards; prevention includes devil's advocacy, outside experts, and leader withholding opinion.

Social loafing is reduced when individual contributions are identifiable and task importance is high; it is more common in larger groups.

Communication process: sender, encoding, message, channel, decoding, receiver, feedback, noise; formal channels follow the chain of command, informal channels include the grapevine.

Conflict styles (Thomas-Kilmann): competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, accommodating; collaborating is best when both concerns are important and time permits.

Power bases (French and Raven): legitimate, reward, coercive, expert, referent; expert and referent power correlate most strongly with commitment.

Organizational structure types: functional (grouped by specialty), divisional (grouped by product or market), matrix (dual reporting, violates unity of command), and network (outsourced core functions).

Span of control is the number of subordinates reporting to one manager; wider spans produce flatter hierarchies and require more employee autonomy.

Centralization concentrates decision authority at the top; decentralization pushes it downward and increases speed but reduces uniformity.

Organizational culture (Schein) has three levels: artifacts, espoused values, and basic underlying assumptions; culture is transmitted through stories, rituals, symbols, and language.

Leadership theories: trait, behavioral (Ohio State initiating structure and consideration; Michigan task and employee orientation), contingency (Fiedler), situational (Hersey-Blanchard), and transformational vs. transactional.

Motivation frameworks at the organizational level: job characteristics model (skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, feedback produce internal work motivation).

Communication networks: chain (accuracy), wheel (speed, leader-centered), and all-channel (member satisfaction, slower for complex tasks).

Organizational justice dimensions: distributive (fairness of outcomes), procedural (fairness of process), interactional (dignity and information); injustice predicts turnover and reduced citizenship behavior.

Lewin's change model: unfreezing, moving (change), refreezing; success requires reducing restraining forces and increasing driving forces.

Force-field analysis compares driving forces for change against restraining forces; equilibrium occurs when the two sets balance.

Kotter's eight steps begin with creating urgency, forming a coalition, and developing a vision; the sequence ends with anchoring new approaches in culture.

Resistance to change sources include habit, fear of the unknown, economic threat, selective information processing, and group norms; participation and communication reduce resistance.

Organization development (OD) interventions include survey feedback, team building, process consultation, and sensitivity training; OD values humanistic-democratic ideals and uses action research.

Action research cycle: diagnosis, data gathering, feedback, action planning, intervention, and evaluation; it is iterative and collaborative.

Planned change is intentional and proactive; unplanned change reacts to internal or external pressures such as technology, competition, or regulation.

Appreciative inquiry is a positive, strengths-based change method using discovery, dreaming, designing, and destiny phases rather than problem-focused diagnosis.