How to use this guide
The second half of organizational behaviour moves from the single employee to the people around them: how choices get made, how groups turn into teams, how messages get lost, who gets their way and why, what to do when interests collide, and what leaders actually do. The questions work the same way as before. You get a short workplace story and must name the idea that explains it, then say what a manager should do. Most lost marks come from look-alike terms: expert vs referent power, avoiding vs yielding, mediation vs arbitration, sunk costs vs prospect theory, storming vs norming.
Topic order. Work the tabs left to right. 07 Decisions covers the rational model and the shortcuts and biases that bend it. 08 Teams covers how teams form, what makes them effective and how they decide. 09 Communication covers the model, channels and barriers. 10 Power covers where power comes from, influence tactics, politics and the dark triad. 11 Conflict covers sources, the five handling styles, third parties and negotiation, with the guide's one number lab (the bargaining zone). 12 Leadership covers the four perspectives and path-goal theory. Then the Chapters 1–5 refresher recaps the midterm material and links to the OBHR 317 Midterm guide for the full treatment.
Inside each chapter: read the idea, try each worked scenario yourself before opening the analysis (they run simplest first), then do the lab. Finish with the Drill until you get several in a row right.
| Level | What it asks | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | One definition, or one part of one model | Which team development stage comes right after storming? |
| Intermediate | Apply one model to a short scenario | A supervisor gets her way by reminding people she signs their timesheets: which power base? |
| Exam level | A full scenario with several parts: name, explain, recommend | Diagnose a feud between two departments and recommend structural fixes |
| Hard | Twists: two models at once, near-miss distractors, working backwards | Is this escalation driven by sunk costs or by prospect theory? Is there a bargaining zone at all? |
The drill starts at Beginner and steps up a level after three correct answers in a row; you can also pick a level yourself. The written questions, multiple choice and flashcards are ordered easy → hard.
The core models
- Rational choice: identify the problem → choose a process → develop alternatives → pick the highest value → implement → evaluate
- Biases: anchoring, availability, representativeness, confirmation bias, implicit favourite, escalation of commitment
- Team development: forming → storming → norming → performing → adjourning
- Channel choice: synchronicity, social presence, social acceptance, media richness
- Power bases: legitimate, reward, coercive (from the position) · expert, referent (from the person)
- Conflict styles: problem solving, forcing, avoiding, yielding, compromising
- Path-goal: directive, supportive, participative, achievement-oriented, chosen to fit the employee and the task
Rules people forget: memorize
- Satisficing = taking the first option that is good enough, not the best one
- Storming is conflict over roles and goals; norming is when shared rules and cohesion appear
- A more cohesive team is only more productive when its norms favour performance
- Filtering is information being trimmed or softened on its way up the hierarchy
- Expert power comes from what you know; referent power from people liking and identifying with you
- Yielding gives the other side what it wants; avoiding sidesteps the issue entirely
- Mediation: the third party runs the process, the parties decide. Arbitration: the third party decides
- Your resistance point should come from your BATNA, your best option if talks fail
Exam format, weight and allowed aids differ between sections and terms. Check your own course outline.
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This is the first section. The full guide has every topic, the labs and the practice questions.
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