Principles of Management

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of Education Saudi Electronic University

المملكة العربية السعودية وزارة التعليم الجامعة السعودية الإلكترونية

College of Administrative and Financial Sciences

Assignment 2

Organizational Behaviour (MGT 301)

Due Date: 11/11/2023 @ 23:59

Course Name: Organizational Behaviour	Student’s Name:
Course Code: MGT301	Student’s ID Number:
Semester: 1st Semester	CRN:
Academic Year: 2023-24

For Instructor’s Use only

Instructor’s Name: Abdulaziz Nasser Albatli
Students’ Grade: 00 /10	Level of Marks: High/Middle/Low

General Instructions – PLEASE READ THEM CAREFULLY

· The Assignment must be submitted on Blackboard ( WORD format only) via allocated folder.

· Assignments submitted through email will not be accepted.

· Students are advised to make their work clear and well presented; marks may be reduced for poor presentation. This includes filling your information on the cover page.

· Students must mention question number clearly in their answer.

· Late submission will NOT be accepted.

· Avoid plagiarism, the work should be in your own words, copying from students or other resources without proper referencing will result in ZERO marks. No exceptions.

· All answered must be typed using Times New Roman (size 12, double-spaced) font. No pictures containing text will be accepted and will be considered plagiarism).

· Submissions without this cover page will NOT be accepted.

Learning Outcomes:

CLO-Covered

1	Describe management issues such as diversity, attitudes and job satisfaction, personality, and values in organizational behaviour. (CLO2).
	Assess challenges of effective organizational communication and share information within the team in professional manner. (CLO4).
2	Examine the differences and similarities between leadership, power, and management. (CLO5).

Assignment 2

Reference Source:

Textbook:-

Colquitt, J. A., LePine, J. A., & Wesson, M. J. (2021).  Organizational behaviour: Improving performance and commitment in the workplace (7th ed). Burr Ridge, IL: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Case Study: -

Case: U.S. MARINE CORPS

Please read the case “U.S. MARINE CORPS” from Chapter 10 “ Ability ” Page: - 326 given in your textbook – Organizational behaviour: Improving performance and commitment in the workplace (7th ed). by Colquitt, J. A., LePine, J. A., & Wesson, M. J. (2021) and Answer the following Questions:

Assignment Question(s):

1. Identify and describe the types of abilities that historically have been most relevant to Marine effectiveness. Which additional abilities appear to be important for Marines involved in cyber-security? (02 Marks) (Min words 150-200)

2. Why might it be difficult to find new recruits that possess the appropriate mix of abilities? What could the Marine Corps do to increase the size of the pool of applicants with these abilities? (02 Marks) (Min words 200-300)

3. How might the Marine Corps be able to use their existing workforce to deal with their need for cyber-personnel? Describe the advantages and disadvantages of such an initiative. (02 Marks) (Min words 200)

Part:-2

Discussion questions: - Please read Chapter’s 11,13 carefully and then give your answers on the basis of your understanding.

4. Think about a highly successful team with which you are familiar. What types of tasks, goals, and outcome interdependence does this team have? Describe how changes in task, goal, and outcome interdependence might have a negative impact on this team. (02 Marks) (Min words 200-300)

5. Who is the most influential leader you have come in contact with personally? What forms of power did they have, and which types of influence did they use to accomplish objectives? (02 Marks ) (Min words 200-300)

Important Notes: -

1. Support your submission with course material concepts, principles, and theories from the textbook and at least two scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles.

2. References required in the assignment. Use APA style for writing references.

Answers:

1.

Historically, there are distinctive abilities that have been relevant to Marine effectiveness. Foremost, physical fitness has been one of the most distinctive abilities in Marine effectiveness. In most cases, Marines have been known for their combat readiness, endurance, and physical strength. This ability is crucial since Marines occasionally operate in challenging environments. Marksmanship is also an essential ability in Marines. Marksmanship entails the skills to effectively and efficiently use firearms. Discipline is also a vital skill that ought to be embraced by the Marines. Such ability ensures that they are able to follow orders, work as a team, and maintain composure even in high stress environments. Marines should further be adaptable to several combat situations. Finally, leadership abilities are essential to both commissioned and non- commissioned officers as they need to make vital decisions while on duty.

In regard to cyber security, Marines should have proficiency on cyber-security principles as well as tools and tactics that are critical in defending cyber threats. Marines should also possess technical skills such as an understanding on system administration, network protocols, and programing languages. Such basic knowledge will ensure that they stay alert in regard to cyber attacks. Risk assessment is also vital in Marines. Such assessment is critical in a bid to protect systems and sensitive information.

2.

Finding new recruits with the required skills and abilities has always been a challenging task. This challenge has been attributed by the facts that Marine recruits are required to posses a specialized skill set which is hard to achieve. For instance, many abilities that are required in this field such as cyber-security require special skills and specialized technical knowledge. It's basically hard to find these skills in the general population.

Competition between the private and public sectors has also contributed to shortage of recruits with the required skills. Traditionally, the private sector has been offering high salaries and better working conditions to recruits who possess these skills and abilities. Therefore, attracting and training top talents has always been a challenge. As already highlighted, traditional Marine roles require stringent physical fitness. Such requirements may limit the pool from which recruits can be chosen from.

In a bid to increase the pool of recruits with these abilities, the Marine Corps should offer a competitive compensation. Such compensation will attract more talents and balance the competition between them and the private sector. Competitive compensation may include financial incentives, competitive salaries, and signing bonuses (Tam & Jones, 2019). The Marine Corps can also expand the educational opportunities. This strategy can be achieved by partnering with educational institutions that may offer scholarships, training programs, and internships in exchange for future service commitments. This strategy ensures that a pipeline of skilled candidates is developed . Finally, the physical fitness requirement can be revised especially in areas that deal with cyber-security and other specialized roles.

3.

The Marine Corps have an existing workforce that can be utilized to address its need in regard to cyber personnel. These needs can be addressed through a number of approaches. Foremost, the Marine Corps can implement cross-training. This approach can be achieved by identifying Marines with an aptitude for cyber technology and offer training in related fields. Such training will automatically leverage their existing skills and abilities. Furthermore, National Guard members and reservists who have basis on cyber-security should be tapped into the Marine field or allowed to work in both roles. Patterning with the private sector can also ensure that existing Marines acquire practical experiences in cyber security. The Marine Corps should also provide scholarships and other educational aids to Marines pursuing courses in cyber security. These approaches are cost efficiency since there is no need for external recruitment. When Marine Corps utilize their existing workforce, they will definitely benefit from focused training as Marines already possess discipline and can easily adapt to specialized training. Furthermore, Marines are more inclined to stay in the service when compared to other external talents. Therefore, offering opportunities to the existing workforce can increase the retention rates. Although this approach is beneficial, it may require significant time and resources. This approach can also increase competition with the civilian sector as Marines trained in cyber security may be tempted to leave the service for higher paying organizations.

4.

One of the most successful teams that I'm familiar with is a software development team. There are several tasks, goals, and outcomes interdependences that are significant in this team. These interdependences have been critical in the success of the team in question. In regard to task interdependence, the team members collaborate closely with each other in matters regarding coding, testing, and design. Basically, there is significant collaboration among all team members across all system development phases. Each individual team member works to impact the work of other team members.

On the other hand, the team members share common goals. Specific goals include developing the required software on time and within the set budget. The team members are essentially committed to achieving a common objective. Such objective is often tied to software's success.

The teams outcome interdependence is also strong. The overall success of their software are intertwined by their individual success. For instance, a failure in one's work may affect the entire team's product in regard to time and quality.

Changes in these interdependences may affect the manner in which the team achieves its success. For instance, if team members work more independently without collaborating with each other, cases of increased errors and miscommunication will be inevitable. Additionally, if team members do not have a common goal, the product will in most cases miss deadlines and budget constraints as a result of reduced coordination and cohesion. Finally, if team members don't feel responsible for the final success, cases of decreased commitment and products quality will be reported. Therefore, a highly successful team must maintain and strengthen interdependence. Changes that may negatively affect the interdependences should be avoided by the entire team.

5.

Power in leadership plays a vital role as it helps teams achieve their goals and reach greater performance levels. Having such power grants a leader the ability to lead and motivate others. Generally, powerful leaders are persuasive. They have the ability to connect credibility and influence. When team members are influenced by their leaders, their minds and hearts are automatically captured and moved to action.

One of the most influential leaders I have ever worked with was the software development team leader. He used difference forms of power and influence to lead the development team and convey his message. For instance, he displayed a form of referent power as he had a strong charisma and moral authority that inspired the team members for his principles. The team leader in question also employed export power. In this case, he was well-versed with his roles which lent his leadership credibility. The team leader was also characterized with informational power since he combined both written messages and speeches to convey his message to the team members. In a bid to influence the team members, the team leader in question was inspirational. He inspired the team members to align with his values. Rational influence was also significant as the team leader employed both reasoned persuasion and logical arguments to convince other team members. Rational influence facilitates collaboration (Sovie, 2020). Finally, the team leader employed collaborative influence as he always sought consensus and corporation from other team members.

References

Colquitt, J. A., LePine, J. A., & Wesson, M. J. (2021).  Organizational behaviour: Improving performance and commitment in the workplace (7th ed). Burr Ridge, IL: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Sovie, C. W. (2020). Developing Leaders for the Future: A Marine Corps Leadership Development Model for the 21st Century.

Tam, K., Forshaw, K., & Jones, K. (2019, November). Cyber-SHIP: Developing next generation maritime cyber research capabilities. IMarEST.

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