C

Human Behavior
In Organization

Pocket
Dictionary

Cabral Martha May

Callos Kristine Joy
Castro Elanie Grace
Cervera Reiane
BF 2Y1-1

Behavioral Approach to
Management. The belief
that specific attention to
the workers needs
Active Listening.
creates greater
Listening for full meaning
without making premature satisfaction and
productivity.
judgments or
Behavioral Decision
interpretations.
Model. An approach to
Administrative
Management. A school of decision making that
views managers as having
management thought
cognitive limitations and
concerned primarily with
acting only in terms of
how organizations should
what they perceive in a
be structured and
given situation.
managed.
Attitude. A predisposition Blame. The tendency to
place responsibility for a
to respond that exerts an
negative outcome on a
influence on a persons
person, a thing, or the
response to a person, a
environment.
thing, an idea, or a
Bounded Rationality.
situation.
Attribution Theory. The The idea that peoples
limited mental abilities,
process by which people
combined with external
ascribe causes to the
influences over which they
behavior they perceive.
have little or no control,
Avoidance Motivation.
Rewarding by taking away prevent them from making
entirely rational decisions.
an uncomfortable
Bureaucracy. A rational,
consequence.
systematic and precise
form of organization in
which rules, regulations,
Behavioral Approach to and techniques of control
are precisely defined.
Leadership. An attempt
Burnout. A pattern of
to specify how the
emotional, physical and
behavior of effective
mental exhaustion in
leaders differs from their
less effective counterparts

response to chronic job

stressors.

Casual Time
Orientation. The
perception of time as an
unlimited and unending
resource, leading to
patience.
Centralization. The
extent to which
executives delegate

authority to lower
organizational units.
Charisma. The ability to
lead others based on
personal charm,
magnetism, inspiration
and emotion.
Classical Decision
Model. An approach to
decision making that
views the managers
environment as certain
and stable and the
manager as rational.
Coaching. A direct
interaction with the team
with the intention of
improving team processes
to enhance performance.
Coercive Power.
Controlling others through

fear or threat of
punishment.
Cognitive Dissonance.
The situation in which the
pieces of knowledge,
information, attitudes or
beliefs held by an
individual are
contradictory.
Cognitive Learning
Theory. A theory
emphasizing that learning
takes place in a
complicated manner
involving much more than
acquiring habits and small
skills.
Cognitive Skills. Mental
ability and knowledge.

Collectivism. A value
emphasizing that the
group and society receive
top priority.
Complexity. The number
of different job titles and
units within an
organization.
Concern for Others. An
emphasis on personal
relations and a concern for
the welfare of others.
Usually measured along a
continuum, with

materialism at the
opposite end.
Conflict. The opposition
of persons or forces giving
rise to some tension.
Confrontation and
Problem Solving. A
method of identifying the
true source of conflict and
resolving it systematically.
Consideration. The
degree to which the leader
creates an environment of
emotional support,
warmth, friendliness and
trust.
Contingency Approach
to Management. The
viewpoint that there is no
one best way to manage
people or work but the
best way depends on
certain situational factors.
Contingency Theory of
Leadership. The position
that the best style of
leadership depends on
factors relating to group
members and the work
setting.
Creative Self-Efficacy.
The belief that one can be
creative in a work role.
Creativity. The process of
developing good ideas
that can be put into
action.

Crew. A group of
specialists each of whom
has specific roles,
performs brief events that
are close synchronized
with each other, and
repeats these events
under different
environmental conditions.
Cross-Functional Team.
A work group composed of
workers with different
specialties but from about
the same organizational
level, who come together
to accomplish a task.
Cultural Assumption. A
form of stereotype in
which we attribute
attitudes and behaviors to
members of a group
without verifying our
information.
Cultural Intelligence
(CQ). An outsiders ability
to interpret someones
unfamiliar and ambiguous
behavior the same way
that persons compatriots
would.
Cultural Sensitivity. An
awareness of and a
willingness to investigate
the reasons why people of
another culture act as
they do.
Cultural Training.
Training that attempts to

help workers understand

people from other
cultures.
Cultural Shock. A group
of physical and
psychological symptoms
that can develop when a
person is abruptly placed
in a foreign culture.

D
Decision. The act of
choosing among two or
more alternatives in order
to solve a problem.
Decision Criteria. The
standards of judgment
used to evaluate
alternatives.
Delphi Technique. A
group decision-making
technique designed to
provide group members
with one anothers ideas
and feedback while
avoiding some of the
problems associated with
interacting groups.
Demographic Diversity.
Differences in background
factors about the
workforce that help shape
worker attitudes and
behavior.
Departmentalization.
The process of subdividing
work into departments.

Difficult Person. An
individual who creates
problems for others, yet
has the skill and mental
ability to do otherwise.
Diversity Training.
Training that attempts to
bring about workplace
harmony by teaching
people how to get along
better which diverse work
associates.
Double-Loop Learning.
A change in behavior that
occurs when people use
feedback to confront the
validity of the goal or the
values implicit in the
situation.
Downsizing. The laying
off of workers to reduce
costs and increase
efficiency.

E
E-Learning. A web-based
form of computer-based
training.
Emotion. A feeling of
such as anger, fear, joy or
surprise that underlies
behavior.
Emotional Intelligence.
Qualities such as
understanding ones own
feelings, empathy for
others and the regulation

of emotion to enhance
living.
Emotional Labor. The
process of regulating both
feelings and expressions
to meet organizational
goals.
Empowerment. The
process of sharing power
with group members,
thereby enhancing their
feelings of self-efficacy.
Equity Theory. The
theory that employee
satisfaction and
motivation depend on how
fairly the employees
believe that they are
treated in comparison to
peers.
Ethics. An individuals
moral beliefs about what
is right and wrong or good
and bad.
Ethnocentrism. The
assumption that the ways
of ones culture are the
best ways of doing things.
Expectancy. A persons
subjective estimate of the
probability that a given
level of performance will
occur.
Experience of Flow.
Being in the zone; total
absorption in ones work.
Expert Power. The ability
to influence others

because of ones
specialized knowledge,
skills or abilities.
Extinction. Weakening or
decreasing the frequency
of undesirable behavior by
removing the reward for
such behavior.

F
Feedback. Information
about how well someone
is doing in achieving
goals. Also, messages
sent back from the
receiver to the sender of
information.
Filtering. The coloring
and altering of information
to make it more
acceptable to the receiver.
Flat Organization
Structure. An
organization structure
with relatively few layers.
Force-Field Theory. The
theory contending that an
organization
simultaneously faces
forces for change (the
driving forces) and forces
for maintaining the status
quo (the restraining
forces).

Formal Communication
Channels. The official
pathways for sending
information inside and
outside an organization.
Formal Group. A group
deliberately formed by the
organization to accomplish
specific tasks and achieve
goals.
Formal Organization
Structure. An official
statement of reporting
relationships, rules and
regulations.
Formality. Attaching
considerable importance
to tradition, ceremony,
social rules and rank.
Frame of Reference. A
perspective and vantage
point based on past
experiences.
Functional
Departmentalization.
The grouping of people
according to expertise.
Fundamental
Attribution Error. The
tendency to attribute
behavior to internal
causes when focusing on
someone elses behavior.

G
G (general) Factor. A
major components of

intelligence that
contributes to problemsolving ability.
Gainsharing. A formal
program of allowing
employees to participate
financially in the
productivity gains they
have achieved.
Goal. What a person
trying to accomplish.
Grapevine. The major
informal communication
channel in organizations.
Group. A collection of
people who interact with
one another, work toward
some common purpose
and perceive themselves
as a group.
Group Cohesiveness. A
situation that takes place
when members work
closely with each other, in
a unified, cooperative
manner.
Group Norm. The
guidelines for acceptable
and unacceptable
behavior that are
informally agreed on by
group members.
Group Polarization. A
situation in which
postdiscussion attitudes
tend to be more extreme
than prediscussion
attitudes.

Groupthink. A
deterioration of mental
efficiency, reality testing
and moral judgment in the
interest of group
cohesiveness.
Growth Curve Model. A
model that traces the
inevitability of change
through a firms life cycle.

Hawthorne Effect. The

tendency of people to
behave differently when
they receive attention
because they respond to
the demands of the
situation.
Heuristics. Simplified
strategies that become
rules of thumb in decision
making.
High-Context Culture. A
culture that makes more
extensive use of body
language.
Homesourcing. The
practice of outsourcing
work to homes.
Horizontal Structure.
The arrangement of work
by teas that are
responsible for
accomplishing a process.
Human Relations
Movement. An approach

to dealing with workers

based on the belief that
there is an important link
among managerial
practices, morale and
productivity.

Implicit Leadership
Theory. An explanation of
leadership contending
that group members
develop prototypes
specifying the traits and
abilities that characterize
an ideal business leader.
Individual Differences.
Variation in how people
respond to the same
situation based on
personal characteristics.
Individualism. A mental
set in which people see
themselves first as
individuals and believe
that their own interests
take priority.
Informal
Communication
Channels. The unofficial
network of channels that
supplements the formal
channels.
Informal Group. A group
that emerges over time
through the interaction of
workers, typically to

satisfy a social or
recreational purpose.
Informal Learning. A
planned learning that
occurs in a setting without
a formal classroom, lesson
plan, instructor or
examination.
Informal Organization
Structure. A set of
unofficial working
relationships that emerges
to take care of the events
and transactions not
covered by the formal
structure.
Informality. A casual
attitude toward tradition,
ceremony, social rules and
rank.
Information Overload. A
situation that occurs when
people are so overloaded
with information that they
cannot respond effectively
to messages, resulting in
stress.
Initiating Structure. The
degree to which a leader
establishes structure for
group members.
Instrumentality. The
individuals subjective
estimate of the probability
that performance will lead
to certain outcomes.
Intellectual Capital.
Knowledge that

transforms raw materials

and makes them more
valuable; it is also a
capital asset consisting of
intellectual material.
Intelligence. The
capacity to acquire and
apply knowledge,
including solving
problems.
Intrinsic Motivation. A
persons belief about the
extent to which an activity
can satisfy his or her
needs for competence and
self-determination.
Intuition. An experiencebased way of knowing or
reasoning in which
weighing and balancing
evidence are done
automatically.

Job Characteristics
Model. A method of job
design that
focuses on the task and
interpersonal demands of
job.
Job Crafting. The
physical and mental
changes workers make
In the task or relationships
aspects of their job.
Job Demands.-Job
Control Model. An

explanation of job stress

contending that workers
experience the most
stress when the demands
of the job are high yet
they have little control
over the activity.
Job Enrichment. The
process of making a job
more motivational and
satisfying by adding
variety, responsibility, and
managerial decision
making.
Job Satisfaction. The
amount of pleasure of
contentment associated
with a job.

K
Knowledge
Management (KM). The
systematic sharing of
information to achieve
advances in innovation,
efficiency, and
competitive advantage.

L
Large-Scale
Organizational Change.
The method used to
accomplish major change
in the firms strategy and
culture.
Leader-Member
Exchange Model. The

model that recognizes that

leaders develop unique
working relationships with
each group member.
Leadership. The ability to
inspire confidence and
support among the people
on whose competence and
commitment performance
depends.
Leadership Grid. A
framework for classifying
leadership styles that
simultaneously examines
a leaders concerns for
task accomplishment and
people.
Leadership Style. The
relatively consistent
pattern of behavior that
characterizes a leader.
Learning. A relatively
permanent change in
behavior based on
practice or experience.
Learning Organization.
An organization that is
skilled at creating,
acquiring, and transferring
knowledge and at
modifying behavior to
reflect new knowledge
and insights.
Learning Style. A
persons particular way of
learning, reflecting the

fact that people learn best

in different ways.
Legitimate Power.
Power based on ones
formal position within the
hierarchy of the
organization.
Linguistic Style. A
persons characteristic
speaking pattern,
involving the amount of
directness used, pacing
and pausing, word choice,
and the use of jokes,
figures of speech,
questions, and apologies.
Linkage Analysis. An
organization development
technique designed to
create linkages in the
change pathway that
translate gains within
smaller organization units
into benefits for the larger
firm.
Locus of Control. The
way in which people look
at causation in their lives.
Long-Term Orientation.
In describing national
culture, taking a longrange perspective.
Low-Context Culture. A
culture that makes less
use of body language.

Machiavellianism. A
tendency to manipulate
others for personal gain.
Machine Bureaucracy.
An ideal organization that
standardizes work
processes and is efficient.
Management by
Walking Around. The
process of managers
intermingling freely with
workers on the shop floor,
in the office, and with
customers.
Maslows Hierarchy of
Needs.
A classical theory of
motivation that arranges
human needs into a
pyramid-shaped model,
with basic physiological
needs at the bottom and
self-actualization needs at
the top.
Materialism. An
emphasis on
assertiveness and the
acquisition of money and
material objects. Usually
measured along a
continuum, with concern
for others at the opposite
end.
Matrix Organization
Structure. An
organization consisting of
a project structure

superimposed on a
functional structure.
Mechanistic
Organization. A primarily
hierarchical organization
with an emphasis on
specialization and control,
vertical communication,
and heavy reliance on
rules, policies, and
procedures.
Message. A purpose or
an idea to be conveyed in
a communication event.
Meta-Analysis. A
quantitative or statistical
review of the literature on
a particular subject; an
examination of a range of
studies for the purpose of
reaching a combined
result of best estimate.
Meta-Communicate. To
communicate about your
communication to help
overcome barriers or
resolve a problem.
Micromanagement.
Supervising group
members too closely and
second-guessing their
decisions.
Mixed Signals.
Communication
breakdown resulting from
the sending of different
messages about the same

topic to different
audiences.
Modeling imitation.
Learning a skill by
observing another person
performing that skill.
Motivation. In a work
setting, the process by
which behavior is
mobilized and sustained in
the interest of achieving
organizational goals.
Multicultural Manager.
A manager with the skills
and attitudes to relate
effectively to and
motivate people across
race, gender, age, social
attitudes, and lifestyles,
and to conduct business in
a diverse, international
environment.
Multicultural
Organization. An
organization that values
cultural diversity and is
willing to encourage and
even capitalize on such
diversity.
Multiple Intelligences.
A theory that proposes
that people know and
understand the world in
distinctly different ways
according to the varying
degrees to which they
possess eight faculties:
linguistic, logical-

mathematical, musical,
spatial, bodily
kinesthetic, intrapersonal,
interpersonal, and
naturalist.

N
Need for Achievement.
The desire to accomplish
something difficult for its
own sake.
Need for Affiliation. The
desire to establish and
maintain friendly and
warm relationships with
others.
Need for Power. The
desire to control other
people, to influence their
behavior, and to be
responsible for them.
Negative Lifestyle
Factors. Behavior
patterns predisposing a
person to job stress,
including poor exercise
and eating habits and
heavy consumption of
caffeine, alcohol, tobacco
and other drugs.
Negotiating and
Bargaining. Conferring
with another person in
order to resolve a
problem.
Network Organization.
A spherical structure that

can rotate self-managing

teams and other resources
around a common
knowledge base.
Network Structure (or
Virtual Organization). A
temporary association of
otherwise independent
firms linked by technology
to share expenses,
employee talents, and
access to one anothers
markets.
Noise. Anything that
disrupts communication,
including the attitude and
emotions of the receiver.
Nominal Group
Technique (NGT). An
approach to developing
creative alternatives that
requires group members
to generate alternative
solutions independently.
Nonprogrammed (or
Nonroutine) Decision. A
unique response to a
complex problem.
Nonverbal
Communication. The
transmission of messages
by means other than
words.
Normative Decision
Model. A contingency
viewpoint of leadership
that views leadership as a

decision- making process

in which the leader
examines certain situation
factors to determine which
decision-making style will
be most effective.

Offshoring. The practice

of having work performed
by a company in an
overseas location.
Open-Door Policy. An
understanding in which
any employee can bring a
gripe to the attention of
upper-level management
without checking with his
or her immediate
manager.
Operant Conditioning.
Learning that takes place
as a consequence of
behavior.
Organic Structure. An
organization laid out like a
network, emphasizing
horizontal specialization,
extensive use of personal
coordination, extensive
communication among
members, and loose rules,
policies, and procedures.
Organization. A
collection of people
working together to
achieve a common

purpose (or simply big

group).
Organization Design.
The process of creating a
structure that best fits a
purpose, strategy, and
environment.
Organization
Development (OD). Any
strategy, method, or
technique for making
organizations more
effective by bringing
about constructive,
planned change.
Organization Structure.
The arrangement of
people and tasks to
accomplish organizational
goals.
Organizational
Behavior. The study of
human behavior in the
workplace, the interaction
between people and the
organization, and the
organization itself.
Organizational
Behavior Modification
(OB Mod). The
application of
reinforcement theory for
motivating people in work
settings.
Organizational
Citizenship Behavior.
Behaviors that express a

willingness to work for the

good of an organization
even without the promise
of a specific reward.
Organizational Culture.
A system of shared values
and beliefs that influence
worker behavior.
Organization
effectiveness. The
extent to which an
organization is productive
and satisfies the demands
of its interested parties.
Organization Politics.
Informal approaches to
gaining power through
means other than merit or
luck.

P
Paradigm. A model,
framework, viewpoint,
perspective, or frame of
reference.
Path-Goal Theory of
Leadership. An
explanation of leadership
that specifies what the
leader must do to achieve
high morale and
productivity in a given
situation.
Perception. The various
ways in which people
interpret things ion the
outside world and how

they act on the basis of

these interpretations.
Personality Clash. An
antagonistic relationship
between two people based
on differences in personal
attributes, preferences,
interests, values, and
style.
Personalized Power.
The use of power primarily
for the sake of personal
aggrandizement and gain.
Person-Role Conflict. A
condition that occurs
when the demands made
by the organization or
manager clash with the
basic values of the
individual.
Positive Organizational
Behavior. The study and
application of human
resource strengths and
psychological capacities
that can be measured,
developed, and managed
for performance
improvement.
Positive
Reinforcement. The
application of a
pleasurable or valued
consequence when a
person exhibits the
desired response.

Power. The potential or

ability to influence
decisions and control
resources.
Power Distance. The
extent to which
employees accept the
idea that members of an
organization have
different levels of power.
Problem. A discrepancy
between the ideal and the
real.
Process Consultations.
An intervention in which
the organization
development specialist
examines the pattern of a
work units
communications.
Procrastinate. Delaying
to take action without a
valid reason.
Product/Service
Departmentalization.
The arrangement of
departments according to
the products or services
they provide.
Professional
Bureaucracy. An
organization composed of
a core of highly trained
professionals that
standardizes skills for
coordination.
Programmed (or
Routine) Decision. A

standard response to an
uncomplicated problem.
Project. A temporary
group of specialists
working together under
one manager to
accomplish a fixed
objective.
Punishment. The
presentation of an
undesirable consequence
for a specific behavior.

Reengineering. The
radical redesign of work to
achieve substantial
improvements in
performance.
Referent Power. The
ability to influence others
that stems from ones
desirable traits and
characteristics; it is the
basis for charisma.
Reinforcement Theory.
The contention that
behavior is determined by
is consequences.
Relationship Conflict.
Conflict that focuses on
personalized, individually
oriented issues
Relaxation Response. A
general-purpose method
of learning to relax by
oneself, which includes

making oneself quiet and

comfortable.
Resources Dependence
Perspective. The need of
the organization for a
continuing flow of human
resources, money,
customers, technological
inputs, and material to
continue to function.
Reward Power.
Controlling others through
rewards or the promise of
rewards.
Role Ambiguity. A
condition in which the job
holder receives confused
or poorly defined role
expectations.
Role Conflict. Having to
choose between
competing demands or
expectations.

S (special) Factors.
Components of
intelligence that
contribute to problemsolving ability.
Satisficing Decision. A
decision that provides a
minimum standard of
satisfaction.
Scientific Management.
The application of

scientific methods to
increase workers
productivity.
Self-Awareness.
Insightfully processing
feedback about oneself to
improve personal
effectiveness.
Self-Determination
Theory. The idea that
people are motivated
when they experience a
sense of choice in
initiating and regulating
their actions.
Self-Efficacy. The feeling
of being an effective and
competent person with
respect to a task.
Self-Managed Work
Team. A formally
recognized group of
employees responsible for
an entire work process or
segment that delivers a
product or service to an
internal or external
customer.
Self-Serving Bias. An
attribution error whereby
people tend to attribute
their achievements to
good inner qualities,
whereas they attribute
their failures to adverse
factors within the
environment.

Semantics. The varying

meanings people attach to
words.
Servant Leader. A leader
who serves constituents
by working on their behalf
to help them achieve their
goals, not the leaders
own goals.
Sexual Harassment.
Unwanted sexually
oriented behavior in the
workplace that results in
discomfort and/or
interference with the job.
Shaping. Learning
through the reinforcement
or rewarding of small
steps to build to the final
or desired behavior.
Short-Term Orientation.
In describing a national
culture, a demand for
immediate results.
Situational Control. The
degree to which the leader
can control and influence
the outcomes of grou0p
effort.
Situational Leader II
(SLII). A model of
leadership explaining how
to match the leadership
style to the capabilities of
group members on a
given task.
Six Sigma. A data-driven
method for achieving near

perfect quality with an

emphasis on preventing
problems.
Social Learning. The
process of observing the
behavior of others,
recognizing its
consequences, and
altering behavior as a
result.
Social Loafing.
Freeloading, or shirking
individual responsibility
when placed in a group
setting and removed from
individual accountability.
Social Responsibility.
The idea that firms have
an obligation to society
beyond their economic
obligation to owners or
stockholder and also
beyond those prescribed
by law or contract.
Socialization. The
process of coming to
understand the values,
norms, and customs
essential for adapting to
an organization.
Socialized Power. The
use of power to achieve
constructive ends.
Stock Option. A financial
incentive that gives
employees the right to
purchase a certain
number of company

shares at a specified price,

generally the market price
of the stock on the day
the option is granted.
Stress. The mental and
physical condition that
results from a perceived
threat that cannot be
dealt with readily.
Stressor. Any force
creating the stress
reaction.
Subculture. A pocket in
which the organizational
culture differs from the
dominant culture, as well
as other pockets of
subculture.
Substitutes for
Leadership. Factors in
the work environment that
provide guidance and
incentives to perform,
making the leaders role
almost superfluous.
Superordinate Goals.
Overarching goals that
capture the imagination of
people.

T
Task Conflict. Conflict
that focuses on
substantive, issue-related
differences related to the
work itself.

Team. A special type of

group in which the
member have
complementary skills and
are committed to a
common purpose, a set of
performance goals, and an
approach to the task.
Teamwork. A situation in
which there is
understanding and
commitment to group
goals on the part of all
team members.
Telecommuting. Working
at home and sending
output electronically to
the office.
Territorial Games. Also
known as turf wars,
territorial games refer to
behaviors involving the
hoarding of information
and other resources.
Transformational
Leader. One who helps
organizations and people
make positive changes in
the way they conduct their
activities.
Triarchic Theory of
Intelligence. The theory
that intelligence is
composed of three
different types of
intelligence: analytical,
creative, and practical.

Two-Factor Theory of
Work Motivation.
Herzbergs theory
contending that there are
two different sets of job
factors. One set can
satisfy and motivate
people (motivators or
satisfiers); the other set
can only prevent
dissatisfaction
(dissatisfiers or hygiene
factors).
Two in a Box. Dividing up
executive responsibilities
in one position.

U
Uncertainty Avoidance.
The extent to which
people accept the
unknown and tolerate risk
and unconventional
behavior.
Unfreezing-ChangingRefreezing Model. A
three-step analysis of the
change process based on
the idea that change
involves unfreezing,
followed by changing and
refreezing.
Urgent Time
Orientation. The
perception of time as a
scarce resource, therefore
leading to impatience.

V
Valence. The value a
person places on a
particular outcome.
Value. The importance a
person attaches to
something that serves as
a guide to action.
Value Judgment. An
overall opinion of
something based on a
quick perception of its
merit.
Virtual Team. A group
that conducts almost all of
its collaborative work via
electronic communication
rather than face-to-face
meetings.
Virtuous Circle. The idea
that corporate social
performance and
corporate financial
performance feed and
reinforce each other.

W
Wellness Program. A
formal organizationsponsored activity to help
employees stay well and
avoid illness.

Whistle-Blower. An
employee who discloses
organization wrongdoing
to parties who can take
action.
Win-Win. The belief that,
after conflict has been
resolved, both sides
should gain something of
value.
Work-Family Conflict.
Conflict that ensues when
the individual has to
perform multiple roles:
worker; spouse; and,
often, parent.