Subject: Organizational Behavior

(Supplementary Examination)
Maximum Marks: 100
Duration: 3 Hrs
Date: 16/07/2013
Notes:
1. There will be Five Questions in all.
2. Q 1 would be compulsory.
3. In addition to Q1, there would be six questions.
4. Each question would carry 20 Marks. Each of these Six Questions will have three sub
questions and each sub question would carry 10 Marks.
Students have to attempt any four out of the remaining six Questions and within each
question; students have to attempt any two out of three sub questions.
Question 1

20 Marks (Compulsory)

Read the following case and answer the questions.

Nikhil was the blue eyed boy of the general manager. A gold medalist from a prestigious
engineering college, he was placed in an Electronic and Telecommunication firm as a
Graduate Engineering Trainee. The General Manager took him under his wings and the
organization spent a lot on his development by way of training programs on the
telecommunication and navigational equipment at the manufacturer site in U.K.,
Germany, Denmark etc. In the first two years, his performance with regards to business
development was commendable. He was identified as a fast track and got quick series of
promotions in the managerial cadre. The other engineers who were also performing at par
felt the brunt of this move but kept quiet. After being promoted, Nikhils performance
regressed from extraordinary to ordinary. Gradually the top management began
questioning the amount of increments, incentives and promotions offered to Nikhil for
mediocre performance. Next year, his incentives were slashed and increments frozen.
Nikhil put in his paper for resignation. The General Manager renegotiated with Nikhil
and offered him an attractive package. Nikhil decided to withdraw his resignation. Every
year the story was same. If increments were not as per his expectation, Nikhil would put
in his papers for resignation and negotiate for a favorable deal. As regards performance, it
was still sub-optimal. The other engineers wondered how long this would continue. After
all he was the General Managers Blue eyed boy.

Questions
a. What is Learning ? Explain Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning
1

(10 marks)
b. What are schedules of reinforcement ? Which type of reinforcement seems to be
working for Nikhil
(10 marks)
Attempt Any Four out of the Remaining Six Questions
Question 2
(a) Explain Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment and Organizational
Citizenship behavior.
(10 Marks)
(b) ACME Technologies was going through bad times. The management decided to lay
off 5% of their employees. The next day when these employees reached office they
were not allowed to swipe in by the security at the gate. Two guards handed over their
personal belongings in boxes at the gate. The laid off employees were shocked, hurt
and felt that the management should have atleast told them of this decision face to
face.
What are the three types of justice. Which type of injustice was experienced by the
employees?
(10 Marks)
(c) What are Values ? What is a Value System. Explain GLOBE Framework for
assessing Culture ?
(10 Marks)
Any two from (a) or (b) or (c) ------------------- (10 * 2) = 20 Marks
Question 3
(a) Research suggests that sports teams give more playing time to highly drafted
players even if their recent performance is no better.
What are Perceptual Biases ? Which type of bias is operating in this scenario.
Explain ?
(10 marks)
(b) What is emotional labor ? Which job would entail more emotional labor - a
Call Centre Executive or a Nurse ?
(10 marks)
(c ) Chanakya watched a young cowherd managing the others cowherd boys. He
immediately judged that beneath the rough exterior was buried a great king. He
bought this young cowherd from his guardians and taught him all aspects of
knowledge and military strategies. Chanakyas prophecy was turned into a
reality when this young cowherd became the Emperor Chandragupta Maurya
who unified India under a single state.
2

What are Hueristics ? What type of performance expectation is governing the

outcome in the above scenario (10 marks)
Any two from (a) or (b) or (c) ------------------- (10 * 2) = 20 Marks
Question 4
(a )

In the popular T.V.serial, Greys Anatomy, neurosurgeon Dr. Derek Shepherd

decides to operate on a tumor, which has been declared inoperable by several
other physicians due to its complexity. The Chief refuses permission for this
surgery as it involves high risk of paralyzing the patient besides wastage of
hospital resources. Shepherd plans extensively for this surgery and prepares
by mapping out a diagram of the surgery on his bedroom wall. In the secret
surgery, Shepherd removes all but a tiny section of the tumor. Shepherd has to
cut a nerve to remove the rest of the tumor, but does not know which will
result in paralysis. He decides with a game of "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe",
ultimately cutting the correct nerve and eliminating the entirety of the tumor.
What are the different ways in which people take decisions. Which type of
decision is taken by Dr. Derek Shepherd ?
(10 marks)

( b ) Explain the Big Five Model of Personality ? Explain the different methods of
measuring Personality ?
(10 marks)
(c ) What is the difference between groups and teams ? Explain the group
development Model ?
(10 marks)
Any two from (a) or (b) or (c) ------------------- (10 * 2) = 20 Marks
Question 5
a) The corporate values of Toyota are Thrift, Respect and Quality. The top
management of Toyota often travel in the bullet train.
Which type of leadership is exhibited by management of Toyota ? Explain with
reference to suitable concepts.
(10 marks)
b) In a large bank after 7pm, people would open the door to their office, drape a
spare jacket on the back of their chair, lay a set of glasses down on some
reading material on their desk-and then go home for the night. The point of this
elaborate gesture was to create the illusion that they were just out grabbing
dinner and would returning to burn the midnight oil.
What factors influence Political behavior ? What are the employees response to
political behavior ?
(10 marks)

c) What are the different types of power ? Elaborate on different Power tactics ?
(10
marks)
Any two from (a) or (b) or (c) ------------------- (10 * 2) = 20 Marks
Question 6
a) Explain the conflict process? Explain any two conflict management
techniques?
(10 marks)
b) Explain Action research and Appreciative Enquiry
(10 marks)
c) Employees at Wal-Mart follow a daily ritual of singing together Wal-Mart
Cheer. Define Organizational Culture ? What sort of culture exits in WalMart? How do employees learn Culture ?
(10 marks)
Any two from (a) or (b) or (c) ------------------- (10 * 2) = 20 Marks
Question 7
(a) Explain the different types of organizational structure ?

(10 marks)

(b) What is Stress ? What are the consequences of Stress ?

(10 marks)

(c) ABC Ltd. is an IT firm struggling in the current dynamic environment of

economic recession and sluggish market. They want to implement a new way to
objectively measure performance and implement a variable pay system so that
employees can be paid on the basis of their performance. Use Lewins Three Step
Change model to explain how change can be initiated ?
(10
marks)

Any two from (a) or (b) or (c) ------------------- (10 * 2) = 20 Marks