Evidence-Based Management Case Study Project

Hundreds of references to classic and current OB research are used in this textbook to build a new way of looking at the research as the foundation for leadership development. The evidence-based management approach is described in detail in Chapter 1. The coverage of research is comprehensive, with a focus on the most important topics managers need to become effective leaders.

 These are the topics I have selected to teach for over 30 years to undergraduate, MBA, and executive MBA students. This textbook offers a research-based approach that translates theory to practice, focusing on the contemporary approaches rather than the historical/classical approaches.

Most students are less interested in historical development of theory and more interested in theories they can apply to be more effective leaders. There is far less emphasis on theories that don’t have solid research support than other textbooks that I have used and read. In fairness, certain topics are noted for their contribution to broad-based understanding of OB, followed by a critical assessment of the research support.

Critical Thinking

Over the years, I have heard colleagues lament, “Our students don’t think critically.” One day while teaching, it occurred to me that I had never actually included a lecture on critical thinking—what it is and why it is important. It wasn’t in my OB textbook. I researched critical thinking and started to lecture on it in my class lectures. I began to see a difference in how my students approached the material in my courses. The quality of classroom discussion improved, and students began to really discuss strengths and weaknesses of theory and develop relevant examples as applications. Their answers on essay questions went beyond memorization to demonstration of understanding concepts, plus providing examples to show they could apply them as managers.

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It just makes sense that we teach our students about critical thinking, and this is a major theme of this textbook. Critical thinking is defined and discussed in detail in Chapter 1 so students will understand what it is and why it is important for a managerial leader to think critically.

Leadership Development

I have an extensive background studying the importance of leadership within organizations, in addition to holding positions of leadership at several points in my career. For this reason, leadership is a major theme that flows throughout the textbook. Leadership core concepts are covered in the textbook in Chapter 6; while I believe this is foundational to a leadership and management development approach to OB, this chapter might be assigned earlier as many OB instructors do (this book is written to have such flexibility).

 In addition to a full chapter on leadership, each chapter includes a section discussing leadership implications in the context of the topic being discussed, as well as end-of-chapter activities and self- assessments designed to enhance students’ understanding of leadership and their own ‐ leadership styles and tendencies.

Trends in Organizational Behavior

Along with the three guiding principles of evidence-based management, critical thinking, and leadership development, this textbook also touches upon emerging topics in OB. Throughout the chapters, there is an emphasis on globalization and cross-cultural OB. For example, cross-cultural differences in stress are compared in Chapter 15. A number of the chapters include discussions on ethics as well.

An example of this theme is found in Chapter 12: Organizational Communication, where the Enron case is discussed as a grapevine effect that led to uncovering major ethical violations. Finally, in a number of places, positive psychology is integrated into the presentation of OB topics. For example, mindfulness is discussed as a coaching strategy for managing emotions and moods in the leadership implications section of Chapter 3.

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Features

Learning Objectives

The learning objectives included at the beginning of each chapter highlight the key topics covered in the chapter and note the skills students will develop after reading. These learning objectives are directly tied to main headers within the chapter and can be used to measure and assess students’ understanding of chapter material.

Chapter-Opening Vignette

Each chapter begins with a research-based challenge facing managers based upon empirical data, often from national polls or consulting firms. For example, Chapter 7 discusses what it feels like to have power, based on research. These highlights are intended to get the students’ attention so they immediately see the relevance of the material in the chapter that follows.

Best Practices and Research in Action Boxes

Within each chapter, there are two types of boxed inserts to enhance the application of the material to the student’s development as a leader— “Best Practices” and “Research in Action.” Best Practices highlight current applications of OB research in real organizations or consulting examples. One of my favorites is a Best Practices box that teaches students step-by-step how to use perceptual tools to remember people’s names.

Research in Action vignettes demonstrate how OB research translates to leadership practice. An example is a short discussion of current research on the rise of workplace incivility that asks the question of whether we need to “send in Miss Manners.” Included in each of these boxed features are discussion questions to stimulate the student’s thinking on the application and can be used for in-class discussion.

These discussion questions may be assigned prior to class to encourage students to read and apply the highlighted practice and research in these inserts. These boxed inserts can be integrated into class discussions to show how practice and research use OB theories.

Critical Thinking Questions

To support critical thinking throughout the course, critical thinking questions are integrated within the textbook. These questions encourage students to pause, think about, and then apply the material just covered to an organizational challenge for leaders. For instructors teaching online courses, these questions can be assigned to check the student comprehension of assigned textbook readings.

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Key Terms

Key terms featured in each chapter have been set in color throughout the text. Students will be able to quickly search for and locate these key terms.

The Toolkit

Each chapter contains a “Toolkit” in which the student will apply the concepts covered within that chapter. Each chapter’s Toolkit contains the following features:

Key terms highlighted within the chapter. The toolkit activities are team exercises or role-plays in which the students interact with other students to apply the material. I have used these exercises in my classes, and I am pleased to provide them all in one package so you don’t have to search for them and copy them for class. A short case study illustrating one or more concepts from the chapter.

These cases are followed by discussion questions that can be assigned prior to in-class case discussion. At least one self-assessment, including personality tests or leadership assessments. Students learn something about themselves and others, making the concepts relevant to their personal lives and development as a leader. Years ago, one of my MBA students asked me if I could compile a list of 10 books that every manager should read. I have included Suggestions for Further Reading on the online Instructor Resource Site at edge.sagepub.com/scandura2e to encourage further reading on classic and current books on OB topics.

New to This Edition

For this edition, I retained the features that have made Essentials of Organizational Behavior: An Evidence-Based Approach successful in its first edition, while updating with current research and strengthening the evidence-based approach.

Updated chapter scenarios—As in the last edition, all the chapters start with a scenario that features research on an interesting real-world problem based on research or practice. Updated Leadership Implications—The Leadership Implications at the end of each chapter have been retained and expanded. Critical Thinking Questions—The section on Critical Thinking has been expanded in Chapter 1, and Critical Thinking Questions have been retained and expanded in the second edition. Updated Best Practices and Research in Action boxes—Best Practices and Research in Action boxes have been retained as features, and new ones have been added for new

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chapters under the reorganization of the textbook. New Toolkit Activities—Both instructors and students responded positively to the Toolkit Activities and Self-Assessments, and additional Toolkit items have been added. Based upon feedback from instructors (particularly in the online environment), Discussion Questions have been added for all Toolkit Activities, Case Studies, and Self-Assessments.

New and updated Case Studies—All of the cases have been either replaced or expanded in length. A new feature for the second edition is that each chapter will have one or two longer cases (3,000–5,000 words) selected from SAGE business cases (these cases are provided on the Instructor Resources website). New digital resources—The second edition also comes with a SAGE coursepack, which houses all of the dynamic digital resources and is specifically designed for your learning management system. A SAGE coursepack is a simple and user-friendly solution for building your online teaching and course management environment.

Chapter pretests (25 multiple-choice questions) and posttests (40 multiple-choice questions) and Premium SAGE video tied to assessment questions provide additional critical thinking practice. Premium SAGE videos—Original SAGE videos have been added to the new edition and are tied to chapter learning objectives to reinforce the evidence-based learning approach.

Updated Chapters

Each chapter has been thoroughly updated to include new developments, new scholarship, and recent events in organizational behavior.

Chapter 1: What Is Organizational Behavior?

Expanded discussion of the history of OB, and new discussion of additional disciplines contributing to OB (psychology, sociology, anthropology). Expanded outcomes of OB now include organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behavior, and employee well-being. Expanded coverage of critical thinking and evidence-based management. Added coverage of Theory X/Y as an example of how OB influences performance, and a new self-assessment on Theory X/Y. New Research in Action box on “How Google Proved Management Matters.” Revised Leadership Implications section now focuses on critical thinking.

Chapter 2: Personality and Person–Environment Fit

New chapter that focuses on personality and person–environment fit; the chapter on individual differences has been split into Personality and Person–Environment Fit

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(Chapter 2) and Emotions and Moods (Chapter 3). Updated psychological capital (PsyCap) materials and a new Best Practices box on PsyCap training interventions. New section on Machiavellianism and “the Dark Triad.” Added coverage of additional personality traits (self-monitoring, risk taking, and core self-evaluation) and Holland’s personality–job fit theory. Person–environment fit has been added to this chapter and includes person– organization and person–job fit. New Case Study added: “Who Would You Hire?”