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Student Resource
Scandura, Essentials of Organizational Behavior, 3 e
SAGE Publishing, 202 2
Sample Answers to In-Text Questions
Note: Answers to Case Questions are available in the Case Notes. Answers to Toolkit Activities are personal to the student therefore there are no sample answers.
Chapter 1: What Is Organizational Behavior?
Critical Thinking Questions
1. Why does asking these questions improve employee buy-in for the implementation of plans? Are there other questions you feel are important to ask?
Question Location: What Is Critical Thinking?
Ans: These questions help employees view the organization from multiple perspectives other than just as an employee. It helps them think like an owner or senior manager who can improve their critical thinking about the organizations they work for. Other questions might include: How do our customers perceive our company? How would we like our customers to view our company? Are we prepared for unexpected changes to our organization? How can we improve our products/services?
2. Why do you think that Theory X/Y has had such a strong influence on understanding leadership? Can you think of other assumptions that managers may hold in their subconscious minds that influence how they treat their followers?
Question Location: Applying Critical Thinking to Theories in Organizational Behavior
Ans: McGregor identified beliefs that managers held about their employees. Most ―Theory X‖ managers are not aware of their underlying assumptions that influenced their behaviors. By identifying these assumptions, leaders could change their behaviors to reflect more realistic beliefs ―Theory Y‖ about followers. Some managers may believe that their employees are dishonest, not very intelligent, and unable to think creatively.
3. Is employee productivity the most important outcome variable? If not, what outcome(s) do you think is/are more important?
Question Location: Employee Withdrawal
Ans: Attitudes, Well-Being, Thriving, and Motivation—all drive Productivity. An organization’s ability to do whatever it is it does, is entirely dependent on the productivity of the people that make up the organization. Hence, these variables should be prioritized in the event that productivity seems to lag. Leadership should never focus solely on productivity itself, rather, it should focus immensely on the other 4 outcome variables at all times. If this is done, Productivity will come.
4. Which level(s) do you think has/have the most influence on individual behavior in organizations and why?
Question Location: How OB Research Increases Employee Performance
Ans: Answers will vary but a sample answer could be: the dyad is the closest in proximity to the individual level; hence, it has the strongest influence on individual behavior in organizations. High quality relationships with leadership enable transparency about corporate initiatives and give a sense of purpose to employees. Employees that know the ―why‖ behind their work will feel that their work is more important, thus driving an increase in motivation and productivity.
Research in Action
Using Evidence to Increase Donations to Universities
1. Explain why people are more likely to give money when they know their donation will go to a specific college. How could universities make donations even more specific? Provide an example.
Ans: The research suggested that former students have a strongly connected to their university, but it learned that the ―why‖ ought to be looked at more closely. What the research discovered was that alumni aren’t emotionally connected to the university because of the overall general school, but because of their unique experiences at the university. Their unique experiences took place within their individual fields of study (or even extracurricular activities). It is these individual experiences that drive the love and passion alumni have for their schools.
Schools should consider allowing alumni to donate to specific facilities that were instrumental in shaping their collegiate experience, be it a dorm or a stadium.
2. How can the implications for practice based on the field experiment be extended? For example, what guidelines would you provide to volunteers who make phone calls to ask for donations?
Ans: Results from different practices, like emails and phone calls, will certainly yield different results. For example, the results gathered from sending emails led to the conclusion that direct donations don’t determine whether or not a person gave, but it did determine how much a person gave. If phone calls were made, there could have been more information gathered surrounding willingness to give in the first place. The answer to that question still remains unknown.
prevent them from acting impulsively. Uber has had an issue in the past with sexual assault of customers. This was largely solved through more rigorous background checks prior to onboarding new contractors. (b) Employees Pros: Gig work is tremendously beneficial for individuals who want the flexibility and freedom to work on their own terms. Furthermore, it allows people to supplement their existing income with another source, which was traditionally a much more difficult task prior to gig work. Cons: Being a contractor has benefits, but it also has some drawbacks. The flexibility doesn’t come with company sponsored health benefits or retirement plans. But why should it? Gig workers work on their own time. If the company has their way, they would have workers work all the time non-stop, but that would be aligned with the purpose of gig work. The key is that no one is forced to participate in gig work. It is merely an option. If someone needs work that provides benefits, they can look elsewhere.
3. Would you consider gig work instead of full-time employment after you graduate? (If you are currently employed full-time, would you switch?) Explain your reasons.
Ans: Answers will vary but here is a sample answer: I would only ever consider gig work as secondary employment to complement my primary source of income. I am currently employed and I still have time on my hands. There are times where I enjoy my hobbies, but there are times where I definitely feel like I could be working to make some additional cash. I wouldn’t switch to working gig economy full time because my earnings potential is simply not as high. It is too reliant on tips and working long hours if I was to make the same amount I did when I work full time.
Sample Answers to In-Text Questions
Note: Answers to Case Questions are available in the Case Notes. Answers to Toolkit Activities are personal to the student therefore there are no sample answers.
Chapter 2: Personality and Person–Environment Fit
Critical Thinking Questions
1. Given the limited research support for the MBTI, what are the concerns regarding organizations continuing to use it?
Question Location: Limitations of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Ans: I would primarily be concerned on organizations relying solely on the MBTI for personnel decisions. It was developed on well people, and it is the most popular personality test in use for organizations with over 2 million people taking it every year. It is a popular approach with many organizations in their leadership training and development programs. There is limited research support for the reliability and validity of the MBTI. If you take the test again, you may not receive the same score, and the matter of whether people are actually classifiable into the 16 categories is questionable. It has not been validated for selection purposes.
2. Do some research and locate another personality test that is used for hiring decisions. Explain whether you believe the use of these tests is fair for the selection of new employees?
Question Location: ―The Big Five‖
Ans: Answers will vary but here is a sample answer: The SHL Occupational Personality Questionnaire is a trait-based personality test which assesses an individual’s competencies and personality preferences in the workplace. It is often used in the hiring process at many large companies. I think the use of these tests for the selection of new employees is very unfair because it assumes the compatibility of people of certain personalities with people of other personalities.
3. How might knowledge of whether you have the Type A personality affect your decision about taking a job in a high-stress environment? If you were to accept such a position, how would you plan to cope with the stress?
Question Location: Personality Traits and Health Research
Ans: I would want to know the type of environment I was getting into if I had a Type A personality. Given a Type A personality, I may likely welcome the challenge that comes with a high-stress position as I think I would be able to handle it well given my hard work ethic and ability. As a Type A, I would be at risk for heart disease in a high-stress environment, but I could reduce this risk by expressing my emotions in a healthy manner, such as talking to another person about my job. I would also want to take proactive measures to offset the potential negative effects of my personality in the given work context.
4. Evaluate the personality-fit theory by explaining why you think the personalities adjacent to one another in the hexagon are most similar. Which personality type is most like you? Does this provide insight into which occupations you might best fit with?
Question Location: Person–Job Fit
Ans: In many ways, Holland’s theory explains the obvious—people are happiest in jobs that match their personality. In the hexagon, Holland provides a useful guide to matching personality types. For example, a social is adjacent to both enterprising and artistic. This explains how a social, or helper, is able to persuade others and is also able to work in unstructured or creative situations.
1. Discuss the pros and cons of using social media networking sites. Do you feel that the benefits outweigh the costs? Explain your position.
Ans: Pros: Social media allows me to stay connected to family and friends and it automates the process of getting updated on what is going on in their lives. I would otherwise not have time to stay updated. Furthermore, social media allows me to express myself and my beliefs to a much wider audience than I otherwise would have attained had I not been using social media.
Cons: Social media is a cause of depression and anxiety in me and many of my peers for a number of reasons, two of which I will explain here. 1) Social media leads to FOMO, especially for individuals with hyperactive social personalities. 2) Social media has led to unhealthy body standards, for men, women and children alike. Social media removes the realities of people’s lives and promotes unrealistic body and living standards.
In some cases, and on some platforms, like LinkedIn, the benefits outweigh the costs due to the professional nature of the platform.
2. Reflect on your personality characteristics discussed in this chapter.
Ans: Answers will vary but here is a sample answer: I exhibit high levels of competitiveness and definitively fall into the category of a Type A personality. This leads me to be at risk of FOMO as it related to my social media usage. I often see my friends posting on Instagram and find myself instantly on edge because I feel like I need to upstage them.
3. Research shows that women use social media more than men (but men tend to play online video games more than women). Explain this difference.
Ans: Male personalities are typically more attracted to risk taking activities and other more stimulating experiences, which are simulated through online video games. This is not to say that women aren’t risk takers, it is simply that male personalities tend to be more so statistically. Additionally, women tend to be more agreeable and avoidant of competition or conflict. This is not to say that women cannot be disagreeable at all, it is simply that they tend to be less so than men who can find simulated competition and conflict through online video games.
Sample Answers to In-Text Questions
Note: Answers to Case Questions are available in the Case Notes. Answers to Toolkit Activities are personal to the student therefore there are no sample answers.
Chapter 3: Emotions and Moods
Critical Thinking Questions
1. Do you think a leader should suppress their emotions and moods to be effective? Why or why not?
Question Location: Emotions and Moods at Work
Ans: Given the right situation, I think it is appropriate to express emotions at work, especially in reaction to a specific event such a poor performance or an outstanding action by a subordinate. This can help one gain more authenticity as a leader and show employees that their leader is human and has the same concerns that they do. However, this can go too far if continued moodiness leads to employees seeing their leader as weak and ineffective.
2. Do you believe that training can improve EI? Why or why not? What are the limits on the degree to which a person with low EI can change?
Question Location: How Emotional Intelligence Is Used in Organizations
Ans: Research is mixed—some scholars believe that by developing emotional literacy and regulating their emotions EI can be learned. Others label EI as a trait or an ability similar to IQ. Employees can be trained on how to be more perceptive of others’ emotions as well as how to manage their own emotional displays. However, I do think there is a limit (based on personalities and other personal characteristics) on one’s ability to interpret the emotions of others.
3. Recall a negative situation that upset you. How did you respond? Based on what you learned about emotion regulation, what strategies could you use to diffuse future emotional situations?
Question Location: Regulating Emotions
Ans: Answers will vary but here is a sample answer: I worked as a lifeguard at a municipal pool and I was given a unique schedule that my peers did not know about. My peers started work at 9:00 a.m. on the dot and my schedule, given that I stayed later in the day to assist with swim lessons in the afternoon, had me arrive anywhere between 15 to 30 minutes later. My colleagues, instead of asking me why I came in later than them every day, assumed that I was being lazy and coming to work late. They devised a plan to report me to management above the gentleman that I reported to. When I found out about this, I was furious and felt betrayed. Why would my colleagues assume so little of me? I could have acted on my anger with an outburst, I certainly wanted to, but after regulating my emotions, I was able to hold myself together and patiently explain myself. This led to the immediate diffusion of the misunderstanding and we all moved on. In the future, instead of bare knuckling my emotions, I will use affect relabeling to communicate my emotions.
Research in Action
Affect and Creativity
emotion come over me. In the moment, it felt wildly inappropriate to cry. I waited until class was over and I went and cried tears of joy by myself in the bathroom.
3. In the situation you experienced above, apply the six-step process to understand.
Ans: Answers will vary but here is a sample answer:
- I assessed the situation and found that it was inappropriate to cry in front of my classmates, so I deferred to crying in private.
- I recall telling myself ―I did it!‖ without actually saying the words out loud. Telling myself this actually made it more difficult to remain composed, so I stopped celebrating internally.
- I recall shaking, I could have stayed in my seat and drawn attention to myself with my physical reaction, but I left to go to a private place.
- Up to the point of me leaving, I did tell myself I was in control. Had I not used this form of self-talk, I could have departed in a manner that would have exposed my emotional state.
- I told myself that I have every right to be proud but it was important to stay composed while in public so as not to disturb my peers.
- I did not consider what I would have said had someone asked me if everything was ok. This is something I should have planned out in the moment. If I was asked about it, I likely would have concluded that I would have been honest about why I was excited.
Sample Answers to In-Text Questions
Note: Answers to Case Questions are available in the Case Notes. Answers to Toolkit Activities are personal to the student therefore there are no sample answers.
Chapter 4: Attitudes and Job Satisfaction
Critical Thinking Questions
1. Give an example of three parts of an attitude that you have experienced at either work or school (cognitive, affect, and behavioral intention).
Question Location: What Is an Attitude?
Ans: For example, at work, I may think that I am not being utilized to my maximum potential (cognitive). This may lead to me being moody or mad in the workplace because I feel my talent is being wasted (affective). This may result in me looking for work elsewhere or not trying my hardest in my job (behavioral).
2. How can the theory of cognitive dissonance be used to change the attitude of the employee depicted in Figure 4.2? In other words, how can a leader reduce the time an employee spends on Facebook during work hours?
Question Location: Cognitive Dissonance
Ans: To change the attitude of the employee in Figure 4.2, I might create an incompatibility between two or more of her or his attitudes. If I can make the job less boring, then it may lead to more positive perception of the job leading to less use of Facebook while on the job. If I can understand why they do not like the job, I could make it more interesting for them so that the behavioral intention of using Facebook does not align with their more positive view of the job itself.
3. Why do you think that the most important aspect of job satisfaction is the work itself?
Question Location: Job Satisfaction Facets
Ans: I think that the work itself drives the other elements of job satisfaction. If I like what I do, then I may be more inclined to be happy with the pay or supervisor or coworkers; however, if I am not satisfied with the work I perform, then no amount of pay, or great supervisor, or great coworkers can overcome this lack of satisfaction with the work itself.
4. Which component of organizational commitment do you feel is most related to turnover (and why)?
Question Location: Organizational Commitment
Ans: I think that normative commitment is the most related to turnover. If I feel a moral obligation to stay with the company, then I will be less likely to leave even if I no longer have an emotional attachment to the company (normative) or even feel that the costs of leaving are justified (continuance).
5. Do you see a significant difference between the concepts of job involvement and employee engagement? If so, what is this difference?
Question Location: Employee Engagement
Ans: I feel that there is significant overlap between the concepts of job involvement and employee engagement, but there is a difference between the two. Engaged employees are fully absorbed and enthusiastic about their work and they take positive action to improve the organization’s reputation and interests. Job involvement is the identification with a job and looks at performance as an essential part of self-esteem for the employee. Engaged employees may not necessary identify with the job and rely on performance for self-esteem. Similarly involved employees may not necessary go above and beyond to improve the organization’s reputation and interests.
6. Researchers suggest that meaning is the driver of psychological empowerment. Why do you think this is the case?
Ans: There are many more people than I initially realize that I could let know about my job search. More importantly it is the people that my contacts know that are important to get involved with my job search (friends of friends). [Lists of names will vary but could include the following] Childhood friends, former teachers/professors, parents, church members, community organization contacts, former bosses/coworkers, classmates, people I have done business with in the past, civic organizations, professional organizations, contacts of my contacts, and so on.
2. How would you ask them to help you in a positive and upbeat way? Write a brief speech or e-mail with your job search request.
Ans: I would ask them to assess my resume and qualifications to see what type of position they think I would be best suited for. I would ask them if they know of anyone hiring or know of anyone who can give me job search advice. E-mail may look something like this: Greetings! As you may know I am currently looking for a new position that will best utilize my skills and abilities. I highly value your opinion and ask for your help in finding a challenging job. Please look at my attached resume and let me know if you have any advice for its improvement. If you know of anyone that you think could help me in my job search please pass along my resume and/or put me in contact with them. I appreciate your help and will follow up with a phone call soon to discuss your thoughts on my job search.
3. Describe three ways that you can stay in control of the job search process.
Ans: 1) avoid, at all costs, job search envy. Ignoring the success of others, or even forcing myself to find pleasure in it, is necessary for me to not become bogged down in self-pity, which could harm my performance in any interview opportunities I do receive. 2) Keep consistent communication with delegates from interviewing firms, coming prepared with thoughtful questions to engage with. These questions and consistent follow up would keep me front of mind in the eyes of recruiters and could add to the value of my candidacy by showcasing a sense of professionalism. 3) Similarly, being active in the process through follow ups and participation in optional recruiting events is essential to my success.
Sample Answers to In-Text Questions
Note: Answers to Case Questions are available in the Case Notes. Answers to Toolkit Activities are personal to the student therefore there are no sample answers.
Chapter 5: Perception, Decision Making, and Problem Solving
Critical Thinking Questions
1. How can leaders employ the focusing illusion to improve follower satisfaction with pay and benefits? What aspects of the job can employees focus on besides pay and benefits?
Question Location: Would You Be Happier if You Were Richer?
Ans: Leaders can try to help employees look at their pay and benefits in a different perspective. They may compare it to other companies or other lines of work. They may also compare it to where the employees have come from. They may also try to give them a glimpse of how their pay and benefits will increase in the future in order to put it in proper focus. Instead of focusing on just pay and benefits, employees could consider aspects such as flexible work schedules, commuting times, and time with family.
2. If you make a bad first impression in an interview, what would you try to do to change it? Provide examples of the specific behaviors you would engage in.
Question Location: The Primacy Effect
Ans: First, I would try to recognize why the bad first impression was made. Then I would try to acknowledge the cause of the impression and try to offset or overcome it. If I felt the interviewer has erroneously arrived at the wrong impression, I may call her or him on it in a respectful way. Holding individuals accountable for the impression can help them overcome it. Finally, I may try to hit the reset button if things are not going well. Verbally acknowledging this issue and even laughing about it can help overcome the bad impression. If I was at fault, I would attempt to learn from my mistake and not make the same mistake in future interviews.
3. How can elaborative interrogation be used to change perceptions of a follower who does not like to work on a team?
Question Location: The Availability Bias
Ans: Elaborative interrogation can increase the willingness to let go of preconceived notions and learn material that challenges beliefs. It requires people to generate their own explanations of factual statements that are presented to them. The leader can write out a statement about how the follower does not like to work on a team and generate arguments for why this statement is false.
4. What are your perceptions of leaders? Provide an example of a situation where leaders are believed to have the power to make major changes in society.
Question Location: Halo Error
Ans: I believe that leaders are a powerful force for change, but they are human and sometimes make mistakes. A leader may make decisions based upon faulty information only observing a follower’s recent failure while ignoring the many past successes. At the national level, a leader must have complete and accurate information before making a decision that has national, or even global, implications.
5. How can you use the knowledge of employability to improve your chances of getting hired? What dimensions of employability will you focus on?
Ans: Framing your point as a gain for the other party will help put more emphasis on your side of the negotiation. Framing the decision as a loss for the other party could hinder your side of the negotiation. It is important to consider how information regarding risk and uncertainty is presented. Decision makers expect uncertainty and can effectively use information on uncertainty to make better decisions. Framing plays a great deal in negotiations, but this phenomenon can be offset by those that are aware of the effects.
9. What are the risks of relying on intuition to make decisions? What can a leader do to address these risks and gain the benefits from intuition?
Question Location: Benefits of Intuition
Ans: There are various risks in relying on intuition to make decisions. For one, decision makers’ intuition may be off. Secondly, they may fail to consider all possible alternatives or outcomes of the decision to be made. Thirdly, the leader could hinder the development of followers by not letting them help in the decision. Fourthly, the speed of the decision may be high, but its effectiveness may be hindered. Finally, quick decisions may be affected by perceptual errors or by stereotypes about people.
10. What is an example of a wicked organizational problem (one that is complex, dynamic, and constrained with most of the characteristics listed above)?
Question Location: Wicked Organizational Problems
Ans: An example of a wicked organizational problem may be social loafing that occurs in team work. Being able to overcome the problem of everyone in a team not pulling their own weight is difficult to solve.
11. Why do you think leaders suffer from overconfidence and escalation of commitment? List some personality traits that may contribute to escalation of commitment.
Question Location: Escalation of Commitment
Ans: I think leaders suffer from overconfidence because they have been successful in the past and assume that the success will continue. In order to be a leader, it takes a level of ability that may lead one to overinflate one’s own abilities. In order to limit this, one might get multiple perspectives on the issue or involve someone to play devil’s advocate. Having a formal decision- making process may reduce the error as well. Escalation of commitment may be impacted by the leader’s need to justify past decisions, an unwillingness to admit defeat, or a tendency to avoid change.
12. Do you believe that creativity is an in-born trait that only a few people have? If so, why? If not, how would you encourage creativity in your followers?
Question Location: Creative Problem Solving
Ans: I believe that everyone can be creative to a point, but certain individuals are inherently more creative than others. Some can see patterns more easily or can assimilate information from multiple sources better than others. I do think all can be trained to improve creativity by being exposed to new ways of thinking or doing things. We can be trained to seek out alternative solutions or to incorporate different ideas better. I would encourage creativity in followers by providing diversity in the team and encouraging collaboration.
What’s #Trending in OB?
Using Big Data Analytics to Improve Decisions
1. Which of the ―Five V’s‖ of big data do you consider to be most critical and why? Rank order them in terms of importance and explain your ranking.
Ans: Sample ranking and explanation below:
- Veracity: This is the most essential ―V‖ of big data as it relates to the ability for companies to extract new insights that guide decision makers to adapt their necessary business practices in a way that captures the most value.
- Velocity: This ―V‖ is a close second due to the fact that decisions need to be made faster than ever in the current marketplace, and the velocity of data generation enables that response time.
- Value: This ―V‖ will be realized when the velocity of decision making matches the velocity of data generation and when the veracity of data is aligned with what the strategic initiatives of the organization are calling to understand.
- Volume: The massive amounts of data yield a wide variety of insights. This can actually be a liability in that it can cause confusion and distraction.
- Variety: If systems are disconnected, then data is being generated with different periodicity, definitions, access levels, etc. Understanding the variety is critical, but herding the variety and enabling it to be translatable between systems is more critical. 2. Research and locate another example of how an organization uses big data analytics to inform its decisions. What sources of data did the organizations collect and how did they collect them?
Ans: Carters used big data analytics to better inform its supply chain forecasts. It did this through a transformational platform called Anaplan, that gathered data from its variety of disparate systems that detailed inventory, demand, production, and more. In the end, the new insights helped lead to decisions that ultimately removed 3-5 days of inventory, which had a huge positive impact on the company’s balance sheet.
3. What are the potential privacy issues with big data? Explain how some people might view the collection of data without them being aware of it as intrusive.
Ans: The collection of consumer data, specifically consumer browsing data, is a concern for many people. Opting in to targeted marketing is one thing, but there are ethical concerns about
three different business partners. I am in charge of sales; one of my partners is in charge of delivery of our services. Our 3rd partner’s role is more concerned with the administrative side of the business, the things that keep it running like HR and finance. I used to get irritated because I never saw my 3rd partner doing much work that was advancing the company. I became resentful and almost voiced my concerns until I realized that my 3rd partner worked just as much as I did, yet his work was simply different than mine. His work was no less essential to the growth of our business. I could have made a poor judgment call and harmed our relationship as friends and business partners by being distracted by my own work and assuming he was responsible for the same tasks.
Sample Answers to In-Text Questions
Note: Answers to Case Questions are available in the Case Notes. Answers to Toolkit Activities are personal to the student therefore there are no sample answers.
Chapter 6: Leadership
Critical Thinking Questions
1. How might a leader intervene using PGT if followers are having difficulty getting help from the purchasing department to get the supplies they need to do their job?
Question Location: Path–Goal Theory
Ans: The leader can help remove obstacles in getting help from the purchasing department by providing directive leadership and giving specific instructions on how to complete the task. The leader could adjust the situation characteristics by providing more authority to the employee, so the purchasing department respects the employee more or the leader can redesign the job to overcome some of the obstacles.
2. Is the LMX process fair? Should managers treat all followers alike? Why or why not?
Question Location: Leader–Member Exchange
Ans: Leaders treat subordinates differently based upon their unique abilities and contributions to the work group and organization. Out-group members perform their job but don’t go above and beyond and don’t take on extra work. In-group members perform their job and go above and beyond and take on additional work. All subordinates likely should be given the opportunity to be in the in-group, but not all subordinates desire to be in the in-group.
3. Ask two employed people about their relationship with their boss. What do you see when you compare their responses? Do you see differences in the quality and effectiveness of the working relationships?
Question Location: Leader–Member Exchange Development
Ans: I asked a nurse and a teacher about their relationships with their bosses and both had nothing but good things to say. Some consistent themes between the two relationships include duration of the relationship. Both parties have worked with their bosses for over 10 years. Over a long period of time, the building of trust and mutual respect has the room to blossom. Both working relationships also exhibited a high level of protection. For example, both the emergency room nurse and the teacher said that their bosses go to bat for them when faced with an angry patient or an angry parent of a student. In this unique example, there is not only a high level of trust in the employees, but the employees also show exhibit high levels of trust in their bosses.
4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of followership for followers? Describe what a good follower does.
Question Location: Followership
Ans: The advantages of followership include the shielding of various risks that come along with strategic decision making as opposed to the risks of improper execution. For example, improper strategic decision making could lead to the loss of a job and is much harder to come back from, whereas execution faults can be quickly mended and avoided in the future. A good follow executes to the best of his/her ability in accordance with the vision the leader has communicated. An even better follower offers his or her perspective to assist in crafting the vision, because the execution of the vision is essential.
5. Why are people harsher when making internal attributions? Give an example of when you heard an internal attribution (for e.g., when something was blamed on a person’s character).
Question Location: Followership
Ans: People are harsher when making internal attributions simply because they have eliminated the possibility of an external attribution. This is also due to the typically tangible affects caused by some error, so if a person assumes another person’s character is at fault, they will be harsher in judgement. I heard an internal attribution in a book about a doctor that was trying to conduct an appointment with two small children who were misbehaving and making his job very difficult. He snapped at the mother, who had not said a word or attempted to control her children. She responded to his demand that she controls them by saying ―oh, I’m sorry, their father just died a couple hours ago and I don’t know how they are handling it, I don’t know how I am supposed to handle it.‖ This shocked the doctor, who beforehand was assuming that he was dealing with a neglectful parent, when in reality he was dealing with a shell shocked recent widow and her grieving children.
6. Describe how calculus-based trust explains how people view their jobs. How can a leader move a person to the two higher levels of trust?
Question Location: Identification-Based Trust
