Chapter 3 Understanding People at Work Individual Differences and Perception

Chapter 3 Understanding People at Work: Individual Differences and Perception TRUE/FALSE 1. Applicant-matching software reduces the time required to hire candidates. (True) 2. A risk-averse individual is generally a poor fit for a high-tech firm in a dynamic environment. (True) 3. Behavior is a function of the person and the situation interacting with each other. (True) 4. Person-job fit is positively related to job satisfaction. (True) 5. When people fit their jobs, they experience higher levels of stress. (False) 6. There is usually a strong relationship between good person-organization fit and high job performance. (False) 7. Value orientations change dramatically as individuals age and mature. (False) 8. Instrumental values are end states people desire in life. (False) 9. Family security is a terminal value. (True) 10. Behavior may be affected as much by what is expected of us as how we want to behave. (True) 11. Conscientiousness, more than any other personality trait, predicts how successfully a person performs a variety of jobs. (True) 12. People high in openness are more likely to start their own business than those low in openness. (True) 2 13. Extraverts are happier in their work situations and perform much more effectively than introverts. (False) 14. Extraverts are always model employees. (False) 15. High agreeableness is always a personality trait sought in job candidates. (False) 16. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a very effective employee selection tool. (False) 17. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator classifies individuals on the basis of types, not traits. (True) 18. Positive affective people are absent from work less often. (True) 19. One tip to remember when working with people with negative affectivity is that you can change someone’s personality with relative ease. (False) 20. People who are labeled as high social monitors can experience high levels of stress. (True) 21. Social monitors are especially good at evaluating the performance of other employees. (False) 22. Proactive people understand the political environment in organizations, so they adjust quickly to new jobs. (True) 23. Mary said, “I am quite confident in the plan I developed, as I worked quite diligently on it and I have implemented similar programs in similar settings.” Mary seems to have high self-efficacy. (True) 24. Self-efficacy is the degree to which people have overall positive feelings about themselves. (False) 25. “It was really nothing. These things happen to me because I happen to be in the right place at the right time.” This statement suggests an external locus of control. (True) 3 26. Research indicates that personality tests are an excellent predictor of performance. (False) 27. One of the challenges of using personality tests in employee selection is that the rankings of the candidates who take the test may be affected by their ability to fake. (True) 28. Our visual perception is biased because we do not perceive objects in isolation. (True) 29. Research suggests that when we do self-evaluations, our scores are consistently higher than the scores given us by our peers and superiors. This is an example of self-enhancement bias. (True) 30. Jacqueline is a college freshman. She loves to sleep late on weekends and assumes that college students in general prefer to sleep late. Jacqueline is making a false consensus error. (True) 31. A neat, professional appearance and a firm handshake are two important aspects of an interview because of the lasting impact first impressions make. (True) 32. If Dan complains about his instructors being boring every time they lecture, he is demonstrating high consistency. (True) 33. The USA, as a country, is considered to have high self-esteem. (True) 34. Individuals with an economic value orientation tend to make more unethical choices. (True) MULTIPLE CHOICE Opening Section: Using Big Data to Match Applicants to Jobs: The Case of CornerstoneOnDemand 35. (b) Evolv’s applicant screening software seeks to match applicants to a. a workgroup where they will fit in. b. a profile of an “ideal employee”. c. other applicants applying for the same job. d. a supervisor they will get along with. Easy/Comprehension 4 36. (c) Which of the following is true of Evolv’s applicant screening software? a. Applicant profiles are compared to a database of computer-generated profiles of made up people. b. The software has identified that the ideal customer service employee participates to a great extent in social networking sites. c. As the database gets larger, the software does a better job of identifying the right people for the job. d. The software saves time but is accurate only about half of the time. Easy/Comprehension Section I: The Interactionist Perspective: The Role of Fit 37. (a) 38. (a) 39. (c) 40. (a) The interactionist perspective suggests a. behavior is a function of the person and the situation interacting with each other. b. behavior is solely a function of the person’s personality. c. behavior is solely a function of the situation. d. behavior is not predictable and can not be profiled. Easy/Knowledge Person-job fit is the a. degree to which a person’s skill, knowledge, abilities and other characteristics match the job demands. b. degree to which a person likes an organization. c. degree to which a person’s values, personality, goals and other characteristics match those of the organization. d. degree to which a person’s attitude matches the culture of the work group. Easy/Knowledge Person-organization fit is the a. degree to which a person’s skill, knowledge, abilities and other characteristics match the job demands. b. degree to which a person likes an organization. c. degree to which a person’s values, personality, goals and other characteristics match those of the organization. d. degree to which a person’s attitude matches the culture of the work group. Easy/Knowledge Sherri is creative, warm and caring. Person-job fit suggests one job she might be particularly effective at is a. elementary school teacher. b. accountant. c. researcher. d. pharmaceutical sales. Medium/Application 5 41. (b) 42. (d) 43. (d) An applicant-matching software program would suggest which of the following personality traits would provide the best person-organization fit with a Wall Street firm? a. risk aversion b. risk-taking c. flexibility d. stability Medium/Application Research on the interactionist perspective suggests a. there is a consistent positive relationship between person-organization fit and job performance. b. if there is a misfit between an individual and the organization, there are no extenuating circumstances that eliminate its impact. c. organizational culture is equally important to all individuals. d. people who fit into their organization tend to be more satisfied with their jobs. Difficult/Evaluation Findings of person-organization fit studies indicate a. when people fit their organization, they consistently perform better. b. when people fit their organization, they are less influential in the firm. c. when people fit their organization, they tend to leave an organization at about the same rate as those who are organization misfits. d. when people fit their organization, they are more committed to the organization. Medium/Analysis Section II: Individual Differences: Values and Personality 44. (d) 45. (c) 46. Values a. encompass the relatively stable feelings, thoughts, and behavioral patterns a person has. b. are initial thoughts and perceptions we form about people, which tend to be stable and resilient to contrary information. c. are generalizations based upon a perceived group characteristic. d. refer to stable life goals people have, reflecting what is most important to them. Easy/Knowledge According to Rokeach, which of the following is not accurate about values? a. Values are grouped into terminal and instrumental categories. b. Values are hierarchically ordered. c. Values are shaped late in life. d. Values are relatively stable over time. Easy/Comprehension __________ is a terminal value. a. Broad-minded b. Inner harmony c. Forgiving 6 d. (b) 47. (a) 48. (c) 49. (c) 50. (b) 51. (d) 52. Obedient Easy/Knowledge Which of the following is an instrumental value? a. clean b. self-respect c. family security d. a world of beauty Easy/Knowledge Removing your hat during the playing of The National Anthem in the United States is an example of the value of ________________. a. benevolence. b. security. c. tradition. d. universalism. Medium/Application Choosing a job that offers health care as part of its benefit package over a position that pays more but has no such health care might reflect the job seeker’s concern about a. inner harmony. b. imaginative. c. family security. d. self-respect. Medium/Application Which instrumental value is most likely to be prevalent in Wall Street brokers? a. forgiveness b. ambition c. obedience d. imagination Difficult/Application Values change over the generations, evolving in response to historical contexts. Which of the following statements is true regarding values of different generations? a. Generation Xers (born between 1965 and 1979) are very group-oriented. b. Generation Xers (born between 1965 and 1979) see work as central in their lives. c. Generation Xers (born between 1965 and 1979) don’t care what they do for work, they just want money. d. Generation Xers (born between 1965 and 1979) have to see a congruence between personal goals and organizational ones before they work toward company goals. Medium/Evaluation Which of the following statements about values is true? a. Values impact the individual, but not how they work. b. Values are not very stable; they change over short periods of time. 7 (d) 53. (b) 54. (b) 55. (a) 56. (d) 57. (b) 58. c. Values affect the decisions people make, but have little impact on their behavior. d. Values are the result of accumulation of life experiences. Medium/Synthesis Early experiences are important influences over dominant values. If Sharon was raised by an aunt because her parents had both died when she was ten, she most likely would see what value as central to her life? a. an exciting life b. security c. self-respect d. forgiveness Medium/Evaluation The relatively stable feelings, thoughts, and behavioral patterns a person has is a. values. b. personality. c. self-esteem. d. conscientiousness. Easy/Knowledge Study findings on personality indicate a. we are more emotionally stable and more organized between the ages of 20 and 40. b. personality is the primary predictor of work behavior. c. although personality impacts us during our youth it has no lasting consequences for us. d. although it is interesting information, employee personality has relatively little impact on placing individuals in jobs. Medium/Analysis Maurice is described as “very curious. He has very original thoughts. He is a bright young man with a very creative flair.” Maurice exhibits the personality trait of ____________. a. extraversion. b. agreeableness. c. conscientiousness. d. openness. Medium/Application Lauren takes a personality survey and finds she strongly exhibits the trait of agreeableness. She might be described as being a. organized, punctual, systematic and dependable. b. nice, tolerant, sensitive and kind. c. outgoing, talkative, and sociable. d. curious, creative and original. Easy/Comprehension Jennifer complains to her friends every Friday night about the stresses and hassles of her job. Each week she tells them she is going to leave her company even though she has been working there for five years. Jennifer is likely to be 8 a. b. c. d. (b) 59. (a) 60. (a) 61. (a) 62. (c) 63. (c) 64. high in conscientiousness. high in neuroticism. low in agreeableness. high in extraversion. Difficult/Evaluation __________ is the degree to which a person is anxious, irritable, aggressive and moody. a. Neuroticism b. Extraversion c. Conscientiousness d. Openness Easy/Knowledge People who exhibit the Big 5 personality characteristic of openness would be most likely to work in which of the following firms? a. an entrepreneurial start-up in the high tech industry b. a large discount retailer like Wal-Mart c. a large fast food franchise d. a small business that makes cardboard boxes Difficult/Synthesis Across a variety of occupations and jobs, what is the one personality trait that most uniformly predicts how high a person’s performance will be? a. conscientiousness b. extraversion c. agreeableness d. openness Medium/Analysis Which personality characteristic tends to lead to effectiveness in jobs with a lot of opportunities to interact with others? a. openness b. conscientiousness. c. extraversion d. agreeableness Medium/Analysis Which of the following statements about the personality trait agreeableness is accurate? a. People high in agreeableness tend to exhibit strong aggressive behavior. b. All occupations look to hire people who are high in agreeableness. c. People high in agreeableness tend to be less effective at providing constructive criticism. d. People high in agreeableness have difficulty getting along with others. Medium/Analysis Empathy is to agreeableness as sociability is to ______________. a. neuroticism. b. conscientiousness. 9 c. d. (d) 65. (b) 66. (c) 67. (c) 68. (d) 69. (b) 70. openness. extraversion. Medium/Comprehension Which of the following statements regarding the Big 5 personality traits is true? a. Individuals high in extraversion are model employees. b. Individuals high in openness seek feedback on what they are doing and thus adjust to their jobs more quickly. c. Conscientiousness is related to how well employees get along with others. d. Individuals high in neuroticism tend to be better performers. Difficult/Synthesis Which of the following is a dimension by which individuals are grouped in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)? a. seeing/hearing b. organized/disorganized c. extraversion/intraversion d. emotional instability Easy/Knowledge In the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, what dimension describes those who derive their energy from inside? a. intuition b. perception c. introversion d. judgment Easy/Knowledge According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, what dimension describes those who would like to have clarity and closure? a. thinking b. feeling c. intuition d. judgment Easy/Knowledge Which of the following statements about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is accurate? a. The original objective of the MBTI was to determine whether World War II veterans would successfully readjust to civilian life after the military. b. The MBTI relies on types, not traits. c. The MBTI is a very effective tool to use in making selection decisions. d. The MBTI classifies people based on observing their behavior. Medium/Analysis Which of the following statements is true with regard to research on individual differences? a. Teams dominated by positive affective people experience higher levels of absenteeism. 10 b. c. d. (c) 71. (b) 72. (d) 73. (c) 74. (b) 75. (a) 76. People with a low openness trait are more likely to start their own business. Agreeable people are less likely to engage in change-oriented communication. Social monitors are rated as lower in performance. Medium/Analysis Negative affective people a. see “the glass as half full.” b. experience anxiety. c. are tolerant of others’ opinions. d. have lower rates of absenteeism. Medium/Comprehension Which of the following statements about positive and negative affectivity is correct? a. Positive affective people see the “glass as half empty”. b. Negative affective people in power tend to find mutually agreeable solutions to problems. c. Positive affective people experience nervousness. d. When negative affective people comprise a team, there tends to be less cooperation among members. Medium/Analysis To work effectively with an individual with a high level of negative affectivity, a. recognize that you can change someone’s personality if you give feedback. b. let them vent without limits. c. ask them for specific examples of what the problem is. d. challenge them; they are seldom right about anything on which they voice a complaint. Medium/Evaluation Self-monitoring is a. the degree to which a person has overall positive feelings about himself. b. the extent to which a person is capable of monitoring his/her actions and appearance in social situations. c. the belief that one can perform a specific task successfully. d. a person’s inclination to fix what is perceived as wrong, change the status quo, and use initiative to solve problems. Easy/Knowledge High social monitors a. tend to be more successful in their careers. b. tend to experience lower levels of stress. c. are very accurate at conducting performance evaluations. d. are more committed to their companies. Medium/Comprehension All of the following are accurate about those with a proactive personality EXCEPT: 11 a. b. c. d. (d) 77. (b) 78. (d) 79. (d) 80. (b) 81. (d) 82. they have higher levels of performance in their firms. they adjust to new jobs quickly. they may try to change things others are not willing to let go. they often have difficulty making friends. Medium/Analysis Self-esteem is a. the belief that one can perform a specific task successfully. b. the degree to which a person has overall positive feelings about him or herself. c. the degree to which people feel accountable for their own behaviors. d. the inclination to change the status quo. Easy/Knowledge Ned keeps saying to his coach, “I am really concerned that I won’t be able to remember the plays when you put me in. Maybe you should play someone else.” Ned seems to be demonstrating a. low openness to experience. b. low self-monitoring. c. a proactive personality. d. low self-efficacy. Medium/Evaluation John said, “If I just hadn’t had that argument with my girlfriend last night, I wouldn’t have been so upset and I would have done much better on my finance exam.” John exhibits a. high internal locus of control. b. high self-esteem. c. high self-monitoring. d. high external locus of control. Medium/Synthesis Individuals with an internal locus of control a. have an inclination to change the status quo. b. believe that what happens to them is their own doing. c. understand what the situation demands and act accordingly. d. feel that things happen to them because of luck. Medium/Synthesis Which of the following statements about self-efficacy is accurate? a. Self-efficacy is a global evaluation of one’s self. b. People with high self-efficacy tend to procrastinate. c. Self-efficacy is negatively related to job performance. d. Training people to increase their self-efficacy can be effective. Difficult/Analysis Marissa always seems to know who to talk to in her organization to get things done. When her immediate supervisor seemed less than enthusiastic about her proposal, she made sure to mention it to the manager in another department who shared it with his boss. Marissa was just approached about implementing her proposal. Marissa seems to have 12 a. b. c. d. (b) 83. (d) 84. (a) 85. (b) low self-efficacy. a proactive personality. low self-esteem. an internal locus of control. Medium/Synthesis Which of the following would be considered a sound piece of advice to help build your self-confidence? a. Set challenging, not impossible goals. b. Ignore negative advice, especially when it comes from a negative person. c. Take a self-inventory. d. all of the above. Easy/Comprehension All of the following statements regarding personality testing in employee selection are correct EXCEPT: a. job interviewers are very adept at assessing conscientiousness in candidates, so the personality test is not really needed in employee selection. b. there are mixed feelings as to whether candidates’ faking responses on personality tests is a serious problem. c. self-reporting measures of personality may not be the best way to measure personality. d. personality is a better predictor of job satisfaction than job performance. Difficult/Synthesis Among the limitations associated with using personality tests in employee selection is a. candidate inability to understand the purpose of the personality test. b. candidates faking their answers. c. candidates refusing to take personality tests. d. finding that performance cannot be predicted by personality testing. Difficult/Synthesis Section III: Perception 86. (b) 87. When an incomplete figure appears on a sheet of paper, we are able to discern the entire figure because we a. have selective perception. b. extrapolate from the information available to us. c. visualize items in isolation. d. perceive our environment objectively. Difficult/Synthesis Mike went to his friend Abe’s house with Nick. When the pair returned to Mike’s house, Nick said, “Mike, isn’t Abe’s cat the brightest orange cat you’ve ever seen?” Mike replied, “Nick to be honest, I didn’t notice anything but Abe’s dog. I’m afraid of dogs and wasn’t sure if he would bother me or not.” Mike exhibited a. selective visual perception at Abe’s house. b. visual extrapolation at Abe’s house. c. focal contrast at Abe’s house. 13 d. (a) 88. (c) 89. (b) 90. (c) 91. (a) 92. visual objectivity at Abe’s house. Difficult/Synthesis Beth, Ramon and Nandini just walked out of the office where they delivered a mock commercial for a proposed client’s cereal. Beth says to her co-presenters, “I’m so sorry I messed up during the presentation. I really did not mean to put up the slide with last year’s cereal box on it instead of the one for this year. I know we won’t get the account now, and it’s all my fault.” Beth is exhibiting a. self-enhancement bias. b. false consensus error. c. self-effacement bias. d. stereotypes. Medium/Evaluation Self-enhancement bias is a. the tendency for people to underestimate their performance, undervalue capabilities, and see events in a way that puts them in a more negative light. b. the tendency to overestimate our performance and capabilities and see ourselves in a more positive light than others see us. c. the overestimation of how similar we are to other people. d. the process with which individuals detect and interpret environmental stimuli. Easy/Knowledge The car was traveling very slowly on the highway in front of Ned. He turned to Sally and said, “This is ridiculous, we are never going to get there on time. That must be a woman driver in front of us!” Ned is engaging in a. false consensus error. b. self-fulfilling prophecy. c. stereotyping. d. first impressions. Easy/Analysis The professor announced the first day of class: “Students are not good at meeting deadlines. I guarantee you that someone will email me the day after a due date and ask if I will accept a paper for partial credit.” Yesterday the first paper was due in the professor’s class. He just checked his email and a student inquired whether the paper could be turned in for partial credit today. This is an example of a. self-fulfilling prophecy. b. self-enhancement bias. c. self-effacement bias. d. selective perception. Medium/Synthesis First impressions? a. are fleeting impressions. b. are resilient even in the face of contrary evidence. c. become dependent on the evidence that created them. d. are likely to change. 14 (b) 93. (a) 94. (a) 95. (d) 96. (c) Medium/Synthesis When interviewing keep all of these pieces of advice in mind EXCEPT: a. it is not how you dress, but how confident you are that determines your success. b. have a professional-looking résumé. c. be on time for the interview. d. practice for the interview. Medium/Comprehension Internal attribution a. is the belief that a behavior is caused by the internal characteristics of a person. b. is the causal explanation given for an observed behavior. c. explains someone’s behavior by referring to the situation. d. is the tendency to attribute failures to the situation while attributing successes to internal causes. Easy/Knowledge Which of the following is a key factor in understanding what kind of attributions we make? a. past experiences b. mood c. perception d. consensus Easy/Knowledge Low distinctiveness is characterized by a. a person acting the same way he always does in that situation. b. a person behaving differently than he usually does in different situations. c. a person behaving the same way in different situations. d. everyone else behaving in the same way. Easy/Knowledge Bill is the quarterback of his college football team. The team was 10-0, but lost this week after what Bill says was a very bad call by the referee. Bill seldom says anything about how the referees called any game, but he is very vocal about this one. You know that Bill works hard both on the field and off. You talk to other players on the team and they complain about the referee’s call also. 97. (d) In the preceding story, both Bill and the other players expressed concern about the referee’s call. This demonstrates a. low distinctiveness. b. low consistency. c. high consistency. d. high consensus. Medium/Analysis Bill is the quarterback of his college football team. The team was 10-0, but lost this week after what Bill says was a very bad call by the referee. Bill seldom says anything about how the referees called any game, but he is very vocal about this one. You know that Bill 15 works hard both on the field and off. You talk to other players on the team and they complain about the referee’s call also. 98. (b) The fact that Bill seldom complains about the referees suggests he has a. low distinctiveness. b. high distinctiveness. c. high consistency. d. low consensus. Medium/Evaluation Bill is the quarterback of his college football team. The team was 10-0, but lost this week after what Bill says was a very bad call by the referee. Bill seldom says anything about how the referees called any game, but he is very vocal about this one. You know that Bill works hard both on the field and off. You talk to other players on the team and they complain about the referee’s call also. 99. (b) 100. (d) 101. (c) In this scenario, given what you know about the referee’s call, you could explain Bill’s behavior as a. internal attribution. b. external attribution. c. self-serving bias. d. self-fulfilling prophecy. Difficult/Synthesis Which of the following statements about attribution is correct? a. Attributions depend only on consensus, distinctiveness and consistency. b. When faced with poor performance, one punishes the person more if we make an external attribution. c. If someone’s failure is due to internal causes, we feel empathy and offer help. d. If we make an external attribution to someone’s goal achievement, we are less likely to reward the individual. Difficult/Synthesis Internal attribution occurs with a. low consensus, high distinctiveness, and high consistency. b. high consensus, high distinctiveness, and high consistency. c. low consensus, low distinctiveness, and high consistency. d. high consensus, low distinctiveness, and high consistency. Medium/Analysis 16 Section IV: The Role of Ethics and National Culture 102. (d) 105. (b) 106. (b) 107. (b) Which of the following statements regarding individual differences and ethics is true? a. People with an economic value orientation tend to make more ethical choices. b. Employees with internal locus of control make more unethical choices. c. We tend to underestimate how ethical we are. d. How we make attributions in a given situation will determine how we respond to others’ actions. Medium/Analysis Hofstede found that countries differ on the equality or hierarchy among people, which he referred to as a. uncertainty avoidance. b. power distance. c. masculinity. d. Individualism. Easy/Knowledge People from Europe and the United States have higher levels of ___________ than that of Asia and Africa. a. introversion b. extraversion c. consensus d. agreeableness Medium/Comprehension Which of the following statements regarding the universality of personality traits is correct? a. There is no difference in the dominant personality trait in countries across the world. b. In regions that suffered from infectious diseases, openness to experiences is less dominant. c. The five-factor model of personality traits is not universally useful. d. The presence of democratic values in a culture is associated with introversion. Difficult/Evaluation Closing Section: Individual Differences in Perception Pay Off: The Case of TIAA-CREF 103. TIAA-CREF credits which of the following management practices with helping the organization successfully navigate the 2008 economic collapse? a. Staying the path, even in hard times. b. A commitment to technology and innovation. c. Treating their employees well. d. Considering a diversity of opinions and perspectives. 17 (d) 104. (a) Medium/Comprehension TIAA-CREF considers diversity a key investment criterion because they believe a. a diverse board will be less beholden to management. b. diversity makes for stronger teams. c. a diverse workforce is more representative of the U.S. customer base. d. diversity is more important than productivity. Easy/Comprehension FILL IN THE BLANK 109. Matching candidates to jobs is a key way of ensuring ________ performance and ____________ turnover in the workplace. (high, low) 110. Experts suggest that ____________ answers to questions in applicant-matching software is difficult because the candidate can not predict the desired profile. (faking) 111. The __________ perspective suggests behavior is a function of the person and the situation interacting with each other. (interactionist) 112. When hiring individuals, companies are interested in two types of fit: __________________ and __________________. (person/job, person/organization) 113. Maggie loves routine, repetitive tasks and is very risk averse. She loves working as a cashier. This is an example of person/_________ fit. (job) 114. Mark is interviewing with a Wall Street firm. He notes that employees dress in business suits on a daily basis and address each other by Ms. and Mr. He decides that the firm’s culture is too conservative for him. Mark is concerned about person/_______________ fit. (organization) 115. __________ that are important to people affect the decisions they make, how they perceive their environment, and their actual behavior. (Values) 116. ________ are stable life goals that people have, reflecting what is most important to them. (Values) 117. Broad mindedness, obedience, forgiveness and imagination are examples of _________ values. (instrumental) 118. End states that people desire in life such as a prosperous life are examples of ___________ values. (terminal) 18 119. ___________ suggests that values are arranged in hierarchical order. (Rokeach) 120. ______________ is defined as relatively stable feelings, thoughts, and behavioral patterns a person has. (Personality) 121. A person who is very curious, original, creative and very adaptable to change is high in ________________. (openness) 122. ______________ is the one personality trait that uniformly predicts how high a person’s performance will be across a variety of jobs. (Conscientiousness) 123. People with high __________ are often effective sales representatives. (extraversion) 124. Individuals high in ____________ are often effective managers and tend to demonstrate inspirational leadership behaviors. (extraversion) 125. Individuals high in ___________ are nice, tolerant, kind and warm people who get along well with others and are valuable additions to any team. (agreeableness) 126. A person who is high in ____________ are anxious, irritable, aggressive, temperamental, and moody. (neuroticism) 127. The __________________ is an instrument that groups individuals by type, not trait, and is useful for team-building and training purposes. (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) 128. Stanley always sees “the glass as half empty.” Stanley is probably a ___________ person. (negative affective) 129. Gabrielle is a high _________ _________. She can walk into a meeting and quickly identify the mood and the key interactions between attendees and adapt her behavior accordingly. (self-monitor) 130. Raul is highly respected by his colleagues. When there is a problem, he quickly takes the initiative to find a solution and tries to remove all barriers to success. Raul has a _____________ personality. (proactive) 19 131. “I won’t get this job either. I’ve been on twenty interviews already and I haven’t received one callback. I don’t think I’ll ever get a job. I’m such a failure,” says the graduating college senior. The student is exhibiting low ______ ________. (self-esteem) 132. People with high ______ ______set higher goals for themselves. (self-efficacy) 133. The basketball coach says, “This team has to control its own destiny. You cannot be looking to other teams to lose so you can get into the play-offs. Only we can get ourselves into the tournament. We have to take care of our own house.” The coach likely has _______ ________ ___ _________. (internal locus of control) 134. When people believe that things happen to them because of luck, other people or a higher being, they are classified as high in _________ ___________ ____ ___________. (external locus of control) 135. _______________ could be a serious problem when using personality tests in employee selection because it can change the rank ordering of candidates. (Faking) 136. Harrison was glancing over the list of runners who finished the Boston Marathon and the names of the two runners from his hometown of Richmond, Virginia “jumped” out at him. The phenomenon is an example of the process of ______________ _____________. (selective perception) 137. You are asked to predict how quickly you will run a mile track. You run on a regular basis to stay in shape. You say you will run the track in five minutes. It takes you eight minutes. Your prediction was an example of ___________ __________ bias. (self-enhancement) 138. The assumption that whatever quirks we have are shared by many other people is ____________ __________ ___________. (false consensus error) 139. You are a manager who believes that all young employees “goof off at work.” You therefore limit the number of assignments you give to your young employees. Lately you have noticed that the young employees in your department are texting on their cell phones, playing computer games and just talking to each other quite a bit. This situation is an example of a __________ ____________. (self-fulfilling prophecy) 140. The dramatic drop in sales was discussed at the weekly company meeting. The manufacturing manager kept looking at the production-related aspects of the problem while the marketing manager concentrated on the promotional aspects. 20 __________ ___________ explains why these two managers were focusing on their specific areas and ignoring others. (Selective perception) 141. Since ____________ _____________ are lasting, make sure your résumé is neat in appearance and error free. When interviewing, dress appropriately and greet the interviewer with a firm handshake. (first impressions) 142. Three key factors in understanding attribution are ___________, _____________, and ______________. (consensus, distinctiveness, consistency) 143. Agnes failed her accounting exam and complains that the exam was too difficult. Marta just ignores her because Agnes did not study at all in the three weeks prior to the exam. Marta is making an __________ __________ for Agnes’s failure. (internal attribution) SHORT ANSWERS 144. Name and describe the two types of fit companies are interested in assessing when hiring employees, and describe the relationship between each type of fit and work behaviors. The first type of fit is person/job fit. This is the degree to which a person’s skills, knowledge, abilities and other characteristics match the job demands. Person/organization, the second type of fit, is the degree to which a person’s values, personality, goals and other characteristics match those of the organization. When a person fits his job, there is greater satisfaction with the work environment and better job performance. Further, when there is fit between a person and the organization where he works, he tends to be more committed to his organization and remains at the firm longer. Clearly turnover is costly, so anything that helps avoid it is beneficial to a firm. 145. What is the difference between a terminal value and an instrumental value? What impact does an assessment of employee values have upon a firm? A terminal value is an end state people desire in life, such as leading a prosperous life. An instrumental value, in contrast, is a view on an acceptable mode of conduct such as being ethical. Values that are important to people impact their decisions and behaviors. Further, values are stable aspects of a person’s life that influence their perspective on an ongoing basis. Thus, it would be very beneficial for a firm to recognize its employees’ core values to discern the nature of their behavior in the workplace and to determine whether the job and/or organization provides an opportunity to satisfy the dominant values of the employees. 146. Briefly discuss each of the five personality traits and the usefulness each has for personnel selection. 21 Openness is the degree to which a person is curious, original, intellectual, creative and open to new ideas. People high in openness thrive in jobs and positions where they can be flexible and learn new things. Conscientiousness is the degree to which a person is organized, systematic, punctual, achievement-oriented and dependable. High conscientiousness is the trait most desired by recruiters as it uniformly predicts how high a person’s performance on the job will be. Extraversion is the degree to which a person is outgoing, talkative, sociable, and enjoys being in social situations. These individuals are particularly effective in jobs involving sales. Agreeableness is the degree to which a person is nice, tolerant, sensitive, trusting, kind and warm. Agreeable people help others work consistently; thus they are good team members. Neuroticism is the degree to which a person is anxious, irritable, aggressive, temperamental and moody. These individuals experience a variety of problems at work so identification of them in the interview will help a firm avoid the relationship issues they create as employees. 147. You work with Ben, one of the most negative individuals you have ever met. How can you work more effectively with him? Begin by recognizing the fact that you are not going to change him. A person’s personality is rather stable so criticizing his negativity will not change it. Be open-minded. Just because someone is negative does not mean he is not right. Set a time limit for your conversations with the negative person. Don’t let them consume you. Empower the person to act on the things he complains about. Ask him what he would do to fix the problematic situation. Ask for specifics. Let him provide details of the problem. 148. Explain the difference between self-esteem and self -efficacy. Self-esteem is the overall positive feelings a person holds about himself or herself. Self-efficacy, in contrast, is the belief that a person can perform a task. Self-esteem is a more universal or overall assessment of one’s beliefs while selfefficacy focuses on beliefs related to performance. 149. Horace completed a locus of control survey in his organizational behavior class. The results indicate he has a high internal locus of control. What might he read about the trait in the profile of high locus of control individuals? 22 High internal locus of control individuals believe they control their own destiny and what happens to them is their own doing. Internals tend to act in ways that increase their chances of success. Thus, they initiate relationships with mentors, become more involved at work and demonstrate higher levels of motivation. 150. Differentiate between self-enhancement bias and self-effacement bias. Self-enhancement bias is the tendency for people to overestimate their performance and capabilities and see themselves in a more positive light than others see them. This scenario occurs quite frequently in self-assessment in performance evaluations as individuals, in general, rate themselves higher than either their peers or superiors do. Self-effacement bias is the tendency for people to underestimate their performance and see events that put them in a more negative light. 151. Define the concept of stereotypes and give an example. A stereotype is a generalization based upon group characteristics. The stereotype can be positive, negative or neutral. An example of a stereotype is that women talk too much and that men never ask for directions. Our stereotypes can influence the nature of our communication, decision making and other processes. 152. What is a self-fulfilling prophecy? A self-fulfilling prophecy is when an established stereotype causes one to behave in a certain way, which leads another party to behave in a way that makes the stereotype come true. In a classic example of the self-fulfilling prophecy, an thirdgrade elementary school teacher is told by a second-grade teacher that the students she is sending into his third-grade class next year are very poor readers. The following year, the third-grade teacher teaches reading to the students from the standpoint of being poor readers. When the scores for their first reading test of third-grade are examined, they indicate the students are poor readers. The self-fulfilling prophecy has been fulfilled. ESSAY 153. You are a counselor in the career placement office at your university. Jackie, a business student, recently completed a personality survey. You are reviewing the results and find she has low self-esteem and low- to mid-range self-efficacy. Sketch out some possible steps Jackie can begin to undertake to improve both of these personality dimensions. Individuals with low self-esteem have high levels of self-doubt and frequently question their overall self-worth. Often those with low self-esteem try to become invisible. Thus, Jackie may largely keep to herself at the university, not being part of any clubs or social groups. As a counselor, you might want to encourage her to find a club related to her major and join it, initially attending meetings as a 23 listener and working up to a more participative role. Also, Jackie should attend events on campus where she can meet others and begin to forge ties. Low selfesteem individuals need positive feedback to begin the process of enhancing their self-worth. Putting herself in the aforementioned situations will help Jackie begin to get such feedback. Initial positive feedback from club meetings may be things as simple as smiles of recognition from other club members for regular attendance or acknowledgements of Jackie by those club members when they see her on campus. Later, short conversations will develop both in meetings and on campus as the concept of self-worth will build. Low self-efficacy is the belief that you are unable to perform a specific task successfully. Improving one’s level of self-efficacy begins by placing yourself in the situation where you will have the opportunity to perform the task. Then, set a simple achievable goal for that task. Congratulate yourself on its achievement and set the goal higher the next time you encounter the situation. In Jackie’s case, she may find that she is struggling with finance, as the low grade on her first test indicates. Instead of dropping the course, she might consider a change in study habits, committing herself to reviewing material each day after class and visiting her professor for assistance during office hours. The professor will encourage her as she successfully completes problem sets. Jackie could then set a goal of an average grade on the next exam; as that is achieved, she can continue to place herself in situations where her skills can be honed and tested. 154. You are a member of a human resource department in a large corporation. One of your colleagues has recently developed a personality test he wants to use along with the cognitive abilities test you have been using to select employees for positions in the firm. He has come to you for help in deciding how to validate the test. What recommendations would you give him? Validation involves ensuring that the test measures what it is intended to measure and looks for the relationship (correlation) between the predictor (the personality test) and some standard or measures of success on the job (criteria). You might, therefore, suggest that the personality test be given to current employees. From the group of current employees tested, you would assess who are your best performers and who are not quite as effective. You then would examine the results of the personality test and look for relationships between the personality profiles and the individual employee’s performance level. For example, do you have an employee who has been rated a very high performer over the last few years in the firm and whose personality profile indicates him to be high in conscientiousness, agreeableness and low in neuroticism? If the answer is yes, then you could assume the personality test has some validity because the research suggests that the traits uncovered tend to produce better performers. Similarly, if the personality test indicated a second worker, a manager, was high in neuroticism and you note that his performance appraisal results suggest his subordinates complain that he does not treat them fairly, you can again assume the personality test is valid. It predicted what it was supposed to predict. You also must examine the personality test to ensure it is not discriminating in any manner against any of the groups who are legally protected by their 24 characteristics including race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, and disabilities. 155. Should personality tests be used in the employee selection process? Though turnover in the job is expensive, and enhancing the person/organization and person/job fit is important, companies should exercise caution in using personality tests in selection, as the research on their validity and reliability is mixed. Some experts believe that personality tests predict performance and other criteria such as job satisfaction and thus advocate their usage. Others believe that the nature of the personality tests themselves allow for the job candidate to fake his/her answers and that personality may not actually be such a good predictor of performance anyway. Some studies indicate that personality predicts only 10-15% of the variation in job performance. In short, companies should avoid relying upon personality tests alone in making their selection decisions, but if used in concert with other selection techniques including cognitive ability tests, personality tests may improve the selection decision. 156. You are a career development counselor at your university. You have been instructed by your supervisor to develop a program called, “Tips for Your First Interview.” What are some of the tips you could provide students as they prepare for that first interview? Why are these actions important? It is imperative that students recognize the power of first impressions. It must be emphasized multiple times in the presentation that first impressions are lasting impressions. Before ever meeting with a recruiter, students must recognize that their résumés are extensions of themselves and make impressions just as physical meetings make impressions. Therefore, the program should feature a section on resumes focusing on the necessity of a neat appearance to the document and the criticality of ensuring no errors are found on that resume. Further, cover letters should be addressed to a specific individual, not “To Whom It May Concern.” The program should also highlight the pre-interview preparation as important for establishing a positive first impression. Time should be spent talking about how to dress for success, including mention of jewelry, piercings and hair style. The interviewee must be punctual to the interview. In point of fact, being 10 minutes early is not problematic. If the interviewee is unfamiliar with the location of the firm at which he is interviewing or is unfamiliar with the nature of the traffic in that area, a “dry run” is advised to ensure making the interview in a timely manner when scheduled. Finally, the initial moments of the actual interview should be addressed. It is imperative that students begin their session with a firm handshake and a smile for the interviewer. The program should feature practice in shaking hands. Though it may seem to be a silly exercise to some students, practice is important to avoid awkward moments. 25 The more aspects of the initial interactions between interviewer and interviewee the student is prepared for, the more successful the interview will be. 157. Mario has been the cost accountant for a large manufacturing company for ten years. Over his ten-year tenure, Mario has been an outstanding employee. In fact, twice during that time period, Mario was named “Employee of the Year.” However, over the past four months, Mario’s manager, Marielle, has begun to notice changes in his behavior. Interactions with Mario are often unpleasant. Last week Marielle told Mario about a new project that will begin in one month for which he was named team leader. He did not take the news well, complaining bitterly to Marielle about the amount of work that he had, the extra hours that he is expected to put in with no addition in pay, the nature of the individuals on the teams of which he is a part, and just about everything else happening in the firm. Yesterday, Marielle asked him a question about a project that is to be completed by Friday of this week and received the same lengthy complaints. She is stunned by this behavior since no one else voiced such opinions before, and is attempting to discern its root cause so that Mario can return to his former levels of performance. Marielle overheard two junior level accountants talking about Mario’s son being in trouble at school and also heard in the cafeteria last week that Mario’s wife is suffering from a prolonged illness. Using attribution theory, help Marielle provide a preliminary explanation for the behavior as she prepares to counsel Mario. Mario is behaving in a manner that is very different from his norm, and in fact, is very different than most of the employees in the firm. The constant complaining in the face of relative calm from the other employees suggests Mario is exhibiting low consensus. In ten years, Mario has always been an outstanding performer and never complained about anything. The fact that it is occurring now suggests that high distinctiveness is being exhibited. Finally, every time Marielle speaks to Mario about his work, he complains. Since the two have always had a very pleasant relationship before and since Marielle is beginning to hear of potential issues at home, she may make a preliminary assessment that the personal family issues are beginning to spill over into the workplace for Mario. This is an external attribution and Marielle can now decide exactly how to address these delicate issues in a meeting to offer some support and counseling. 158. What value is added to a firm in knowing the nature of personality traits in other cultures? Diversity in the workforce is a competitive advantage in today’s dynamic, global marketplace. If a firm has an appreciation for market niches available due to the differences in culture, language, sexual orientation, gender, etc., they can address those customers much more effectively by drawing on the diverse nature of its own workforce. Further, since securing a person/job and person/organization fit facilitates performance, and personality helps determine that fit, understanding the nature of personality traits in other cultures is very important. 26 For example, while some countries seem to have a majority of extraverts, as in the United States and Europe, Asia and Africa do not share the same traits. Clearly the nature of sales and marketing will differ in these countries based upon these traits. Similarly, being cognizant of a country’s culture will assist you in competing more effectively in that market. 27 28