MIDTERM EXAM QUESTIONS IN MGT 202

JOHN W. NEWSTROM ASSERTS THAT “…ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR STARTS WITH A SET OF FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS REVOLVING AROUND THE NATURE OF PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS.

THESE CONCEPTS ARE THE ENDURING PRINCIPLES THAT FORM A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR OB.

WRITE A SUMMARY OF THESE IDEAS IN YOUR OWN WORDS CONSIDERING ALL THE SALIENT POINTS AND SUB-CONCEPTS PRESENTED BY NEWSTROM.

20 POINTS)

Organizational behavior is the study of human behavior in the workplace, the interaction between people and the organization with the intent to understand and predict human behavior. It is an inter-disciplinary field that draws freely from a number of the behavioral sciences, including anthropology, psychology, sociology, and many others. Organizational behavior is a scientific discipline in which a large number of scientific studies and conceptual developments are constantly adding to its knowledge base. It is also an applied science, in the information about effective practices in one organization is being extended to many others. It investigates the impact that individuals, groups and structure have on behavior within organizations, for the purpose of applying such knowledge toward improving an organization’s effectiveness. It is the systematic study and careful application of knowledge about how people- as individuals and as groups- act within an organization. That is, it interprets people-organization relationships in terms of the whole person, whole group, whole organization, and whole social system. Its purpose is to build better relationships by achieving human objectives, organizational objectives, and social objectives. It strives to identify ways in which people can act more effectively. This study includes the understanding of key concepts to help us to understand, predict, and possibly influence human behavior in order to achieve higher performance levels. The constant change in an organization’s mission and its structure greatly affect the nature of its organizational behavior. Its purpose is to build better relationships by achieving human objectives, organizational objectives, and social objectives.

It is the study of how employees work to become assets of organization and how leadership works to assist them in doing so in organization. It includes studying the people’s work habits, ethics, and how people conduct their day-to-day tasks. It studies the interactions between various employees within the organization with encompasses various levels of management,

chain of command within organization and interactions between employees and their superiors. It involves action taken by a group of people in an organized way. It is based on relationships and interactions between different people with similar or different roles, inside the organization, and their relationships with outside stakeholders. The organization's base rests on management's philosophy, values, vision and goals. This in turn drives the organizational culture which is composed of the formal organization, informal organization, and the social environment. The culture determines the type of leadership, communication, and group dynamics within the organization. The workers perceive this as the quality of work life which directs their degree of motivation. The final outcomes are performance, individual satisfaction, and personal growth and development. All these elements combine to build the model or framework that the organization operates from. The major goals of Organizational Behavior are to explain, predict, and control behavior of worker in an organization.

Learning about organizational behavior in today’s environment could help managers build up a better work related understanding of themselves and their subsidiary.Organizational behavior has a big area to study. There are many different elements that they are related to each other like a chain. In my opinion an organization cannot be effective, without a strong study of organizational behavior. Organizational behavior should be established in the organization. As the environment of business is always changing, the role of the managers has become more sensitive. In order to know how to handle a new workforce, and deal with the complication of the new environment, the supervisors need to develop their information about attitude and behavior of individuals and groups in the organization. Organizational behavior helps us to develop skills to function effectively in the workplace, grow personally through insight into human behavior and enhance overall organizational effectiveness. In summary, to understand behavior in the organization, we must examine the interaction of individuals with the various factors the individuals encounter in that organizational setting. The behaviors encountered in the organization are, of course, very diverse. The diversity of personalities interacting with varied organizational environments results in considerable variation in concomitant behavior.

CONSIDER AN ORGANIZATION WHERE YOU NOW WORK (OR WHERE YOU HAVE WORKED.. .

WHAT MODEL (PARADIGM) OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR DOES (DID) YOUR SUPERVISOR FOLLOW? IS (WAS) IT THE SAME AS TOP MANAGEMENT’S MODEL?

(20 POINTS)

I am working in an Emergency room. Every shift, there is a charge nurse who also acts as a supervisor. Based on my observation, the charge nurse uses the collegial approach. The basis of this model is partnership with a managerial orientation of teamwork. We really need teamwork especially on emergency situations where in the life of a patient is at stake. The employees or the staff nurses are in turn oriented towards responsible behavior and self-discipline. The employee need of self-actualization is met.

I’m working in a private hospital. The top level manager shares stocks to aid in the hospitals day to day operations. So the top level management uses the Custodial approach. The basis of this model is economic resources with a managerial orientation of money. The management is in turn oriented towards security benefits and dependence on the organization. The employee need of security is met. The performance result is passive cooperation.

DESCRIBE A SITUATION IN WHICH YOU EXPERIENCED ROLE CONFLICT OR ROLE AMBIGUITY.

WHAT CAUSED IT? HOW ARE THE TWO IDEAS RELATED, AND HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT?

(20 POINTS)

Role conflict happens to me most of the time because I’m working as a staff nurse in an Emergency room and as a graduate student here in UP Manila. I am forced to take on separate and incompatible roles. Sometimes it’s very complex and personally challenging. One instance happened to me last November 21, 2011 wherein I am scheduled to have my duty in the hospital from 11pm to 7am. We have few patients during the night and I am so glad that I have rested for a few hours. I also reviewed for our exam in one of my subjects in UP which is scheduled at 1pm. Thirty minutes before we logout, I went to the my locker to get something, then I heard the overhead pager… “Code 911 to ER now” I ran to the ER

It has been almost two years since I started out as a volunteer nurse in the hospital where I work now. As a volunteer nurse, I experienced uncertainty about the expectations, behaviors, and consequences associated with that particular role. Since I am new in the hospital, I don’t know others' expectations of the rights, duties, and responsibilities of the role, the behaviors that will lead to fulfillment of these expectations, and the likely consequences of these role behaviors. The cause of this is the lack of a job description for a volunteer nurse. Some of the senior nurses allow us to do certain nursing procedures while others don’t. Some doctor’s would allow us to carry out the orders while some would give the patient’s chart to the senior nurses for them to be the one to carry it out. This leads to role ambiguity on the part of the volunteer nurses. Consequences of role ambiguity may include tension, job dissatisfaction, and turnover. I have observed this on some of the volunteer nurses who chose to resign than to stay, train and soon become one of the regular staff nurses. Research indicates that role ambiguity is positively correlated with both anxiety and propensity to leave (the role) and negatively correlated with several factors such as organizational commitment, employee involvement , and job satisfaction

DISCUSS THREE (3) THEORIES OF MOTIVATION.

DESCRIBE INSTANCES WHEREIN ANY OF THE THREE APPROACHES WERE APPLIED OR BEING APPLIED TO MOTIVATE OR YOUR CO-EMPLOYEES IN YOUR PRESENT ORGANIZATION.

(20 POINTS)

I have chosen Mc Clelland Theory of Human Needs, John Stacey Adams’ Equity Theory and Victor Vroom’s Expectancy Theory.

MC CLELLAND’S THEORY OF HUMAN NEEDS

It is believed that human behavior is motivated by three needs: the need for power, achievement and affiliation. My co-employees have different personalities and different motivation why they work. Our ER nurse supervisor has been working for almost 8 years in our hospital and he is not influenced by those who worked abroad for greener pastures. He always goes on different trainings and seminars and is pursuing his Master in Nursing at the same time. His need for power is manifested through his need to influence others to his wishes. He always want things to be done in his own way.

One of my senior nurses has been working for almost four years in the ER. He told me that his parents would always want him to go abroad. He is very qualified because of his extensive work experience but he chose not to leave because of his strong need for affiliation. He has gained a lot of friends not only in our department, but also in the laboratory, endoscopy, cardiovascular and in the general wards. He said that he doesn’t need to go abroad because he is happy with his job and with the people he work with. He always focuses on establishing, maintaining, and restoring positive affective relations with others. He always seeks approval of others, especially those about whom he cares. He is always present on social gatherings in the hospital and would often volunteer to be a facilitator.

One of my co-employees is my classmate when we were in College. I consider him as a Self Motivated Achiever. Since we were in college I have observed that his motivation is to be always on top of the class. He likes to set his own goals. He ranked 2nd among the 96,000 nursing graduates who took the Philippine Nursing Licensure Exam. He is now studying his Master in Nursing and continues to show excellence in everything he does. At a young age of 23, he is the youngest head nurse in the hospital.

EQUITY THEORY BY JOHN STACEY ADAMS

The nature of work has always been an issue between the staff nurses in the hospital. Because of the differences between the nature of work of the ER, OR, ICU, CCU, and ward nurses, they often compare the outcomes (salary and recognition) they receive with their relevant inputs (nature of work)

Staff nurses perceive what they get from a job (outcomes) in relation to what they put in (inputs) and then compare their inputs-outcomes ratio with the inputs-outcomes ratios of staff nurses on other areas of specialty. If the ratios are perceived as equal then a state of equity (fairness) exists. If the ratios are perceived as unequal, inequity exists and the nurses feels overworked and underpaid. When inequities occur, employees will attempt to do something to rebalance the ratios (seek justice). Some nurse experiences burnout when they perceive inequities. Most of the time, they choose to leave their present job and look for other career opportunities like working in call centers or seeking employment abroad.

EXPECTANCY THEORY BY VICTOR VROOM

The expectancy theory was developed by Victor Vroom and differs completely from some of the theories based on needs. According to Vroom, it is the outcomes, not the needs of the individual that serve as the motivating factors in determining the likelihood of a behavior. An example would be the motivation of the new nurse trainees in the hospital and carry the workload of a regular staff nurse. On the orientation of the new nurse trainees last November 18, the training officer told them that if they will make an effort to complete the training period of 4 months and finish it with high evaluation scores, they will be hired as regular staff nurses in the hospital. These nurse trainees don’t get any compensation or allowance during the training period. With the current situation of nursing in the Philippines, it is very difficult to find a nursing job and once you are a nurse trainee you have to do your best to care for the patients even if you don’t get any compensation because in time, your efforts will be rewarded. Before a nurse trainee becomes a regular staff nurse, he/she will undergo a lot of examinations, attend lectures and trainings. The training officer will evaluate their performance through valid appraisal systems. And after several months, if they have very good scores in the evaluation , the trainees will then be hired as contractual staff nurses. They act in a certain way based on the expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual. They do their job very well because they know that if they did, they would soon become regular staff nurses in the hospital.

These are the elements of the Expectancy Theory

1. Expectancy (effort-performance linkage)- The perceived probability that an individual’s effort will result in a certain level of performance.

2. Instrumentality- The perception that a particular level of performance will result in the attaining a desired outcome (reward).

3. Valence- The attractiveness/importance of the performance reward (outcome) to the individual.

To have a better understanding on the application of the expectancy, here’s the diagram that I made.

GRAFT AND CORRUPTION IN THE PHILIPPINE CULTURE.

EXPLAIN THE CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE OF GRAFT AND CORRUPTION IN THE PHILIPPINES? CITE SOME INSTANCES IN PUBLIC OR PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS TO EXPLAIN YOUR ANSWER.

(20 POINTS)

Specific culture of Filipinos is enhancing the proliferation of graft and corruption. The strong

family ties justify giving benefits to unqualified recipients which are very evident in employment

and awarding of contracts. This societal phenomenon is adversely affecting professionalism,

efficiency and effectiveness in the government service as well as in the construction of public

infrastructure and procurement of government supplies and materials that are sometimes

substandard and overpriced.

The Filipino culture of gift giving justifies bribery and extortion thereby making it hard for

law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies to arrest the problem. This social practice

renders inutile the law prohibiting gift giving thereby further enhancing this corrupt practice.

The culture of corruption is sustained by a sub –culture that persists in Philippine political-

administrative system, namely : gift giving, reciprocity, clientelism, the so called “dark side

of social capital” or the network, fixing, and facilitation used in a negative way, the culture of

dualism, and the expansive yet discretionary use of bureaucratic power. The corruption culture

is discussed below.

Giftgiving, recirocity, and clientelism:

The stereotyped Filipino character is synonymous to kindheartedness and gift giving.

The latter is commonplace especially when one shows appreciation, gratitude for a

favor done, or to “bridge” and reach out to a stranger or someone distant. The practice of gift

giving is carried through the political and administrative institutions, hence, when

a job is done by a bureaucrat, the client sends gifts as a way of thanking the employee for

the service rendered. As giftgiving is constantly practiced, certain expectations

of regularity in the act grow on the bureaucrat until the habit is embedded

in the office, in the transactions, and eventually in the institutions of governance. Gift giving is

embedded in the social norms which explains why the habit is effectively

institutionalized better than the law itself. Similarly, reciprocity creeps into the Philippine

electoral system through clientelism wherein a political candidate cuddles the electorate

through vote buying and the promise of favors at a future time in exchange for the

vote. Rather than serve as a tool for choosing leaders, election is turned into market politics

where votes are well sold to the candidates who could offer the best

price either during election time

or thereafter, through favors and juicy posts. Gift giving, reciprocity, and clientelism which are

deeply embedded in the culture sustain corruption and people think

that these practices are the natural ways of the public institutions and the

political system. And as the habit grows on people and institutions, society develops a

tolerance for corruption. Aspiring politicians and candidates have the notion that public

office is an employment from which an

officeholder could rake in money, buy cars, travel abroad, and get whatever one wants. One

needs only to enter politics and hold public office to make sure one gets wealthy. (Focus

Group Discussion among key informants in Luzon, Philippines, Democracy Audit, July 2005)

The way to social mobility is the public office. Public office is therefore seen as an

opportunity to reward one’s self rather than as an apex of responsibility and public

service. Public office and corruption are intimately related. Recall that such notion

of public office as private interest and selfrewarding mechanism rather than a noble

duty, is both legacy and reinvention of the colonial experience of a distorted view about the

public office.

A Culture of Dualism:

Also embedded in the Philippine administrative system is the culture of dualism

(Varela, 2003). There is one standard for the rank and file and another for the

high official, a standard that exacts strict accountability from the rank and file on the one hand

and one that allows a latitude of discretionary power with no clear accountability among high

officials on the other. There is a different set of traffic rules when high officials traverse the

traffic jam, as opposed to the rules that govern the ordinary citizens the traffic comes to a

standstill and yields to a police car with siren because the police is escorting some Very

Important Persons (VIP) and therefore all other cars should yield.

The “Social Bad” in Social Capital: Network, “Fixing”, and “Facilitation”

Despite the formal rules, policies, and programs against corruption, the informal

networks and rules abound and operate more effectively than the formal ones. There is so

much informality that transpires within the bureaucracy and at its gates. A network of

individuals or groups to keep the public transaction smooth is succinctly observed

by Amorado (2005) in an unpublished dissertation called “Fixing Society. An Ethnographic

Study of Fixers in the Philippines” and the purpose of which is precisely to “fix” the

complex ways of the bureaucracy in exchange for some fees. Bribery is a transaction meant

to facilitate the transactions with the bureaucracy. The Filipinos just like most

other human beings, have predilection

to informal networks and connections – “bridge”, “connector”, “facilitator” – when things are

difficult and complex to deal with or to reach. The bureaucracy is difficult and complex for some

ordinary citizens, and to be able to get through the jungle, one

needs a “facilitator”, a “fixer”. When the bureaucracy fails to achieve the goals

of efficiency, effectiveness, and order as Weber would have

these, the bureaucracy constricts rather than cohere service and transactions. And under these

same conditions or precisely due to these conditions, “fixing” and “facilitation” abound in and

out of the bureaucracy. More often, there is a connection between those who lie inside the

bureaucracy and those who “fix” outside of it (Amorado, unpublished dissertation, 2005).

Connections, networks, and links are positive social bridges, according to Putnam. But that is

not so all the time. Although fixers are sometimes recognized as trouble shooters who help

clients in trouble, “fixers” have now become part of the system of

dealing with the bureaucracy. Considered as “doctors” who fix the bureaucratic problems

for the clients, fixers are also seen as “bagmen” who regularly deliver the tariffs to their

connections inside the government agencies (Amorado, 2005). And there are fixers who

extort when they fix on purpose. Policemen fall in this category of fixers. Based on a poll

survey (SWS 1999), 44% of Filipinos believe that policemen ask for bribes. And fixing

or bribery or outright extortion is commonplace among a number of government agencies such

as in the driving license application (Land Transportation Office), revenue collectors (Bureau of

Internal Revenue), environmental inspectors and business assessors, land appraising, business

permits, and travel packages, among others. The clients yield to fixing when the bureaucratic

procedures are cumbersome, inefficient, and unfriendly to clients. The socalled dark side

of social capital – the connection and networking emerges when there is a failure of the

bureaucracy to deal with efficiency and effectiveness. People go to fixers to expedite a difficult

process and which then leads to falsification of documents. When fixing becomes

deliberate, persistent, and organized, the

corrupt act then becomes institutionalized and graduates

into a syndicate. Another negative side of a syndicate fixing is that it regularly brings in the

“goods” for those inside the bureaucracy and the bureaucrats gradually refuse any attempts

to remedy bureaucratic inefficiencies such as the promotion of transparency in the operation

or the simplification of the rules and procedures of transactions. Although widespread and

embedded in the agency, fixing and the existence of a fixing network will not be contested

by the employees in the agency, out of fear, laziness, or out of compulsion to conform. Worse,

fixing network emboldens the syndicate to resist, even destroy those who have the will to fight

them (Santiago, 1991). Tolerance of fixing or bribery is nurtured by the culture of pakikisama

(esprit de corps) or the habit to conform and not resist any such act of bribery.

Changing the mindset of both the bureaucrat and the client toward the elimination of gift-

giving and fixing takes some time and requires some strategic measures of culture

change. The introduction of technology and procedures might be interesting for a start

and may help achieve transparency, but this may not be enough to sustain anti-

corruption measures. Unless habits, mindset, and practices that sit in the social

norms are changed, a reinvention of governance institutions will come to

naught. As Follett insists, organizations are made up of individuals and their habits.

Bureaucratic Culture: Are there Limits and Accountability to Power?

The problem of the Philippine administrative and

political system may also be attributed to a leadership that is personality-

centered rather than one that is rulesdriven. Moreover, the rule of

law is not seen as a universal principle but as a particularistic guide to behavior. The culture

tends toward special treatment and exceptions to the rule rather than

submission to the rule. Worse yet, some practitioners view the rule of law as

a failed principle if and when it does not respond to a particular context and given

such condition, they suggest that “blind” and “irrelevant” rules be reformulated. This

proposition must be challenged because the principle behind the rule of law is precisely a

universal application of the rules beyond person, stature, or specific circumstances.

Amorado, Ronald V. “Fixing Society. An Ethnographic Study of Fixers in thePhilippines”. Ateneo de Davao University. July 2005 Unpublished dissertation.

Carino,

Ledivina et al. “Bureaucratic Corruption in Asia: Causes, Consequences, And Controls”. University of the PhilippinesCollege of Public Administration. Philippines 1986

Carino, Ledivina, Iglesias, Gabrielle, and Mendoza, Fe “Initiatives Against Corruption: The Philippine Case”. Occasional paper UPNCPAG 991 July 1999.

Carino, Ledivina “Bureaucracy for a Democracy: The Dynamics of

ExecutiveBureaucracy Interaction During Governmental

Transitions. UPCPA, PIDS, Philippines 1992

Co, Edna et al. “Philippine Democracy Assessment. Free and Fair

Elections and the Democratic Role of Political Parties”.

Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and University of the Philippines25

National College of Public Administration and Governance

Philippines. Distributed by Ateneo de Manila

University Press. 2005

Coronel, Sheila (ed.) “ Pork and other Perks: Corruption and Governance in the

Philippines”. Quezon City Philippine Center for

Investigative Journalism. 1998

Endriga, Jose “Stability and Change: Civil Service in the Philippines”

In Introduction to Public Administration in the Philippines:

A Reader. Bautista, V. et al (eds.) UPNCPAG

Philippines 2003

Kaufmann, Daniel and

ShangJin Wei “Does Grease Money Speed Up the Wheels of

Commerce?” World Bank Institute and Development

Research Group. Washington D.C. 1998

Klitgaard, Robert “International Cooperation against Corruption”. RAND

Graduate School. International Development and Security.

Santa Monica California. 1998

Putnam, Robert “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American

Community”. New York. Simon and Schuster. 2000

Santiago, Miriam Defensor “How to Fight Graft”. Movement for Responsible Public

Service. Manila. Zita Publishing Corporation. 1991

Segundo, Romero “Civil Society Initiated Measures for Combating

Corruption in the Philippines”, undated article.

Development Academy of the Philippines. Philippines

Social Weather Stations National Survey Report SeptemberOctober 1999 1999

Varela, Amelia P. “The Culture Perspective in Organization Theory: Relevance to Philippine Public Administration” in Introduction to Public Administration in the Philippines: A Reader. Bautista, Victoria et al (eds.) 2nd edition. UP NCPAG Philippines 2003

CRITERIA FOR GRADING

1) CONTENT/QUALITY – LOGIC, UNITY, CLARITY AND THOROUGHNESS OF THE ANSWER BASED ON TOPICS DISCUSSED IN CLASS AND ANY REFERENCE LISTED IN THE SYLLABUS (10 PTS)

2) RESPONSIVENESS – GIVING AND EXPLAINING THE ANSWER ACCORDING TO WHAT THE QUESTION IS ASKING FOR? (7 POINTS)

3) SYNTAX/GRAMMAR– CORRECT USAGE OF WORDS, VERB TENSE, SENTENCE & PARAGRAPH CONSTRUCTION AND RIGHT SPELLING. (3 POINTS)

4) PASSING SCORE: 65% OF THE PERFECT SCORE

Submission is on Wednesday, March 7, 2012, hard copy in 8.5”x11” paper, font 12, 1 1/2” space between sentences, 1” left margin and 2” right margin. You may also submit thru my email add.: mam_veluz@yahoo.com before said date.