1. smime.p7s
Whole Foods Case study.pdf
Organization Behavior WK 3 reading assignment.docx
Week 3 Lecture 1 “Problems in Person Perception”
Salutations Class! In our personal and professional lives, we all
have perceptions which drive our behaviors. Whether we like to
admit it or not, we all have both positive and negative
perceptions of various things (people, tasks, events).
Understanding what’s behind those perceptions will allow you
to evaluate, understand, and better appreciate happenings
around you.
A perception, academically defined in the text on page 121 by
Hitt, Miller, and Colella, is the process of sensing various
aspects of a person, task, or event and forming impressions
based on selected inputs. Within the slide presentation this
week, we reviewed the three stages of perception which
included sensing, selecting, and organizing. During this
lecture, we’ll focus in on what the text calls “Problems in
Person Perception”.
We’ll cover four specific terms and give you a bit more insight

2. into each one. Noted below are each topic, how the Hitt,
Miller, and Colella text defines each one on page 125, and some
specific examples to help you identify each in practice.
Implicit person theories – defined as “personal theories about
what personality traits and abilities occur together and how
these attributes are manifested in behavior.” An example of this
recently surfaced in the workplace. Here’s the scenario…a
leader recently had his door shut for the majority of the day for
the last couple of weeks. His secretary senses that his door
being closed is a reflection of how he feels about her. In other
words, subconsciously believes that physical separation and
dislike are coupled together. The problem with this is that the
leader had his door shut for very valid reasons. He was
coordinating an entangled web with human resources and the
legal department to terminate an employee for poor
performance. How could this problem in person perception be
avoided? What could be done the next time around to prevent
this misunderstanding?
Halo effect – defined as “a perception problem in which an
individual assesses a person positively or negatively in all
situations based on an existing general assessment of the
person.” Let’s use the all too popular example of a politician
on the national level…how about a longstanding member of
Congress who has cheated on his tax returns and is facing tax
evasion charges. Many folks would generally see that Senator
or Congressman as an all-around bad person regardless of any
good that individual has done in his or her community.
Projecting – defined as “a perception problem in which an
individual assumes that others share his or her values and
beliefs.” For this concept, let’s take the manager who values
bonuses in the form of money as a motivational tool. The
manager’s employees, however, have varied beliefs. Some
prefer money but many prefer paid time off to spend with their
respective families. So, as the manager rewards all of his

3. employees with money, it’s hard for him or her to understand
why his chosen medium is not motivating all of his workforce.
As a leader within an organization, it’s very important not to
project based on your beliefs and values but rather embrace the
differences among the workforce and develop an understanding
of what makes your employees “tick”.
Stereotyping – defined as “a perception problem in which an
individual bases perceptions about members of a group on a
generalized set of beliefs about the characteristics of a group of
individuals.” This element can be a downfall of many teenagers
nowadays. Let’s assume your teenage child, who is a straight A
student, a member of the varsity athletic squad, and has deeply
religious convictions, starts to hang around with a “rowdy”
crowd. A crowd that stays out late at night, drinks alcohol, and
has the occasional drug binge. Regardless of the teenager’s
intentions, many folks in the community are likely to stereotype
that person and develop the perception that he or she is also a
“rowdy” individual. In reality, the teenager was actually trying
to help the rowdy group of individuals and get them involved in
church activities. This is what’s commonly known in parenting
circles as “guilty by association”. Despite the best of
intentions, a child or adult for that matter can become labeled
and unfairly judged.
In summary, there are various problems in person perception
that must be considered when evaluating a situation. As you
move through life both in your personal and professional lives, I
encourage you to continuously self-reflect to help minimize
misunderstandings. I’m a strong believer in the Golden Rule
and encourage you to be cognizant of your perceptions of others
and also of others’ perceptions of you.
What a great way to lead into the project! Are perceptions an
issue in your organization? If so, do you have a
recommendation for improvement? Continue to think about

4. areas for organizational improvement as this week you’ll be
submitting at least 5 references that you’ll use for your final
paper. Have a productive week!
References
Hitt, M. A., Miller, C. C., & Colella, A. (2015). Organizational
Behavior (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Week 3 Lecture 2 - The Big Five Personality Traits
Welcome to this week’s second lecture which focuses on The
Big Five Personality Traits as detailed in Chapter 5 of the text.
First, let’s paint a picture…just imagine you’re the hiring
official for your organization and are in need of a few good men
or women to become part of your high-performing, goal-
oriented team. Also, imagine that it’s company policy that
personality tests aren’t to be used in the hiring process. You, as
a well-seasoned leader, understand that certain personality traits

5. can make or break an employee when immersed in your work
environment. What personality traits might be important for
new members of your team? How might you unofficially get a
vibe for the personality traits of the applicants without violating
the company’s policy of not using personality tests during the
selection process?
Let’s start with the first question…what personality traits might
be important for new members of your team? In the
organizational behavior community, there’s a general consensus
that even though there are thousands of personality traits, there
are five that bubble to the top. These five are generally known
as “The Big Five Personality Traits”. In the paragraphs that
follow, we’ll define each of the five traits as noted in Hitt,
Miller, and Colella on pages 142-145 of the text and provide a
contextual background from which you can discern if the trait is
necessary for success on your team. Here it goes…
Extraversion – defined as “the degree to which an individual is
outgoing and derives energy from being around other people.” I
suspect most of us have heard of being either introverted or
extraverted. Professions that interact with the general public on
a continuous basis value extraverts. Some predominantly
extraverted professions include sales, food service industry,
nursing, and most management positions. Some examples of
introverted professions are engineering, research-based jobs,
and accountants.
Conscientiousness – is defined as “the degree to which an
individual focuses on goals and works toward them in a
disciplined way.” Simply put, I can’t think of a profession
where being conscientious is not a good thing. Even if you
choose to be a criminal, being conscientious with your planning
can be the difference between lockup and freedom! Just to be
clear, I don’t recommend this career path :)
Agreeableness – is defined as “the degree to which an
individual is easygoing and tolerant.” This is tough one. One
the one hand, it’s important to be easygoing and tolerant in a

6. team environment, however, this might lead to giving in on a
key point that might need further debate for a better solution.
In a perfect world, a person would know how to move in and
out of this personality trait depending on the external factors of
the current situation.
Emotional stability – is defined as “the degree to which an
individual easily handles stressful situations and heavy
demands.” This is another one of those “must haves” regardless
of the profession. A “steady hand at the wheel” is needed to
think clearly and make sound decisions.
Openness to experience – is defined as “the degree to which an
individual seeks new experiences and thinks creatively about
the future.” This trait lends itself to creativity and professions
which require a heavy dose of creativity can best benefit from
employees with this trait. A few professions that benefit from
openness to experience include marketing and design.
So, now that you have identified the critical personality traits,
on to the second question… how might you unofficially get a
vibe for the personality traits of the applicants without violating
the company’s policy of not using personality tests during the
selection process? One way to do this is during the interview
process by crafting open-ended questions which provide hints at
one’s personality.
For instance if you’re looking for extraversion traits, the
following question might be a good starting point:
Tell me about a time when you participated on a team and
accomplished a goal. Who was your customer, what role did
you play on the team, and how well did you communicate with
your team members?
What about the trait of conscientiousness? Try this out:
Tell me about a project you completed which required you to be
resourceful and detail-oriented. What specifically was the
process you followed to stay on track and achieve the objective?
Okay, so hopefully you get the idea…personality traits can be

7. observed through means other than personality tests. Now it’s
time to sound like a broken record…project, project, project!
Could your chosen organization do a better job of hiring
quality candidates? Does the hiring process need additional
quality control steps to maximize chances of a good fit?
Continue to think about ways your organization can improve
upon current practices. For instance, should candidates go
through not only an interview with a hiring official but also a
follow-up orientation visit with potential team members?
Take care and have a productive and enjoyable week!
References
Hitt, M. A., Miller, C. C., & Colella, A. (2015). Organizational
Behavior (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Read Chapters 4 & 5
Organization Behavior Week 2 Lecture 1 and 2.docx
Week 2 Lecture 1 –
From this week onward, you will get the opportunity to study
specific elements of strategic OB. After reviewing each of the
topics, I encourage you to reflect on your place of work and
ask, “Does my organization measure up?” If not, that topic
might become part of your final project paper. This week
brings two topics that are sure to be interesting and spark
debate…diversity (chapter two) and globalization (chapter
three). For this lecture, we’ll focus on diversity in the
workplace. This lecture coupled with the reading in Chapter 2
this week should provide the backdrop for an enhanced
understanding of diversity and the current topics facing our
country today.
Let’s begin with the Presidential election of 2008. Why is this
a significant event in our country’s history with respect to

8. diversity? We, as a nation, elected the first African-American
President, Barack Obama. From the civil rights movement of
the fifties and sixties to the election of our first African-
America President, our country has grown over the last several
decades and continues to evolve with respect to diversity and
inclusion. Before moving further into this lecture, please take a
moment to read the Experiencing Organizational Behavior
article on page fifty of the text titled, “Diversity at the Top”.
Noted below is one particular excerpt from the article worth
reinforcing:
“President Obama’s intrapersonal diversity and strong beliefs
that diversity in governance is necessary is reflected in the
diversity of his cabinet. Thirty-four percent of his officials are
female, eleven percent are black, eight percent are Hispanic,
and four percent are Asian. While these do not seem like large
numbers, they reflect more diversity than was present in past
administrations’ cabinets. This diversity is expected to increase
as President Obama’s tenure in office lengthens and he brings in
new officials.”
As you know, cabinet changes can happen at a moment’s notice.
For purposes of this discussion, let’s take the article at face
value and assume the diversity stated is what exists in present
day. While some would argue that the cabinet is not diverse
enough, it’s definitely apparent that the cabinet is no longer a
Caucasian Boys Club. A quote by John Maxwell best
summarizes President Obama’s vision with respect to leadership
diversity, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way,
and shows the way.” (Kruse, 2012) President Obama “knows
the way” because he is biracial himself and has a very diverse
extended family as noted in the article within the text. He
effectively “goes the way” by selecting a diverse set of cabinet
members. What about “shows the way”? Well, let’s take a look
at a few initiatives that the President has supported while in
office.

9. *Gays in the Military --- The policy of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”,
or DADT, was repealed and gays can now openly serve in our
armed forces (Lee, 2010).
*Same-Sex Marriage --- While same-sex marriage is in a state
of flux and varies across the nation, there are a number of states
currently that have come to recognize same-sex marriage in
recent years. The President has shown public support in the
media for same-sex marriage and supports the repeal of the
Defense of Marriage Act, also known as DOMA (Civil Rights,
2014).
*Increasing Employment of Individuals with Disabilities ---
This Executive Order focuses on employing disabled persons
within the Federal government and outlines recruitment and
hiring flexibilities (Obama, 2010).
Regardless of your personal beliefs and based on the evidence,
it’s fair to say that President Obama has made progress on a
national level when it comes to diversity and inclusion.
Further food for thought...unfortunately, there are organizations
serving the public in some cities across America that do not
reflect the diversity within their areas of responsibility. A
recent example gained national attention in Ferguson, MO
where an unarmed, black teenager was shot and killed by a
white police officer. The ensuing protests nationwide sparked
much-needed debate and catalyzed the conversation about race
and diversity in America. While I’m sure you each have a
strong opinion one way or the other on whether the shooting
was justified, let’s look beyond that and analyze the situation
from a diversity perspective. Sixty-seven percent of Ferguson
is black, however, blacks make up less than six percent of the
Ferguson Police Department. (Firozi, 2014) What’s wrong with
this picture from a diversity perspective? Ideally, a public

10. organization’s membership should reflect the demographics of
the people it supports. Failure to achieve this balance can result
in public perceptions and sometimes actions that are not in line
with the values of the United States.
References
Civil Rights. (2014). Retrieved December 29, 2014, from
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/civil-rights
Firozi, P. (2014). 5 Things to Know about Ferguson Police
Department. Retrieved December 29, 2014, from
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-
now/2014/08/14/ferguson-police-department-details/14064451/
Hitt, M. A., Miller, C. C., & Colella, A. (2015). Organizational
Behavior (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Kruse, K. (2012). 100 Best Quotes on Leadership. Retrieved
December 29, 2014, from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2012/10/16/quotes-on-
leadership/
Lee, J. (2010). The President Signs Repeal of "Don't Ask Don't
Tell": "Out of Many, We Are One" Retrieved December 29,
2014, from
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/12/22/president-signs-
repeal-dont-ask-dont-tell-out-many-we-are-one
Obama, B. (2010). Executive Order 13548 -- Increasing Federal
Employment of Individuals with Disabilities. Retrieved
December 29, 2014, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-
office/executive-order-increasing-federal-employment-
individuals-with-disabilities

11. Week 2 Lecture 2 –
Culture Context & Dimensions
This week’s second lecture focuses on understanding the
difference between high-context and low-context cultures. First,
let’s define both so we have a common understanding before
covering the nuances of each. On page eighty-four of the text,
Hitt, Miller, and Colella provide the following definitions:
*High-Context Culture – A type of culture where individuals
use contextual cues to understand people and their
communications and where individuals value trust and personal
relationships.
*Low-Context Culture – A type of culture where individuals
rely on direct questioning to understand people and their
communications and where individuals value efficiency and
performance.
Generally speaking, Western cultures, the United States as an
example, tend towards low-context whereas Eastern cultures,
Japan as an example, tend towards high-context. Before we talk
about the benefits of understanding the differences and
ramifications of not understanding the differences in the global
marketplace, let’s take a simpler example to ensure you
understand the distinctions.
Martial Arts Example
Let’s look at a martial arts class taught on American soil by a
Japanese instructor. For purposes of this example, this is an
adult class with students from eighteen years onward. For those
of you Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan fans out there, you’ll savor

12. this teaching moment :) If you’re not sure who either of these
famous martial artists are, don’t sweat it. It’s not necessary to
know those folks to understand the teaching point here. Most
martial arts classes begin with a stretching and warmup routine
followed by instructional elements. Once an instructor
demonstrates a technique or a drill, students are then given the
opportunity to practice with their peers. This gives the
instructor an opportunity to identify technical issues and
provide feedback.
Picture this…the Japanese instructor has all of his students
kneel down while he calls on an American student, eighteen
years of age, to be his partner in front of the class for
demonstration purposes. The Japanese instructor asks the
student to put him in a standing headlock so he can demonstrate
a defense against such a move. Instead of a standing headlock,
the student puts the instructor in a headlock and drags him to
the ground.
Now, before telling you what happened next, let’s analyze this
situation from the contextual perspective. First, operating
under the aforementioned contextual definitions, the American
student is obviously from a low-context culture. As we know,
low-context cultures value performance and efficiency. This
student, as odd as it sounds, was living up to his culture
stereotype. He wanted to test the instructor and see if he was
talented enough to get out of a headlock variation. The
Japanese instructor is just the opposite and from a low-context
culture. He values trust and personal relationships. The
instructor’s goal was to demonstrate in a controlled
environment for the other students to discuss the finer points of
the defense.
What happened next? Well, let’s just say it was not a good
outcome for the student. The instructor diagnosed the situation
and responded with an escape and very quick chokehold from
which the student “tapped out”, or in simple terms, gave up.

13. Now let’s bring this situation into focus and relate it to the
global business environment. What happened “on the mat” with
the Japanese instructor can very easily happen across an
organization that exists on a global level. Associates and
managers from different cultures can easily misunderstand
situations leading to uncomfortable outcomes for not only those
involved but the entire organization.
Culture Dimensions
Delving even further into the dimensions of national culture, I
call your attention to Exhibit 3-4 on page eighty-eight of your
context. While there are nine culture dimensions listed on that
graphic, four of those were developed by Dutch social scientist
Geert Hofstede as noted by Hitt, Miller, and Colella on page
eighty-eight of your text and listed below:
*Uncertainty Avoidance – degree to which members of a society
wish to avoid unpredictability.
*Power Distance – degree to which members of a society expect
power to be unequally distributed.
*Individualism – degree to which members of society are
comfortable focusing on personal goals and being rewarded for
personal efforts and outcomes.
*Assertiveness – the degree to which members of society are
aggressive and confrontational.
Looking at these dimensions and applying them to our martial
arts example discussed prior, which might easily apply to the
American student? I believe it’s safe to say that the American
student has a high degree of individualism and assertiveness.
He showed that by attempting to test the instructor in front of
other classmates rather than going through the demonstration so
the instructor could teach the specifics of the technique. What
about the Japanese instructor? The instructor, on the other

14. hand, identifies at the other end of the spectrum with a low
degree of individualism and assertiveness.
A final note…in the business world, most high-profile, global
organizations have some type of cultural training to help
prevent misunderstandings from happening in the workplace. If
your organization does not do something of this nature, I
encourage you to reach out to your Human Resources and see if
they might be interested in doing so. If not, I encourage you to
personally research the elements of various cultures that you
might encounter.
References
Hitt, M. A., Miller, C. C., & Colella, A. (2015). Organizational
Behavior (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Organization Behavior Week 2 and 3 assignment.docx
W2 Discussion 1 - Diversity Roadblock – Stereotyping
Please respond with initial response to the following question
along with at least 2 supportive replies to your initial responds
(Total of 3 different reply’s):
· Sheryl Sandburg is one of the best known women in business
today. Her accomplishments have illustrated the capacity of
women to manage complex organizations in a manner that is
equal to that of a man. What has her success revealed in regard
to stereotyping and diversity?
· Each response minimum of 100 words w/reference
· No plagiarism
Week 2 Assignment “Whole Foods Case (Chapters 1, 2 and 3)
see Case study
Review the Whole Foods Case Study (pp. 1-6) and answer the
questions connected to Chapters 1, 2, and 3 as listed below.
Responses to each question should range from 100-200 words,

15. No plagiarism. Your paper should reflect scholarly writing and
current APA standards (12 point Times New Roman font,
double-spacing, 1" margins, title and reference pages). Be sure
to use the text and/or other sources to support your responses
and properly cite the use of such.
1. Describe how Whole Foods uses human capital as a course of
competitive advantage. (Ch 1)
2. Identify the aspects of high-involvement management
contained in Whole Foods’ approach to managing its associates.
(Ch 1)
3. How could Whole Foods’ democratic model of selection
interfere with the development or continuance of a diverse
workforce? What should it do to prevent such difficulties? (Ch
2)
· How do you think globalization will affect Whole Foods over
time? Please explain several ways it could affect the company’s
operations. (Ch 3) Must meets or exceeds assignment criteria
W3 – Discussion Perception Factors
Please respond to the following questions along with at least 2
substantive replies your initial response (for a minimum of 3
posts):
1. What factors influence the way we perceive people? How
might these factors influence the judgments an interviewer
makes about a job applicant?
2. Your initial post should be a minimum of 150 words and
specifically reference the applicable elements of this week’s
reading.
3. Each of your substantive replies should be minimum of 100
words and specifically reference the applicable elements of this
week’s reading.
4. No plagiarism
Week 3 Assignment 1 Final Project – References
Benjamin Franklin once quoted, “By failing to prepare, you are
preparing to fail.” This week’s written assignment is designed
to ensure you stay on track with your final project and have

16. adequately researched your organization of choice and planned
intervention. For this week, provide a set of references you
have read in preparation for your final project.
Each reference should include the following:
APA formatted citation of the source as it will appear on your
References page
A brief description of the source
A short summary of its primary points or arguments
A brief explanation of how the source is relevant to your project
A minimum of 5 references is required for this assignment.
Wk 3 Assignment 2 It’s Just a Matter of Timing Case Study
Review the It’s Just a Matter of Timing Case Study (pp. 133-
134) and answer the three discussion questions. Responses to
each question should range from 100-200 words. Your paper
should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards (12
point Times New Roman font, double-spacing, 1" margins, title
and reference pages). Be sure to use the text and/or other
sources to support your responses and properly cite the use of
such.
1. What did Teresa learn?
2. Other than quitting, what can Teresa do to resolve the
problem? What learning and perception factors should she
consider as she analyzes the situation?
3. If you were an outside consultant to the firm, could you
recommend solutions that might not occur to Teresa or Vegas?
What would they be?
4. No plagiarism