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Bosses want you to show up to work with more than just your business clothes on; they prefer you come to work wearing a smile with that suit. The attitude you bring to the job can make or break your career. When you cop a bad attitude at work, you can infect your co-workers with your negative vibes. Negative attitudes -- just like positive ones -- have a direct effect on worker productivity and a company's bottom line.
People with negative attitudes are difficult to work with. They're like vampires who suck the life out of positive ideas and brainstorming sessions. That complainer who only sees the bad in a situation stomps out creativity with the first few words that comes out her mouth. With a person on the team who continually exhibits negativity or complains about everything, employees may hesitate to share ideas that could have positive influences on work and productivity.
Positive attitudes are just as catching as negative ones. A positive attitude has the ability to engage employees in their work. Positive attitudes lead to optimistic exchanges that promote growth and progressiveness. Communication is enhanced, teams perform better, morale is increased and productivity improves. People thrive when they are immersed in a positive experience. They are impelled to achieve more and take ownership of the results.
Every manager has an opportunity to set the workplace "attitude" tone for her staff. The manager who inspires her staff by staying positive creates an environment that encourages creativity and innovation. If she deftly manages that surly co-worker by addressing complaints logically, her staff will feel safe to share their ideas that can improve a company and add to its growth. Employees who feel good about coming to work are more involved in what they do. The company's success becomes personal to the employee and everyone reaps the rewards.
Since 1997, Gallup has conducted surveys polling more than 3 million workers about engagement. In its results, three types of workers have been identified: engaged, not engaged and actively disengaged. The engaged employees -- the ones with the positive mindsets -- are the "builders." The not-engaged workers are neutral, neither positive nor negative, while the actively disengaged workers are considered by Gallup as the "cave dwellers." These cave dwellers with their negative attitudes, Gallup says, "thrive on being part of the problem" instead of helping find solutions, which ultimately lead to productivity.
Chapter 9 True/False 1. The organizational costs associated with poor employee attitudes can severely reduce an organization’s competitiveness. 2. Employee satisfaction, along with high productivity, is a hallmark of well-managed organizations. 3. A key challenge for managers is dealing with employees who increasingly expect to have concern shown for their attitudes and feelings. 4. People are predisposed to be satisfied or dissatisfied, so managers can only partially affect their responses. 5. Job satisfaction typically refers to the attitudes of a group of employees. Ans: False Feedback: Job satisfaction typically refers to the attitudes of a single employee. Page: 220 Difficulty: Medium 6. Group attitudes often conform to those of the strongest group member. Ans: False Feedback: Individuals adapt their attitudes to conform to those of the group, not the reverse. Page: 220 Difficulty: Medium 7. Job satisfaction can be viewed as an overall attitude, or it can apply to the various parts of an individual’s job. 8. Job-related attitudes predispose an employee to behave in certain ways. 9. Managers should average an employee’s high satisfaction rating of one job element with the high dissatisfaction rating of another in order to obtain an “average” rating. Ans: False Feedback: Job satisfaction is best viewed as being multidimensional; managers should not allow an employee’s high satisfaction rating of one job element offset high dissatisfaction on another. Page: 220 Difficulty: Medium 10. Attitudes tend to develop very quickly, usually after a disturbing incident. Ans: False Feedback: Attitudes are generally acquired over a long period of time. Page: 220 Difficulty: Medium 11. Job satisfaction can decline even more quickly than it develops. 12. The nature of a worker’s environment off the job directly influences his or her feelings on the job. Ans: False Feedback: The nature of a worker’s environment off the job indirectly influences his or her feelings on the job. Page: 221 Difficulty: Medium 13. Both individuals and society can benefit if knowledge of organizational behavior is used to build better organizations. 14. The spillover effect only impacts job satisfaction. Ans: False Feedback: the spillover effect occurs in both directions between job and life satisfaction Page: 221 Difficulty: medium 15. Christina has been exhibiting poor concentration at work due to problems at home. This is an example of the life-work balance effect. Ans: False Feedback: this is an example of the spillover effect. Page 221 Difficulty: medium 16. Many “satisfied” employees have simply resigned themselves to their work situation. 17. As workers grow older, they set their job expectations higher. Ans: False Feedback: As workers grow older, they lower their expectations to more realistic levels and adjust themselves better to their work situations. Page: 222 Difficulty: Medium 18. People with higher-level occupations tend to be less satisfied with their jobs. Ans: False Feedback: People with higher-level occupations tend to be more satisfied with their jobs. Page: 222 Difficulty: Medium 19. Evidence suggests that levels of job satisfaction are lower in smaller organizational units. Ans: False Feedback: Levels of job satisfaction tend to be higher in smaller organizational units. Page: 222 Difficulty: Medium 20. Analysis of group relationship allows managers to predict which groups are likely to exhibit problem behaviors associated with dissatisfaction. 21. Affective commitment is an negative emotional state in which employees do not want to exert effort and choose to leave the organization. Ans: False Feedback: Affective commitment is an positive emotional state in which employees want to exert effort and remain with the organization. Page 223 Difficulty: Medium 22. Organizationally committed employees will usually have good attendance records, adhere to company policies and have lower turnover rates. 23. A broader base of job knowledge often translates into loyal customers. 24. Once established, an employee’s feelings about the job are static; they seldom if every change. Ans: False Feedback: An employee’s feelings about the job are highly dynamic; they can change within a day, hour, or minute. Page: 224 Difficulty: Medium 25. Work moods are indirectly affected by managerial actions. Ans: False Feedback: Work moods are directly affected by managerial actions. Page: 224 Difficulty: Medium 26. High satisfaction always leads to high employee performance. Ans: False Feedback: Although many managers cling to this myth, it is an incorrect assumption. Page: 225 Difficulty: Medium 27. Employees who voice their dissatisfaction to their managers often get undue attention. 28. High performance contributes to high job satisfaction. 29. A bonus for striving to diminish the dissatisfaction of certain employees is that all other employees benefit as well. Ans: False Feedback: While managers strive to diminish the dissatisfaction of some employees, they may be simultaneously increasing the dissatisfaction of many others who feel that such special treatment is unfair. Page: 225 Difficulty: Medium 30. The level of satisfaction leads to either greater or lesser commitment, which then affects effort and eventually affects performance again. 31. Devoting effort toward aiding employee performance will likely produce satisfaction and commitment as a by-product. 32. Higher job satisfaction is associated with higher employee turnover. Ans: False Feedback: lower employee turnover Page: 227 Difficulty: easy 33. No one has yet developed a way to predict the likelihood of an individual being fired or quitting within the first 30 days of being hired. Ans: False Feedback: A study of 43,000 job applicants determined that a simple pre-employment questionnaire could predict the likelihood of an individual being fired or quitting within the first 30 days of employment. Page: 228 Difficulty: Medium 34. In addressing turnover, managers should be asking themselves, “Are the right people staying and are the right people departing?” 35. Dissatisfied employees plan to be absent more often than do satisfied employees. Ans: False Feedback: Dissatisfied employees do not necessarily plan to be absent, but they find it easier to respond to the opportunities to do so. Page: 229 Difficulty: Medium 36. Tardiness is another way in which employees physically withdraw from active involvement in the organization. 37. A pattern of tardiness is often a symptom of poor management. Ans: False Feedback: A pattern of tardiness is often a symptom of negative attitudes requiring managerial attention. Page: 230 Difficulty: Medium 38. Employees may justify unethical behavior as a way of re-establishing lost equity. 39. Employee theft is part of a much broader ethical problem in organizations—bending the rules. 40. Work stress can be either the cause of workplace violence or the aftermath of it. 41. Sharing equipment with another worker is a demonstration of organizational citizenship. 42. Organizational citizenship behaviors are usually appreciated by the organization, but are resented by co-workers. Ans: False Feedback: Organizational citizenship behaviors are usually appreciated by both the organization and co-workers. Page: 232 Difficulty: Medium 43. A survey can determine how employees feel about their jobs and on which part of the job those feelings are focused. 44. Surveys can serve as a safety valve that allows people to get things off their chests and later feel better about them. 45. Employee records provide quantifiable data and are a good measure of trends over time. 46. Closed-end questions seek responses from employees in their own words. Ans: False Feedback: Open-end questions seek responses from employees in their own words. Page: 234 Difficulty: Easy 47 A valid instrument will produce consistent results, regardless of who administers it. Ans: False Feedback: A reliable instrument will produce consistent results, regardless of who administers it. Page: 236 Difficulty: Medium 48. A manager should be sure that any instrument used is either valid or reliable. Ans: False Feedback: Any instrument used should be both . Page: 236 Difficulty: Medium 49. In larger organizations, starting a competition between departments is an effective way to encourage managers to take note of satisfaction data. Ans: False Feedback: In larger organizations, making a comparison between departments is an effective way to encourage managers to take note of satisfaction data. Page: 237 Difficulty: Medium 50. A manager’s interest in job satisfaction statistics can be heightened by asking him/her to predict subordinates’ attitudes toward various items and then compare the predictions with survey results. 51. A good practice is to give a survey immense attention for a few weeks and then forget about it until the next survey is run. Ans: False Feedback: It is a mistake to give a survey immense interest for a few weeks and then forget about it until another survey is run. Page: 237 Difficulty: Medium 52. When corrective action is taken as the result of a survey, details of what was done should be shared with employees as soon as possible. 53. If a job satisfaction survey is made, management should be disciplined enough to keep from acting on the results. Ans: False Feedback: If a job satisfaction survey is made, management should be prepared to take action on the results. Page: 238 Difficulty: Easy 54. A sure way to close off future employee opinion is to fail to take action on opinions already given. 55. Company intranets is a useful tool for transmitting attitude survey and results. 56. Gen Y respondents often use an abbreviated language when inputting survey results, creating an unexpected benefit of decreasing processing timing of surveys. Ans: False Feedback: this is actually an unexpected problem. Page: 238 Difficulty: Medium 57. Closely tying rewards to individual or team performance can change employee attitudes in a negative direction. Ans: False Feedback: Closely tying rewards to performance can change employee attitudes in a more favorable direction. Page: 238 Difficulty: Medium 58. Showing appreciation for citizenship behavior can push employee attitudes in a more favorable direction. 59. Whenever possible, managers should hire staff who exhibit positive effectivity. 60. Having co-workers share their attitudes will have no effect on an individual employee’s attitude. Ans: False Feedback: Having an employee’s co-workers share their attitudes can create implicit peer pressure to fall into line. Page: 239 Difficulty: Easy 61. Attitudes influence behavior, but behavior has no effect on attitudes. Ans: False Feedback: Attitudes influence behavior, just as behavior affects attitudes. Page: 239 Difficulty: Medium 62. It is advisable to get employees to change their behavior first; the desired attitude shift will follow later. 63. Higher job involvement leads to higher levels of dedication and productivity in workers. 64. Committed employees are more likely to embrace company values and beliefs. Multiple Choice 1. Managers are vitally interested in the attitudes that employees have toward all of the following except: A) spirituality B) careers C) jobs D) the organization Ans: A Page: 220 Difficulty: Medium 2. People who are optimistic, upbeat, cheerful, and courteous are said to have positive _______________. A) attitude B) affectivity C) influence D) All of the above. Ans: B Page: 220 Difficulty: Medium 3. Attitudes consist of all of the following except: A) Morale B) Feelings C) Thoughts D) Intentions to act Ans: A Page: 220 Difficulty: Medium 5. Fiona is having a difficult time balancing life and work. When she is at her children’s sporting events she is often pulled away to take business calls; at work she feels guilty she isn’t able to be a parent helper in her daughters kindergarten class. This is an example of the __________________ effect. A) work-life balance B) spillover C) environmental D) attitudinal Ans: B Page 221 Difficulty: Medium 6. About _______________ of those in the workplace report that they are reasonably satisfied with their jobs. A) 5 percent B) 25 percent C) 50 percent D) 75 percent Ans: C Page: 222 Difficulty: Medium 7. Job satisfaction across groups is related to all the following key variables except: A) Age B) Educational level C) Occupational level D) Organizational size Ans: B Page: 222 Difficulty: Hard 8. Which of the following is not one of Alex Pattakos’ seven core principles for helping employees find meaning through their work? A) Let the situation guide your attitude B) Identify and commit to meaningful values and goals C) Shift your focus of attention when stressed D) Recognize ways in which you undermine your own happiness Ans: A Page: 223 Difficulty: Medium 9. Which of the following is not a form of organizational commitment? A) Normative B) Attitude C) Affective D) Continuance Ans: B Page: 223 Difficulty: Medium 10. Which of the following is not a visible indicator of a mood? A) Energy B) Vitality C) Enthusiasm D) Attention to detail Ans: D Page: 224 Difficulty: Medium 11. Which of the following is not a stimulating factor for employee commitment? A) Employee participation and autonomy B) Providing support to employees C) Investments in employee training D) Insincere gratitude Ans: D Page: 224 Difficulty: easy 12. Daydreaming on the job is a form of _______________. A) physical withdrawal B) physiological withdrawal C) psychological withdrawal D) None of the above. Ans: C Page: 225 Difficulty: Medium 13. The ___________________ loop is a continuously operating sequence that can lead to better performance and typically leads to higher economic, sociological and psychological rewards. A) Effort – Satisfaction – Performance B) Performance – Effort – Satisfaction C) Performance – Satisfaction – Effort D) Satisfaction – Performance – Effort Ans: C Page 226 Difficulty: Medium 14. According to the text, which is not a negative effect of turnover on an organization? A) separation costs B) vacancy costs C) reengineering costs D) training costs Ans: C Page: 227-228 Difficulty: Medium 15. Which of the following is not a trait associated with a “turnover personality”? A) Introversion B) Bitterness C) Cynicism D) Hedonism Ans: A Page: 228 Difficulty: Medium 16. Employers with lower turnover do all of the following except: A) Watch for early signs of dissatisfaction B) Offer recognition and praise regularly C) Fire disruptive employees as soon as they are identified D) Clarify job expectations Ans: C Page: 229 Difficulty: Medium 17. Voluntary (attitudinal) absences tend to occur most often on _______________. A) Monday and Tuesday B) Monday and Friday C) Thursday and Friday D) There is no pattern to such absences. Ans: B Page: 229 Difficulty: Medium 18. Which ailment is most commonly linked to presenteeism? A) Sinus trouble or allergies B) Migraine headaches C) Acid reflux disease D) Arthritis Ans: A Page: 230 Difficulty: Hard 19. Which of the following would be most likely to cause employees to bend the rules in order to benefit themselves? A) Fear of job loss B) Paying back a favor C) Personal code of conduct D) Damage to reputation Ans: B Page: 231 Difficulty: Medium 20. A job satisfaction survey is a procedure by which employees report their _______________ their jobs and work environment. A) feelings toward B) attitudes toward C) complaints about D) All of the above. Ans: A Page: 232 Difficulty: Medium 21. Which of the following is a benefit of job satisfaction studies? A) A powerful diagnostic instrument B) Identify training needs C) Indicates specific areas of satisfaction or dissatisfaction D) All of the above Ans: D Page 233 Difficulty: Medium 22. Which of the following is not a direct behavioral indicator of job satisfaction. A) Training records B) Turnover C) Absenteeism D) Tardiness Ans: A Page: 234 Difficulty: Easy 23. What are the two types of open-end questions? A) Managed and free-range B) Directed and undirected C) Supervised and unsupervised D) Intuitive and restricted Ans: B Page: 235 Difficulty: Medium 24. Ensuring reliability and validity is easier with _____________ questions. A) closed-ended B) open-ended C) qualitative D) crtiical Ans: A Page 236 Difficulty: Medium 25. Which of the following is not a use of survey information? A) committee review and follow-up B) communicate results C) take action on results D) use comparative data to prevent competition Ans: D Page 237 Difficulty: Medium 26. Which of the following is not a useful tool of the intranet? A) improved response rates B) transmitting attitude survey results C) implement changes over the long run D) welcomes by the younger workforce Ans: C Page: 239 Difficulty: Medium Essay 1. What is it about larger organizations that contributes to job dissatisfaction? 2. Identify three factors that can inhibit employee commitment. 3. Excessive employee turnover can have multiple negative effects on an organization. List four costs related to employee separation and/or vacancy. 4. When does presenteeism occur? 5. How can the response rate to a survey be raised? Ans: The can be raised by requiring that surveys be returned in a short period of time, by sending periodic reminders, by keeping the survey short and easy to understand, or by offering a small incentive. Page: 236 Difficulty: Medium 6. Tighter organizational controls or incentive systems do not always solve theft problems. Why? Ans: Because they are directed at symptoms and not the underlying problems. Page: 230 Difficulty: Hard 7. What are organizational citizenship behaviors? Provide an example of such behavior. Ans: Discretionary actions above and beyond the call of duty that promote the organization’s success. For example, volunteering for extra assignment or sharing equipment with another worker Page: 232 Difficulty: Medium 8. What are the two primary ways in which managers stay in touch with the level of employee satisfaction? 9. What are the two chief advantages of surveys with questions? 10. What is the chief defect of closed-end questions on questionnaires? Ans: None of the responses may be an accurate expression of employees’ real feelings. Page: 235 Difficulty: Medium 11. What is the first step in using job satisfaction information? Page: 236 Difficulty: Hard 12. What is an unexpected problem with intranet responses and Gen Y respondents? Gen Y respondent often respond using an abbreviated language in providing written inputs. This is a combination of shorthand and acronyms used in text messaging and carried over into narrative responses (i.e. Gr8 = great, IHNO – I have no opinion). 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