Posted: February 26th, 2023

discussion week 1*Organization Behavior & Communication

In both the academic (student) and professional (career) domains, critical thinking is a valued skill. Your professors assess the depth of critical thinking and might urge you to consider concepts more deeply. Similarly, hiring managers might ask about your critical thinking skill and ask you to provide examples of how you have demonstrated such skill.

Select any one of the following starter bullet point sections. Review the important themes within the sub questions of each bullet point. The sub questions are designed to get you thinking about some of the important issues. Your response should provide a succinct synthesis of the key themes in a way that articulates a clear point, position, or conclusion supported by research. Select a different bullet point section than what your classmates have already posted so that we can engage several discussions on relevant topics. If all of the bullet points have been addressed, then you may begin to re-use the bullet points with the expectation that varied responses continue.

• What does it mean to think critically? What are the various dimensions of critical thinking? That is, what do critical thinkers do or how do we assess the quality of critical thinking? Analyze one of the critical thinking dimensions. How does critical thinking apply to leaders? Managers? Organizations?
• Review the material you’ve read in course lectures and the assigned textbook selections. What is a unique and challenging critical question you would like to raise about this material? (Your question may be about something controversial, about which you have your doubts. It may suggest that a theory or a model has weaknesses, challenge the truth of proposed relationships between variables, or assess the value of a suggested practice.) Defend your perspective.
• South University has four specific objectives called Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs). SLOs include: Specialization expertise (content and competency), critical thinking, information literacy, and communication. Briefly define each of those objectives and assess how they might interact with or influence one other. Summarize a development plan you might use for yourself to enhance your skill for each objective. How might mastery of the objectives enhance your career path?

The final paragraph (three or four sentences) of your initial post should summarize the one or two key points that you are making in your initial response.

Your posting should be the equivalent of 1- to 2- single-spaced pg (500–1000 words) in length.

attached is student 1 response to see an example please also response to student 1 response no less than 100 words to 200 words

What does it mean to think critically? 

           Thinking critically involves breaking down a problem or issue into its parts and evaluating each part and its relationship to the whole. It requires assessing information objectively and logically, considering alternative points of view, and identifying patterns and relationships between different ideas, concepts, and data. Critical thinking involves reasoning and making evidence-based judgments, forming and modifying hypotheses, developing and defending arguments, and generating creative solutions to complex problems (Hitchcock, 2018). It is also the ability to question assumptions, seek evidence, and make informed and reasoned decisions. 

What are the various dimensions of critical thinking? 

           Critical thinking has various dimensions, including analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and inference. The analysis is breaking down a problem or situation into parts to understand it better. Synthesis involves combining different ideas or pieces of information to form new and different interpretations or solutions. Evaluation involves assessing the validity of arguments, ideas, and evidence and making reasoned judgments about them (Elder & Paul, 2020). Inference involves drawing conclusions and making predictions based on the evidence gathered. 

How does critical thinking apply to leaders? Managers? Organizations?

            Critical thinking is essential for leaders, managers, and organizations to make informed decisions based on evidence and sound reasoning. Leaders and managers must be able to evaluate and analyze data, identify patterns and relationships between different ideas and concepts, draw conclusions and make informed decisions. Organizations must also be able to assess the validity of arguments and ideas and make informed decisions. Critical thinking can help organizations identify problems, develop creative solutions, and assess the effectiveness of policies and procedures. Organizations that think critically are better equipped to make informed decisions and navigate complex challenges (Jackson, 2019). 

Review the material you’ve read in course lectures and the assigned textbook selections. What is a unique and challenging critical question you would like to raise about this material?

            One unique and challenging critical question I would like to raise about the material I have read in course lectures and the assigned textbook selections is: To what extent does a leader’s cultural values, beliefs, and attitudes influence their decision-making process? This question is particularly pertinent in an increasingly globalized world, where leaders must make decisions that consider stakeholders’ values, beliefs, and attitudes. Furthermore, it is essential to consider whether a leader’s cultural values, beliefs, and attitudes positively or negatively influence the decision-making process. 

Defend your perspective. 

           The importance of considering a leader’s cultural values, beliefs, and attitudes when making decisions is becoming increasingly apparent in our increasingly globalized world. Cultural values, beliefs, and attitudes can significantly impact how a leader makes decisions, as well as the decisions themselves. For example, a leader’s cultural values may influence their decision-making process regarding how they weigh the importance of different factors, such as the ethical implications of their decisions. Likewise, their beliefs and attitudes may influence their decisions regarding how they perceive specific issues and the potential consequences of their decisions. Therefore, it is essential to consider the influence of a leader’s cultural values, beliefs, and attitudes when making decisions, as these can significantly impact the final outcome. 

Briefly define each of those objectives and assess how they might interact with or influence one other. 

Specialization expertise (content and competency) involves understanding, analyzing, and applying information related to a particular field or area of study. Critical thinking involves the ability to reason, make informed decisions based on evidence, form and modify hypotheses, and develop and defend arguments. Information literacy involves accessing, evaluating, and using information from various sources. Communication involves conveying information effectively in both verbal and written forms. These objectives are interrelated, each requiring similar skills and competencies. For example, critical thinking and communication both require the ability to reason, evaluate evidence, and form and defend arguments. Specialization expertise and information literacy require the ability to access, analyze, and apply information. Furthermore, the ability to effectively communicate the results of one’s research is essential to all of the objectives. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how these objectives interact with and influence one another to develop mastery of them. 

Summarize a development plan you might use for yourself to enhance your skill for each objective. 

           A development plan to enhance my skills for each objective would involve focusing on three key areas: knowledge, practical application, and self-reflection. In terms of knowledge, I would focus on increasing my understanding of the material related to my field or area of study and the principles of critical thinking, information literacy, and effective communication. In terms of practical application, I would focus on applying the knowledge and skills I have acquired to solve real-world problems and build my competency in each area. Finally, I engage in self-reflection to assess my progress and identify areas for improvement. This would involve regularly reflecting on my performance, analyzing my strengths and weaknesses, and setting realistic goals for improvement. 

How might mastery of the objectives enhance your career path? 

           Mastery of these objectives would enhance my career path by equipping me with the skills and competencies necessary to succeed in my chosen field. Mastery of specialization expertise would enable me to develop a deep understanding of my field or area of study and to apply this knowledge in real-world settings. Critical thinking and information literacy enable me to make informed decisions, develop and defend arguments, and evaluate evidence. Finally, effective communication would enable me to convey my ideas and arguments verbally and in written form. I would be better equipped to succeed in my chosen career path by mastering these objectives.

References

Elder, L., & Paul, R. (2020). 
Critical thinking: Tools for taking charge of your learning and your life. Foundation for Critical Thinking.

Hitchcock, D. (2018). Critical thinking.

Jackson, M. C. (2019). 
Critical systems thinking and the management of complexity. John Wiley & Sons.

Characteristics of the Employee.html

Characteristics of the Employee

When we think about describing the characteristics of an individual, we tend to first consider variables such as the person’s abilities and skills, attitudes, diversity, emotions, personality, perceptions, and attributes. However, there are other characteristics of the individual that play a critical role in determining employee behavior.

Some of the variables that affect how an employee performs on the job are:

Job satisfaction, which refers to the positive or negative feelings that an employee has about his or her work.

Job involvement, which is the extent to which an employee devotes himself or herself to the job, including investing time and energy, as well as seeing the job as an important definition of himself or herself.

Organizational commitment, which is an employee’s loyalty to an organization and his or her desire to continue to actively participate in the organization’s activities.

Organizational citizenship, which refers to an employee’s voluntary actions on behalf of the organization (over and above what is expected at work) that contribute to the organization’s success.

Every person is a unique blend of personal attributes, such as hereditary factors (e.g., gender and race), demographic factors (e.g., age and environmental background, such as urban or rural and poor, middle class, or wealthy), abilities (i.e., the talent to perform a mental or a physical task), skills (i.e., learned talents), temperament, and tendencies. These factors blend together to influence how a person interacts with the opportunities and responsibilities of his or her organizational environment. For example, why do different people respond differently to the same situation? Differences in behaviors and job performances among individuals can be attributed to differences in their characteristics.

The combination of job satisfaction, job involvement, organizational commitment, and organizational citizenship contribute to our understanding of an individual’s job performance. Each of these variables is impacted by the employee’s individual characteristics, such as abilities and skills, attitudes, emotions, personality, perceptions, and attributions. However, even if a manager was to fully predict all of these listed variables, other factors will also impact performance.

Additional Materials

View the PDF transcript for
Personal Attributes 

media/transcripts/SUO_MBA5001 PDF W1 L3 Characteristics of the Employee

Personal Attributes
Five-Factor Model
© 2016 South University

Personality

Every person is a unique blend of personal attributes, such as hereditary factors (e.g., gender and race),
demographic factors (e.g., age and environmental background, such as urban or rural and poor, middle
class, or wealthy), abilities (i.e., the talent to perform a mental or a physical task), skills (i.e., learned
talents), temperament, and tendencies. These factors blend together to influence how a person interacts with
the opportunities and responsibilities of his or her organizational environment. For example, why do
different people respond differently to the same situation? Differences in behaviors and job performances
among individuals can be attributed to differences in their characteristics.

Personality is the term commonly used to describe the relatively stable set of characteristics possessed by a
person. The Big Five Model (Digman, 1990) of personality provides some useful categories for thinking
about human personality differences. As the name implies, the model suggests five primary components
that make up personality. These include:

Extroversion: Extroversion is the degree to which a person is assertive, talkative, and outgoing

compared to passive, quiet, and shy. Those high on this dimension are considered extroverted.
Those low on this dimension are considered introverted.

Agreeableness: Agreeableness is the degree to which a person is friendly, cooperative, and flexible
compared to reserved, guarded, and inflexible. Those high on this dimension are considered
agreeable and easier to work with. Those low on this dimension are considered disagreeable and
more difficult to work with.

Emotional Stability: Emotional stability is the degree to which a person is consistent and
deliberate in reactions compared to inconsistent and impulsive in reactions. Those high on this
dimension are considered stable, calm, and having a positive attitude. Those low on this dimension
are considered insecure, anxious, and having a negative attitude.

Conscientiousness: Conscientiousness is the degree to which a person is dependable compared to
unreliable. Those high on this dimension are considered careful, organized, and thorough. Those
low on this dimension are considered inattentive to detail, disrespectful, and unorganized.

2 Personal Attributes

Five-Factor Model

Openness to Experience: Openness to experience is the degree to which a person is interested in
learning new things, meeting new people, and going to new places compared to keeping to their
current knowledge, friends, and places. Those high on this dimension are considered intellectual,
curious, and cultured. Those low on this dimension are considered more narrow-minded and
uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings.

Digman, J. M. (1990). Personality structure: Emergence of the five-factor model. Annual Review of
Psychology, 41. 41 7-440.

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Organizational Behavior and Communication

©2016 South University

Simple-Open System Model.html

Simple-Open System Model

An open system is any biological or social unit that receives input, transforms it, and produces output. If your organization was a closed system, it would not receive any input from the external environment. It would be completely self-sustaining. However, every organization takes in some type of input (e.g., resources), transforms it (e.g., processes), and produces output (e.g., products or services). Take a moment and think about your organization. What are its inputs? How does it transform them? What are its outputs?

To explore organizational behavior in detail, the simple systems model can be expanded to recognize that organizations are composed of many different components. For example, look around any organization and you might see people, formal statements describing the goals and strategies of the company, different technologies, and various activities. In other words, the action of “transforming” input into output involves many different elements. In addition, organizations exist within a specific environment (a market, a community, etc.) and a general environment (e.g., broader national or global context). These environments exert their own influence on the organizational system.

A helpful exercise for any work-team, unit, or organization can be drawing “itself” on paper, a whiteboard, or a computer screen. What are the resources or inputs that come into the organization? What are our processes, policies, structures, technologies, and human elements that transform those inputs? What is our output?

Perhaps most importantly, does everyone on the team have the same ideas about our inputs and output? Do they have the same view about what we do to transform one to the other?

Additional Materials

media/transcripts/SU_MBA5001_W1_L4_S1_G1

Human Behavior in an Organization.html

Human Behavior in an Organization

At the heart of the transformation process occurring in organizations is the behavior of the humans who utilize the incoming resources and technology, operate within the culture and structure of the organization, and seek to follow the goals and strategies of the organization to produce the output. Although, as an academic field of study, organizational behavior is specifically interested in the human behavior occurring in organizations, the systems perspective of organizations suggests that each individual is part of the greater whole (the system) and that each individual’s behavior has an effect on others’ behaviors, individually and collectively. Accordingly, the study of organizational behavior includes a wide range of topics related to the active processes that occur at all levels in an organization (individual, group, and organizational) as they transform input into output. Components include culture, technology, structure, goals, strategies, processes, behaviors, and leadership.

Each component of the system is important for the performance of the organization. Each component directly or indirectly influences the behaviors of individuals in the system. Additionally, problems that can inhibit organizational productivity might occur within any component.

From a systems view, each person is a system. In an organizational context, one way to interpret the individual as a system is to consider the inputs, transformation process, and outputs by the individual. We can do the same for a team. What are its inputs, transformation processes, and outputs? We can do the same for any unit and for the organization as a whole. A key question is whether all of those systems (individuals, groups, and organizations) are working in harmony.

Additional Materials

View the PDF transcript for  
Expanded Open-System Model

media/transcripts/SUO_MBA5001 PDF W1 L2 Human Behavior in an Organization

Expanded Open-System Model

Organization as Open Systems (adapted from Harrison, 1994)

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Organizational Behavior and Communication

©2015 South University