Final Exam Preparation Questions
1. Is it realistic to expect managers to use organizational behavior theories to manage employees and/or direct reports? What organizational and individual ba
iers will make it challenging to practice organizational behavior in the work environment? Give examples to illustrate the possible consequences for each ba
ier and discuss whether these ba
iers will increase or decrease in importance over the next decade. You must explain your response in detail.
2. Will work motivation theories be useful for employers within the next ten years as firms move towards
expanding their reliance on artificial intelligence and other labor savings technologies? Please explain how firms should think about this, particularly from the perspective of motivation and engagement theories.
3. Describe why constructive conflict might be helpful for firm, unit, and individual performance. In answering this question, please explain how firms should manage conflict unrelated to work (i.e., national politics). Please evaluate the intended and unintended consequences of your proposed actions on the well-being and motivation of the workforce.
4. A problem in organizations is to view individual performance problems as “this person was a hiring
mistake.” What are the short- and long-term consequences of so-called hiring mistakes? How should
organizations deal with so-called hiring mistakes or problem workers who seem to be adapting poorly to
their chosen work roles? What are the costs and benefits of your proposed approach/solutions from both the perspective of the organization and the jobholder? If possible, please relate this question to your own work experiences.
5. In thinking about what has been called an “epidemic of quiet quitting,” please use at least three
organizational behavior or leadership theories to explain why so many U.S. workers are reducing thei
efforts at work. Discuss the fundamental challenges organizations face in managing a more “empoweredto-quit” workforce and then address what might be done to reverse these trends. Comment on whether you believe this paradigm shift requires a fundamental rethinking of how we motivate workers OR whether you believe this epidemic will pass once the economy stabilizes. Be sure to provide a rationale for any position you take.