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OB CH 8
Term | Definition |
---|---|
decision making | A relatively permanent change in an employee's knowledge or skill that results from experience. |
learning | The process of generating and choosing from a set of alternatives to solve a problem. |
expertise | The knowledge and skills that distinguish experts from novices. |
explicit knowledge | Knowledge that is easily communicated and available to everyone. |
tacit knowledge | Knowledge that employees can learn only through experience. |
contingencies of reinforcement | Four specific consequences used by organizations to modify employee behavior. |
positive reinforcement | When a positive outcome follows a desired behavior. |
negative reinforcement | An unwanted outcome is removed following a desired behavior. |
punishment | When an unwanted outcome follows an unwanted behavior. |
extinction | The removal of a positive outcome following an unwanted behavior. |
schedules of reinforcement | The timing of when contingencies are applied or removed. |
continuous reinforcement | A specific consequence follows each and every occurrence of a certain behavior. |
fixed-interval schedule | Reinforcement occurs at fixed time periods. |
variable-interval schedule | Reinforcement occurs at random periods of time. |
fixed-ratio schedule | Reinforcement occurs following a fixed number of desired behaviors. |
variable-ratio schedule | Behaviors are reinforced after a varying number of them have been exhibited. |
social learning theory | Theory that argues that people in organizations learn by observing others. |
behavioral modeling | When employees observe the actions of others, learn from what they observe, and then repeat the observed behavior. |
learning orientation | A predisposition or attitude according to which building competence is deemed more important by an employee than demonstrating competence. |
performance-prove orientation | A predisposition or attitude by which employees focus on demonstrating their competence so that others think favorably of them. |
performance-avoid orientation | A predisposition or attitude by which employees focus on demonstrating their competence so that others will not think poorly of them. |
programmed decision | Decisions that are somewhat automatic because people's knowledge allows them to recognize the situation and the course of action to be taken. |
intuition | An emotional judgment based on quick, unconscious, gut feelings. |
crisis situation | A change, sudden or evolving, that results in an urgent problem that must be addressed immediately. |
nonprogrammed decision | Decisions made by employees when a problem is new, complex, or not recognized. |
rational decision-making model | A step-by-step approach to making decisions that is designed to maximize outcomes by examining all available alternatives. |
bounded rationality | The notion that people do not have the ability or resources to process all available information and alternatives when making a decision. |
satisficing | When a decision maker chooses the first acceptable alternative considered. |
selective perception | The tendency for people to see their environment only as it affects them and as it is consistent with their expectations. |
projection bias | The faulty perception by decision makers that others think, feel, and act the same way as they do. |
social identity theory | A theory that people identify themselves based on the various groups to which they belong and judge others based on the groups they associate with. |
stereotypes | Assumptions made about others based on their social group membership. |
heuristics | Simple and efficient rules of thumb that allow us to make decisions more easily. |
availability bias | The tendency for people to base their judgments on information that is easier to recall. |
fundamental attribution error | The tendency for people to judge others' behaviors as being due to internal factors such as ability, motivation, or attitudes. |
self-serving bias | When we attribute our own failures to external factors and success to internal factors. |
consensus | Used by decision makers to attribute cause; whether other individuals behave the same way under similar circumstances. |
distinctiveness | Used by decision makers to attribute cause; whether the person being judged acts in a similar fashion under different circumstances. |
consistency | Used by decision makers to attribute cause; whether this individual has behaved this way before under similar circumstances. |
escalation of commitment | A common decision-making error in which the decision maker continues to follow a failing course of action. |
training | A systematic effort by organizations to facilitate the learning of job-related knowledge and behavior. |
knowledge transfer | The exchange of knowledge between employees. |
behavior modeling training | A formalized method of training in which employees observe and learn from employees with significant amounts of tacit knowledge. |
communities of practice | Groups of employees who learn from one another through collaboration over an extended period of time. |
transfer of training | Occurs when employees retain and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and behaviors required for their job after training ends. |
climate for transfer | An organizational environment that supports the use of new skills. |