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country with pagan beliefs. How would you decide whether it’s necessary to respond to the
situation? If you decide to intervene, what would your response be?
V. EMOTIONS
A. Positive and Negative Emotions
1. An emotion can be thought of as a mental state that arises spontaneously within a
person based on interaction with the environment rather than through a conscious
effort and is often accompanied by physiological changes or sensations.
2. Managers can influence whether people experience primarily positive or negative
emotions at work. As a result of emotional contagion, the emotional state of the
Exhibit 10.10: Positive and Negative Emotions
B. Emotional Intelligence
1. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) includes four basic components.
a. Self-awareness means being aware of what you are feeling. It is the basis for all
the other components.
b. Self-management refers to the ability to control disruptive or harmful emotions
Benchmarking: Eric Krebs
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One of the most important lessons Eric Krebs has learned in his years as an Off-Broadway
producer is: Don’t anger easily. Recently he got an email that showed what can happen if you let
3. Employee fears over terrorism, the war in Iraq, and economic hardship have made
4. EQ can be learned and developed over the course of one’s life.
New Manager Self-Test: What’s Your EQ?
Understanding oneself and others is a major part of a new manager’s job. The important thing as
VI. LEARNING
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Learning is a change in behavior or performance that occurs as the result of experience.
A. The Learning Process
Exhibit 10.11: The Experiential Learning Cycle
1. One model of the learning process depicts learning as a four-stage cycle.
a. A person encounters a concrete experience, followed by thinking and reflective
2. People test their conceptualizations and adapt them as a result of their reflections and
observations about their experiences.
B. Learning Styles
Exhibit 10.12: What’s Your Learning Style?
1. Individuals develop personal learning styles that vary in terms of how much they
emphasize each stage of the learning cycle.
Discussion Question #10: Review Exhibit 10.12. Which learning style best characterizes you?
How can you use this understanding to improve your learning ability? To improve your
management skills?
VII. STRESS AND STRESS MANAGEMENT
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Stress is a physiological and emotional response to stimuli that place physical or psychological
demands on an individual and create uncertainty and lack of control when important outcomes
are at stake. These stimuli, called stressors, produce some combination of frustration and
anxiety.
A. Type A and Type B Behavior
1. Researchers have categorized people as having one of two behavior patterns.
a. Type A Behavior is a behavior pattern characterized by extreme competitiveness,
2. Type A individuals can be powerful forces for innovation and leadership within their
organizations.
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B. Causes of Work Stress
1. Managers can better cope with stress and establish ways to help employees cope if
they define the conditions that produce work stress.
2. One way to identify work stressors is to think about stress caused by job tasks and
stress caused by interpersonal demands.
a. Task demands arise from holding a particular job: decisions made under time
c. Interpersonal demands are stressors associated with relationships in the
organization.
Exhibit 10.13: How Managers Create Stress for Employees
C. Innovative Responses to Stress Management
1. Because many consequences of stress are negative, managers need to participate in
stress management for themselves and for their employees.
2. Enlightened companies support healthful habits to help employees manage stress and
be more productive.
a. Stress costs businesses billions of dollars a year in absenteeism, lower
3. Companies also develop other programs aimed specifically at helping employees
reduce stress and lead healthier, more balanced lives.
a. Some companies have designated quiet rooms or meditation centers where
employees can take short, calming breaks at any time they feel the need.
4. Managers’ attitudes make a tremendous difference in whether employees are stressed
out and unhappy or relaxed, energetic, and productive.
Answers to Discussion Questions
1. As a manager, how might you deal with an employee who is always displaying negative
emotions that affect the rest of the team? How might you use an understanding of attribution
theory and emotional contagion to help you decide what to do?
The first thing a manager might do in this situation would be to sit down with the employee to
discuss the reasons for the person’s negative emotions. Of course, the manager would have to be
2. In what ways might the cognitive and affective components of attitude influence the behavior
of employees who are faced with learning an entirely new set of computer-related skills in
order to retain their jobs at a manufacturing facility?
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The cognitive component of an attitude includes the beliefs, opinions, and information the person
3. The chapter suggests that optimism is an important characteristic for a manager, yet some
employees complain that optimistic managers cause them significant stress because they
expect their subordinates to meet unreasonable goals or expectations. How might an
employee deal with a perpetually optimistic manager?
The best way to deal with a perpetually optimistic manager whose goals or expectations are
unreasonable is probably to provide that manager with “hard data” – factual information related
4. How might a manager be able to use an understanding of perceptual selectivity and
perceptual organization to communicate more effectively with subordinates?
Managers can use an understanding of perceptual selectivity and perceptual organization to
5. In the Big Five personality factors, extroversion is considered a “good” quality to have.
Why might introversion be an equally positive quality?
Personalities influence behavior at work. It is estimated that three out of every four individuals
6. Surveys by the Conference Board show that job satisfaction has declined from 61 percent of
people surveyed in 1987 to 45 percent in 2009, and one workplace analyst has said a high
level of dissatisfaction is “the new normal”. What are some factors that might explain this
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decline in satisfaction levels? Do you think it is possible for managers to reverse the trend?
Discuss.
One possible factor is that work is increasingly knowledge-based, and the outputs of knowledge-
based work are less tangible than those of more materially-based work such as manufacturing
7. Which of the four components of emotional intelligence do you consider most important to an
effective manager in today’s world? Why?
The four components of emotional intelligence include self-awareness, self-management, social
awareness, and relationship awareness. The most effective of those in today’s world for
8. How might understanding whether an employee has an internal or an external locus of
control help a manager better communicate with, motivate, and lead the employee?
People differ in terms of what they tend to attribute as the cause of their success or failure. Their
locus of control defines whether they place the primary responsibility within themselves or on
9. You are a manager, and you realize that one of your employees repeatedly teases coworkers
born in another country, saying that they come from a backward country with pagan beliefs.
How would you decide whether it’s necessary to respond to the situation? If you decide to
intervene, what would your response be?
There are really two entirely separate issues here. The first half of the question deals with
attitudes and stereotypes, and inappropriate behavior. There can be no question that suggesting
10. Review Exhibit 10.12. Which learning style best characterizes you? How can you use this
understanding to improve your learning ability? To improve your management skills?
11. Why do you think workplace stress seems to be skyrocketing? Do you think it is a trend that
will continue? Explain the reasons for your answer. Do you think it is the responsibility of
managers and organizations to help employees manage stress? Why or why not?
Workplace stress is skyrocketing, in part, because the advancements in technology that were at
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TEACHING NOTES FOR LEARNING EXERCISES
Self Learning: Personality Assessment: Jung’s Typology
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), based on the work of psychologist Carl Jung, is the
most widely used personality assessment instrument in the world. No one is a pure type;
Group Learning: Attribution Theory and Personality Role Play
After reading the background information presented in the exercise, students gather in groups to
discuss why one driver makes so many mistakes. Then, one person volunteers to play the role of
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Action Learning
Students complete the table provided in the exercise, assessing their family members according
to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, then talk over their assessments with a family member, then
discuss their assessments with classmates in small groups in class.
TEACHING NOTE FOR ETHICAL DILEMMA
Should I Fudge the Numbers?
1. Make the previous numbers work. Kristin and the entire team have put massive amounts of
time into the project and they all expect you to be a team player. You don’t want to let them
down. Besides, this project is a great opportunity for you in a highly visible position.
2. Stick to your principles and refuse to fudge the numbers. Tell Kristin you will work overtime
to help develop an alternate proposal that stays within the budget by providing more training
to employees who work directly with customers and fewer training hours for those who don’t
have direct customer contact.
3. Go to the team and tell them what you’ve been asked to do. If they refuse to support you,
threaten to reveal the true numbers to the CEO and board members.
CASE FOR CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Reflex Systems
1. What personality and behavior characteristics does Henry Rankin exhibit? Do you think
these contribute to a good person-job fit? If you were an executive coach hired to help
Rankin be a better manager, what would you say to him? Why?
Henry Rankin demonstrates the personality trait of high internal locus of control. He believes
that his actions can strongly influence what happens to him and feels in control of his own fate.
Many top leaders of e-commerce and high-tech organizations have a high internal locus of
control. Research has shown that people with an internal locus of control are easier to motivate,
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2. Does Rankin display type A or type B behavior? What are the causes of stress for his team?
Rankin displays type A behavior, a pattern characterized by extreme competitiveness,
3. If you were Rankin, how would you have handled your team members (Sally Phillips, Bob
Finley, and Lynne Johnston)? Be specific. What insights or behaviors would make Rankin
a better manager?
Sally Phillips would have stayed with the company had Rankin made her feel valued. She had to
ask for feedback about her performance instead of having Rankin give her frequent feedback on
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ON THE JOB VIDEO CASE
Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams: Understanding Individual Behavior
1. Which component of attitudes doe Vice President Dan Gauthreaux express when he says, “I
think you can learn from any job you do and try to make the best of it”?
Attitudes are comprised of cognitions (thoughts), affects (feelings), and behavior. When HR
2. How did Kim Clay’s organizational citizenship behavior lead to the creation of a new
computer help desk at MG+BW?
Organizational citizenship refers to the tendency of some employees to help others and put in
3. What role did management play in fostering Kim Clay’s high organizational commitment? In
what ways does this commitment benefit the organization?
Organizational commitment refers to an employee’s loyalty to, and involvement in, an
organization. It is characterized by a belief in the company’s goals, a concern for the company’s
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BIZFLIX VIDEO CASE
Because I Said So
Video Case Synopsis
Meet Daphne Wilder (Diane Keaton)your typical meddling, overprotective, and divorced
mother of three daughters. Two of her three beautiful daughters have married. That leaves Millie
(Mandy Moore) as the focus of Daphne’s undivided attention and compulsive behavior to find
Millie a mate. Daphne places some online advertising, screens the applicants, and submits those
she approves to Millie. Along the way, Daphne meets Joe (Stephen Collins), the father of one
applicant. Romance emerges and the film comes to a delightful though expected conclusion.
This scene starts after Daphne answers her cellular telephone and says the person has the wrong
number. It follows the frantic rearrangement of the sofa, which ends up in the same place it
started. The film cuts to Millie and Jason (Tom Everett Scott) dining at his place.
Video Case Discussion Questions and Suggested Answers
1. Which Big Five personality traits best describe Daphne? Give examples of behavior from the
film scene to support your observations.
Daphne clearly appears high in extraversion in this scene as evidenced by her fast overt
2. Which Big Five personality traits best describe Millie? Give examples of behavior from the
film scene to support your observations.
3. Review the discussion of emotional intelligence earlier in this chapter. Assess both Daphne
and Millie on the four parts of emotional intelligence.
Both Daphne and Millie know who they are (self-awareness) although Daphne shows less of