Ob Final Exam

Front 1

What is the fundamental attribution error?

Back 1

When a person overestimates the extent to which someone has control over a situation and attributes the circumstances to the person (even though the circumstance may be out of that person's hands)

Front 2

What is the similar to me bias?

Back 2

When people view those most similar to them more positively than other people who are not similar

Front 3

Describe an example of when similar to me bias exists

Back 3

[Example would be during hiring when interviewers display a preference for candidates most similar to them]

[Another example is the symphony study where women were 50% more likely to be hired during auditions if playing behind a curtain]

Front 4

Describe an example of when fundamental attribution error exists

Back 4

[Consider 2 students (A and B) taking a quiz that was written by A. In this scenario, A will get a higher score and be perceived to be more intelligent even though this is only the case because the process was, whereby A picked the questions, was not taken into consideration]

Front 5

Why are the first 2 weeks in a job the most important?

Back 5

During the first 2 weeks, the following occur:

1. People tend to size others up within the first few seconds and it remains anchored

2. Based on those impressions, a self-fulfilling prophecy occurs whereby people treat others based on the initial impression

Front 6

Are first impressions lasting?

Back 6

Yes. Studies show that people can size others within 2 seconds and still come to the same conclusion as if you knew the other people for weeks

Front 7

Describe the 4-step process of self-fulfilling prophecies

Back 7

1) We form opinions of other people

2) We communicate our expectations using cues

3) People will respond to those cues by adjusting their behaviour

4) The result is that our opinion is proven because of the behavioural change

Front 8

Describe an example where self-fulfilling prophecy exists

Back 8

[An example is when teachers were told that a set number of students were really bright therefore those teachers paid closer attention to the students. As a result, those students ended getting higher grades]

Front 9

How does fundamental attribution error fit into the work environment in the form of performance evaluations

Back 9

1. Sometimes employees do good work because the environment (i.e. their team) does good work. They themselves are not actually that great

2. On the contrary, sometimes employees might seem uncooperative displaying behaviours not akin to being a team player. However, this might just be the case because they have too much work!

Front 10

Why is it important to consider fundamental attribution in your organisation? (i.e. why is it important to be careful when judging talent)

Back 10

By not considering it, you may end up

1. Giving people too much credit

2. Giving people too little credit

3. Alienate your best employees

Front 11

What are the disadvantages of the simple work sample test?

Back 11

1. The work sample tests are done online so candidate may cheat

2. They only test ability to do the job and not potential to actually learn

Front 12

Draw out the validity vs acceptability 2 by 2 for the different types of interview techniques

Back 12

X axis -> unacceptable to acceptable (left to right)

Y axis -> Valid to invalid (up to down)

Cognitive ability (top left)

Personality (bottom left)

Interviews (bottom right corner)

Education (bottom right corner but more valid than interviews)

References (top right near the centre)

Structured interview (top right in the middle)

Work sample (top right corner)

Front 13

Why is the wasabi waiter test a poor measure to use?

Back 13

1. It samples on the dependent variable since only your best employees are the benchmark

2. You are not sure how a poor performing employee would perform and so some candidates who pass may actually end up being one of those poor performing employees

Front 14

What are some ways to help you perceive interviewees more accurately? (i.e. how to get a better idea of how good they are)

Back 14

1. Scrape for digital footprint (github, stack overflow etc..)

2. Enhance awareness of perceptual and attributional biases

3. Determine whether performance is due to the person or the situation (i.e. foundational attribution error)

4. Adopt perspective taking (empathising)

5. Get a third-party opinion (references)

Front 15

What is sequencing bias?

Back 15

When you only remembers the first and last thing someone has done and judges them based on that (e.g. the primacy and recency)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_position_effect

Front 16

What are some actions that should be used for structured interviews to limit bias?

Back 16

1. All interviewers meet in advance to discuss KPIs

2. Generate and agree on questions asked before hand

3. Administer structure interview protocol (i.e. same environment for all candidates)

4. Gather at the end of the interviews to share and make selection

Front 17

As the head recruiter, how should you treat the unstructured interview feedback that your team has provided you?

Back 17

Treat them as liking judgements

Front 18

Describe the principle of Liking when persuading others and provide an example of when this would be effective

Back 18

Liking = people tend to be more easily persuaded when they know/like the person persuading them

In a company, it is easier to ask a boss that likes you to support your idea/project than a boss that you have never really spoken to

Front 19

Describe the principle of Reciprocity when persuading others and provide an example of when this would be effective

Back 19

Reciprocity = people tend to repay in kind what you have given them

If you are active in trying to help people get connected with professionals in their desired industry, it is more likely that they will try to help you if you ever go to them for a request

Front 20

Describe the principle of Social Proof when persuading others and provide an example of when this would be effective

Back 20

Social Proof = people tend to follow the lead of similar others

An advertisement in San Francisco showing people buying yellow shoes will likely convince more people in San Francisco to buy yellow shoes.

Note showing this advertisement (using the San Francisco setting) will have no impact with the number of people buying yellow shoes in cities like Tokyo

Front 21

Describe the principle of Consistency when persuading others and provide an example of when this would be effective

Back 21

Consistency = people tend to follow through on things they have originally committed to

When completing a verbal negotiation with a boss/subordinate at work, make sure you get them to write the agreement down via email afterwards as they will be more likely to follow through

Front 22

Describe the principle of Authority when persuading others and provide an example of when this would be effective

Back 22

Authority = people tend to be swayed by experts

When making a point in any circumstance, it is more effective to state your expertise (i.e. why you are credible in making this point) then actually make the point. This will convince more people

Front 23

Describe the principle of Scarcity when persuading others and provide an example of when this would be effective

Back 23

Scarcity = people tend to want more of what they don't have

In marketing, it is more effective to advertise what a prospective buy may lose from not shopping now as oppose to what they may gain

Front 24

As a strategy, when should you ask for a public or private vote?

Back 24

If you believe you are in the minority, go for a private vote to encourage dissent

If you believe you are in the majority, go for a public vote. The people on the fence will likely conform with the majority, reducing levels of dissent

Front 25

Describe the "foot-in-the-door" technique and how it relates to persuasion

Back 25

Since people tend to follow through on things they have committed to, the "foot-in-the-door" technique suggests getting them to agree on a small request that is easy for them to say yes to then ask for the big request

For example, ask someone if they enjoy cooking for others. If they say "yes", then ask them if they can cook for you :D

Front 26

Describe the Four Walls technique

Back 26

It is a way to compel someone to follow through with committing and remain consistent

Four Walls involves asking a series of a questions to someone which establishes the required premise for your request (which comes in the end). If the person turns you down, that means they are contradicting their responses to your initial series of questions

Front 27

Describe rational persuasion

Back 27

An influential tactic that involves:

1. Being calm and not defensive

2. Being nice and reasonable

3. Using arguments that are calculated and well-reasoned

This works because other people can only dispute against your arguments and not against your motives/emotions

Front 28

Describe emotional contrast

Back 28

When up against someone who is emotional, remain calm as to demonstrate that you are in control

Front 29

Describe push and pull tactics

Back 29

Push: (being active)

Stating expectations, evaluating idea, proposing, reasoning

Pull: (facilitating)

Listening, finding common ground, visioning (coming up with hypotheticals), disclosing

Front 30

When should you use Push and when should you use Pull tactics

Back 30

If you are in the minority, use pull

If you are in the majority, use push

Front 31

What is important to bear in mind when framing a situation against a majority?

Back 31

Frame your attack not on the majority group's thinking but rather the issues/evidence provided.

For example, in 12-angry men, Juror 8 did not initially say the majority were idiots for voting guilty but rather questioned the reliability of the evidence (i.e. not questioning their reasoning skills but rather the assumptions the underpin their conclusion)

Front 32

Describe positive and negative reinforcement

Back 32

Positive reinforcement:

Desired behaviour emitted -> give attractive reward -> desired behaviour increased

Negative reinforcement:

Undesired behaviour emitted -> threaten punishment -> undesired behaviour reduced

Front 33

What are the SMART goals?

Back 33

S = Specific

M = Measurable

A = Achievable

R = Reasonable

T = Timetable

This framework will help define the objectives you want achieve by maximising the motivation someone has for that objective

Front 34

What are the 3 questions that are likely to be on someone's mind when you are trying to motivate them to do a task?

Back 34

1. How much effort will I need to put in?

2. Will meeting the objectives give me a reward?

3. Do I need the reward?

Front 35

How can positive reinforcement be trained most effectively?

Back 35

1. Use short intervals between each reward (but not every time)

2. Provide transparency on what will be rewarded and what needs to be done to get that reward

Front 36

How do negative and positive reinforcement differ when it comes to the frequency of punishment/reward?

Back 36

For negative reinforcement, punishment should be immediate as this will lead to no doubt as to why the punishment was given

For positive reinforcement, reward should only be given occasionally! Otherwise, people will start feeling a sense of entitlement

Front 37

What is the danger with giving people rewards?

Back 37

When giving someone a reward, you are signalling they deserve it because of a set of behaviours. However, if you stop giving them the award for that set of behaviours, they will likely be very upset.

This is because getting a reward is less good than being punished (ie. you are less happy receiving $10 than you are angry when someone takes away $10 - EVEN IF THE $10 WAS A GIFT!)

Front 38

How can salary, bonuses and perks be used to motivate employees? When is one more effective than the others?

Back 38

For positive reinforcement, boosting salaries and more perks are helpful in motivating employees although perks appear to have a higher impact!

Threatening to reduce bonuses is also effective as a negative reinforcement

Front 39

What is loss aversion? How can one overcome it?

Back 39

People tend to prefer avoiding losses than making gains. To overcome it, it is always important to frame/focus on the gains.

For example, company bonuses should be considered as a gain. If bonuses become viewed as the norm and 1 year an employee gets a reduced bonus, he/she will be very upset!

Front 40

What are extrinsic and intrinsic rewards? Give some examples

Back 40

Extrinsic:

- Material rewards

- Pay, benefits, job security

Intrinsic rewards:

- Sense of accomplishment or achievement

- Learning something new, accomplishing something worthwhile and developing skills

Front 41

How can intrinsic motivation be increased?

Back 41

1. Autonomy - People tend to perform better when giving more autonomy

2. Mastery - People work harder when they believe they will get better at their tasks

3. Relatedness - Frame problems such that people feel more connected (i.e. this will help you and other people - Hand hygiene example)

4. Purpose - People are more motivated if they can see that their work will have a impact

Front 42

What is a better strategy in negotiations? Compromising or Logrolling?

Back 42

Compromising never results in a favourable outcome in negotiations!

It is better to log roll (trade favours on the most important issues for each other) than to compromise

Front 43

What is sandbagging? When is it useful? What are its consequences?

Back 43

Sandbagging is when you pretend to be worse than you actually are so that when your results come in, you actually look better

When 2 parties negotiating want the same thing, sandbagging is fine since it maximise outcome for both

When 2 parties want different things, sandbagging helps the party with the leverage BUT can ruin future relationships with the other party

Front 44

When negotiating with someone, what are the 3 elements to consider?

Back 44

1. The current deal (who gets what)

2. The interaction (how will we decide on the current deal)

3. The relationship (especially in the future) with that person

Front 45

What is the 2 things you should always do in negotiations to maximise your potential outcome?

Back 45

1. Maximise the pool of negotiating partners!

2. State the things you want

Front 46

What are some things to do in order to negotiate effectively?

Back 46

1. Assess what you will do if you don't reach an agreement with your opponent

2. Assess what your opponent will do if they don't reach an agreement with you

3. Assess the true issues in the situation

4. Assess how important each issue is to you and to your opponent

5. Look for opportunities to create value

Front 47

Is it better to negotiate one or multiple things at a time?

Back 47

Never negotiate 1 thing at a time!

Front 48

Is it better to negotiate with a single number, package or range?

Back 48

It is best to offer packages (i.e. set values for each issue at hand)

Setting ranges may anchor your opponent on those numbers.

Front 49

What is the concept of spot rewards?

Back 49

Given the choice between a material object vs cash, people tend to chose the material object even when the two have equal value

Also, peers tend to prefer recognition from peers as oppose to seniors

Front 50

What is the reciprocity ring and why is it useful?

Back 50

The reciprocity ring is an exercise where each member of a group posts an "Ask". Once all the "Ask"s have been shared, the group then volunteers help where they can.

The exercise has proven to open groups up to asking for help because initially most people are reluctant to ask for help

Front 51

How can you foster network collaboration in a physical work place?

Back 51

There will be a few ways but one key way is the design of the physical space it self. Having a workplace which forces people to work by other people increases the likelihood of bumping into someone that could help you

Front 52

What are some ways to develop a network

Back 52

1. Routinely seek out regular opportunities for interaction or networking

2. Look for opportunities to help others

3. Ask for help

4. Thank you notes????

Front 53

What are the 6 principles of persuasion?

Back 53

1. Authority

2. Social Proof

3. Consistency

4. Liking

5. Reciprocity

6. Scarcity

Front 54

What is confirmation bias? What are some workplace examples of it?

Back 54

Confirmation Bias: sampling on the dependentvariable

This bias is present when companies try to model their recruitment process using their best employees. To overcome this, you should be sampling both your best and worst employees to figure out an unbiased relationship

Front 55

What is default bias? What is an example?

Back 55

People tend to stick with the status quo and not chose to switch over.

For example, if the option to become an organ donor requires "opting out", the number of people remaining opting in will be a lot higher.

Front 56

How can confirmation bias be minimised when trying to determine the correct recipes needed for start-up success?

Back 56

Instead of looking at only start-ups that have succeeded, one should look at start-ups that have failed. By examining both, a more unbiased idea of the true factors that influence success can be determined

Front 57

How to overcome confirmation bias?

Back 57

By trying all possible combinations of the situation being tested!

Front 58

What is "Modelling"? How can be done effectively?

Back 58

Modelling is when leaders try to reflect the company values they want to promote in their own actions. For this be effective it must be:

1. Authentic

2. Observable

3. Routine (not only happen once!)

Front 59

What is the bystander effect? What is an example of it happening the workplace?

Back 59

The bystander effect is when each individual person in a crowd assumes the others in their group will take action

Assume you spotted a big mistake in a company report but you know that 30 other people will be reading this report. Thinking that 1 of the other 30 people will fix it is an example of the bystander effect

Front 60

What is the misconception of chance?

Back 60

It is a bias where even though the probability of outcome A is 10%, you are bias by previous outcomes such that you discount that probability to something like 5%

E.g. if probability of failure is 12% but you have not failed yet, so you discount the probability of failure to like 3%

Front 61

How to minimise the bystander effect?

Back 61

Within the group, make sure you point to a specific person when making the request. This will put the onerous on that specific person and leave no confusion within the group

Front 62

How are the best people to start persuading in a large group (i.e. what to look for in those individual's behaviours)?

Back 62

Look for people who are:

1. Similar to you

2. Lacking conviction (wavering)

3. Dissatisfied with the majority

Front 63

In negotiations, what is the congruence issue?

Back 63

When 2 parties want the same the same thing so there is not really a reason for contention

An example is during employee term negotiations when the employee wants to work in NYC and the employer wants the employee to work in NYC. They want the same thing so no reason to fight!

Front 64

In bidding/auction theory, is it better to set a lower or higher prices?

Back 64

A low price because it introduces the maximum number of bidders.

Once the bidding begins, people tend to be emotional and the end price could be very high

Front 65

What is the most important thing to remember in mediations?

Back 65

TO NEVER MEDIATE! You can never come away with a positive outlook because of hostile mediator bias (whatever you try to do, people will not like you)

Front 66

When should you mediate?

Back 66

1. Parties are unable to communicate civilly

2. Disputants can't find positive bargaining zones

3. One party needs to save face

4. You have specific expertise

Front 67

What is self-serving bias?

Back 67

When people rate themselves higher than they actually are. We give ourselves too much benefit of the doubt (especially with non-observable stuff such as brainpower as oppose to observable like how athletic you are)

Front 68

How do you facilitate perspective taking? (i.e. sharing perspective)

Back 68

1. Decrease physical distance

2. Unpack contributions of each perspective

3. Clarify individual contributions and constraints

4. Get parties to state their position and why

Front 69

What is aggregation bias?

Back 69

You assume that the individuals in the population all have the same characteristics as the population average

Front 70

What is wrong with annual performance reviews? What is an alternative?

Back 70

Performance reviews typically have recency bias whereby the most recent developments are focused on.

An alternative is to have frequent reviews as oppose to once each year.