Organizational

Behavior

HEC Paris

Schulte & Yong, 2011

Class 2

Kevyn Yong
yong@hec.fr
Spring 2014

Multi-Phase Decision-Making
Understanding
Appropriate?

Understand
the Decision
and Goals

Alternatives
Sufficient?

Generate
Additional
Alternatives

Information
Adequate?

Acquire &
Evaluate
Information

Terminate
& Commit?

Distinction
Based on
Overall Value

Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

PB Technologies

Goal: To recommend a candidate for the Sr. VP

position.

Review the information and select an initial

preference. Note the evidence in support of your
decision on the initial preference form.

You have 15 minutes to prepare your analysis and

complete the initial preference form.
Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

PB Technologies

Use the confidential information ANY way you

want.

Each piece of information has EQUAL weight.

Positive = +1, Negative = -1, Neutral = 0

DECISION KEY: no. of positives minus no. of

negatives.
Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

PB Technologies
Your group has 30 minutes to make a
group decision.
The group must reach a decision.
Please be back in the room by ___ pm.
Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

Distribution of Information

Positive
Negative
Neutral
Total

Suzanne

Kristen

Nancy

3
(2 shared)
3
(1 shared)
2
(1 shared)
8
(4 shared)

5
(4 shared)
2
(1 shared)
2
(0 shared)
9
(5 shared)

6
(2 shared)
1
(1 shared)
1
(1 shared)
8
(4 shared)

Distribution of Information
Suzanne

Kristen

Nancy

Shared: Good attention to detail.

Shared: Completed managerial
leadership program sponsored by
company.
Unique: Got good reviews as chair
of company dispute resolution
committee. (Ops)

Shared: An excellent public speaker.

Shared: Detail-oriented personality.
Shared: Played a key role in stock
issue for Tech. Solns., Inc. 2 yrs ago.
Shared: Worked in London for 2 yrs in
the finance div. Of Europrean
operation of Tech. Solns., Inc.
Unique: Staff says she is a master at
understanding and using
organizational politics to her
advantage (Ops).

Shared: Completed managerial

leadership course offered by
company.
Shared:Published extensively on
how to improve internal audit
practices.
Shared: Extensive international
travel and business consulting.
Unique: Good insight into
organizational politics (Ops).
Unique: Good attention to detail.
Unique: Subordinates report that
she is demanding but fair.

Shared: Staff complain that she

can be moody.
Unique: Not an inspiring speaker.
(Ops)
Unique: Has a habit of being late
to meetings. (HR)

Shared: Some staff complain that she

can be moody.
Unique: Some staff complain that she
can be overbearing interpersonally.
(GC)

Shared: Does not remember to

recognize the contributions of
others once projects are
complete.

Shared: Likes to play chess.

Unique: Placed first in a local
photography contest.

Unique: Was the volunteer CFO of a

local homeless shelter for 2 yrs (Ops.)
Unique: Chaired the United Way
charity drive for Tech. Solns., Inc.

Shared: Organizaed farewell

tribute to the retiring CFO.

Hidden Profiles: Information Distribution in Groups

Commonly held Information
Discussed more attentively and for longer periods of time
Unique information
Not given the weight it should.
Consequence
Commonly held information has a greater influence on
decisions than uniquely held information.
This occurs independent of the validity of the information.
Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

Hidden Profiles: Solutions

The task is a problem to be solved, not a
judgment to be made.
Share all information.
Focus on unique information.
Rank rather than choose
Consider the alternatives one at a time.
Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

Multi-Phase Decision-Making
Understanding
Appropriate?

Understand
the Decision
and Goals

Alternatives
Sufficient?

Generate
Additional
Alternatives

Information
Adequate?

Acquire &
Evaluate
Information

Terminate
& Commit?

Distinction
Based on
Overall Value

Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

Brainstorming


Deep Dive at IDEO

Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

Effective Brainstorming
Share and hear all ideas before doing anything
else.
Encourage wild ideas.
Dont criticize or evaluate.
Build on the ideas of others.
Have only one conversation at a time.
Stay focused on the topic.
Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

Knowledge Base (transactive memory)

Knowledge coordination (both
implicit and explicit):
What do we know?
Who knows what?
Where to go get knowledge?
How to get knowledge?

Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

Building Transactive Memory

Develops naturally but not quickly
Making skills/knowledge/expertise explicit
Teams that will work together should train
together (helps implicit coordination)
e.g. Electronic assembly teams
Documentation (helps explicit coordination)
Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

Types of Conflict in a group

Task conflict
Conflict about ideas and differences in viewpoints.

Interpersonal conflict
Involves dislike among members and feelings such as annoyance,
frustration, and irritation

Process conflict
Differences in understanding of duty and resource delegation,
such as who should do what and the scope of each members
responsibility.

Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris

Effective conflict management

Clearly define shared goals.
Focus on Facts more rather than less.
Multiple Alternatives.
Maintain balanced power structures.
Resolve issues without forcing consensus.
Use humor as an aid to make difficult decisions.
Organizational
Behavior

HEC Paris