Important Key Terms Organizational Behavior

The processes that account for an individual’s intensity, direction, and persistence of effort towards attaining a goal

The degree to which people’s reasons for pursuing goals are consistent with their interests and core values

A self-regulation strategy that involves striving for goals through advancement and accomplishment

A self-regulation strategy that involves striving for goals by fulfilling duties and obligations

An individual’s belief that he or she is capable of performing a task

The investment of an employee’s physical, cognitive, and emotional energies into job performance

The way the elements in a job are organized

The degree to which a job requires a variety of different activities

The degree to which a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work

The degree to which a job has a substantial impact on the lives or work of other people

The degree to which a job provides substantial freedom and discretion to the individual in scheduling the work and in determining the procedures to be used in carrying it out

The degree to which carrying out the work activities required by a job results in the individual obtaining direct and clear information about the effectiveness of his or her performance

The periodic shifting of an employee from one task to another

Flexible work hours

An arrangement that allows two or more individuals to split a traditional 40-hour-a-week job

Working from home at least 2 days a week through virtual devices that are linked to the employer’s office

A participative process that uses the input of employees to increase employee commitment to organizational success

A process in which subordinates share a significant degree of decision-making power with their immediate superiors

A system in which workers participate in organizational decision making through a small group of representative employees

A pay plan that bases a portion or all of an employee’s pay on some individual and/or organizational measure of performance

A pay plan in which workers are paid a fixed sum for each unit of production completed

A pay plan based on performance appraisal ratings

A pay plan that rewards employees for recent performance rather than historical performance

An organization-wide program that distributes compensation based on some established formula designed around a company’s profitability

A company-established benefits plan in which employees acquire stock, often at below-market prices, as part of their benefits

A benefits plan that allows each employee to put together a benefits package tailored to his or her own needs and situation

The ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals

The extent to which a leader has job relationships that are characterized by mutual trust, respect for subordinates’ ideas, and regard for their feelings

The degree of confidence, trust, and respect that subordinates have in their leaders

The degree to which job assignments are regimented/organized

Influence derived from one’s formal structural position in the organization; includes the power to hire, fire, discipline, promote, and give salary increases

A long-term strategy for attaining a goal or goals

A formal articulation of an organization’s vision or mission

Leaders who guide or motivate their followers in the direction of established goals by clarifying role and task requirements

Leaders who inspire, act as role models, and intellectually stimulate, develop, or mentor their followers, thus having a profound and extraordinary effect on them

Leaders who know who they are, know what they believe in and value, and act on those values and beliefs openly and candidly

Supervision that is hostile both verbally and nonverbally

A leadership style marked by going beyond the leader’s own self-interest and instead focusing on opportunities to help followers grow and develop

A positive expectation that another will not act opportunistically

How likely an employee is to trust a leader