1. Senior Engineers Leadership Residential
25 October, 2010
Barb Wood
Assistant Professor University of Western Australia
Hello and welcome – look forward to getting to know everyone
INTRODUCTIONS – Introduce yourself and identify an Australian animal that best represents impressions of OB.
Unit Readers – Difference in the McShane text
Group Project Approval Form

2. Learning Objectives for this session:
Appreciate the impact of behaviours within organisations.
Consider perceptual processes in teams.
Enable you to work well with others in this engineers residential program.
Consider the art of possibility in your working life.
Identify the five anchors on which organisational behaviour is based.
Consider the open systems view
Describe the factors that influence individual behaviour and performance.
Identify types of work-related behaviour.
Consider Values & Ethical Behaviour
Explore Personality

3. Why study Behaviours in Organisations?
Understand
organisational
events
Organisational
behaviour
research
We all have an inherent need to know about the world we live in.
Orgs profoundly effect our lives.
Understand Org events:
We feel more comfortable when we understand why org events occur and anticipate future events.
OB theories don’t predict human behaviour as perfectly as theories in the natural sciences - certainly there are difference between individuals. Placed in similar situations, all people do not act exactly alike. However, there are fundamental consistencies underlying the behaviour of all individuals.
Predict Org events:
OB theories help to give you the opportunity to question and rebuild your personal theories that have developed through observation and experience.
Influencing organisational events:
Most OB scholars take this prescriptive view by concluding their research with specific recommendations for org action
WHY STUDY ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR?
1. Satisfy the need to understand and predict
• Helps us figure out why organisational events happen.
2. Test personal theories
• Helps us to question and rebuild personal theories.
3. Influence behaviour
• Improves our ability to work with people and influence organisational events.
Influence
organisational
events
Predict
organisational
events

4. Behaving in Organisations
What do we know about human behaviour ?

5. Who are YOU? Background details Respond to this question:
Name
Type of works that interests you
Respond to this question:
If you had the opportunity to get one tattoo by the end of this residential what image would you choose and where would you place it on your body?

6. Perceptual process model
Environmental stimuli
Feeling Hearing Seeing Smelling Tasting
Selective attention
Organisation and
interpretation
Why do we filter information? Constant bombardment means that we can’t attend to all stimuli however, we develop throughout our lives both conscious and unconscious filters. A UWA staff person overseeing an exam writing process - the staff person views the students as a blur of sight and sound (splatter visions – taking everything as a whole while focusing on nothing). An unexpected bell is heard (like that of a cell phone receiving a text message) is immediately attended to as this raises a caution alert.
Selection Attention – process of filtering information received by our senses.
Emotions and
behaviour

7. Perceptual process model
Environmental stimuli
Feeling Hearing Seeing Smelling Tasting
Why do we filter information? Constant bombardment means that we can’t attend to all stimuli however, we develop throughout our lives both conscious and unconscious filters. A UWA staff person overseeing an exam writing process - the staff person views the students as a blur of sight and sound (splatter visions – taking everything as a whole while focusing on nothing). An unexpected bell is heard (like that of a cell phone receiving a text message) is immediately attended to as this raises a caution alert.
Selection Attention – process of filtering information received by our senses. 7

8. Selective attention Characteristics of the object Perceptual context
size, intensity, motion, repetition, novelty
Perceptual context
Characteristics of the perceiver
values and attitudes
perceptual defence
expectations  condition us to expect events
Process of filtering information through senses—impossible to attend to all stimuli reaching our senses.
Three influences on selective attention
1. Characteristics of the object
– large size
– brightly coloured (intensity)
– in motion
– repetitive
– unique (novelty)
2. Perceptual context
– objects/people stand out against the environment
3. Characteristics of the perceiver
– recognize and remember information consistent with our values and attitudes
– perceptual defence—emotions screen out large blocks of information that threaten our values and beliefs
– expectations—condition us to expect events (horse in Perry Lakes park) 8

9. Perceptual process model
Environmental stimuli
Feeling Hearing Seeing Smelling Tasting
Selective attention
Why do we filter information? Constant bombardment means that we can’t attend to all stimuli however, we develop throughout our lives both conscious and unconscious filters. A UWA staff person overseeing an exam writing process - the staff person views the students as a blur of sight and sound (splatter visions – taking everything as a whole while focusing on nothing). An unexpected bell is heard (like that of a cell phone receiving a text message) is immediately attended to as this raises a caution alert.
Selection Attention – process of filtering information received by our senses. 9

10. Perceptual Organisation/Interpretation
Categorical thinking
Mostly unconscious process of organising people/things
Perceptual grouping principles
Closure – filling in missing pieces
Identifying trends
Similarity or proximity
Perceptual grouping principles
•Perceptual grouping helps us make sense of the workplace, but it may inhibit CREATIVITY
•Identifying trends – trying to identify trends in behaviour in relatively random pieces of information
•Similarity or proximity (that staff person works for competitor university which is not known for its research productivity therefore he/she must also be a poor researcher)
•Closure—filling in missing pieces (e.g. assuming who attended meeting while you were away and even what the outcomes were as result)
MENTAL MODELS – include the perceptual groupings that we hold

11. Perceptual process model
Environmental stimuli
Feeling Hearing Seeing Smelling Tasting
Selective attention
Organisation and
interpretation
Why do we filter information? Constant bombardment means that we can’t attend to all stimuli however, we develop throughout our lives both conscious and unconscious filters. A UWA staff person overseeing an exam writing process - the staff person views the students as a blur of sight and sound (splatter visions – taking everything as a whole while focusing on nothing). An unexpected bell is heard (like that of a cell phone receiving a text message) is immediately attended to as this raises a caution alert.
Selection Attention – process of filtering information received by our senses. 11

12. Perceptual Organisation/Interpretation
Our Mental models
broad world-views or ‘theories-in-use’
can blind people to potentially better perspectives
Mental boxes used to store information
Assumptions used to interpret events
Mental models
-Broad world views or ‘theories-in-use’
-Formed and reinforced by experience
–create screen through which we select information
–mental boxes used to store information
–assumptions used to interpret events
•Deletion – delete those things which are not in keeping with our mental models
Distortion – distort our images to match our mental models
Generalisation – generalise things to match our mental models
But can blind people to potentially better perspectives
Another example of how mental models have caused people to misinterpret opportunities:
•Ross Perot’s retort when colleagues suggested in 1980 that EDS buy an upstart company named Microsoft, ‘What do 13 people in Seattle know that we don’t know?’

13. Unconscious Core Beliefs
Iceberg Model
Behaviours
Thoughts and Emotions
Values and Beliefs
Unconscious Core Beliefs
Self-talk
8 9ths of an iceberg is underwater and rests deep within the ocean.
People are similar in that we only show to others a small part of ourselves.
Deep within us are unconscious core beliefs (needs & fears – perhaps – unlovable, feeling of failure, vulnerability, subjugation)
These UCB’s impact our values – which we have articulated already today – we’ll likely respond emotionally to someone who questions our values.
On the waterline are our thoughts and emotions – on the water line because sometimes they are more visible than other times.
Above the water are our BEHAVIOURS
The stuff below the water line clearly shapes and creates our behaviour
SELF TALK

14. Cognitive Schema
These neural networks (cognitive schema) become habitual and automatic
Act as filters (filters in what fits, filters out what contradicts).
Beliefs can change but we tend to keep these beliefs and act them out over time…
Beliefs are NOT WRONG …just self-limiting
Especially if they remain unconscious
Jeff Young
Mental models
-Broad world views or ‘theories-in-use’
-Formed and reinforced by experience
–create screen through which we select information
–mental boxes used to store information
–assumptions used to interpret events
•But can blind people to potentially better perspectives
Another example of how mental models have caused people to misinterpret opportunities:
•Ross Perot’s retort when colleagues suggested in 1980 that EDS buy an upstart company named Microsoft, ‘What do 13 people in Seattle know that we don’t know?’

15. Perceptual process model
Environmental stimuli
Feeling Hearing Seeing Smelling Tasting
Selective attention
Organisation and
interpretation
Why do we filter information? Constant bombardment means that we can’t attend to all stimuli however, we develop throughout our lives both conscious and unconscious filters. A UWA staff person overseeing an exam writing process - the staff person views the students as a blur of sight and sound (splatter visions – taking everything as a whole while focusing on nothing). An unexpected bell is heard (like that of a cell phone receiving a text message) is immediately attended to as this raises a caution alert.
Selection Attention – process of filtering information received by our senses.
Emotions and
behaviour 15

16. Attribution process
Our process to decide whether an observed behaviour or event is largely caused by internal or external factors.
Kelley, 1971

17. Attribution process Internal attribution External attribution
perception that outcomes are due to motivation/ability rather than situation or fate
External attribution
perception that outcomes are due to situation or fate rather than the person
Attribution Theory
Internal attribution—behaviour or results are due mainly to ability/motivation.
External attribution—behaviour or results are due mainly to factors beyond person’s control (e.g. luck, availability of resources).

18. Perceptual errors Primacy Recency Halo Projection first impressions
most recent information dominates perceptions
Halo
one trait forms a general impression
Projection
believing other people are similar to you
Other Perceptual Errors
Primacy effect
•Quickly categorising people based on first impressions
•Fulfils need to make sense of our world
•Inaccurate perceptions due to limited information
Recency effect
•Most recent information dominates perception of others
•Occurs when time has worn off first impressions
•Known problem—recent information dominates performance appraisal rating
Halo effect
•One trait forms a general impression
•Becomes the basis for judgments about other traits
•Often occurs to fill in missing information and when the perceiver is not motivated to observe
•Problem in performance appraisals—positive halo employee rated high on all dimensions
Projection
•Believing others have same characteristics as us
•Defence mechanism to protect our self-esteem

19. Self Fulfilling Prophecy
Our expectations about a person affect our behaviour towards the person which can affect the person’s ability and self-efficacy
Behaviour becomes consistent with expectations!
SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY: 4 PARTS
Expectations about another person cause that person to act in a way that is consistent with those expectations

20. Self Fulfilling Prophecy
Supervisor
forms
expectations
Employee’s
behaviour matches
expectations
Expectations
affect supervisor’s
behaviour
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Expectations about another person cause that person to act in a way that is consistent with those expectations.
1. Expectations formed
•e.g. supervisor develops expectations about employee’s future behaviour
2. Expectations affect behaviour towards employee
•high-expectancy employees receive:
–more emotional support through non-verbal cues (e.g. more smiling and eye contact);
–more frequent/valuable feedback/reinforcement;
–more challenging goals and better training;
–more opportunities to demonstrate their performance
3. Effects on employee
•better training/practice results in more skills learned
•emotional support and feedback results in stronger self-efficacy—leads to higher motivation
4. Employee behaviour and performance
•Better motivation/skills leads to high performance
•High performance reinforces the original perception
Supervisor’s
behaviour affects
employee

21. Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Contingencies
Self-fulfilling prophecy effect is strongest:
At the beginning of the relationship (e.g. employee joins the team)
When several people have similar expectations about the person
When the employee has low rather than high past achievement
SFP is more powerful on employee behaviour:
•At the beginning of the relationship
•When several people have same expectations of employee
•When the employee has history of low instead of high achievement
Leaders should strive to develop and maintain positive yet realistic expectations of all employees.

22. Dealing with self-fulfilling prophecy
Self fulfilling prophecy is less prevalent when:
Awareness training - leaders learn effects of negative perceptions and support a learning orientation
Leaders use contingency leadership styles
Employees strengthen their self-efficacy
Awareness training was early strategy to minimise negative self-fulfilling prophecy
•Problem—limited effect because leaders have difficulty maintaining positive expectations of people who don’t perform well
Emerging three-pronged strategy to harness self-fulfilling prophecy effect
1.Learning orientation—leaders need to appreciate employee learning, not just accomplishing tasks
2.Appropriate leadership style—leaders adjust their style to different employees
3.Increase employee self-efficacy—behavioural modelling, opportunities to practise successfully

23. Disclosing and Predicting
Read the purpose and background
INSTRUCTIONS – rank yourself through all five statements – reflect for a moment!!
Assess the choices made by others evaluating one statement at a time and discuss your selections after each statement.
Continue to move through all five statements.
Read the purpose and background
INSTRUCTIONS – rank yourself through all eight statements – reflect for a moment!!
Assess the values for others evaluating one statement at a time and discuss your results after each statement.
Continue to move through all eight statements.

24. Improving Perceptions
Decision making accountability and meaningful interaction with others
Training in:
Empathy
Sensitivity to the feelings, thoughts and situation of others
Cognitive and emotional component
Self-awareness
Awareness of your values, beliefs and prejudices
Applying Johari Window
IMPROVING PERCEPTIONS
1. Empathy
•Understanding and sensitivity to the feelings, thoughts and situation of others
Cognitive (thinking) component, i.e. intellectual understanding of another’s situation/circumstances
Emotional (feeling) component, i.e. experiencing the feelings of the other person
2. Self-awareness
•Being more aware of your values, beliefs and prejudices 24

25. Know yourself (Johari Window)
Feedback
Known to self
Unknown to self
Known
to others
Open
area
Blind
Hidden
Unknown
Open
Area
Blind
Unknown
Hidden
Disclosure
Know yourself (Johari Window)
•Developed by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingram (hence the name ‘Johari’)
•Need to be aware of and sensitive to our own values, beliefs and prejudices
•Better mutual understanding when others know us better
•Helps us understand colleagues, etc.
a.open area—information about you which is known to you as well as others
b.blind area—information that is known to others but not to you
c.hidden area—information known to you but unknown to others
d.unknown area—information about you known to neither you nor others
•Objective is to increase size of open area:
a.disclosure—tell others about yourself
b.feedback—receive information from others about yourself found in the blind area
•Applying the Johari Window
a.diversity awareness—interacting with others
b.the 360-degree feedback process
c.dialogue—sharing perceptions
•Cultural and ethical limitations of applying Johari Window
Unknown
to others

26. What are Teams? Groups of two or more people Exist to fulfil a purpose
Interdependent – interact and influence each other
Mutually accountable for achieving common goals
Perceive themselves as a social entity 26 26

27. Advantages of Teams Advantages
Make better decisions, products/services
Better information sharing
Increase employee motivation/engagement
Fulfils drive to bond
Closer scrutiny by team members
Team members are benchmarks of comparison 27 27

28. Disadvantages of Teams
Individuals better/faster on some tasks
Process losses – cost of developing and maintaining teams
Social loafing - the tendency for individuals to exert less effort when working in a group than when working alone 28 28

29. Team Design Elements Task characteristics Team size
clear, easy to implement
task interdependence - share common inputs, work processes, or outcomes
Team size
smaller teams are better
but large enough to accomplish task
TASK CHARACTERISTICS – teams are more effective when tasks are clear and easy to implement because members can learn their roles more quickly. Complex tasks require more diverse skills which tend to further strain the team’s ability to act cohesively. High task interdependence exists when team members must share common inputs to their individual tasks, need to interact in the process of executing their work or receive outcomes that are partly determined by the performance of others. High interdependence creates an additional sense of responsibility among team members.
TEAM SIZE – St Luke’s is a highly successful British advertising agency that relies on self-directed work teams to serve clients. It is so team focused that it refuses to participate in industry awards that recognise individual achievement. It has a 35 rule – which says that no team shall have more than 35 members. Some org identify 10 is the appropriate upper limit. Team size depends upon a number of factors such as the number of people required to complete the work and the amount of coordination need to work together. Large teams need more coordination time. Individuals have less time to contribute and therefore don’t feel to be as much a part of the team.

30. Stages of team development
Performing
Adjourning
Existing teams might regress back to an earlier stage of development
Norming
Storming
TEAM DEVELOPMENT
Team membership requires members to pass through several stages of development before emerging as an effective work unit. They must get to know each other, understand their respective roles, discover appropriate and inappropriate behaviours and learn how to coordinate their work activities. Ongoing process due to changing membership.
FORMING – period of testing and orientation in which members learn about each other and evaluate the benefits and costs of continued involvement. Members are polite and defer to an existing authority to set down the overall rules.
STORMING - increasing interpersonal conflict as members become more proactive and compete for various team roles. Coalitions are formed and members try to establish norms of appropriate behaviour and performance standards.
NORMING – Team develops its first real sense of cohesion as roles are established and a consensus forms around group objectives. Similar mental models, mean that members have similar expectations and assumptions about goal accomplishment and that they interact more efficiently.
PERFORMING – Team becomes more ‘task focused” – members are better at coordination and resolving conflict. Greater emphasis on task accomplishment. Members become highly cooperative, experience high levels of trust, Mutual support enables members to ask for help.
ADJOURNING – Teams eventually end when the project is completed. Members shift their attention away from task orientation to a socio-emotional focus.
Continuous process – some teams remain focused at a particular stage for a longer period of time than others. Membership changes, new conditions resulting in a team moving back to earlier stages to regain equilibrium.
Forming

31. Team Effectiveness Model
Task characteristics
Team size
Team composition
Team Design
Rewards
Communication
Org structure
Org leadership
Physical space
Organisational and Team Environment
Accomplish tasks
Satisfy member needs
Maintain team survival
Team
Effectiveness
Team development
Team norms
Team cohesiveness
Team trust
Team Processes 31 31

32. Team Composition
Effective team members must be willing and able to work on the team
Effective team members possess specific competencies (5 Cs) 32 32

33. Five Cs of Team-member Competencies33

34. Decision Making Pitfall #1 - Groupthink
Team members place consensus above decision quality
Deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, moral judgement
Results from a group pressures toward conformity of opinion
Desire to agree becomes so dominant that it overrides any realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action
Team members place consensus above decision quality
Deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, moral judgement
Results from a group pressures toward conformity of opinion
Desire to agree becomes so dominant that it overrides any realistic appraisal of laternative courses of action 34

35. Ideal Group Process Groupthink Debating Society
Problem < > Too Rapid Convergence which moves into Action
Ideal Group Process
Gathering Intelligence Coming to Conclusions
Problem Debate Action
Divergent Thinking Convergent Thinking
Debating Society
Problem (No Closure) No Action 35

36. Decision Making Pitfall #2 – Escalation of Commitment
A choice by the team to persist with a losing course of action even in the face of clear evidence to the contrary
Decision makers would likely make a different choice if they had not been involved in decisions up until this point
Further resources are expected to “turn the situation around”
Team members place consensus above decision quality
Deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, moral judgement
Results from a group pressures toward conformity of opinion
Desire to agree becomes so dominant that it overrides any realistic appraisal of laternative courses of action 36

37. Decision Making Pitfall #3 – Abilene Paradox
Results from team members wanting to avoid conflict
Pluralistic ignorance – members pursue a position because they think other members desire it
Expectation bubble – a set of expectations about other people’s expectations that could burst if even one person expressed a contrary view
Results from team members wanting to avoid conflict
Pluralistic ignorance – members pursue a position because they think other members desire it
Expectation bubble – a set of expectations about other people’s expectations that could burst if even one person expressed a contrary view 37

38. Decision Making Pitfall #4 – Group Polarisation
The tendency for a group discussion to intensify group opinions, producing more extreme judgment
These extreme views would not be obtained from pooling the individuals views
Usually results in cautious shift and a risky shift
The tendency for a group discussion to intensify group opinions, producing more extreme judgment
These extreme views would not be obtained from pooling the individuals views
Usually results in cautious shift and a risky shift
This not strictly a bandwagon effect or a result of social compliance
Members of the group truly believe in the group’s decision (conformed inwardly) 38

39. Group polarisation process
High risk
Decision process
Team decision
Social support
Persuasion
Shifting responsibility
Individual
opinions
Group polarisation
•Tendency for teams to make more extreme decisions than individuals alone
1.Individuals form somewhat risky or risk-averse initial preferences among alternatives
2.Members become comfortable with more extreme positions
a.social support for their position
b.persuasive arguments by others
c.shifting responsibility from individuals to team
3.Average member shifts to a more extreme choice
Individuals usually lean towards risky options because of gambler’s fallacy—believe luck is on their side.
Polarisation does not happen in the nominal group technique
Low risk

40. Team Tower Power Receive your materials
Newspaper
Chocolate Egg
Tape
Use your teams – tower must be free standing!!!!
Build your tower
Identify the winner
AFTERNOON TEAMS
PMH (Murray, Tanya, Mil & Monique)
Leadership Review Panel (Royce, Marlon, Tanya D, Penny & Katie)
Summer Lakes Communicators (Natasha, Devesh, James & Natasha)
Organised Team (Alok, Erica, Nicholas, Tony and Tom)
Team Alpha (Phillip, Aaron, Troy, Angela & Adeleine)
EVENING CLASSES
WA Dep’t Health (Luke, Greg, Peter & Ryan)
The Motivators (Nora, Devan, Jason, Morten & Alicia)
Group RAC (Patrick, Justine, Colin & David Lambert)
Myth Busters (Christine, Katia, Karen, Victoria & Keith)
Global Enterprises (Ramon, David D-P, Mayli, Jacqui & Paul)
Kenobi (Adam, Buena, David Lewis, Gary & Vik)
“Outstanding” (Paul, Siew Ken, Grant, Mariuus & Shane)
Obi-Fivowan (Prassannah, David Jones, Quentin & Jack)

41. Overcoming Pitfalls Structure Discussion Principles
Beware of Time Pressure
Invite Different Perspectives & protect alternative viewpoints when needed
Frame the task as a decision to be made
Shape the task as a decision
Provide a formal forum for controversial views
Take responsibility for failure
Understand what drives conformity (need to be right, need to be liked)
Overestimation of the group:
Members regard themselves as invulnerable and morally correct
Leads decision makers into believing that they are above and exempt from standards
Close-mindedness
Members engage in collective rationalisation,
Accompanied by stereotyping outgroup members
Pressures toward uniformity
Intolerance for diversity of opinion
Enormous social pressure
Leads group members to suppress their reservations
Group perceives itself as unanimous
Many shortcomings result from groupthink. Lapses include:
Incomplete survey of alternatives
In complete survey of objectives
Failure to re-examine alternatives
Failure to examine preferred choices 41

42. The Art of Possibility
It’s time for a new
kind of leadership