BUS 3451, Organizational Theory and Behavior 1 Course Learning Outcomes for Unit IV Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to: 1. Elaborate on the rational choice paradigm. 2. Explain why people differ from the rational choice paradigm when identifying problems/opportunities, evaluating/choosing alternatives, and evaluating decision outcomes. 3. Discuss the roles of emotions and intuition in decision making. 4. Determine employee characteristics, workplace conditions, and specific activities that support creativity. 5. Identify the benefits of employee involvement and the four contingencies that affect the optimal level of employee involvement. 6. Explain the benefits and limitations of teams and why employees join informal groups. 7. Discuss team competencies (teamwork, cohesion, and virtual teams). Unit Lesson Decision Making, Creativity, and Team Dynamics When we have to identify a problem, it is difficult but highly effective to view the problem as an opportunity. More and more organizations are doing exactly this as they develop training programs and examine issues that arise. In this unit, we will learn about the rational choice paradigm, which is helpful to decision making. Managing people is an art as well as a science, and when a manager can explain why people differ in opinions as they evaluate opportunities, issues, and outcomes, they will find that subordinates come to trust their open- mindedness. Simply listening is a major influence on people, but gaining their knowledge is what empowers a person in a leadership position to best identify the problem. Also, important to decision-making are the roles of creativity and control of one’s emotions. Imagine a situation where a manager did not support creativity. Where would Apple or Facebook be without the creative involvement of its organization? As we discuss aspects of successful, self-directed teams and virtual teams, we will uncover the value of many areas of the organization such as individual employee characteristics, workplace conditions, and specific activities that support creativity. Look at the case studies at the end of Chapter 7 to view many aspects of employee involvement and creative outcomes in real-life situations. As we identify the benefits of employee involvement, we will examine many contingencies that affect the optimal level of employee involvement such as those outlined in the textbook. Have you ever worked in a company where the boss did not control over his/her team simply because he/she did not lead? This occurs often, and silent or servant leaders arise. These leaders might not be the manager or director, Reading Assignment Chapter 7: Decision Making and Creativity Chapter 8: Team Dynamics Suggested Reading See information below. Learning Activities (Non-Graded) See information below. Key Terms 1. Creativity 2. Decision making 3. Diverg ...

1. BUS 3451, Organizational Theory and Behavior 1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit IV
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
1. Elaborate on the rational choice paradigm.
2. Explain why people differ from the rational choice paradigm
when identifying
problems/opportunities, evaluating/choosing alternatives, and
evaluating
decision outcomes.
3. Discuss the roles of emotions and intuition in decision
making.
4. Determine employee characteristics, workplace conditions,
and specific
activities that support creativity.
5. Identify the benefits of employee involvement and the four
contingencies that
affect the optimal level of employee involvement.
6. Explain the benefits and limitations of teams and why

2. employees join informal
groups.
7. Discuss team competencies (teamwork, cohesion, and virtual
teams).
Unit Lesson
Decision Making, Creativity, and Team Dynamics
When we have to identify a problem, it is difficult but highly
effective to view the
problem as an opportunity. More and more organizations are
doing exactly this as
they develop training programs and examine issues that arise.
In this unit, we will learn about the rational choice paradigm,
which is helpful to
decision making. Managing people is an art as well as a science,
and when a
manager can explain why people differ in opinions as they
evaluate opportunities,
issues, and outcomes, they will find that subordinates come to
trust their open-
mindedness. Simply listening is a major influence on people,
but gaining their
knowledge is what empowers a person in a leadership position
to best identify the
problem. Also, important to decision-making are the roles of
creativity and control of
one’s emotions. Imagine a situation where a manager did not
support creativity.
Where would Apple or Facebook be without the creative
involvement of its
organization?

3. As we discuss aspects of successful, self-directed teams and
virtual teams, we will
uncover the value of many areas of the organization such as
individual employee
characteristics, workplace conditions, and specific activities
that support creativity.
Look at the case studies at the end of Chapter 7 to view many
aspects of employee
involvement and creative outcomes in real-life situations.
As we identify the benefits of employee involvement, we will
examine many
contingencies that affect the optimal level of employee
involvement such as those
outlined in the textbook. Have you ever worked in a company
where the boss did not
control over his/her team simply because he/she did not lead?
This occurs often, and
silent or servant leaders arise. These leaders might not be the
manager or director,
Reading
Assignment
Chapter 7:
Decision Making and
Creativity
Chapter 8:
Team Dynamics
Suggested Reading

4. See information below.
Learning Activities
(Non-Graded)
See information below.
Key Terms
1. Creativity
2. Decision making
3. Divergent thinking
4. Employee
involvement
5. Escalation of
commitment
6. Implicit favorite
7. Intuition
8. Prospect theory effect
9. Rational choice
paradigm
UNIT IV STUDY GUIDE
Decision Making, Creativity, & Team
Dynamics

5. BUS 3451, Organizational Theory and Behavior 2
but they are the ones who decide to take action. Think of a
bakery where the supplies
run out every week because the baker is not disciplined enough
to keep up with the
amount of supplies used and fails to order new ones. Here, a
cashier might take the
initiative to place weekly orders. In this case, the functionality
is cooperative to the end
goal. In another scenario, a school principal who does not take
action regarding a
teacher’s excess tardiness might affect the level of morale and
timeliness overall.
There are also personalities that sometimes take over; we have
all seen them. They
are the charismatic or gregarious people who take the soapbox
and say insubordinate
things about the leadership or the management. Those who take
on such
unacknowledged lead roles (such as judging and other
personality factors) blatantly
discourage others in the workplace. The effect is clear, but the
solution sometimes is
not.
Teams
Have you worked with a team before that you could categorize
as effective or
ineffective? Chances are you have, and you can reflect upon
each person’s

6. contributions individually. Their characteristics or behaviors
may be something you
can categorize using the five C’s model of effective team
members depicted in Exhibit
8.4 on page 234 of the textbook.
Virtual Teams
Teams that are connected via technology in order to achieve
organizational tasks can
be effective and particularly cohesive. Time management tends
to be strong, and
because of this and other benefits, virtual teams are becoming
very popular in every
industry. Some people believe that as the business, education,
and political worlds
become more global, virtual teams become more necessary. Do
you agree?
Reference
McShane, S. L., & Von Glinow, M. A. (2013). Organizational
behavior (6th ed.).
New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Suggested Reading
Click here for the Chapter 7 Presentation in PowerPoint form.
Click here to access a
PDF version of the presentation.

7. Click here for the Chapter 8 Presentation in PowerPoint form.
Click here to access a
PDF version of the presentation.
Using the Waldorf Online Library, locate and read the following
article. Look for this
article using the Academic OneFile Database:
Shin, S.-Y., Park, W.-W., & Lim, H. S. (2013). What makes
small- and medium-sized
enterprises promote organizational creativity: The contingency
perspective.
Social Behavior and Personality: An international journal,
41(1), 71+.
Learning Activities (Non-Graded)
Intuition is both an emotional experience and a non-conscious
analytic process. One
problem, however, is that not all emotions signaling that there
is a problem or
opportunity represent intuition.
https://online.waldorf.edu/CSU_Content/Waldorf_Content/ZUL
U/Business/BUS/BUS3451/W13kc/Chap007.ppsx
https://online.waldorf.edu/CSU_Content/Waldorf_Content/ZUL
U/Business/BUS/BUS3451/W13kc/Chap007.pdf
https://online.waldorf.edu/CSU_Content/Waldorf_Content/ZUL
U/Business/BUS/BUS3451/W13kc/Chap008.ppsx
https://online.waldorf.edu/CSU_Content/Waldorf_Content/ZUL
U/Business/BUS/BUS3451/W13kc/Chap008.pdf

8. BUS 3451, Organizational Theory and Behavior 3
Review Chapter 7 of McShane and Von Glinow (2013). Citing
knowledge from the
textbook, explain how we would know if our gut feelings are
intuition or not, and if not
intuition, suggest what might be causing them. Share a personal
or professional story
that relates to these concepts.
Your review should be written as standard essay form with a
minimum of 300 words in
APA format.
Non-graded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in
their course of study.
You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact
your instructor for
further guidance and information.
Unit 4
Question
Describe some of the aspects of successful, self-directed teams
and virtual teams. Share an example of a team you have worked
with and how these aspects were and/or were not present.
Include one aspect that was not present that you wish had been
a characteristic of the team; how would it have changed things?
Question 1
Discuss the benefits and limitations of teams, and explain why

9. employees join informal groups. Apply one of these to a real
life professional or personal experience involving creativity in
your life (from childhood to adulthood). Your response should
be at least 200 words in length.
Question 2
Describe the rational choice paradigm, and apply it to a real life
professional or personal experience. Your response should be at
least 200 words in length.
Question 3
Describe the benefits of employee involvement, and identify the
four contingencies that affect the optimal level of employee
involvement. Your response should be at least 200 words in
length.
Question 4
Discuss the roles of emotions and intuition in decision-making,
and apply it to a real life professional or personal experience
other than the one you shared in the non-graded learning
activity. Your response should be at least 200 words in length.