Organizational Behavior

School of Business Administration

University of Riverside, California

John Doe is a Program Coordinator III for the City of XXX. He works in the
community service department and manages about 50 employees between
the two projects he is in charge of; youth sports and adult sports. John Doe is
26 and has held this position at City of XXX for three years coordinating and
planning both sport departments for the city. He is a middle level manager,
thus his responsibilities are mainly to enable teams to work more cohesively
and effectively. Much of his work is administrative, but he also works with his
employees to achieve a common goal.
Personality
Question: How would you describe your personality?
John Doe: I took a personality test and this is what I got. Introverted,
theoretical, logical, planning, rational, independent, intellectual, selfconfident, analytical, structured, dogged, witty, resolute, self-critical,
visionary, inventive, unsociable, reserved, nonconformist, quiet, honest,
demanding, hardworking. For the most part I agree with the results.
I have always assumed a manager had to be outspoken and generally a
sociable person in order to lead employees. John Doe , on the other hand, is
quite the opposite. He is very much to himself but finds a way to be
personable with his employees, which I feel might be the key. Trait theories
of leaderships states that its the qualities of a person and their
characteristics that separate a leader from a non-leader and this is a great
example of the difference . John Doe has the natural characteristics to be a
leader (visionary, self-critical, planning, inventive, etc) but lacks a few of the
Big Five personality traits that could make him a great manager. This is
where behavioral theories of leadership come into play, which states certain
behaviors can be learned. John is a case where his leadership skills are
second nature, but has had to train to acquire effective managerial traits.
Question: Do you find yourself more orientated towards relationships or
tasks?
John Doe: I think I am oriented to both equally. In order to produce there
must be the proper relationships in place. Finding the right people to help
get the job done and keeping them is essential for production.
John Doe shows a great understanding of the human recourse side of
management. He knows that in order for a business to be successful you
must obtain the right people, and keep them satisfied so they stay. In the
interview he mentioned that he seeks employees that are social, work well in
teams and know how not only lead, but take direction as well. I found this
interesting because John Doe s Myers-Briggs personality assessment would
likely look something like INTJ but he looks for employees who are the
opposite in many ways. For instance, he would likely hire an ESTJ because
they are social, critical and work well with others.

Motivation
Question: What personally motivates you? Do you use the same type of
motivation to encourage your employees?
John Doe Olsen: My passion for sports and teaching motivates me. I am a
perfectionist and my motivating quote comes from legendary NFL coach
Vince Lombardi. He said, Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase
perfection we can catch excellence. Motivating young staff with this
approach is difficult because high school and college aged staff, which I
mostly work with, are going to make mistakes, and I dont want them to feel
like making mistakes makes them failures. However, teaching them how to
self reflect and self correct is very important to me.
I personally was impressed with John Doe s drive for perfection, or
excellence in this case. By him acknowledging that perfection cannot be
reached, but should be strived for, he sets high, but attainable goes, for his
staff. This is critical in the work place because it motivates the staff
members, but also allows room, without reprimand, when expectations arent
met fully.
Stress
Question: Do you find your position can cause you stress from time to time?
Would you say this stress is associated with your workload/pressure to
complete tasks with urgency or rather political roadblocks in the office? How
do you manage your stress?
John Doe Olsen: There is stress associated with my job. There is a lot that
goes into running the programs we run and sometimes it means late nights
at work to make sure things are done correctly. I get stressed out from the
workload during certain times of the year and making sure tasks are
completed properly. I manage my stress by always remembering I do this for
the kids and working out. I feel my expectation of perfection adds to my
stress level and it is something I have been working on addressing. When I
notice this in my staff I try to assist in stress relief through extending
knowledge in the stressful area.
As a middle level manager, it is understandable to have a considerable
amount of stress. Throughout the interview, John Doe exuded a level of
calmness and serenity that it seems he extends to his employees. This is an
effective stress management tool because it allows staff to not see their
manager overwhelmed, and thus allows the problem to be more manageable
rather than over their head.
Decision Making

Question: Do you prefer to have employees provide input on future

decisions? If so, how does it affect an opposing decision you may have
previously made?
John Doe Olsen: I think employee input is essential for positive growth in
any business, especially staff that work directly on the front line or deal with
the customers because they will know more about what the customers want
and what should change in order to make the experience for customers what
they want it to be. I do not think my ways are the right ways. If something
that I personally implement does not work and staff comes to me with an
idea of something new I am willing to try it. Staying stagnant or having
tunnel vision is not what successful people or companies do.
As a manager, John Doe goes about decision making in a democratic leader
sort of way. He has his opinion on a solution, listens to his employees
thoughts and alternatives, and then makes a final decision after
consideration of the department as a whole. This is extremely effective in his
line of work because his staff has direct contact with their customers and
therefore has insight that could greatly help successful decisions.
Team Dynamics
Question: If a team is assigned a task and you observe social loafing, how
would you manage the problem? For instance, if you gave your team until
the end of the day to complete a task and when you checked in you noticed
social conversation instead of work what would you do?
John Doe Olsen: I believe a direct approach is the best way to address this
type of issue. If a task has been assigned and it is not being done then I
would simply ask why is this not being done. I would then evaluate who is
involved and the dynamics of the group. If there is an ongoing issue with
these people then we would have to make personnel changes.
Team Building
Question: How do you build trust in your teams?
John Doe Olsen: I dont believe in micromanaging. I always give staff the
benefit of the doubt when assigning tasks and roles. If people cannot handle
or do not maturely handle their role or tasks then changes will be made. I
want to use people in tasks and roles that fit their skills and strengths.
Question: How does team building take place? Do you encourage social gettogethers outside of work?
John Doe Olsen: I believe learning who people are outside of work is
essential for learning what their personality strengths are. Figuring out
personality traits helps with assigning tasks and authority.
Communication

Question: What is a common type of communication within your

organization? Do you feel it is the most effective way of communicating?
John Doe Olsen: The most common type of communication is email.
However, the most effective way is face-to-face meetings, but when
something needs to be sent to all staff a mass text message is more
effective with the population of staff I work with.
This is a common response from an individual at a managerial level. There
isnt enough time in the day to meet up with every person you need to speak
with, thus the need for virtual communications like email or text messaging.
Question: If working with an employee whose Native language was not
English and you notice theyre continuously misunderstanding your
directions would you reprimand them? How would you overall fix the
miscommunication?
John Doe Olsen: I dont think a reprimand is appropriate in this situation. I
would make more of an effort to make sure they understand their tasks and
make sure I am available to them for questions they may have or trainings
they may need. I would also educate myself further and possible learn their
language or certain words or phrases that may help them understand their
tasks better.
Power
Question: What source of power do you feel your position holds? Where does
the power come from?
John Doe Olsen: I do not feel any type of power. I understand that there is
a responsibility of authority and staff needs know what my position is and
that they answer to me and not the other way around. I treat all staff with
respect and like people. I feel a manager or leader that throws around
authority is a weakness and not good for overall morale.
I believe as a manager John Doe is not comfortable using coercive power,
and considers the term power as a negative in general. It became evident
that he acknowledges his responsibility to guide and motivate his
employees, but strays away from serious forms of consequences or
incentives.
Conflict and Negotiation
Question: If there were conflict outside of a team setting, what would be a
standard procedure to deal with the issue?
John Doe Olsen: Bringing all parties in for a meeting and figuring out how to
move forward in everyones best interest

John Doe s response is very common for someone in a managerial position.

It is ideal to bring all parties involved in for a meeting so everyone has the
chance to express themselves and then understand the other side, with a
mediator present.
Leadership
Question: How would you describe your leadership style? Why do you feel it
is effective?
John Doe Olsen: I lead by example. I am a firm believer of not telling
someone to do something that I cannot do. I dont mind getting my hands
dirty and working side by side with front line staff and I think people respect
that.
This response is very much an example of an effective middle level
managers mindset. John Doe has the ability to lead his team to success, but
is also still working side by side with them to do so. This is effective because
it is a motivational tool for his employees, it places their manager on a
personable level and thus the employees can relate to him.
Question: How would you describe an ineffective leader?
John Doe Olsen: An ineffective leader is out of touch with the staff and
programs that they are in charge of.
Question: In which ways do you keep employees engaged and involved in
their work?
John Doe Olsen: Meetings, trainings, and figuring out what drives employees
and providing opportunities for them to use their passion in work
Although I did not have John Doe fill out a least preferred co-worker (LPC)
questionnaire, I believe his answer to the prior two questions clearly speaks
out to what sort of leadership style he has. John Doe is inevitably an
employee-orientated leader. Although earlier, John Doe stated he felt he is
mindful equally to tasks as he is to employees wants and needs, I had the
reoccurring feeling that he cares more about the interpersonal side of his
position. This is not a negative aspect, especially since he does indeed try to
be fair, and I believe in the work setting he is in it is extremely beneficial for
cohesiveness amongst teams.
Throughout the process of composing questions about organizational
behavior, talking to a professional about these questions, and then physically
typing out his answers and my responses, I was able to form a much better
idea of where I stood on the same issues. I found, through this project, that I
was able to learn about the managerial style I currently have, and the style I
hope to achieve, by hearing an individual