Chapter 5

1. Unit 5: Behavior in Organizations
Power, Politics, Conflict and Stress
Mrs. Wood
Sports Management

2. What is Organizational Behavior?
• The study of actions that affect performance in
the workplace.
– Organizational behaviorists try to explain and
predict actions in the workplace and show how such
actions affect performance.
• AIM: To attempt to create win-win situations.
– (Win-Win Situations: Situations in which both parties get what
they want).

3. How does it work?
• Our behavior is driven by 3 components:
– Personality
– Perception
– Attitude
• Understanding how these components drive
behavior provide insight into how people will
behave in certain situations.
– BRAINSTORM: Identify an example in sports where
each component illustrates a prediction of an
individuals behavior.

4. Examining the Components:
Personality
• The combination of traits that characterizes an
individual.
– Personality affects our behaviors, perceptions and
attitudes.
– Influential factor in hiring processes. WHY?
• Example:
– Sports Announcers/Broadcasters
• What type of personality does
the ideal announcer possess?
– LIVELY IS KEY!!! MUST BE
EXTROVERTED & IDIOSYNCRATIC.

5. Classifying Personality
• Single Traits System of Personality:
– Focus of control
• Externalizers vs. Internalizers (Destiny Control)
– Optimism
• Optimists vs. Pessimists
– Risk propensity
• Risk takers vs. Risk avoiders
– Machiavellianism
• The degree of abusing power to get what we want.
– Self-esteem – opinion of self character
– Self-efficacy – behaving to achieve goals

6. Classifying Personality
• The Big 5 Personality Traits:
– Extroversion
• Extroverts vs. Introverts
– Agreeableness
• Cooperators vs. Competitors
– Emotionalism
• Emotionally stable vs. Emotionally unstable.
– Conscientiousness
• Responsible/Dependable vs. Irresponsible/Undependable
– Openness to experience
• The degree of willingness to try new things.

7. Examining the Components:
Perception
• The process through which we select, organize and
interpret information from the surrounding environment.
– No 2 people experience anything exactly the same.
– The more accurate information, the more our perception models
reality.
• Example:
– Why do some people think the Yankees are acting fiscally irresponsible
and ruining baseball?
– Why do some of us view a referee’s videotaped decision as fair while
others do not? We all see the same videotaped play, don’t we?
• PERCEPTION IS NOT THE SAME FOR 2 PEOPLE!!!

8. Examining the Components:
Attribution
• The process of determining why we behave certain
ways.
– Everyone of us tries to find reasons behind behavior every day
—our own, those around us, professional athletes and front
office executives—in fact, we do this continually.
• Attribution Process:
1. Identify a behavior
2. Determine Intent (Situational vs. Intentional)
3. Determine Reason for Behavior
4. Determine Behavioral Response

9. Bias In Perception
• Selectivity:
– The manner in which we screen information to favor the
outcome we desire.
• Frame of Reference:
– Our bias of seeing things from our point of view.
• Stereotyping:
– Where the observer projects characteristics or behaviors
of an individual onto a group.

10. Attitudes

11. Attitudes
• Attitudes are positive or negative evaluations
of people, things, and situations.
– Organizations look for people with high self
esteem and positive attitudes toward their careers
and personal lives
• Usually result in employing loyal and reliable workers.

12. How the Attitudes of Management Affect
Performance
• Pygmalion Effect:
– Examines how management’s attitude toward
workers, their expectations of them, and their
treatment of them affect workers’ performance.
– Example:
• John Wooden, the legendary basketball coach at UCLA
(now retired), expected excellence from every player.

13. Management creates a
“Self-Fulfilling Prophecy”
• John Wooden’s teams won ten NCAA national
championships. Wooden constructed his "pyramid
of success" out of such concepts as "keep it simple"
and "teamwork is not a preference, it's a necessity.”

14. Power
• The ability to influence the
actions of others.
TYPES OF POWER
• Position Power
– Power that comes with a management or leadership position.
• Personal Power
– Power that is held by charismatic leaders and influential people.
• All types of power can be lost as quick as it was gained

15. Examples of Power
• Presidents/Owners, Mgmt Personnel
– Myles Brand, president of the NCAA, is thus a
powerful person, as is every effective coach and
athletic director.
• Power of Organizations
– FIFA is a powerful organization because of the
influence it wields around the world.
• Cultural Influences
– Nike is a powerful organization because of its
ability to shape culture (also around the world)
through its products.

16. The Seven Bases of Power
• Coercive power
– Position power that uses threats or punishment to achieve
compliance.
• Connection power
– Personal power that uses a relationship with important people
to influence behaviors/attitudes.
• Reward power
– Position power that uses the ability to influence others by giving
them something of value.
• Legitimate power
– Position power that is given to people by organizations or by
society.

17. The Seven Bases of Power
• Referent power
– Personal power that is voluntarily giving someone power
over you.
• Informational power
– Personal power (sometimes position). Deals with people
who have information or knowledge that others need.
• Expert power
– Personal Power. Deals with people who have expertise or
specialized skills that others need.

18. Political Power
• Politics
– The efforts of groups or individuals with
competing interests to obtain power and
positions of leadership.
• Like power, they can be manipulative and destructive.
• Are a healthy fact of organizational life.
– Aim for the evolution of strong ideas and for the company to
be the “fittest” possible.

19. Types of Political Behaviors
• Networking:
– Developing relationships in order to gain social or
business advantages.
• Reciprocity:
– Using mutual dependence to accomplish objectives.
• Exchanging Favors.
• Coalition:
– An alliance of people with similar objectives who
together have a better chance of achieving their
objectives.

20. Developing Political Skills
• Learn the organizational culture
• Learn the power plays
• Don’t surprise your boss
• Be an honest team player
• Stay tuned to the networking grapevine
• Resolve conflicts

21. Styles of Conflict Management
• Conflict management is based on two dimensions:
– Concern for others’ needs
– Concern for your own needs.
• Results in three types of behavior:
– Passive
– Aggressive
– Assertive.
• Managed through 5 different styles:
– Avoiding, Accommodating, Forcing, Negotiating, &
Collaborating.

22. BCF Statements
• Method of collaboration to resolve conflict that describes
conflicts in terms of behaviors, consequences, and feelings.
– When you do B (behavior), C (consequences) happens,
and you feel F (feelings).
– Example:
• When EA Sports decides not to publish a
comprehensive instruction manual (behavior), I don’t
fare well in my dynasty mode of NCAA 2009
(consequence), and I become very frustrated and
angry at my fantasy life (feelings).

23. Stress
• Stress is our body’s internal reaction to external
stimuli coming from the environment.
• Think of stress as a tug-of-war with you in the
center.
– On your left are ropes (causes of stress) pulling you
to burnout.
– Stress that is too powerful will pull you off center.
– On your right are ropes (stress management
techniques) that you can choose to use to pull you
back to the center.

24. Techniques to Reduce
Stress Management
• Time management
• Nutrition
• Positive thinking
• Relaxation
• Exercise
• Support network