Research Paper – Organizational Behavior
OB Research Topics
1. Define, discuss, and provide examples of the major ideas of scientific management, human relations, and the human resources views of motivation.
2. Discuss four of the six common ways in which individuals respond to perceived inequity and provide an example of each. How do you think individuals might respond to overpayment inequity?
3. Define negotiation and discuss the two types of negotiation in detail, using examples.
4. Discuss the difference between personal and position power and provide examples of each. Discuss the implications of these differences for managers.
5. Explain the basic process involved in the general adaptation syndrome.
6. Describe, discuss, and give an example of the path-goal theory.
7. Discuss which influence tactics are most and least effective, and why. Explain each with examples.
8. Which types of teams discussed in the chapter could successfully operate as virtual teams? Provide support for your answer.
9. Describe the leader-member exchange model. How does the model help managers be more effective?
10. Explain diagonal communication and use examples to illustrate how it can facilitate communication within a company.
11. Define conflicts of interest. Discuss where they come from and how they can be resolved
12. Discuss what it means to manage cultural symbols in an organization. Give an example of how a manager might do this.
13. Describe, discuss, and give examples of and the pros and cons of job rotation.
14. Describe, discuss, and give examples of Lewin’s Process Model of planned change.
I highly recommend consulting the writing center for this element of the assignment.
1. Length and elements: The paper length will be 6-8 pages minimum, double spaced and typed (this does not include your title page, abstract, or references page). You must include a cover sheet with the title of your paper and your name. After the cover page (but before the body of the paper) you must include an abstract, which is a brief, comprehensive summary of the paper, no longer than 120 words. Finally, references should be listed on a separate page after the body of the paper. Margins should be no wider than 1″. Please number your pages.
2. Number of references: Your paper should include a minimum of 5 references. Appropriate sources include: (a) research articles from scientific journals (b) books. I want you to use sources that have strong scientific support. You must be able to cite your source according to APA format.
3. Format: Your paper should follow APA format. I have included examples of the APA format in this handout.
APA Format: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/18
