Midterm Review: 

Material Covered:

Chapters 1, 8-14, 17 of the text, class discussions, any additional readings

Topics:

• Schools of Management Theory: Scientific and Humanistic

• The "blunt instruments" of management

• Greenwalt and Ordinary People doing extraordinary things

• Review of Schools of Management Theory: Scientific and Humanistic and other descriptors

• Definition of OB (Chapter 1): from Industrial Psychology to Organizational Psychology to OB

• Fields that contribute to OB

• Difference between studying psychology and studying behavior

• Systematic study replacing intuition (compare Taylor's terms for "ordinary management"--initiative and incentive, rule of thumb--vs. "scientific" or methodical management

• The importance of objective evidence to support management decisions rather than a "hunch"

• Taylor's meaning of "scientific:" an emphasis on method

• Dependent (absenteeism, productivity, job satisfaction, turnover, organizational citizenship behavior) vs. Independent variables in OB research

• 4 (originally 5) Management functions from Henri Fayol

• Influence as a possible single comprehensive management function

• Definition of culture: a broadly-bound, deeply-held shared perspective

• Factors that characterize organizational structure: specialization, departmentalization, chain of command, span of control, centralization vs. decentralization, formalization

• No org structure is absolute. Managers should use structure as additional tool of influence in an organization (Compare Orwell's statement on shaping language)

• Reasons why structures differ: strategy, size, technology, environment

• Different types of structure: simple, bureaucracy, matrix, teams, virtual org, boundaryless org

• The Theory Y benefits of Theory X: Even a deterministic structure will influence employees.

• Definitions of "culture" from text and from readings

• Two differing perspectives on culture: as an explicit set of procedures that define members' behavior, or as an implicit set of shared meanings that influence behavior in subtle ways.

• The seven primary characteristics that define organizational culture

• Techniques for "reading" an organization's culture

• The 5 functions of culture (p. 515)

• Things that carry culture in an organization

• The opportunity for changing culture

• Definition of ethos

• Ethos as a tool of influence in a organization

• Definition of "group"

• The 5 stages of group development

• External conditions that influence group behavior (esp. those elements of the organization that we've already covered)

• The definition of a group "role"

• Definition of "norm"

• Strengths and weaknesses of group decision making

• Definition of groupthink

• The differences between a team and a group

• Three myths of organizational communication

• Communication as psycho-logic instead of logic

• The role of form in communication

• Tips for clarity

• Tips for ethos

• Theories of Leadership: Trait theories, Behavioral theories, Contingency theories, esp Fiedler Contingency Model of Leadership

• Charismatic, Transformational and Visionary Leadership

• Trust vs. Ethos

• Leadership as Influence

• Definition of Power

• Basis of Power: Dependency

• Types of power

• Power Tactics

• Definition of politics

• Tips for Politicking

• Tips for Impression Management

Sample Questions

1. Drawing on all the class readings and discussions, create two lists of terms that describe the differences between the two basic schools of management theory. Give the terms, the source and a brief (1 sentence) description of the pair of terms. List as many pairs of terms as you can using as many sources as possible. However, incorrect or poorly explained terms will result in your loosing points.
    

   Term A	Term B	Source	Description

   
   
2. A friend is having trouble communicating at work. What tips can you give her to become a better communicator?
3. What is the difference between an explicit understanding of culture and an implicit understanding of culture?
4. What is the optimal size of a small group to gain the benefits of both small and large groups?
5. Are the significant management functions discussed in the text comprehensive or are there significant management functions that are missing from the text?
6. List at least 3 factors that a manager can employ to mitigate the effects of groupthink?
7. Describe the factors that affect group behavior that a manager can manipulate to improve performance and satisfaction.

Final Exam Review:

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