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Organizations and Cultures
Learning Unit 3: Understanding relations within organizations
To understand organizations it is mandatory to acknowledge first that any
organization is composed by individuals whose behavior shapes relationships
within it, as well as the way the organization relates to other institutions and the
environment in which it performs.
Activity 4: Personality, Perceptions and Attributions.
Learning outcomes By developing this activity, you will learn the key definitions and theories relating
to personality, perception and attribution, in order to understand its influence at
the workplace. You will also analyze the cultural implications of the studied
concepts considering a specific cultural group.
Learning Activities - understanding individual behavior
Every organization is made out of individuals. In order to understand how
organizations work, it is required to analyze first the behavior of its individual
members.
What is personality? Can you understand why individuals behave in a certain
way?
How does perception work? What are the main barriers and elements that
influence the perception process?
Do you attribute your behavior to internal or external factors? Why?
Work plan 1. Review the key concepts by reading chapter 3 of the book
Organizations and Cultures
“Organizational Behavior: Science, The Real World and You”. Make sure
you have a clear understanding of the key concepts listed below (See the
key concepts section).
2. Read the article “Enhanced external and culturally sensitive attributions
after extended intercultural contact.” Identify the application of attribution
theories and concepts to the study. Keep in mind the following question:
o Why is that we tend to attribute other’s behavior to internal causes
and our own behavior to external causes?
• Forum: join the forum named “Attributions and Cultural Sensitivity” and
participate actively in the discussion proposed by the tutor.
• Wiki: research and write in your wiki about personality, perception and/or
attributions in organizations in the context of the specific cultural group
assigned for this project. The following questions may be useful when
writing in your Wiki:
ü What role does personality play in the organizations?
ü Are stereotypes and perception barriers present in the organizations?
ü Is behavior of individuals attributed to internal or external reasons?
Key Concepts
• Personality
o Trait theory
o Psychodynamic theory
o Humanistic theory
o Integrative approach
o Locus of control
o Self-esteem
o Self-monitoring
o Positive-negative affect
Organizations and Cultures
• Perception
o Perceiver, target, barriers
o Selective perception
o Stereotypes
o First impression error
o Self-fulfilling prophecy
o Impression management
• Attribution
o Internal attribution
o External attribution
o Fundamental attribution error
o Self-serving bias
o Ultimate attribution error
o Correspondence bias
Learning resources • Nelson, Debra L. and Quick, James Campbell. 2011. ORGB 2. South-
Western Cengage Learning, Mason, USA. Chapter 3.
• Vollhardt, J. (2010). Enhanced external and culturally sensitive
attributions after extended intercultural contact. British Journal of Social
Psychology, 49(2), 363-383. doi:10.1348/014466609X459899.
Available at:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=52425
499&lang=es&site=ehost-live [January, 2014]
Organizations and Cultures
Further Reading
• Power point presentation by South-Western College Publishing.
Available at: http://www.swcollege.com/management/nelson-
quick/powerpoint/ch03.ppt. [January, 2014]
• If you want to reflect about the role of perception in management, read
the following article. Takao Inamori, Farhad Analoui, "Beyond Pygmalion
effect: the role of managerial perception", Journal of Management
Development, Vol. 29 Iss: 4, pp.306 – 321
• The Iceberg Metaphor. Available at: http://www.culture-at-
work.com/iceberg.html [January, 2014]
• What Is your locus of control? Take this test and find out. Available at:
http://cl1.psychtests.com/take_test.php?idRegTest=2974 [January, 2014]
• Stereotypes impact organizational performance. To learn more about
The Stereotype Threat got to
http://www.reducingstereotypethreat.org/definition.html [January, 2013]
• Personality can be tested by using the MBTI Test. If you want to know
more about it check the following links:
o The Myers Briggs Foundation: http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-
personality-type/mbti-basics/ [January, 2014]
o Human Metrics: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp
[January, 2014]
References • Nelson, Debra L. and Quick, James Campbell. 2011. ORGB 2. South-
Western Cengage Learning, Mason, USA. Chapter 3.
Organizations and Cultures
Activity assessment Forum
The following criteria will be used to assess your participation in the forum:
5,0 4,0 3,0 2,0 1,0
Your posts evidence
critical analysis; it
has professional application, and elicits responses
and reflection from other students.
Your posts evidence
reading and understanding of the article
provided, and shows
application of the key
concepts of the unit.
Your posts evidence
reading and understanding of the article provided, but
does not show
application of the key
concepts of the unit.
Your posts express a personal
opinion which does not evidence reading and/or
understanding of the article
provided.
You create and submit a post for the forum, but your
participation is too
general or unrelated to the contents of the unit.
Notes:
• If you do not participate at all in the forum your grade will be 0,0.
• Be aware that you should participate in the forum at least once but no more than twice.
Participating in a forum means far more than just saying “I agree” or “I disagree”
to other student’s posts. The following recommendations will guide you when
structuring your own posts*:
• You should submit your initial post(s) early in the session, and your
subsequent responses to the posts of other learners at timely intervals within
the duration of the session. Keep in mind the goal is to have a dynamic
discussion that lasts throughout the entire session.
• Your posts and responses should be thorough and thoughtful. Just posting
an "I agree" or "Good ideas" will not be considered adequate. Support your
Organizations and Cultures
statements with examples, experiences, or references. You are, however,
encouraged to be brief — keep each post and response to one or two short
paragraphs. Keep in mind that your fellow learners will be reading and
responding to you, too.
• Make certain to address the discussion prompt(s). This does not mean you
should not extend the topic, but do not stray from the topic.
• Discussions occur when there is dialogue. So, build upon the posts and
responses of other learners to create discussion threads. Make sure you
revisit the discussion forum and respond (if necessary) to what other
learners have posted to your initial responses.
• When relevant, add to the discussion by including prior knowledge, work
experiences, references, Web sites, resources, etc. (giving credit when
appropriate).
• Your contributions to the discussions (posts and responses) should be
complete and free of grammatical or structural errors.
*Source: http://www.pbs.org/teacherline/courses/common_documents/disc_assess.htm [January, 2013]
Wiki
The following criteria will be used to assess your individual contributions to the Wiki as a collective creation of knowledge about cultural groups from an organizational perspective.
On the upcoming units of the course, you will find further instructions and
activities to be developed on your Wiki.
Please
• A new page should be created for each activity, not for each student.
• The contribution by each student is limited to 500 words.
• The assessment criteria follows and incremental pattern in which you need
to fulfill every step in order to achieve the maximum score. (You will not be
awarded 5 points unless you fulfill requirements 1 to 5).
Organizations and Cultures
Criteria
Range
5,0 4,0 3,0 2,0 1,0
Literature review (60%)
You reference
new sources that add
academic value to
the Wiki or evidence
the practical
application of the topic.
You use proper
referencing in your
contributions including
and privileging the use of academic sources.
Your contributions to the page
are meaningful, organized. There is an adequate
use of sources and referencing,
but you mostly use the sources provided or
suggested in the course.
Your contributions
to every page relate directly to the unit of the course
in which the activity is proposed.
You make contributions
to every page based
on your common
sense adding very little value to
the Wiki.
Presentation and
Consistency (40%)
The collective result for
each activity (each
page) is consistent, organized
and provides
significant knowledge about the assigned cultural group.0
Your contributions
add significant value by including
key elements or concepts.
Your contributions
are connected to
other member’s
contributions.
You make a minimum
contribution to each
activity by simply
editing or adding
superficial pieces of
information to each page.
Your contributions are isolated or unrelated
to the proposed activity for each page.
Organizations and Cultures
Activity 5: Attitudes and Values Learning outcomes
Attitudes and values play a key role in shaping organizational dynamics. If you
want to understand what is important to an organization, you need to know first
how attitudes are formed and how they influence organizational commitment
and job satisfaction.
Learning Activities
This activity will allow you to review the key concepts relating to attitudes and
values, and then, use them to understand what are the main attitudes and
values that characterize the cultural group assigned for your Wiki Project.
Work plan 1. Review the key concepts by reading chapter 4 of the book “Organizational
Behavior: Science, The Real World and You”. Make sure you have a clear
understanding of the key concepts listed below (See the key concepts
section).
2. Read the article “Another Look at the Impact of Personal and Organizational
Values Congruency.” Identify the application of theories and concepts to the
study.
Forum: join the forum named “Personal and Organizational Values” and
participate actively in the discussion proposed by the tutor.
Wiki: research and write in your wiki about attitudes and values attributions
in organizations in the context of the specific cultural group assigned for
this project. The following questions may be useful when writing in your
Wiki:
ü What attitudes are welcomed / unwelcomed in organizations?
ü Common attitudes towards: time, change, leadership, hierarchy, etc.
Organizations and Cultures
ü What is valued by organizations in a given cultural context?
ü What are the traditional work values for the specific cultural group?
Key Concepts • Attitudes
o ABC model of Attitudes (Affect, Behavior and Cognition)
o Forming attitudes from experience and social learning
o Attitudes influence on behavior:
§ Specificity
§ Relevance
§ Timing of measurement
§ Personality factors
§ Social constraints
o Cognitive dissonance
o The role of attitudes at work:
§ Job satisfaction
§ Organizational commitment (affective, continuance, normative)
• Values
o Instrumental and terminal values
o Work values
Learning resources • Posner, B. (2010). Another Look at the Impact of Personal and
Organizational Values Congruency. Journal of Business Ethics, 97(4),
535-541. doi:10.1007/s10551-010-0530-1. Available at:
http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.eafit.edu.co/login.aspx?direct=true
&db=bth&AN=55511209&lang=es&site=ehost-live [January, 2014]
• Nelson, Debra L. and Quick, James Campbell. 2011. ORGB 2. South-
Western Cengage Learning, Mason, USA. Chapter 4.
Organizations and Cultures
Further Reading
• Do you know which are your career values?. In this website you will find
a free test to learn more about your underlying work values and needs.
Available at: http://www.myplan.com/assess/values.php [January, 2014]
• Duarte, F. (2010). Working with Corporate Social Responsibility in
Brazilian Companies: The Role of Managers' Values in the Maintenance
of CSR Cultures. Journal of Business Ethics, 96(3), 355-368.
doi:10.1007/s10551-010-0470-9.
• Available at:
http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.eafit.edu.co/login.aspx?direct=true
&db=bth&AN=53945020&lang=es&site=ehost-live. [January, 2014]
Individual values influence organizational performance. This study
explores the relationship between manager’s values and the existence of
Corporate Social Responsibility actions in organizations.
• To learn more about job satisfaction and organizational commitment,
check the following link:
http://wfnetwork.bc.edu/encyclopedia_entry.php?id=244 [January, 2014]
• Mathew, J., & Ogbonna, E. (2009). Organizational culture and
commitment: a study of an Indian software organization. International
Journal of Human Resource Management, 20(3), 654-675.
doi:10.1080/09585190802707433. Available at:
http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.eafit.edu.co/login.aspx?direct=true
&db=bth&AN=37184578&lang=es&site=ehost-live [January, 2014]
Does organizational culture influence employee commitment?. This study
explores the relationship between these two Concepts in an Indian
Software Organization.
Organizations and Cultures
• To learn more about how values influences political and sociocultural
change, check the web site of “World Values Survey”. Available at:
http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/ [January, 2014]
• In the following link you will find a comprehensive check list to analyze
the work values that are most important to you:
http://www.csd.uwa.edu.au/job/guide/ex_3.htm [January, 2014]
• Check the following link for a simple definition of the Cognitive Dissonance theory: http://tip.psychology.org/festinge.html [January, 2014]
References • Posner, B. (2010). Another Look at the Impact of Personal and
Organizational Values Congruency. Journal of Business Ethics, 97(4),
535-541. doi:10.1007/s10551-010-0530-1. Available at:
http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.eafit.edu.co/login.aspx?direct=true
&db=bth&AN=55511209&lang=es&site=ehost-live [January, 2014]
• Nelson, Debra L. and Quick, James Campbell. 2011. ORGB 2. South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason, USA. Chapter 4.
Activity assessment FORUM
The following criteria will be used to assess your participation in the forum:
5,0 4,0 3,0 2,0 1,0
Your posts evidence
critical analysis; it
has professional application, and elicits responses
and reflection from other students.
Your posts evidence
reading and understanding of the article
provided, and shows
application of the key
concepts of the unit.
Your posts evidence
reading and understanding of the article provided, but
does not show
application of the key
concepts of the unit.
Your posts express a personal
opinion which does not evidence reading and/or
understanding of the article
provided.
You create and submit a post for the forum, but your
participation is too
general or unrelated to the contents of the unit.
Organizations and Cultures
Notes:
• If you do not participate at all in the forum your grade will be 0,0.
• Be aware that you should participate in the forum at least once but no more than twice.
Participating in a forum means far more than just saying “I agree” or “I disagree”
to other student’s posts. The following recommendations will guide you when
structuring your own posts*:
• You should submit your initial post(s) early in the session, and your
subsequent responses to the posts of other learners at timely intervals within
the duration of the session. Keep in mind the goal is to have a dynamic
discussion that lasts throughout the entire session.
• Your posts and responses should be thorough and thoughtful. Just posting
an "I agree" or "Good ideas" will not be considered adequate. Support your
statements with examples, experiences, or references. You are, however,
encouraged to be brief — keep each post and response to one or two short
paragraphs. Keep in mind that your fellow learners will be reading and
responding to you, too.
• Make certain to address the discussion prompt(s). This does not mean you
should not extend the topic, but do not stray from the topic.
• Discussions occur when there is dialogue. So, build upon the posts and
responses of other learners to create discussion threads. Make sure you
revisit the discussion forum and respond (if necessary) to what other
learners have posted to your initial responses.
• When relevant, add to the discussion by including prior knowledge, work
experiences, references, Web sites, resources, etc. (giving credit when
appropriate).
• Your contributions to the discussions (posts and responses) should be
complete and free of grammatical or structural errors.
Organizations and Cultures
*Source: http://www.pbs.org/teacherline/courses/common_documents/disc_assess.htm
(April, 2011)
Wiki
The following criteria will be used to assess your individual contributions to the Wiki as a collective creation of knowledge about cultural groups from an organizational perspective.
On the upcoming units of the course, you will find further instructions and
activities to be developed on your Wiki.
Please
• A new page should be created for each activity, not for each student.
• The contribution by each student is limited to 500 words.
• The assessment criteria follows and incremental pattern in which you need
to fulfill every step in order to achieve the maximum score. (You will not be
awarded 5 points unless you fulfill requirements 1 to 5).
Criteria
Range
5,0 4,0 3,0 2,0 1,0
Literature review (60%)
You reference
new sources that add
academic value to the
Wiki or evidence
the practical
application of the topic.
You use proper
referencing in your
contributions including and privileging the
use of academic sources.
Your contributions to the page
are meaningful, organized. There is an
adequate use of sources
and referencing,
but you mostly use the sources
provided or suggested in the course.
Your contributions to every page relate directly to the unit of the course in
which the activity is proposed.
You make contributions to every page
based on your common sense adding
very little value to the
Wiki.
Organizations and Cultures
Presentation and
Consistency (40%)
The collective result for
each activity (each
page) is consistent, organized
and provides
significant knowledge about the assigned cultural group.
Your contributions
add significant value by
including key elements or concepts.
Your contributions
are connected to other
member’s contributions.
You make a minimum
contribution to each
activity by simply editing
or adding superficial pieces of
information to each page.
Your contributions are isolated or unrelated
to the proposed activity for each page.
Activity 6: Motivation
Learning outcomes
To study motivation through diverse theories will enable you to understand what
moves individuals to behave in a certain way. That, taken to an organizational
context will allow you to analyze what motivates employees in different cultural
and organizational contexts.
Learning Activities
Taking motivation theories to practical situations: after reviewing the selected
motivation theories, you should be able to use them to understand practical
situations.
Work plan 1. Review the selected motivation theories by reading chapter 5 of the textbook
by Nelson & Quick or/and the article “Employees Motivation Theories
Developed at an International Level”. Keep in mind the following questions in
order to prepare to participate in the forum:
ü Is every person motivated by the same factors?
Organizations and Cultures
ü Is it important to understand individual needs in order to understand
individual behavior?
Forum: participate in the forum named “Understanding motivation”:
Wiki: research and write in your wiki about the role of motivation at work in the
context of the specific cultural group assigned for this project. The following
questions may be useful when writing in your Wiki:
• What moves people to behave in a certain way within organizations?
• What are the traditional motivation strategies used by organizations?
• Which theory better explains motivation at work when it comes to the
assigned group?
Key Concepts • Motivation
• Theories
o Internal Needs vs. external incentives
o The Hawthorne Studies
o Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
o Theory X and Y
o ERG Theory
o McClelland’s need theory
o Herzberg’s two-factor theory
o Expectancy theory
o Adam’s Equity Theory on Job Motivation
Learning resources • Nelson, Debra L. and Quick, James Campbell. 2011. ORGB 2. South-
Western Cengage Learning, Mason, USA. Chapter 5.
• Viorel, Lefter, Manolescu Aurel, Marinas Cristian Virgil, and Puia Ramona
Stefania. 2009. "EMPLOYEES MOTIVATION THEORIES DEVELOPED
AT AN INTERNATIONAL LEVEL." Annals of the University of Oradea,
Organizations and Cultures
Economic Science Series 18, no. 4: 324-328.
• For information about Adams Equity Theory on Job Motivation, go to
http://www.businessballs.com/adamsequitytheory.htm [January, 2014]
Further Reading • Changing Minds Website, offers simplified explanations about many theories
relating to motivation:
http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/a_motivation.htm [January,
2014]
• Check the following link to read about the relationship about motivation and
job performance: http://www.accel-team.com/motivation/index.html [January,
2014]
• To learn more about Maslow’s theory, check the following web site:
http://www.abraham-
maslow.com/m_motivation/Theory_of_Human_Motivation.asp [January,
2014]
• Join the Virtual Psychology Classroom to review the chapter about
Motivation and Emotion: http://allpsych.com/psychology101/emotion.html
[January, 2014]
• Are you wondering about the practical application of Herzberg’s theory?
Click on the following link to learn how this theory can be used to understand
change processes in organizations: http://www.strategies-for-managing-
change.com/herzberg-motivation-theory.html [January, 2014]
References • Nelson, D.L. & Quick, J.C. 2010. Organizational Behavior: Science, the
Real World and You. South-Western College Publication, 7th. Ed. Chapter
5.
Organizations and Cultures
Activity assessment FORUM
The following criteria will be used to assess your participation in the forum:
5,0 4,0 3,0 2,0 1,0
Your posts evidence
critical analysis; it
has professional application, and elicits responses
and reflection from other students.
Your posts evidence
reading and understanding of the article
provided, and shows
application of the key
concepts of the unit.
Your posts evidence
reading and understanding of the article provided, but
does not show
application of the key
concepts of the unit.
Your posts express a personal
opinion which does not evidence reading and/or
understanding of the article
provided.
You create and submit a post for the forum, but your
participation is too
general or unrelated to the contents of the unit.
Notes:
• If you do not participate at all in the forum your grade will be 0,0.
• Be aware that you should participate in the forum at least once but no more than twice.
Participating in a forum means far more than just saying “I agree” or “I disagree”
to other student’s posts. The following recommendations will guide you when
structuring your own posts*:
• You should submit your initial post(s) early in the session, and your
subsequent responses to the posts of other learners at timely intervals within
the duration of the session. Keep in mind the goal is to have a dynamic
discussion that lasts throughout the entire session.
• Your posts and responses should be thorough and thoughtful. Just posting
an "I agree" or "Good ideas" will not be considered adequate. Support your
statements with examples, experiences, or references. You are, however,
encouraged to be brief — keep each post and response to one or two short
Organizations and Cultures
paragraphs. Keep in mind that your fellow learners will be reading and
responding to you, too.
• Make certain to address the discussion prompt(s). This does not mean you
should not extend the topic, but do not stray from the topic.
• Discussions occur when there is dialogue. So, build upon the posts and
responses of other learners to create discussion threads. Make sure you
revisit the discussion forum and respond (if necessary) to what other
learners have posted to your initial responses.
• When relevant, add to the discussion by including prior knowledge, work
experiences, references, Web sites, resources, etc. (giving credit when
appropriate).
• Your contributions to the discussions (posts and responses) should be
complete and free of grammatical or structural errors.
*Source: http://www.pbs.org/teacherline/courses/common_documents/disc_assess.htm
[January, 2013]
Wiki
The following criteria will be used to assess your individual contributions to the Wiki as a collective creation of knowledge about cultural groups from an organizational perspective.
On the upcoming units of the course, you will find further instructions and
activities to be developed on your Wiki.
Please
• A new page should be created for each activity, not for each student.
• The contribution by each student is limited to 500 words.
• The assessment criteria follows and incremental pattern in which you need
to fulfill every step in order to achieve the maximum score. (You will not be
awarded 5 points unless you fulfill requirements 1 to 5).
Organizations and Cultures
Criteria
Range
5,0 4,0 3,0 2,0 1,0
Literature review (60%)
You reference
new sources that add
academic value to
the Wiki or evidence
the practical
application of the topic.
You use proper
referencing in your
contributions including and
privileging the use of academic sources.
Your contributions to the page
are meaningful, organized. There is an
adequate use of sources and
referencing, but you mostly
use the sources
provided or suggested in the course.
Your contributions to every page relate directly to the unit of the course in
which the activity is proposed.
You make contributions to every page
based on your common sense adding
very little value to the
Wiki.
Presentation and
Consistency (40%)
The collective result for
each activity (each
page) is consistent, organized
and provides
significant knowledge about the assigned cultural group.0
Your contributions
add significant value by
including key elements or concepts.
Your contributions
are connected to other
member’s contributions.
You make a minimum
contribution to each
activity by simply editing
or adding superficial pieces of
information to each page.
Your contributions are isolated or unrelated
to the proposed activity for each page.
Activity 7: Communication
Learning outcomes
Human beings are social beings by nature; meaning that they interact and
Organizations and Cultures
communicate constantly with others. To build successful relationships, within an
organizational context, which leads to the development to individuals and
organizations, communication processes, need to be effective. Through this
activity you will learn about the key elements of communication as a process,
the common barriers to such process and even some characteristics of effective
managers in terms of communication.
Learning Activities
Through this activity you will learn the basics about the communication process
and analyze how it impacts organizational performance. When you think about
communication, you need to broaden your horizons to include more than words;
communication takes place in many ways within organizations: from written
notices to body language, there are many ways of effectively communicating a
message.
Work plan 1. Review chapter 8 of the textbook about communication and the link about
barriers to effective communication (see the learning resources section).
Make sure all the key concepts for this activity are covered.
• Forum: Read carefully the article “A Sound Strategy for Intercontinental
Hotels”, considering the key concepts previously reviewed, and prepare to
participate in the forum named “Communication Strategies: Beyond the
Use of Words”.
• Wiki: research and write in your wiki about the traditional communication
style of organizations in the context of the specific cultural group assigned
for this project. The following questions may be useful when writing in your
Wiki:
ü Which are the traditional communication channels in organizations?
ü How do leaders communicate with employees?
ü Is there a relation between the corporate strategy and the
communications strategy?
Organizations and Cultures
ü Does the communication style in organizations reflect the way
messages are communicated in society outside organizations?
Key Concepts • Communication
• Interpersonal communication
o Communicator, receiver, perceptual screens, message
• Principles of effective communication
• Defensive and non-defensive communication
• Reflective listening
• Effective communication at the workplace
o Expressive speakers, empathetic listeners, persuasive leaders, informative managers,
• Communication barriers: language, physical and socio-psychological barriers
• Communication strategy
Learning resources • Nelson, Debra L. and Quick, James Campbell. 2011. ORGB 2. South-
Western Cengage Learning, Mason, USA. Chapter 8.
• Barriers to Effective Communication in Business. Available at:
http://www.mbaknol.com/business-communication/barriers-to-effective-
communication-in-business/ [January, 2014]
• Jones, P. (2009). A ‘sound strategy’ for Intercontinental Hotels. Tourism &
Hospitality Research, 9(3), 271-276. doi:10.1057/thr.2009.13. Available at:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=4222357
2&lang=es&site=ehost-live [January, 2014]
Further Reading • For some recommendations about reflective listening, go to:
http://www.eruptingmind.com/reflective-listening/ [January, 2013]
Organizations and Cultures
• You can improve your communication skills just by paying attention to how
other people communicate. Let’s take some lessons from the last US
election from president: Learning from Obama's Effective Communication
Skills. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2rp-oBjJzg [January,
2014]
• Video: Coca Cola Enterprises Transforming the Business.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds8h1ncLxQQ [January, 2014]
When playing it, download the case study “Coca-Cola Enterprises
Accelerates Executive Communications”
http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac79/docs/wp/CCE_CS_0905.pdf [January,
2014]
• Active listening? Reflective listening? What’s the difference? The following
video will help you clarify these two Concepts: Active Listening vs. Reflective
Listening, Do you know the difference?. Available at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6pIWIFSzIs [January, 2014]
• To learn more about how to build a Communications strategy, check the
following chapter: Designing a Communications Strategy. Available at:
http://www.idrc.ca/uploads/user-
S/1226604865112265957811Chapter_6%5B1%5D.pdf [January, 2014]
• Effective Communications can become a competitive advantage. Check the
following article to learn about it: Effective Organizational Communication: A
Competitive Advantage. (2008). HRMagazine, 53(12), 1. Retrieved from
EBSCOhost. Available at:
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=2060313
e-d572-4f09-b113-9a1327585087%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4203
References • Nelson, Debra L. and Quick, James Campbell. 2011. ORGB 2. South-
Western Cengage Learning, Mason, USA. Chapter 8.
Organizations and Cultures
Activity assessment FORUM
The following criteria will be used to assess your participation in the forum:
5,0 4,0 3,0 2,0 1,0
Your posts evidence
critical analysis; it
has professional application, and elicits responses
and reflection from other students.
Your posts evidence
reading and understanding of the article
provided, and shows
application of the key
concepts of the unit.
Your posts evidence
reading and understanding of the article provided, but
does not show
application of the key
concepts of the unit.
Your posts express a personal
opinion which does not evidence reading and/or
understanding of the article
provided.
You create and submit a post for the forum, but your
participation is too
general or unrelated to
the contents of
the unit.
Notes:
• If you do not participate at all in the forum your grade will be 0,0.
• Be aware that you should participate in the forum at least once but no more than twice.
Participating in a forum means far more than just saying “I agree” or “I disagree”
to other student’s posts. The following recommendations will guide you when
structuring your own posts*:
• You should submit your initial post(s) early in the session, and your
subsequent responses to the posts of other learners at timely intervals within
the duration of the session. Keep in mind the goal is to have a dynamic
discussion that lasts throughout the entire session.
• Your posts and responses should be thorough and thoughtful. Just posting
an "I agree" or "Good ideas" will not be considered adequate. Support your
statements with examples, experiences, or references. You are, however,
Organizations and Cultures
encouraged to be brief — keep each post and response to one or two short
paragraphs. Keep in mind that your fellow learners will be reading and
responding to you, too.
• Make certain to address the discussion prompt(s). This does not mean you
should not extend the topic, but do not stray from the topic.
• Discussions occur when there is dialogue. So, build upon the posts and
responses of other learners to create discussion threads. Make sure you
revisit the discussion forum and respond (if necessary) to what other
learners have posted to your initial responses.
• When relevant, add to the discussion by including prior knowledge, work
experiences, references, Web sites, resources, etc. (giving credit when
appropriate).
• Your contributions to the discussions (posts and responses) should be
complete and free of grammatical or structural errors.
Source: http://www.pbs.org/teacherline/courses/common_documents/disc_assess.htm
[January, 2013]
Wiki
The following criteria will be used to assess your individual contributions to the Wiki as a collective creation of knowledge about cultural groups from an organizational perspective.
On the upcoming units of the course, you will find further instructions and
activities to be developed on your Wiki.
Please
• A new page should be created for each activity, not for each student.
• The contribution by each student is limited to 500 words.
• The assessment criteria follows and incremental pattern in which you need
to fulfill every step in order to achieve the maximum score. (You will not be
awarded 5 points unless you fulfill requirements 1 to 5).
Organizations and Cultures
Criteria
Range
5,0 4,0 3,0 2,0 1,0
Literature review (60%)
You reference
new sources that add
academic value to
the Wiki or evidence
the practical
application of the topic.
You use proper
referencing in your
contributions including
and privileging the use of academic sources.
Your contributions to the page
are meaningful, organized. There is an adequate
use of sources and referencing,
but you mostly use the sources provided or
suggested in the course.
Your contributions
to every page relate directly to the unit of the course
in which the activity is proposed.
You make contributions
to every page based
on your common
sense adding very little value to
the Wiki.
Presentation and
Consistency (40%)
The collective result for
each activity (each
page) is consistent, organized
and provides
significant knowledge about the assigned cultural group.
Your contributions
add significant value by including
key elements or concepts.
Your contributions
are connected to
other member’s
contributions.
You make a minimum
contribution to each
activity by simply
editing or adding
superficial pieces of
information to each page.
Your contributions are isolated or unrelated
to the proposed activity for each page.
Organizations and Cultures
Activity 8: Virtual Teams
Learning outcomes
This activity aims at reviewing and testing your understanding about the
functioning of virtual teams, as well as the potential advantages, disadvantages
and difficulties resulting from its use within organizations.
Learning Activities
What are they? How do they work? What’s the difference with other teams or
groups?
When you consider individuals working for an organization, the fact that they
need to work together towards a common purpose is undeniable. Do they form
groups or teams? Are team members located geographically close? Or are we
talking about a team which involves members in distant locations? Then we are
talking about virtual teams.
Work plan
1. Read the article “Virtual Teams: a Literature Review”. Make sure the key
concepts are covered and clear. (See the key concepts section). If you need
further information, you may want to review other learning resources
proposed for this activity. (see the learning resources section)
• Forum: after reviewing the article, watch the video “Building the Virtual
Team” available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u997kUDE88Q
[January, 2014] and prepare to participate in the forum named “Will Virtual
Teams Replace Traditional Teams?
• Wiki: research and write in your wiki about how teams work in the context
of the specific cultural group assigned for this project. The following
questions may be useful when writing in your Wiki:
ü What is the role of the leader?
Organizations and Cultures
ü How does the interaction of team members take place?
ü What are the usual communication channels?
ü How is performance measured?
For this assignment you may choose to focus on traditional teams, virtual teams to address both.
Key Concepts • Team
• Tele-work
• Virtual groups / virtual teams
• Key characteristics of virtual teams
• Advantages, disadvantages, difficulties
• Effective virtual teams
• Virtual communities
Learning resources • Nelson, D.L. & Quick, J.C. 2010. Organizational Behavior: Science, the
Real World and You. South-Western College Publication, 7th. Ed. Chapter
9.
• Ebrahim, N., Ahmed, S., & Taha, Z. (2009). Virtual Teams: a Literature
Review. Australian Journal of Basic & Applied Sciences, 3(3), 2653-2669.
Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Available at: http://cogprints.org/7814/1/2653-
2669.pdf [January, 2014]
• Kuruppuarachchi, P. R. (2009). Virtual team concepts in projects: A case
study. Project Management Journal, 40(2), 19-33. doi:10.1002/pmj.20110.
Available at:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=4133184
9&lang=es&site=ehost-live [January, 2014]
• Nunamaker Jr., J. F., Reinig, B. A., & Briggs, R. O. (2009). Principles for
Effective Virtual Teamwork. Communications of the ACM, 52(4), 113-117.
Organizations and Cultures
Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Available at:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=3729579
0&lang=es&site=ehost-live [January, 2014]
Further Reading
• Virtual teams offer many potential advantages but they also impose great
challenges. Read the following article to learn how to deal with them:
Cordery, J. L., & Soo, C. (2008). Overcoming impediments to virtual team
effectiveness. Human Factors & Ergonomics in Manufacturing, 18(5), 487-
500. doi:10.1002/hfm.20119. Available at:
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=2060313e-d572-4f09-b113-
9a1327585087%40sessionmgr4001&vid=8&hid=4203
• On the following web site, Effective Meetings shows the findings of a study
in the US about the outcomes of using virtual teams. Available at:
http://www.effectivemeetings.com/technology/virtualteam/mci10.asp
[January, 2014]
• If you want to learn more about virtual communities, review the article
“Definitions, Antecedents and Outcomes of Successful Virtual
Communities”. Available at: http://www.irma-
international.org/viewtitle/48739/
• Building trust in virtual teams can be a difficult task. To learn about it check
the following article. CLARK, W., CLARK, L., & CROSSLEY, K. (2010).
DEVELOPING MULTIDIMENSIONAL TRUST WITHOUT TOUCH IN
VIRTUAL TEAMS. Marketing Management Journal, 20(1), 177-193.
Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Available at:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=5509698
5&lang=es&site=ehost-live [January, 2014]
• Virtual teams offer many potential advantages but they also impose great
challenges. S Read the following article to learn how to deal with them:
Organizations and Cultures
Maynard, M.T, Mathieu, J.E, Rapp, L.L.G. Something(s) old and
something(s) new: Modeling drivers of global virtual team effectiveness.
Journal of Organizational Behavior, Vol. 33, No. 3, The Changing Ecology
of Teams: New Forms, New Work, New Leadership — Not Your
Grandfather's Work Team (April 2012), pp. 342-365. Retrieved from Wiley
Online Library. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/job.1772/pdf
[January 2014]
References
• Nelson, D.L. & Quick, J.C. 2010. Organizational Behavior: Science, the
Real World and You. South-Western College Publication, 7th. Ed. Chapter
9.
• Building the Virtual Team. Available at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u997kUDE88Q [January, 2014]
Activity assessment FORUM
The following criteria will be used to assess your participation in the forum:
5,0 4,0 3,0 2,0 1,0
Your posts evidence
critical analysis; it
has professional application, and elicits responses
and reflection from other students.
Your posts evidence
reading and understanding of the article
provided, and shows
application of the key
concepts of the unit.
Your posts evidence
reading and understanding of the article provided, but
does not show
application of the key
concepts of the unit.
Your posts express a personal
opinion which does not evidence reading and/or
understanding of the article
provided.
You create and submit a post for the forum, but your
participation is too
general or unrelated to the contents of the unit.
Organizations and Cultures
Notes:
• If you do not participate at all in the forum your grade will be 0,0.
• Be aware that you should participate in the forum at least once but no more than twice.
Participating in a forum means far more than just saying “I agree” or “I disagree”
to other student’s posts. The following recommendations will guide you when
structuring your own posts*:
• You should submit your initial post(s) early in the session, and your
subsequent responses to the posts of other learners at timely intervals within
the duration of the session. Keep in mind the goal is to have a dynamic
discussion that lasts throughout the entire session.
• Your posts and responses should be thorough and thoughtful. Just posting
an "I agree" or "Good ideas" will not be considered adequate. Support your
statements with examples, experiences, or references. You are, however,
encouraged to be brief — keep each post and response to one or two short
paragraphs. Keep in mind that your fellow learners will be reading and
responding to you, too.
• Make certain to address the discussion prompt(s). This does not mean you
should not extend the topic, but do not stray from the topic.
• Discussions occur when there is dialogue. So, build upon the posts and
responses of other learners to create discussion threads. Make sure you
revisit the discussion forum and respond (if necessary) to what other
learners have posted to your initial responses.
• When relevant, add to the discussion by including prior knowledge, work
experiences, references, Web sites, resources, etc. (giving credit when
appropriate).
• Your contributions to the discussions (posts and responses) should be
complete and free of grammatical or structural errors.
*Source: http://www.pbs.org/teacherline/courses/common_documents/disc_assess.htm
[January, 2013]
Organizations and Cultures
Wiki
The following criteria will be used to assess your individual contributions to the Wiki as a collective creation of knowledge about cultural groups from an organizational perspective.
On the upcoming units of the course, you will find further instructions and
activities to be developed on your Wiki.
Please
• A new page should be created for each activity, not for each student.
• The contribution by each student is limited to 500 words.
• The assessment criteria follows and incremental pattern in which you need
to fulfill every step in order to achieve the maximum score. (You will not be
awarded 5 points unless you fulfill requirements 1 to 5).
Criteria
Range
5,0 4,0 3,0 2,0 1,0
Literature review (60%)
You reference
new sources that add
academic value to
the Wiki or evidence
the practical
application of the topic.
You use proper
referencing in your
contributions including
and privileging the use of academic sources.
Your contributions to the page
are meaningful, organized. There is an adequate
use of sources and referencing,
but you mostly use the sources provided or
suggested in the course.
Your contributions
to every page relate directly to the unit of the course
in which the activity is proposed.
You make contributions
to every page based
on your common
sense adding very little value to
the Wiki.
Presentation and
Consistency (40%)
The collective result for
each activity (each
page) is
Your contributions
add significant value by including
key
Your contributions
are connected to
other member’s
contributions.
You make a minimum
contribution to each
activity by simply
editing or
Your contributions are isolated or unrelated
to the proposed activity for