Pass the WGU Courses and Certificates Organizational-Behavior Questions and answers with ExamsMirror

All groups have establishedNorms, which are defined as acceptable standards of behavior shared by the group’s members that tell them what they ought and ought not to do under certain circumstances. Norms are powerful because they act as a means of influencing the behavior of group members with a minimum of external controls. Common organizational norms include performance norms (how hard to work), appearance norms (dress codes), and social arrangement norms (whom to eat lunch with).

Norms are distinct fromGroup Roles, which are specific behaviors expected of a person in a specific position. While roles might differ from member to member (e.g., a leader vs. a scribe), norms are generally shared by the entire collective.Group Statusrefers to a socially defined position or rank given to groups or group members by others, andConformityis the act of adjusting one's behavior to align with the norms of the group. Therefore, the "standards of behavior" themselves are the norms. When an individual violates these shared standards, they often face social pressure or sanctions from the group, which reinforces the importance of norms in maintaining group stability and predictability.

In the context of global operations, teams are often physically dispersed across different time zones and geographic locations. To maximize participation, organizations rely onvirtual teamtechnologies. Usingonline computer technologies and/or phone communication(such as video conferencing, instant messaging, and collaborative platforms) allows for real-time or near-real-time interaction that bridges the physical distance. These technologies enable members to share ideas, provide immediate feedback, and engage in the "give-and-take" necessary for effective decision-making.

While unilateral messaging (Option C) or physical mail (Option D) might transmit information, they lack the interactive richness required to sustain high levels of participation and engagement. Effective global leadership involves selecting the communication channel that best balances the need for speed with the need for social presence. By utilizing synchronous online tools, global teams can simulate the "face-to-face" experience, which helps in building the rapport and trust that are often difficult to establish in a virtual environment. This approach ensures that all members, regardless of their location, have an equal platform to contribute to the team's objectives.

To perform effectively, a team requires three different types of skills. First, it needs people with technical expertise to perform the task at hand. Second, it needs people with problem-solving and decision-making skills to be able to identify problems, generate alternatives, and make competent choices. Finally, and perhaps most importantly for group cohesion, a team needs people with stronginterpersonal skills. Interpersonal skills include effective listening, feedback, and conflict resolution.

In the scenario provided, the team had the "hard" skills (technical and analytical) but lacked the "soft" skills required to navigate the social complexities of working as a unit. Without interpersonal skills, a team may have the smartest individuals but still fail because they cannot communicate effectively or resolve the inevitable friction that arises during a long-term project. While "propensity for social loafing" is a behavior to avoid, and "authoritarian personality" is often a hindrance, the foundational "ability" cited in organizational behavior literature as a prerequisite for team success alongside technical and problem-solving skills is interpersonal competence.

In Organizational Behavior, a critical distinction is made between a "work group" and a "work team". A work group is a collection of individuals who interact primarily to share information and make decisions to help each member perform within his or her area of responsibility. In a work group, there is no particular need or opportunity for collective work that requires joint effort; therefore, their performance is merely the summation of each group member’s individual contribution.

A work team, however, is a group whose individual efforts result in performance that is greater than the sum of those individual inputs. The fundamental goal of a work team iscollective performance. While work groups focus on individual accountability and sharing information to assist individual tasks, work teams focus on mutual accountability and synergy. This synergy allows the team to achieve a level of output that exceeds what the members could accomplish alone. For a team to be effective, it requires a mix of complementary skills—technical, problem-solving, and interpersonal—directed toward a common purpose and specific performance goals. Managers transition from groups to teams when the task at hand is complex enough that it requires the coordinated, collective effort of multiple people rather than just a series of independent tasks. Therefore, the shift from "sharing information" (group) to "collective performance" (team) represents a significant increase in the interdependence of the members.

Performance evaluations serve several vital functions within an organization's management system. The primary purpose isto assist management in making human resource decisions. These decisions include identifying who should receive promotions, who is eligible for salary increases, and who might need to be transferred or even terminated.

Beyond administrative decisions, evaluations provide essential feedback to employees about how the organization views their performance. This feedback acts as a basis for personal development and career planning. Furthermore, evaluations help identify training and development needs by pinpointing specific skill deficiencies that an employee may have. They also provide a criterion against which the organization can validate its selection and development programs; for instance, if employees who scored high on a hiring test perform poorly on their evaluations, the hiring process may need to be adjusted. Therefore, rather than being a psychological diagnostic tool (Option B) or a pre-hiring screen (Option C), the performance evaluation is a retrospective and developmental tool used to manage the existing workforce effectively.

Organizational culture is defined as aunique system of shared meaningheld by members that distinguishes the organization from other organizations. This system of shared meaning is a set of key characteristics that the organization values. It represents the "common perception" held by the organization's members; even though individuals may have different backgrounds or occupy different levels in the hierarchy, they tend to describe the organization's culture in similar terms.

Culture is the social glue that helps hold the organization together by providing appropriate standards for what employees should say and do. It acts as a boundary-defining element, creates a sense of identity for employees, facilitates commitment to something larger than individual self-interest, and enhances the stability of the social system. While physical parameters (Option A) or HR programs (Option B) may reflect or support the culture, the culture itself is the underlying shared cognitive framework—the "way we do things around here"—that guides employee behavior and shapes their organizational experience.

Organizational Behavior distinguishes between transformational andtransactional leaders. Transactional leaders guide or motivate their followers in the direction of established goals by clarifying role and task requirements. They function primarily through a series of "transactions" or exchanges where the leader provides something the followers want in return for their performance.

One of the primary characteristics of transactional leadership iscontingent reward, which involvespromising rewards for good performanceand recognizing accomplishments. Other characteristics include management by exception (active or passive), where the leader intervenes only when standards are not met. Options A, B, and C describe transformational leaders, who inspire followers to transcend their own self-interests for the good of the organization and are capable of having a profound and extraordinary effect on followers. While transformational leadership is often celebrated for driving innovation and change, transactional leadership remains essential for maintaining the day-to-day stability and efficiency of an organization by ensuring that employees are rewarded for meeting specific, tangible targets.

Social loafingis a phenomenon in group dynamics defined as the tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working individually. This concept challenges the common assumption that the "spirit of the group" always increases individual motivation. It was famously illustrated by the Ringelmann effect, where research showed that individuals pulled less hard on a rope when they were part of a group than when they were alone.

Social loafing typically occurs because of a dispersion of responsibility; when individuals believe their contribution cannot be measured separately from the group's total output, they may feel less "accountable" and decrease their effort. It can also stem from a "sucker effect," where individuals reduce their effort because they perceive others in the group are not doing their fair share. To counter social loafing, managers are encouraged to use individual performance evaluations, provide group rewards based on individual contributions, and keep group sizes small enough that individual efforts are visible.

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Motivation in the workplace is often driven by a system of rewards, which are generally categorized into intrinsic and extrinsic types.Intrinsic rewardsare internal to the individual and come from the work itself; examples include a sense of accomplishment, personal growth, or the satisfaction of completing a difficult task. These are self-granted rewards.

Extrinsic rewards, conversely, are tangible rewards given by another person (usually a manager or the organization) to an employee for performing a specific task or behavior. These include salary increases, bonuses, promotions, benefits, and even smaller tokens like a free lunch. In this scenario, the free lunch is a physical, external incentive provided by the manager to reinforce the employee's positive performance. While intrinsic rewards are essential for long-term engagement and "meaningful" work, extrinsic rewards like a free meal are effective for immediate reinforcement and recognizing specific achievements. According to reinforcement theory, providing such a reward immediately following a desired behavior (doing well at work) increases the probability that the behavior will be repeated. Because the lunch is an external, tangible benefit provided by the manager rather than an internal feeling of satisfaction derived from the task itself, it is classified as an extrinsic reward.

When a team struggles with procedural issues—the "how" of their work—the most effective leadership approach is often facilitative rather than directive. Instead of imposing a solution (Option A), which can lead to resistance or a lack of "buy-in," the leader shouldask questions and help team members talk through the problem. This technique is rooted in the concept ofteam coachingand process consultation.

By facilitating a dialogue, the leader encourages the team to take ownership of their own processes. This collaborative problem-solving approach helps identify the root cause of the procedural friction, whether it be ambiguous roles, inefficient workflows, or conflicting expectations. Furthermore, helping the team talk through the issue strengthens their internal communication and conflict-resolution skills, making them more resilient in the future. A leader who acts as a facilitator helps the team move from the "storming" phase of development—where procedural conflicts are common—into the "norming" phase, where clear, agreed-upon standards of behavior and performance are established by the group itself.

Organizational Culture