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IOP2602/201/2/2018

Tutorial Letter 201/2/2018

Organisational Psychology

IOP2602

Semester 2

Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

This tutorial letter contains feedback on your assignments.

BARCODE

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CONTENTS

1 FEEDBACK ON ASSIGNMENT 01



4 FORMAT OF AND PREPARATION FOR THE EXAMINATION IN OCTOBER 2018

5 APPENDIX A: OCT/NOV 2017 EXAMINATION PAPER

Dear Students

We trust that you have made good progress with your studies regarding organisational psychology and that you did not experience any major difficulties in completing the assignments. Assignments 1 and 2 were compulsory assignments while Assignment 3 was a self-assessment, which you did not have to submit for marking. We would like to take this opportunity to provide you with feedback on t h e s e t h r e e a ssignments and to provide you with additional information about the examination for this module.Suggestions for answering Assignments 1, 2 and 3 are provided below.


QUESTION 1

Groups develop through a standard sequence of five stages. Name and discuss these five stages in group development. (10)

The relevant material appears in the prescribed textbook, Organisational Psychology for IOP2602. 1st UNISA custom edition (2017). Cape Town: Pearson. ISBN: 978-1-776-10249-5), pp. 166 – 167. Remember that this question counted 10 marks, so it was advisable to keep your discussion brief. You were awarded 1 mark for the correct name of each stage and 1 mark for any one relevant fact explaining the stage. You also had to present the phases in the correct sequence/order. 1. Forming stage: This is the first stage in group development, characterised by much uncertainty

about the group’s purpose, structure and leadership. Members test the waters to determine what types of behaviour are acceptable. This stage is complete when members start thinking of themselves as part of the group.

2. Storming stage: This stage is characterised by intergroup conflict because there is conflict over who will control the group. Members accept the existence of the group, but resist the constraints it imposes on their individuality. When this stage is complete, there will be a relatively clear hierarchy of leadership within the group.

3. Norming stage: This stage is characterised by close relationships and cohesiveness. A strong sense of group identity and solidarity has been established. The norming stage is complete when group structure solidifies and the group has assimilated a common set of expectations of what correct member behaviour entails.

4. Performing stage: During this stage, the group is fully functional and accepted. Group energy has moved from getting to know and understand each other to performing the task at hand. For permanent work groups, performing is the final stage in development.

5. Adjourning stage: This is a wrapping up and preparing to disband stage for groups such as temporary committees, teams, task forces and similar groups that have a limited task to perform.

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Some members may experience the joy of having accomplished the task while others may be depressed over the loss of friendships and companionship gained during the group’s life/existence.

QUESTION 2

Illustrate your understanding of trust as one of the important attributes associated with leadership. Use the following to build your answer:

The relevant material appears in the prescribed textbook on pages 265 – 267.

(a) Definition of trust. (1)

Trust is a psychological state that exists when one party agrees to be vulnerable to another because of a positive expectation that things will turnout well in the relationship.

(b) Explain the three key characteristics of a trustworthy leader. (6)

Integrity (1). Integrity refers to honesty and truthfulness. It seems to be the most critical characteristic in assessing another’s trustworthiness. (You could have provided any one of the above facts for 1 mark).

Benevolence (1). This means that the trusted person (leader) has another person's interest at heart, even when the other person's interests are not in line with theirs. Benevolence is associated with behaviours of caring and being supportive as part of the emotional bond between leaders and followers (If you provided any one of the above facts, you would have earned 1 mark).

Ability (1). This refers to a leader’s technical and interpersonal knowledge and skills. Even a highly principled leader with the best intentions won’t be trusted to accomplish a positive outcome if team members do not have faith in the leader’s ability to get the job done (Any one of the above facts would have earned you 1 mark).

(c) Explain the consequences of trust. (8)

Trust encourages taking risks (1). Whenever employees decide to deviate from the usual way of doing things, or to take their supervisor's word on a new direction, they are taking risks. In both cases, trust may facilitate that leap. In cases/situations such as these, trust also facilitates initiative-taking (Any one of the above facts would have earned you 1 mark).

Trust facilitates information sharing (1). A major reason for employees not speaking up at work is that they do not feel psychologically safe in revealing their views. When managers demonstrate their willingness to openly listen to employees’ views and actively make changes, employees are more willing to speak out. It is easy to talk in an environment that is not threatening (Any one of the above facts would have earned you 1 mark).

Trusting groups are more effective (1). When a leader sets a trusting tone in a group, members are more willing to help each other and exert extra effort, which further increases trust. Conversely, when members mistrust each other and tend to be suspicious of one another, they restrict communication and guard against exploitation. These actions tend to undermine and eventually destroy the group (Any one of the above facts would have earned you 1 mark).

Trust enhances productivity (1). It appears that trust also impacts positively on a company’s bottom-line. Employees who trust their supervisors tend to receive higher performance ratings. People respond to mistrust by concealing information and secretly pursuing their own interests (Any one of the above facts would have earned you 1 mark).

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TOTAL FOR ASSIGNMENT 1: [25]

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2 FEEDBACK ON ASSIGNMENT 02The correct alternatives are provided in the table below.

Question Answer Question Answer Question Answer1 1 11 3 21 42 1 12 4 22 33 2 13 1 23 24 3 14 3 24 35 1 15 3 25 26 1 16 1 26 47 3 17 4 27 38 1 18 1 28 49 2 19 2 29 1

10 2 20 2 30 4

Below find the correct answers with the page references in the prescribed textbook for you to check the correct alternatives.

1. Which one of the following is NOT an attitude?

1. job productivity2. job satisfaction3. job involvement4. organisational commitment

(See the prescribed textbook, p. 46)

2. Who proposed that the three major relevant motives or needs in workplace situations are achievement, affiliation and power?

1. McClelland2. Alderfer3. Herzberg4. Maslow

(See the prescribed textbook, p. 253

3. Each of the following is a comparison an employee can use in equity theory, except ______.

1. self-inside2. self-goal3. other-outside4. self-outside

(See prescribed textbook, p. 266)

4. The higher-order needs in Maslow’s hierarchy of motivation are:

1. safety and love

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2. social and esteem3. esteem and self-actualisation4. physiological and self-actualisation


5. Almost all organisations create rules and policies to programme decisions and get individuals to act in the intended manner and to limit decision choices. This type of constraint is referred to as ____.

1. formal regulations2. reward system3. performance evaluation4. historical precedents


6. Which one of the following is NOT a factor in determining whether teams are successful?

1. inadequate resources2. effective leadership3. a climate of trust4. a performance evaluation and reward system


7. The general dealer characterised by a low degree of departmentalisation, wide spans of control, authority centralised in a single person and little formalisation uses a _____.

1. bureaucracy2. matrix structure3. simple structure4. complex structure


8. An organisation that seeks to eliminate the chain of command, have limitless spans of control and replace departments with empowered teams, is known as ____.

1. the boundaryless organisation2. the virtual organisation3. the learning organisation4. the downsized organisation

(See prescribed textbook, p. 344 - 345)

9. The following are components of attitude except ____.

1. affective component 2. organisational component

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3. behavioural component4. cognitive component


10. All of the following are disciplines that contribute to the organisational behaviour except_____.

1. sociology2. biology3. psychology4. social psychology


11. Which one of the following is NOT a guideline for making ethical decisions?

1. Gather all the facts, company rules and regulations governing such a decision.2. Define the ethical issues such as harm, kickbacks and accepting or offering bribes.3. You should not worry what co-workers think of you, ignore your character and

integrity.4. Identify the consequences (short- and long-term) as well as the parties affected by the

decision.


12. When we judge someone based on our perception of the group to which he/she belongs, for example, that older workers cannot learn new skills, we are using ____.

1. the halo effect2. selective perception3. the contrast effect4. stereotyping


13. The use of questionnaires to identify discrepancies among member perceptions; discussion follows, and remedies are suggested, is called ____.

1. survey feedback2. process consultation3. sensitivity training4. team building


14. All of the following are methods used to transmit culture to employees except ____.

1. stories2. rituals3. limited communication4. material symbol

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(See prescribed textbook, pp. 379 - 380)

15. An organisational culture in which the core values are intensely held and widely shared is referred to as a _____culture.

1. weak2. neutral3. strong4. uniform


16. While most teams do their work face to face, _____ teams use computer technology.

1. virtual2. telecommuting3. outsourced4. functional


17 The late President Nelson Mandela, Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Steve Jobs are known as _____.

1. behavioural leaders2. transactional leaders3. situational leaders4. charismatic leaders


18. Increased oil and petrol prices, electricity shortages, volatility of the South African rand and high inflation rates are _____ in forces of change.

1. economic shocks2. social trends3. world politics4. competition factors


19. According to Lewin’s three-step model, the change process that transforms the organisation from the status quo to a desired end state is called _____.

1. refreezing2. movement3. unfreezing4. stabilising

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20. Reduced productivity, absenteeism and staff turnover are the _____ related to high stress levels.

1. psychological symptoms2. behavioural symptoms3. physiological symptoms4. economic symptoms


21. The correct order for the stages of the socialisation process is:

1. prearrival, metamorphosis, encounter2. encounter, prearrival, metamorphosis3. metamorphosis, encounter, prearrival4. prearrival, encounter, metamorphosis


22. ______ refers to a change between a group’s decision and an individual decision that a member within a group would make.

1. Groupthink2. Electronic meeting3. Groupshift4. Brainstorming


23. Mini cultures within an organisation, defined by department designations and geographical separation, are called ______.

1. dominant cultures2. subcultures3. core cultures4. strong cultures


24. When creating an ethical organisational culture, which of the following statements is incorrect?

1. Provide ethical training2. Communicate ethical expectations3. Do not punish unethical acts4. Visibly reward ethical acts


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25. “Win-win”, “expand the pie so both parties are satisfied”, “long-term” and “high information sharing” are concepts related to _____.

1. organisational politics2. integrative bargaining3. negotiation4. distributive bargaining


26. There is conflict between Sammy and Peter, and Peter decides to place Sammy’s interests above his own in order to maintain the relationship. Thus, Peter’s intention is ______.

1. delaying2. avoiding3. competing4. accommodating


27. The importance of an attitude, its correspondence to behaviour, its accessibility, the presence of social pressure and whether a person has direct experience with the attitude, are referred to as _______.

1. cognitive dissonance2. components of an attitude3. moderators of the attitude 4. major job attitudes


28. Reinforcement theory refers to _____.

1. the view that we can learn through both observation and direct experience2. behaviour following stimuli in a relatively unthinking manner3. an individual’s belief that he/she is capable of performing a task4. behaviour as a function of its consequences


29. Culture performs all the following functions except _____.

1. showing how organisations are all basically the same2. enhancing social system stability3. conveying a sense of identity for organisation members4. facilitating commitment to something larger than individual self-interest

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30. A tactic where management apply direct threats or force on the resisters of change is _____.

1. manipulation2. participation3. pressure4. coercion

(See prescribed textbook, p. 408)TOTAL FOR ASSIGNMENT 2: [30]


As stated in Tutorial Letter 101/2018, you did not have to submit Assignment 3 for marking. You had to mark this assignment yourself, based on the guidelines below.

CASE STUDY

You have been asked to consult for a departmental manager who has implemented new working procedures without consulting the employees affected by the change. She regards resistance to her change efforts as an irrational response from the employees, because the new procedures would, she believes, enhance the productivity of the department and may even lead to more job satisfaction. She has tried to convince the employees of the benefits of the new procedures, but their reaction is that they are used to the old procedures and that they have not experienced any problems using them. She has become so desperate that she has even threatened them with disciplinary action if they do not apply the new procedures.

QUESTIONS

1. Give the manager a balanced view of the possible value of resistance to change. (3)

This aspect is discussed in the prescribed textbook on page 405 under the heading “Resistance to change”. In your answer, discuss when resistance can be positive and when resistance can be a threat for a total of 3 marks.

2. Name the different sources of resistance to change and identify a source that probably plays a role in this scenario. Substantiate your answer. (4)

The two sources of resistance, namely individual and organisational, are discussed on pages 405 – 406 in the prescribed textbook. In the case study, the sources of resistance were both individual and organisational.

3. Identify and evaluate the tactic the manager probably used to overcome resistance to her change effort. Discuss and give five reasons for the tactic you would propose. (5)

The eight available tactics for overcoming resistance to change are discussed on pages 406 – 408 in the prescribed textbook. The manager first tried to convince employees to accept the change (education and communication) and then in desperation proceeded to threatening them (coercion). You can propose and motivate your own tactic(s) that you think the manager should have used.

4. Describe how the manager could use Kurt Lewin’s model to manage a change process. (8)

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Kurt Lewin’s three-step model to manage change is discussed on pages 409 – 410 in the prescribed textbook. The manager could have firstly tried to unfreeze employees by identifying what the driving forces for the new work procedures were and increasing them. The she could have identified the restraining forces which were blocking the acceptance of the new work procedures, and decreased them. Then she could have moved them to accept the new work procedures by acting as a role model and following the new work procedures herself. Finally, she could have used refreezing to stabilize the use of the new work procedures by rewarding employees who applied them.

TOTAL: [25]

4 FORMAT OF AND PREPARATION FOR THE EXAMINATION

4.1 Format of the examination

The format of the examination paper is as follows:

Total marks : 75Pass mark : 50% Time : 2 hours

The examination paper will consist of two sections with different types of questions.

Section A consists of 25 multiple choice questions (MCQs), which must be answered on the mark reading sheet that you will receive during the examination. The total for Section A is 25 marks.

Section B consists of a case study with three essay type questions of 25 marks each. You have to answer Question 1 (25 marks), but have a choice of either answering Question 2 (25 marks) or Question 3 (25 marks). Note that Question 2 and 3 consist of shorter sub-questions ranging between 2 marks and 13 marks each. The total mark allocation for Section B is 50 marks.

4.2 Preparation for the examination in October 2018

Please note that we are not able to delineate/provide a “scope” for the examination because you have to study the entire prescribed textbook as well as the Study Guide. In preparing for the examination, ensure that you work through Assignments 1 and 2 and the feedback provided in this tutorial letter, as well as all the MCQs provided at the end of each Learning unit in your Study Guide.

Also note the following regarding the Study Guide:

An incorrect reference for the prescribed text book appears at the bottom of page 5. Replace this reference with the correct one provided in Section 4.1, namely Organisational Psychology For IOP2602. 1st UNISA custom edition (2017). Cape Town: Pearson. ISBN: 978-1-776-10249-5.

Throughout the Study Guide reference is made to “Robbins et al., 2017”, often with a page number or numbers included. These references in fact refer to the prescribed textbook Organisational Psychology For IOP2602. 1st UNISA custom edition (2017), WHICH IS BASED ON Robbins, S.P., Judge, T.A., Odendaal, A., & Roodt, G. (2016). Therefore, when the “Robbins et al., 2017” reference is used, find the relevant chapters or pages in Organisational Psychology For IOP2602. 1st UNISA custom edition (2017), the correct prescribed text book.

Unfortunately incorrect answers are provided to the MCQs at the end of Learning units 2 and 3. The correct answers are as follows:

o Learning unit 2: The correct answers are (1) = 2, (2) = 4, (3) = 1, (4) = 3, (5) = 1, (6) = 3 and (7) = 4.

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o Learning unit 3: The correct answers are (1) = 2, (2) = 4, (3) = 2, (4) = 3, (5) = 2, (6) = 2, (7) = 1 and (8) = 2.

Good luck with the examination!

Prof BH Olivier

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5 APPENDIX A: MAY/JUNE 2017 THE EXAMINATION PAPER

This examination question paper consists of 8 pages plus instructions for the completion of a mark-reading sheet.

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SECTION A

Answer all the questions in Section A on the mark-reading sheet. Please complete the mark-reading sheet as indicated on the instruction form. The unique number is 491589.

1. ______ is the field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups and structures have on behaviour within organisations and how this behaviour affects the organisation’s performance.

1 Productivity2 Management3 Organisational behaviour4 Leadership

2. All are disciplines that contribute to organisational behaviour except ______.

1 psychology2 biology3 social psychology4 sociology

3. If you are dealing with increased foreign assignments, working with people from different cultures and overseeing the movement of jobs to countries with low-cost labour, you are ______.

1 responding to globalisation2 creating a positive work environment3 improving ethical behaviour4 helping employees to balance work-life conflicts

4. Today’s successful organisations must foster innovation and master the art of change, or they will become candidates of extinction. This statement concerns ______.

1 improving ethical behaviour2 improving customer service3 workforce diversity4 stimulating innovation and change

5. In the organisational behaviour model, attitudes and stress, task performance, citizenship behaviour, withdrawal behaviour, group cohesion, group functioning, productivity and survival are ______.

1 inputs2 processes3 outcomes4 structures

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6. ______ are evaluative statements – either favourable or unfavourable – about objects, people or events.

1 Attitudes2 Perceptions3 Judgements4 Motivations

7. The following are a component of attitude except the ______.

1 affective component2 organisational component3 behavioural component4 cognitive component

8. The degree to which a person identifies with a job, actively participates in it and considers performance important to self-worth is called ______.

1 organisational commitment2 job satisfaction3 psychological empowerment4 job involvement

9. Which statement regarding job satisfaction is incorrect?

1 Job satisfaction is an employee attitude.2 Job satisfaction is a positive feeling about a job resulting from an evaluation of its

characteristics.3 A person with a high level of job satisfaction holds negative feelings about his/her job.4 Organisational behaviour researchers give job satisfaction high importance.

10. Which one of the following does NOT apply to values?

1 Freedom, self-respect, honesty, obedience and equality are not values.2 They contain a judgmental element in that they carry an individual’s ideas as to what is

right, good or desirable.3 Values have both content and intensity attributes.4 Values represent basic convictions that a specific mode of conduct is personally or

socially preferable to an opposite mode of conduct.

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11. According to the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS), examples of ______ are economic success, freedom, health and wellbeing, social recognition and meaning in life. Examples of ______ are self-improvement, autonomy, personal discipline, ambition and goal-orientation.

1 generational values; terminal values2 terminal values; instrumental values3 instrumental values; generational values4 instrumental values; terminal values

12. Perception is a process by which individuals organise and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment. Which one of the following is not a factor that influences perception?

1 The perceiver.2 The object or target.3 Reality itself.4 The context of the situation in which the perception is made.

13. An attempt to determine whether an individual’s behaviour is internally or externally caused depends on three factors namely, distinctiveness, consensus and consistency and is called ______.

1 the attribution theory2 common shortcuts in judging others3 self-serving bias4 selective perception

14. Which one of the following is not a decision-making model in organisations?

1 Rational decision-making.2 Bounded rationality.3 Intuitive decision-making.4 Trial and error.

15. Utilitarianism, fundamental liberties and privileges and justice or equitable distribution are the three ______ criteria in decision-making.

1 error2 ethical3 judgmental4 common biases

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16. The higher-order needs in Maslow’s hierarchy in theories of motivation include ______.

1 safety needs2 social needs3 esteem and self-actualisation needs4 physiological needs

17. The need for achievement (nAch), the need for power (nPow) and the need for affiliation (nAff) are concepts in ______.

1 McClelland’s theory of needs2 the two-factor theory3 the self-determination theory4 the goal-setting theory

18. The five core job dimensions, skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy and feedback, refer to the ______.

1 job-rotation model2 flexitime model3 job-sharing model4 job-characteristics model

19. Which one of the following describes the correct sequence in the five-stage group-development model?

1 Performing, storming, norming, forming, adjourning.2 Forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning.3 Storming, norming, forming, performing, adjourning.4 Adjourning, norming, storming, forming, performing.

20. “Problem-solving”, “self-managed”, “cross-functional” and “virtual” are concepts related to ______.

1 groups2 individuals3 teams4 associates

21. Which one of the following is NOT a factor in determining whether teams are successful?

5. Inadequate or limited resources.6. Effective leadership.7. A climate of trust.8. A performance evaluation and reward system.

22. Theories that consider personal qualities and characteristics that differentiate leaders from non-leaders are ______.

1 behavioural theories2 leader-member exchange theories

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3 contingency theories4 trait theories of leadership

23. The late President Nelson Mandela, Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Martin Luther King Jr and Steve Jobs are known as ______.

1 transactional leaders2 situational leaders3 charismatic leaders4 behavioural leaders

24. Which one of the following does NOT apply to trust in leadership?

1 Trust enhances productivity.2 Trust discourages taking risks.3 Trust facilitates information sharing.4 Trusting groups are more effective.

25. An organisational culture in which the core values are intensely held and widely shared is referred to as a ______ culture.

1 weak2 neutral3 strong4 uniform

Total Section A: [25]

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SECTION B

CASE STUDYAnswer ALL the questions.

You have been asked to consult for a departmental manager who has implemented new working procedures without consulting the employees affected by the change. She regards resistance to her change efforts as an irrational response from the employees, because the new procedures would, she believes, enhance the productivity of the department and may even lead to more job satisfaction. She has tried to convince the employees of the benefits of the new procedures, but their reaction is that they are used to the old procedures and that they have not experienced any problems using them. She has become so desperate that she has even threatened them with disciplinary action if they do not apply the new procedures.

QUESTIONS

1. Give the manager a balanced view of the possible value of resistance to change. (3)

2. Name the different sources of resistance to change and identify a source that probably plays a role in this scenario. Substantiate your answer. (4)

3. Identify and evaluate the tactic the manager probably used to overcome resistance to her change effort. Discuss and give five reasons for the tactic you would propose. (10)

4. Describe how the manager could use Kurt Lewin’s model to manage a change process. (8)

Total Section B: [25]

SECTION CAnswer any ONE of the following two questions.

QUESTION 1

You have been tasked to identify employees who will form a work team for a product development project. Discuss any five variables to consider when completing this team composition task. (10)

ORQUESTION 2

Explain and illustrate with examples the shortcuts used when making perceptions about others. (10)

Answer any ONE of the following two questions.QUESTION 3

Illustrate your understanding of trust as one of the important attributes associated with leadership by doing the following:

3.1 Give a definition of trust. (1)3.2 Explain the three key characteristics of a trustworthy leader. (6)3.3 Explain the consequences of trust. (8)

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[15]

ORQUESTION 4

Explain the following aspects of organisational culture:

4.1 The functions of culture. (4)4.2The forms of transmitting culture to employees; and provide examples. (8)4.3 To create a positive organisational culture. (3)

[15]

Total Section C: [25]

GRANT TOTAL: [75]

©UNISA 2017

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