Case study

MANAGING GROUP BEHAVIOUR WITHOUT FORMAL POWER

Chiamara recently began taking business classes at her local university, because,
tired of working for others in the retail sector, she wanted to learn enough to start
her own business. She felt she had very strong leadership skills and really wanted to
run a company her way.
She was surprised, and a little dismayed, to discover that her introductory course on
organizational behaviour involved a great deal of group work—in fact, 35 percent
of her grade depended on it. That made Chiamara anxious for several reasons. First
of all, she would be randomly assigned to her group by the instructor and so would
have no control over who she would work with. Second, she had been hoping to
become eligible for scholarships in her second year of studies and was especially
concerned about getting good grades, but she had had some very negative group
experiences in the past that might create challenges in that regard. For example,
whether it was high school or workplace training, she was usually the most driven
person in a group and would often redo all the work at the end to make sure it was
up to her own high standards; but groupmates had accused her of being overbearing
and condescending, The truth was she just didn’t know why they couldn’t work
together to produce high-quality work in the first place.
Chiamara’s worries were all the greater because she had moved to Canada from
Nigeria three years previously, and despite the fact that English was the official
language in her home country she still had a strong spoken accent. (She herself
could not hear it but others told her about it.) In the past she had found that some
people in Canada, when they had trouble understanding her, treated her differently
—almost as though she had nothing to contribute.
She wondered how best to make sure she got off on the right foot with her group. If
her new colleagues did stereotype her, what might help? Even if they didn’t, how
might she more diplomatically motivate everyone to do their best, hand in
assignments on time, and generally contribute fully? How might she make sure the
team members had the common goal of getting A+ and worked efficiently toward
that goal?
Chiamara looked over the first chapter of her organizational behaviour textbook.
She was especially interested in the information about levels of analysis. The
textbook highlighted the fact that human behaviour is influenced at three different
levels: individual, group, and organizational. Each level contributes something a
little different. She started to wonder how this understanding might help her
influence her group.
Looking at each level separately, what sorts of things would influence behaviour
while completing team-based tasks? As a person with no formal authority or power,
how might she use this knowledge to steer her group in a positive, socially healthy,
and productive direction?

Discussion Questions
1. What insights might Chiamara gain about group functioning by looking at
individual levels of analysis? (Remember to consider what she might be able
to learn about herself and the impact of her own behaviours!)
Different culture, motivation,
2. Which of the disciplines that contribute to OB help us to better understand
individual behaviour? Justify your answer.
Psychology, neuroscience
2. What insights might Chiamara gain about group functioning at the group
level? Be specific about how organizational behaviour insights at this level
of analysis can improve group functioning.

4. Is the organizational level of analysis relevant to this case? Why or why not?
Explain your answer.
no, mainly in individual n group level
Source: Robbins & Judge (2018 ) – Essentials of Organizational
Behavior