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1. “Halo effect and selective perception are the shortcuts in judging others” Explain. Individuals have a tendency to use a number of shortcuts when they judge others. An understanding of these can be helpful toward recognising when they can result in significant distortions. Halo Effect: The halo effect [Murphy & Anhalt, 1992] occurs when we draw a general impression on the basis of a single characteristic. For example, while appraising the lecture, students may give prominence to a single trait, such as enthusiasm and allow heir evaluation to be tainted by how they judge the instructor on that trait which stood out prominently in their estimation of that person. Research suggests that it is likely to be most extreme when the traits to be perceived are ambiguous in behavioural terms, when the traits have moral overtones, and when he perceiver is judging traits with which he or she has had limited experience. Selective Perception: Any characteristic that makes a person, object, or event stand out will increase the probability that it will be perceived. It is impossible for an individual to internalise and assimilate everything that is seen. Only certain stimuli can be taken in selectively. Selectivity works as a shortcut in judging other people by allowing us to “speed-read” others, but mot without the risk of drawing an inaccurate picture. The tendency to see what we want to see can make us draw unwarranted conclusions from an ambiguous situation. 2. Explain “Emotional Intelligence” 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 ‘Sri mad Bhagavat Gita’ , in a specific conversation between lord Krishna and Arjuna in a situation of kurukshetra battle field. Before the battle started Arjuna was in deep sorrow and pity, found his close relatives, friends and respected gurus in enemy side. The win the battle he was supposed to kill those

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beloved ones. He got confused about his rightful duty. Due to this heat of non strength, he refused to join the battle. In this context lord Krishna who played the chariot to Arjuna advised him to become the steady minded person. He also told that an individual achieved his/her goal only when the mind becomes steady, poised and balanced. This concept talks about a unique interdependence between emotion and intelligence for effective decision making which was most essential in excelling in every sphere of life. Similar views on the role of emotional intelligence as a learning process for achieving a balanced personality in different stages of life on an intergenerational basis has been depicted in Vedas. In Particular, Dr. Radha Krishnan, in his book mentioned that the attitude of Vedas is one of trust tempered by criticism. 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 individual’s cognition of own and others’ emotions, feelings, interpretation and action as per environmental demand to manipulate the consequences which in turn result in a superior performance. So having high emotional intelligence doesn’t mean that the person never panics or loses his/her control. It does mean that he/she brings own feelings under control and channels them into productive behaviours. The most popular and accepted mixed model of emotional intelligence is the one proposed by Goleman. He viewed emotional intelligence as a total of personnel and social competencies. Personnel competencies determine how we manage ourselves, where as social competence determines how we handle our interpersonal relationships. Personnel 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 recognise a feeling as it happens. Self regulation is the ability to control emotions and to redirect those emotions that can have negative impact. Motivation is the ability to channelize emotion to achieve a goal through self control and by moderation impulses as per the requirement. Social Competence: It compromises of two dimensions namely, empathy and social skills. Empathy is the ability to feel and get concerned

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for others, take their perspective and to treat people according to their emotional reactions. Social skills are the ability to build rapport and to manage relationships with people. People having the skill are very effective persuasiveness and team management. Social skills are the culmination of all other components of emotional intelligence.

Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence Model Emotional Intelligence

Personal competence

Social Competence

Self Awareness

Empathy

Self Regulation

Social skills

Motivation

3. “A group formation passes through various stages.” Explain various stages of group formation. The important stages through which the group formation passes are described below. a. 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, similarity to their personal needs, goals and group goals, the acceptable normative and behavioural standards expected for group membership and recognition for doing the work as a group. b. Storming:

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This is a turbulent phase where individuals try to basically form coalitions and cliques to achieve a desired status within the group. Members go also 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.

c. Norming: From the norming stage of group development, the group relay begins to come together as a coordinated unit. At this point, close relationship develop and the group shows cohesiveness. Group members will strive to maintain positive balance at this stage. d. 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 members focus on getting to know and understand each other to performing. For permanent work groups, performing is the last stage in their development. e. Adjourning: A well integrated group is able to disband, if required, when its work is accomplished, through in itself it maybe a painful process for group members, emotionally. The adjourning stage of group development is especially important for the temporary groups that are rampant in today’s workplaces. Members of these groups must 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 organisational context. For instance, a

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study of a cockpit crew in an airliner found that, within 10 minutes, three strangers assigned to fly together for the first time had become a high performing group. The rigid organisational context provides the rules, task definitions, information and resources required for the group to perform effectively. 1. “Power is the ability to make things happen in the way an individual wants, either by self or by the subordinates. The essence of power is to control over the behaviour of others”. Explain the various bases of power.

Power can be categorised into two types: Formal and informal. Formal Power: It is based on the position of an individual in an organisation. Formal power is derived from either one’s ability to coerce or reward others or is derived from the formal authority vested in the individual due to his /her strategic position in the organisational hierarchy. For example a manager can threaten to hold the pay hike. Such coercive power is the extent to which a manager can deny desired rewards or administer punishments to control other people. The presence of unions and organisational policies on employee treatment can weaken this power base significantly. Formal power may be categorised into 4 types which are as follows: a. 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 organisation 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 who power is being unleashed. b. Reward Power: The opposite of coercive power is reward power. It is the extent to which a manager can use extrinsic and intrinsic rewards to control other people. Examples of such rewards include money, compliments, promotions etc.

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Utilising rewards to achieve influence varies according to the skills of the manager. c. Legitimate Power: It stems from the extent to which a manager can use subordinates internalised values of beliefs that the boss has a right to command to control their behaviour. Legitimate power represents a special kind of power a manager has because subordinates believe it is legitimate for a person occupying the managerial position to have the right to command. The lack of this is legitimacy will result in authority not being accepted by subordinates. Thus this type of power has the following elements: •

It represents the power a person receives as a result of his/her position in the formal hierarchy.

•

Positions of authority include coercive and reward powers.

•

It encompasses the authority of a position by members of an organisation.

a. Information Power: This type of power is derived from access to and control over information. When people have needed information, others become dependent on them. Normally, higher the level, the more information would be accesses by managers. Personal Power: Personal power resides in the individual and is independent of that individual’s position. The bases of personal power are expertise, rational, persuasion and reference. a. Expert Power: It is the ability to control another person’s behaviour by virtue of possessing knowledge, experience or judgement that the other person lacks, but needs. A subordinate obeys a supervisor possessing expert power because the boss ordinarily knows more about what to be done or how it is to be done than subordinate. However the table may turn upside in case the subordinate knows more than the boss. This holds true in many cases where the boss heavily depends on juniors for technologically oriented support. Set 2

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b. Rational Power: It is the ability to control another’s behaviour, since through the individual efforts; the person accepts the desirability of an offered goal and a viable way of achieving it. This involves explain the desirability of expected goal and showing how specific actions will achieve these goals. c. Reference Power: It is the ability to control another’s behaviour because the person wants to identify with the power source. In this case, a subordinate obeys the boss because he or she wants to behave, perceive, or believe as the boss does. The subordinate attempts to avoid doing things that would interfere with the pleasing boss-subordinate system. This is based on what the individual represents a path toward lucrative future. d. Charismatic Power: This is an extension of reference power stemming from any individuals personality and inter personnel style. Others follow because they can articulate attractive visions, take personal risks, demonstrate follower sensitivity etc. Dependency is the key to power: • •

The greater B’s dependency on A, the greater the power of A over B. Dependency, inversely proportional to the alternate sources of supply.

Three factors that are responsible for dependency are: •

Importance

•

Scarcity

•

Non-suitability

1. Explain the Organisational Development Process. A typical Organisational Development Process can be divided into the following phases: Problem Identification: The first step in OD process involves understanding and identification of the existing and potential problems in Set 2

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the organisation. The awareness of the problem includes knowledge of the possible organisational problems of growth, human satisfaction, the usage of human resource and organisational effectiveness. Data Collection: Having understood the exact problem in this phase, the relevant data is collected through personnel interviews, observations, the usage of human resource and questionnaires. Diagnosis: OD efforts begin with diagnosis of the current situation. Usually, it is not limited to a single problem. Rather a number of factors like attitudes, assumptions, available resources and management practices are taken into account in this phase. There are four steps in organisational diagnosis: –

Structural Analysis: Determines how the different parts of the organisation are functioning in terms of laid down goals.

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Process Analysis: Process implies the manner in which events take place in a sequence. It refers to the patter f decision making, communication, group dynamics and conflict management patterns within organisations to help in the process of attainment of organisational goals.

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Function Analysis: This includes strategic variables, performance variables, results, achievements and final outcomes.

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Domain Analysis: This refers to the area of the organisation for organisational diagnosis.

Planning and implementation: After diagnosing the problem, the nex step of OD, with the OD interventions, involves the planning and implementation part of the change process. Evaluation and Feedback: Any OD activity is incomplete without proper feedback. Feedback is a process of relaying evaluations to the client goup by means of specific report or interaction. 1. Write a short note on “Stress Management”

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High or low levels of stress sustained over long periods of time can lead to reduced employee performance, thus this requires action by management. i. Individual approaches:

•

Effective individual strategies include implementing time management techniques, increasing physical exercise, relaxation training, and expanding the social support network.

•

Practicing time management principles also leaves as an important element in managing stress, such as: ○ Making daily lists of activities to be accomplished. ○ Prioritising activities by importance and urgency. ○ Scheduling activities according to the priorities set. ○ Handling the most demanding part of your job during the high part of your cycle when you are most alert and productive.

•

Non competitive physical exercise has long been recommended as a way to deal with excessive stress.

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Practicing relaxation techniques like hypnosis, yoga, meditation etc.

i. Organisational approaches:

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Improved personnel selection and job placement leading to right person job fit there by reducing chances of non performance and stress level.

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Use of realistic goal setting, redesigning of jobs to reduce stress.

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Training in stress management.

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Increased employee involvement reduces stress level.

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•

Improved organisational communication helps in creating transparency in organisation and reducing confusion and stress levels.

•

Establishment of corporate wellness programs is an important concept in managing stress. This rejuvenates and refreshes them from time to time leading to increased productivity with renewed energy.

Suggested frame work for Stress Management: As there is positive side of stress which provides drive and excitement and motivation for individuals to push themselves o achieve more in their lives in the fulfilment of their set goals. Managing stress should be given importance rather than eliminating it. i. Find optimum stress level for an individual: There is no single level of stress that is optimal for each individual. We all are motivated, distressed by different levels of simulation in a given situation. How much resilience a person can exhibit while handling stressful situations, would vary across individuals as they are likely to differ in their psychological responses to it. Researchers have shown the following regarding the capabilities of handling stress: •

The person who enjoys arbitrating disputes and moves from job site to job site would be stressed in a job which was stable and routine.

•

Our personnel stress requirements and the amount which we can handle before we succumb to stress changes with age.

•

Many illnesses are related to unrelieved stress. If one is experiencing stress symptoms, he has gone beyond the optimal stress level, then it is necessary to reduce stress.

i. Managing stress better: Identifying unrelieved stress and being aware of its effect on an individual’s life is insufficient for reducing its harmful effects. There are two choices in this regard- either change the source of stress and/or change your reaction to it. This can be done by following the below path: •

Become aware of stressors and the emotional and physical reactions:

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Notice what causes distress, ignoring them is not a solution. Listing out all the events that cause distress is important.

•

Recognising what can be changed: Is it possible to change stressors by avoiding or eliminating them completely? Can their intensity be reduced? Is it possible to shorten an individual’s exposure to stress?

•

Reduce the intensity of emotional reactions to stress: The stress reaction is triggered by our perception of danger, physical danger or emotional danger. Work at adopting more moderate views; try to see the stress as something you can cope with rather than something that overpowers us is a solution for reducing stress, internally.

•

Learning to moderate our physical reactions to stress: Slow, deep breathing will bring your heart and respiration back to normal. Relaxation techniques can reduce muscle tension. Electronic biofeedback can help you gain voluntarily control over such things as muscle tension. However these alone cannot do the job. Learning to moderate these reactions on our own is a desirable solution in the long run.

•

Build our physical reserves: Exercising for cardiovascular fitness three to well balanced and nutritious meals are a excessive caffeine and other stimulants consistent with the sleep schedules; helps in extent.

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four times a week. Eating must. Avoiding nicotine, will be helpful. Being reducing stress to a large

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•

Maintaining emotional reserves: Developing some mutually supportive friendships and stable relationships help in sharing bottled up emotions and reduce stress. Expecting some frustrations, failures and sorrows as part of life can make us gear up mentally in handling stressful situations rather than succumb to them.

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