BA5700 OB midterm
History and Research Methods
1. Be able to discuss the various levels of OB study (micro, macro, etc) and the social sciences used to study these various levels of OB.
Levels of OB: Major topics (independent variables) in organization behavior
Organizational, environmental level (Macro OB):
Culture; Structure; Change, Development; Communication
Interpersonal level (Meso OB): Groups; Decision-making; Leadership; Conflict; Power, Politics
Individual level (Micro OB):
Individual differences (ability, personality, value and attitudes); perceptual biases; motivation; learning
Social sciences used: Major disciplines contributing to the study of OB
Psychology (used to examine individual-level phenomena); Social psychology (used to examine interpersonal level); Sociology, anthropology (used to examine organizational level)
2. Be able to discuss the pivotal role the Hawthorne studies played in the history of research in OB, including both the impact on methodology and general approach to studying OB.
Impact on later OB research:
a) focus on social factors at work
b) more rigor in research methods to avoid the “Hawthorne effect” (an increase in performance in an experiment due to the presence of the experimenter, special treatment, or other socially related factors other than the independent variable)
3. Know what four conditions must be met to be able to confidently conclude that a factor causes an effect across situations.
Four conditions:
1) An association (relationship) must be found between the two factors: When one changes, the other must also change.
2) The cause must precede the effect in time.
3) Alternative explanations for the effect must be ruled out. (This is the most difficult of these three to do.)
Extraneous variables: Factors other than the independent variable that could result in changes in the dependent variable. In an experiment, these factors should be controlled so that they are constant in all conditions.
1. Be able to discuss the various levels of OB study (micro, macro, etc) and the social sciences used to study these various levels of OB.
Levels of OB: Major topics (independent variables) in organization behavior
Organizational, environmental level (Macro OB):
Culture; Structure; Change, Development; Communication
Interpersonal level (Meso OB): Groups; Decision-making; Leadership; Conflict; Power, Politics
Individual level (Micro OB):
Individual differences (ability, personality, value and attitudes); perceptual biases; motivation; learning
Social sciences used: Major disciplines contributing to the study of OB
Psychology (used to examine individual-level phenomena); Social psychology (used to examine interpersonal level); Sociology, anthropology (used to examine organizational level)
2. Be able to discuss the pivotal role the Hawthorne studies played in the history of research in OB, including both the impact on methodology and general approach to studying OB.
Impact on later OB research:
a) focus on social factors at work
b) more rigor in research methods to avoid the “Hawthorne effect” (an increase in performance in an experiment due to the presence of the experimenter, special treatment, or other socially related factors other than the independent variable)
3. Know what four conditions must be met to be able to confidently conclude that a factor causes an effect across situations.
Four conditions:
1) An association (relationship) must be found between the two factors: When one changes, the other must also change.
2) The cause must precede the effect in time.
3) Alternative explanations for the effect must be ruled out. (This is the most difficult of these three to do.)
Extraneous variables: Factors other than the independent variable that could result in changes in the dependent variable. In an experiment, these factors should be controlled so that they are constant in all conditions.