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Sikkim Manipal University | MBA-Spring 2010 | MB0038 Management Process & Organization

Behavior | Sem 1

ASSIGNMENT – 02/02NameAyaz Anis AnsariRegistration


No.511025251Learning CentreKarrox Technologies
(Borivali Centre, Mumbai) Learning Centre
Code03092CourseMBASubjectManagement Process & Organization
Behavior - Set 2SemesterSemester 1Module No.MB0038Date of
SubmissionMay 8, 2010Marks AwardedDirectorate of Distance Education
Sikkim Manipal University
II Floor, Syndicate House,
Manipal – 576 104

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Sikkim Manipal University | MBA-Spring 2010 | MB0038 Management Process & Organization
Behavior | Sem 1

Q. 1. What is emotional intelligence? Explain Goleman’s model of


emotional intelligence.

Ans. Emotional Intelligence – EI – is a relatively recent behavioural model, rising to prominence with Daniel
Goleman’s 1995 Book called ‘Emotional Intelligence’. The early Emotional Intelligence theory was originally
developed during the 1970s and 80s by the work and writings of psychologists Howard Gardner (Harvard),
Peter Salovey (Yale) and John ‘Jack’ Mayer (New Hampshire). Emotional Intelligence is increasingly relevant to
organizational development and developing people, because the EI principles provide a new way to understand
and assess people’s behaviours, management styles, attitudes, interpersonal skills, and potential. Emotional
Intelligence is an important consideration in human resources planning, job profiling, recruitment interviewing
and selection, management development, customer relations and customer service, and more.

Ever since the publication of Daniel Goleman’s first book on the topic in 1995, emotional intelligence has
become one of the hottest buzzwords in corporate America. For instance, when the Harvard Business Review
published an article on the topic two years ago, it attracted a higher percentage of readers than any other article
published in that periodical in the last 40 years. When the CEO of Johnson & Johnson read that article, he was
so impressed that he had copies sent out to the 400 top executives in the company worldwide.

"Emotional intelligence is the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating
ourselves, for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships." (Snow, 2001)

Vitello – Cicciu (2002)

“Emotional intelligence is the ability to manage ourselves and our relationship effectively. Each capability is
composed of a set of competencies. Emotional intelligence skills and cognitive skills are synergistic top
performers have both? The more complex the job, the more emotional intelligence matters… Emotional
competencies cluster into groups… each is based on a common underlying emotional intelligence capacity. The
underlying emotional intelligence capacities are vital if people are to successfully learn the competencies
necessary to succeed in the workplace. (For example) if they are deficient in social skills, they will be inept at
persuading or inspiring others, at leading teams or catalyzing change. If they have little self-awareness, they will
be oblivious to their own weaknesses and lack the self confidence that comes from certainty about their
strength. None of us is perfect in using all of the emotional competencies. We inevitably have a profile of
strengths and limits. However, the ingredients for outstanding performance require only that we have strengths
in a given number of these competencies (at least six or so), and that the strengths are spread across all four
areas of emotional intelligence.”

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Sikkim Manipal University | MBA-Spring 2010 | MB0038 Management Process & Organization
Behavior | Sem 1

History of Emotional Intelligence

When psychologists began to write and think about intelligence, they focused on cognitive aspects, such as
memory and problem-solving. However, there were researchers who recognized early on that the non-cognitive
aspects were also important. For instance, David Wechsler defined intelligence as "the aggregate or global
capacity of the individual to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with his environment". As
early as 1940 he referred to "non-intellective" as well as "intellective" elements, by which he meant affective,
personal, and social factors. Furthermore, as early as 1943 Wechsler was proposing that the non-intellective
abilities are essential for predicting one’s ability to succeed in life. He wrote:

The main question is whether non-intellective, that is affective and cognitive abilities, are admissible as factors
of general intelligence. The contention has been that such factors are not only admissible but necessary. I have
tried to show that in addition to intellective there are also definite non-intellective factors that determine
intelligent behaviour. If the foregoing observations are correct, it follows that we cannot expect to measure total
intelligence until our tests also include some measures of the non-intellective factors [Wechsler, 1943)

Wechsler was not the only researcher who saw non-cognitive aspects of intelligence to be important for
adaptation and success. Robert Thorndike, to take another example, was writing about "social intelligence" in
the late thirties. Unfortunately, the work of these early pioneers was largely forgotten or overlooked until 1983
when Howard Gardner began to write about "multiple intelligence." Gardner proposed that "intrapersonal" and
"interpersonal" intelligences are as important as the type of intelligence typically measured by IQ and related
tests.

Now let us switch our historical lens to I/O psychology. In the 1940s, under the direction of Hemphill, the Ohio
State Leadership Studies suggested that "consideration" is an important aspect of effective leadership. More
specifically, this research suggested that leaders who are able to establish "mutual trust, respect, and a certain
warmth and rapport" with members of their group will be more effective. At about the same time, the Office of
Strategic Services developed a process of assessment based on the earlier work of Murray that included the
evaluation of non-cognitive, as well as cognitive, abilities. This process evolved into the "assessment center,"
which was first used in the private sector at AT&T in 1956. Many of the dimensions measured in assessment
centers then and now involve social and emotional competencies such as communication, sensitivity, initiative,
and interpersonal skills.

Emotional Intelligence in Organization

Based on Goleman's work, intelligence in business settings typically manifests itself through four intertwined
characteristics:

• A strong sense of self-empowerment and self-regulation, which together helps employees to make decisions
right on the spot if that should be necessary.

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Sikkim Manipal University | MBA-Spring 2010 | MB0038 Management Process & Organization
Behavior | Sem 1

A positive outlook, promoting constructive responses to the challenges of work

An awareness of your own and other people's feelings, creating empathy and facilitating better conversations
with customers.

A mastery of fear and anxiety and the ability to tap into selfless motives, which make it possible for employees
to express feelings of empathy and caring.

To no small degree, these can be intrinsic features of a human being's personality. Even so, companies –
particularly those with far-flung networks of thousands or even tens of thousands of employees – can take
practical steps to encourage and enhance them.

Companies can begin by hiring emotionally intelligent frontline employees in the first place: a business starts
with an obvious advantage if it can attract people born or brought up with the right emotional instincts for
frontline employment. Many companies can ride on the coattails of others with first-rate customer-facing skills,
since the latter have already identified the most suitable type of employee for the work. More than half of the
branch managers hired by Bank of America in 2004, for instance, came from retailers (such as Best Buy, The
Gap, and Safeway) outside of financial services. According to the bank, "They get the retail mind-set and we get
them to understand banking. They like being up on their feet and don't want to sit behind a desk."

Emotional Intelligence: Indian Perspective:

The importance of both emotion and intelligence in making decisions and achieving success in life was well-
accepted in ancient India. A concept of “Sthitha-prajna” (emotional stability), similar to the concept of emotional
intelligence, can be traced in the second chapter of ‘Srimad Bhagavad-Gita'. Bhagavad Gita is a specific
conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna (third Pandava prince) in a specific situation of Kurukshetra
battlefield. Pandavas were fighting against the Kauravas, the cousin brothers to restore their kingdom from
Kauravas in Kurukshetra. Before the battle started, Arjuna, with deep sorrow and pity, found his close relatives,
friends and respected 'gurus' in enemy's side. To win the battle he was supposed to kill those beloved ones. He
got confused about his rightful duty. Due to this hriday-durbalata (heart-non-strength), he refused to join the
battle. In this context, Lord Krishna who played the role as the driver of Arjuna's chariot, enlightened him about
the eternal truth of life.

According to Lord Krishna, as mentioned in Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna suffered from indecisiveness resulting from
confusion and a false sense of insecurity. Lord Krishna advised Arjuna to become 'Sthitha-prajna' (the steady
minded person). He also told that an individual achieved his/her goal only when the mind became steady,
poised and balanced. Evidently, the concept of “Sthitha-prajna” (the steady-minded person) talked about a
unique interdependence between emotion and intelligence for effective decision-making which was most
essential in excelling in every sphere of life. Gita, as a whole, advises all to balance between intelligence and
emotion.
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Sikkim Manipal University | MBA-Spring 2010 | MB0038 Management Process & Organization
Behavior | Sem 1

Similar views on the role of emotional intelligence as a learning process for achieving a balanced personality in
different stages of life on an inter-generational basis has been depicted in the Vedas. In particular, Dr.
Radhakrishnan, in his book, ‘The Hindu View of Life’ (1927) opined that the attitude of the Vedas is one of trust
tempered by criticism. ‘Trust, because, whatever the older generation hold, may be true, and criticism because,
however, plausible the testimonies of the old views may be, it cannot deny the present of its right to enquire and
sift the evidence’. This view aptly points out the need for emotional intelligence in everyday life to become more
emotionally balanced and functional individuals in society.
‘Emotional intelligence is an aggregate of individuals’ cognition of own and others' emotions, feeling,
interpretation and action as per environmental demand to manipulate the consequence which in turn result in
superior performance and better human relationship’ (Bhattacharya, 2003). Emotional intelligence is a measure
of the degree to which a person makes use of his/her reasoning in the process of emotional responses (both
positive and negative) in a given situation. So having high emotional intelligence doesn't mean that the person
never panics or loses his/her temper. It does mean that he / she brings own feelings under control and channels
them into productive behaviors. The ability to bring out-of-control emotions back into line results in what earlier
generations called emotional maturity.
Goleman’s Model of Emotional Intelligence
Daniel Goleman and the Hay Group have identified a set of competencies that differentiate individuals with
Emotional Intelligence. The competencies fall into four clusters:
Self-Awareness: Capacity for understanding one's emotions, one's strengths, and one's weaknesses.
Self-Management: Capacity for effectively managing one's motives and regulating one's behavior.
Social Awareness: Capacity for understanding what others are saying and feeling and why they feel and act as
they do.
Relationship Management: Capacity for acting in such a way that one is able to get desired results from others
and reach personal goals.
The most popular and accepted mixed model of emotional intelligence is the one proposed by Goleman (1995).
He viewed emotional intelligence as a total of personal and social competences. Personal competence
determines how we manage ourselves, whereas social competence determines how we handle our
interpersonal relationships.
Personal competence
It comprises of three dimensions of emotional intelligence, such as, self-awareness, self-regulation and
motivation. Self-awareness is the ability of an individual to observe him/herself and to recognize 'a feeling as it
happens' (Goleman, 1995). The hallmarks of this ability are self-confidence, self- assessment and openness to
positive criticism. Self-regulation is the ability to control emotions and to redirect those emotions that can have
negative impact. Trustworthiness, integrity, tolerance of ambiguity and attitude to accept change are some
characteristics of this ability. Motivation is the ability to channelize emotion to achieve a goal through self-control
and by moderating impulses as per the requirement of the situation. The people who have this ability are
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optimistic and committed towards organizational as well as individual goals.
Sikkim Manipal University | MBA-Spring 2010 | MB0038 Management Process & Organization
Behavior | Sem 1

Social competence

It comprises of two dimensions namely, empathy and social skills. Empathy is the ability to feel and get
concerned for others, take their perspective and to treat people according to their emotional reactions. People
with this ability are experts in generating and motivating others. Social skills are the ability to build rapport and
to manage relationships with people. People having this skill are very effective in persuasiveness and team
management. ‘Social skill’ is the culmination of all other components of emotional intelligence assuming that
people can effectively manage social and work relationships only when they can understand and control their
own emotion and can emphasize with the feelings of others.

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Sikkim Manipal University | MBA-Spring 2010 | MB0038 Management Process & Organization
Behavior | Sem 1

Q. 2. Discuss the five stage model of group development proposed by


Tuckman.

Ans. The Five-Stage Model

The Five-Stage Model of group development was proposed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965 (initially it was a four
stage but later he added a fifth stage, Adjourning, in the 1970).

Forming: In this stage the members are entering the group. The main concern is to facilitate the entry of the
group members. The individuals entering are concerned with issues such as what the group can offer them,
their needed contribution the similarity in terms of their personal needs, goals and group goals, the acceptable
normative and behavioral standards expected for group membership and recognition for doing the work as a
group member.

Storming: This is a turbulent phase where individuals try to basically form coalitions and cliques to achieve a
desired status within the group. Members also go through the process of identifying to their expected role
requirements in relation to group requirements. In the process, membership expectations tend to get clarified,
and attention shifts toward hurdles coming in the way of attaining group goals. Individuals begin to understand
and appreciate each other’s interpersonal styles, and efforts are made to find ways to accomplish group goals
while also satisfying individual needs.

Norming: From the norming stage of group development, the group really begins to come together as a
coordinated unit. At this point, close relationships develop and the group shows cohesiveness. Group members
will strive to maintain positive balance at this stage.

Performing: The group now becomes capable of dealing with complex tasks and handling internal
disagreements in novel ways. The structure is stable, and members are motivated by group goals and are
generally satisfied. The structure is fully functional and accepted at this stage. Group energy makes a transition
from member’s focus on getting to know and understand each other to performing. For permanent work groups,
performing is the last stage in their development.

Adjourning: A well-integrated group is able to disband, if required, when its work is accomplished, though in
itself it may be a painful process for group members, emotionally. The adjourning stage of group development is
especially important for the many temporary groups that are rampant in today’s workplaces. Members of these
groups must be able to convene quickly, do their jobs on a tight schedule, and then adjourn – often to
reconvene later, whenever required.

Groups do not always proceed clearly from one stage to the next. Sometimes several stages go on
simultaneously, as when groups are storming and performing. Groups may at times regress to earlier stages.
Another problem is that it ignores organizational context. For instance, a study of a cockpit crew in an airliner
found that, within ten minutes, three strangers assigned to fly together for the first time had become a high-
Management Process
performing group. The &rigid
Organization Behavior
organizational context –provides
Set 2 the rules, task definitions,
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information, and
resources required for the group to perform, effectively.
Sikkim Manipal University | MBA-Spring 2010 | MB0038 Management Process & Organization
Behavior | Sem 1

Q. 3. What are the possible sources of organizational conflict? Explain.

Ans. Sources of Organizational Conflict: Prominent among the sources of conflict in organizations are:

Line and Staff Competition: The growth of highly specialized, creative, well-educated staff poses unique
problems for line managers. Faced with a growing dependence on staff, line managers must adjust to a
reduction in organizational power and prestige. Conflict in most organizations persists between line and staff
because it is virtually impossible to define precisely the responsibility and authority relationships between the
two.

Organization-Individual Disagreements: From one perspective, the conflict between the organization and the
individual centres around the individual’s failure to fulfil the organization’s expectations regarding productivity or
compliance with rules. From another, the conflict is often seen as resulting from excessive organizational
demands. Such conflict may be overt or hidden from view, depending on the perception each side has of the
power of the other.

Overlapping Responsibilities: Organizations constantly change in response to personnel turnover, expansion


or contraction, the adoption of new policies, changes in external environment, and so on. As a result, it is
impossible to establish job responsibilities once and for all. When a change occurs, one person reaches out to
assume more responsibility, another retrenches and still another tentatively assumes responsibility for certain
functions without knowing definitely who should be performing them. Thus, the stage is set for conflict.

Functional Interdependence: Conflicts between an organization’s functional units, such as sales, accounting
and manufacturing are commonplace. The sales department is at odds with manufacturing because quality is
too low or prices are too high to meet the competition. Although departments are separated on the basis of
function, they can never function as completely autonomous units. They must somehow resist the constant urge
to view the organization in terms of their narrow self-interests.

Personality Clashes: Individual differences in such personal qualities as values, attitudes, abilities and
personality traits are often the cause of conflict. Two managers may learn to despise each other thoroughly for
reasons totally unrelated to their work, but their performance on the job may suffer because of it.

Disagreement over Goals: Conflict among managers is often caused by the fact that there is poor agreement
over goals. Perhaps, an even more common source of conflict is the clash of the personal goals of managers
and employees with the goals of the organization.

Bottlenecks in the Flow of Work: Line supervisors in manufacturing must meet production deadlines, but they
are dependent upon production schedules, warehousing shipping, and others for effective performance. A
bottleneck at any point can prevent the line supervisors from being effective and is quite naturally an occasion
for interpersonal conflict.
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Sikkim Manipal University | MBA-Spring 2010 | MB0038 Management Process & Organization
Behavior | Sem 1

Q. 4. The environmental stressors have a great impact on work


performance and adjustment of the individual in an organization. Discuss
the different categories of environmental stressors.
Ans. Environmental Stressors

Environmental and internal conditions that lie beyond an individual’s control are called environmental stressors.
Such stressors can have a considerable impact on work performance and adjustment. We can organize
environmental stressors into the following categories:

Task Demands: Task demands are factors related to a person’s job. They include the design of the individual’s
job, working conditions, and the physical work layout. Changes and lack of control are two of the most stressful
demands people face at work. Change leads to uncertainty, a lack of predictability in a person’s daily tasks and
activities and may be caused by job insecurity related to difficult economic times. Technology and technological
innovation also create change and uncertainty for many employees, requiring adjustments in training, education
and skill development.

Lack of control is a second major source of stress, especially in work environments that are difficult and
psychologically demanding. The lack of control may be caused by inability to influence the timing of tasks and
activities, to select tools or methods for accomplishing the work, to make decisions that influence work
outcomes, or to exercise direct action to affect the work outcomes.

Role Demands: The social-psychological demands of the work environment may be every bit as stressful as
task demands at work. Role demands relate to pressures placed on a person as a function of the particular role
he or she plays in the organization. Role conflicts create expectations that may be hard to reconcile or satisfy.
Role conflict results from inconsistent or incompatible expectations communicated to a person. The conflict may
be an inter-role, intra-role or person-role conflict.

Inter-role Conflict: is caused by conflicting expectations related to two separate roles, such as employee and
parent. For example, the employee with a major sales presentation on Monday and a sick child at home is likely
to experience inter-role conflict,

Intra-role Conflict: is caused by conflicting expectations related to a single role, such as employee. For
example, the manager who presses employees for both very fast work and high-quality work may be viewed at
some point as creating a conflict for employees.

Person-role Conflict: Ethics violations are likely to cause person-role conflicts. Employees expected to behave
in ways that violate personal values, beliefs or principles experience conflict.

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Sikkim Manipal University | MBA-Spring 2010 | MB0038 Management Process & Organization
Behavior | Sem 1

The second major cause of role stress is role ambiguity. Role ambiguity is created when role expectations are
not clearly understood and the employee is not sure what he or she is to do. Role ambiguity is the confusion a
person experiences related to the expectations of others. Role ambiguity may be caused by not understanding
what is expected, not knowing how to do it, or not knowing the result of failure to do it.
Inter-personal Demands: are pressures created by other employees. Lack of social support from colleagues
and poor interpersonal relationships can cause considerable stress, especially among employees with a high
social need. Abrasive personalities, sexual harassment and the leadership style in the organization are
interpersonal demands for people at work.
The Abrasive Person: May be an able and talented employee, but one who creates emotional waves that
others at work must accommodate.
Sexual Harassment: The vast majority of sexual harassment is directed at women in the workplace, creating a
stressful working environment for the person being harassed, as well as for others.
Leadership Styles: Whether authoritarian or participative, create stress for different personality types.
Employees who feel secure with firm, directive leadership may be anxious with an open, participative style.
Those comfortable with participative leadership may feel restrained by a directive style.
Physical Demands: Non-work demands create stress for people, which carry over into the work environment
or vice versa. Workers subject to family demands related to marriage, child rearing and parental care may
create role conflicts or overloads that are difficult to manage. In addition to family demands, people have
personal demands related to non-work organizational commitments such as religious and public service
organizations. These demands become more or less stressful, depending on their compatibility with the
person’s work and family life and their capacity to provide alternative satisfactions for the person.

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Sikkim Manipal University | MBA-Spring 2010 | MB0038 Management Process & Organization
Behavior | Sem 1

Q. 5. Given below are certain instances observed by a summer trainee –


Ritu, while doing an observational study at Phoenix consultants. An
organization dealing with recycling of plastic products waste etc. She
makes the following observations about two key people in the
organization.
Mr. Shah – He is a very friendly person and encourages his team
members by giving them recommendations and appreciation. This helps
HR to decide about giving a bonus or promotion to employees.
Mr. Parhi - He is an aggressive person. He frequently loses his temper.
Ritu observes that he frequently punishes the non-performers and also
gives them warnings regarding suspension etc.
Now explain what base of power Mr. Shah and Mr. Parhi belong to.
Explain the type of power they use often.
Ans. Mr Parhi uses Coercive Power and Mr Shah uses Reward Power.

Coercive Power:

The coercive power base is being dependent on fear. It is based on the application, or the threat of application,
of physical sanctions such as the infliction of pain, the generation of frustration through restriction of movement,
or the controlling by force of basic physiological or safety needs. In an organization one can exercise power
over another if they have the power to dismiss, suspend, demote another assuming that the job is valuable to
the person on whom power is being unleashed.

Reward Power:

The opposite of coercive power is reward power. Reward power is the extent to which a manager can use
extrinsic and intrinsic rewards to control other people. Examples of such rewards include money, promotions,
compliments, or enriched jobs. Although all managers have some access to rewards, success in accessing and
utilizing rewards to achieve influence varies according to the skills of the manager.

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