Org Psych MidTerm Study Guide

Cue/Topic / Answer/Details
Good work vs. good job / The difference between good work and good job is a matter of quality. Good work is an activity in which you can engage your expertise, skills, and abilities in tasks that have wider and broader implications for the “wider” world. In a way, good work is work that is important in some respect; the work itself not only provides for the material and activity needs of the employee, but also provides, directly or indirectly, some benefit to one’s neighborhood, society, nation, or world. A good job is perhaps a place where one feels confident in one’s job security. One may enjoy or at least not dislike one’s work. It lacks the added additive quality of good work.
3 branches I/O / Personnel, Organizational, Human Factors (human engineering)
Hofstede’s multicultural model
(I.M.P.U.L.) /
  • Individualism vs. collectivism
  • Masculinity / Femininity: accumulating wealth vs. people
  • Power distance
  • Uncertainty avoidance: seeking certainty, accepting uncertainty
  • Long-term vs. short-term

Motivation
definition: / concerns the conditions responsible for variations in intensity, persistence, quality, and directions of ongoing behavior.
basic model: / (performance = mot * ability – constraints)
Deci’s SDT
  • 3 needs
/
  1. self-determination (autonomy)
  2. relatedness
  3. competence

  • basic description
/ Self-determination theory is based on the idea that humans have basic needs natural to existence. When these needs are met, intrinsic motivation is high. When these needs are undermined, intrinsic motivation decreases.
  • types of self-regulation
/
  • Amotivation: non-regulation
  • Extrinsic Motivation:
  • External regulation: compliance, rewards, punishments
  • Introjected: ego-invovlement, internal rewards, punishments
  • Identified: conscious valuing, somewhat internal
  • Integrated: congruence, awareness, self-synthesis
  • Intrinsic: interest, enjoyment, inherent satisfaction

  • General Causality Orientations
/
  • Autonomy: high degree of experienced choice regarding intiation and regulation of own bx. less controlled by extrinsic rewards, seeks opportunities for self-determination
  • Control: being organized with respect to external or internal controls. More controlled by extrinsic rewards, relies on controlling events.
  • Impersonal: experience bx as beyond intentional control (luck, fate)

Hackman & Oldham’s JCM /
  • Characteristics, Psychological States
/
  1. Skill variety Meaningfullness of Work
  2. Task identity
  3. Task significance
  4. Autonomy Responsibility for Outcomes
  5. Feedback Knowledge of results

  • Outcomes (4)
/
  • High intrinsic motivation
  • High job performance
  • High job satisfaction
  • low absenteeism and turnover

  • Moderators (4)
/
  • Growth need strength
  • job as vehicle for personal growth, sense of achievement, etc.
  • Knowledge and skills
  • Satisfaction with extrinsic aspect of work

Relationship Between JCM and SDT (3) /
  • Both are concerned with autonomy as an important psychological state which is related to intrinsic motivation.
  • JCM’s feedback can be autonomy supportive (informational) or controlling. controlling feedback tends to decrease motivation, while informational feedback supports intrinsic motivation.
  • Differing levels of growth needs, etc. should be placed in corresponding work situations.

Other Theories (4) /
  • Vroom’s VIE: valence, instrumentality, expectancy. motivation is a function of the interaction of these three variables.
  • Festinger’s Dissonance theory:
  • Adam’s Equity Theory: Perceived discripancy between input/output ratio for self and ratio for others leads to psychological states.
  • Goal-setting theory (Locke): goal is motivational force; need to accept (commit) to goals; goals should be optimal (difficult, but obtainable). Incorporates feedback loop! Important construct in motivation.

Effective Pay strategies (5 + groups & individuals) /
  • set high goals for performance
  • develop accurate ways to measure performance
  • train supervisors in appraisal
  • link pay to performance
  • make increases noticeable and meaningful
For groups: team incentives, stock options, gain/profit sharing
For individuals; tied to individual performance
Defective pay strategies (5) /
  • bonuses or merit pay is too small
  • non-existent link b/w pay and performance
  • poor perf appraisal
  • effect of unions
  • adaptation problems

Work Attitudes
3 components of attitude /
  • belief
  • evaluation
  • bx intention

mood vs. emotion / moods are more enduring – not tied to specific stimulus or environmental event; also partly dispositional. (think PA and NA)
core self-evaluations /
  • Def: self-assessment of circumstances. includes:
  • self-esteem: estimation of social standing, value to others
  • self-efficacy: belief in one’s ability to successfully accomplish task
  • locus of control: internal vs. external causation of life events
  • absence of neuroticism
  • Predicts:
  • perceptions of work characteristics
  • job satisfaction
  • life satisfaction

Job Satisfaction
definition/hx /
  • Def: “positive attitude or emotional state resulting from the appraisal or one’s job or job exeperience.”
  • know Hawthorne effect
  • Is it a dependent or independent variable?
  • Small relationship with job performance, commitment, abstenteeism, etc.

Spector – JSS / Job Satisfaction Survey
  • facet satisfaction: pay, promo, supervision, conditions, coworkers, etc.

JDI – Smith, Kendall / Job Descriptive Index
  • facet satisfaction

Types of Satisfaction /
  • Progressive Satisfaction: attempts to achieve higher level of current satisfaction
  • Stabilized: motivated to maintain current level
  • Resigned: decrease aspiration to maintain satisfaction
  • Pseudo: denail of negative work situation
  • Constructive Dissatisfaction: attempts to master situation
  • Fixated: gets stuck in problems

Work Commitment /
  • Affective:**emotional attachment
  • Continuance: avoid cost of quitting
  • Normative: obligation
  • Different commitment levels to different aspects of job