Sometimes the best task performers engage in counterproductive behavior.
Sometimes the best task performers are the ones who can best get away with counterproductive actions, because they are less likely to be suspected or blamed. Moreover, counterproductive behaviors might even be tolerated for a while where the individual is able to effectively accomplish very challenging tasks.
Counterproductive Behavior: Employee behaviors that intentionally hinder organizational goal accomplishment.
Property deviance behaviors include
- sabotage and theft.
- sabotage and harassment.
- wasting resources and theft.
- wasting resources and harassment.
- wasting resources and substance abuse.
Property deviance refers to behaviors that harm the organization's assets and possessions. It includes sabotage and theft.
Property Deviance: Behaviors that harm the organization’s assets and possessions.
Angry at his boss and coworkers, Jerome has booby-trapped the cartridges in the office printers so that ink will bleed all over each page. His behavior is an example of
- wasting resources, a type of production deviance.
- wasting resources, a type of property deviance.
- sabotage, a type of production deviance.
- sabotage, a type of property deviance.
- sabotage, a type of political deviance.
Sabotage represents the purposeful destruction of physical equipment, organizational processes, or company products. Along with theft, it is a type of property deviance or serious organizational counterproductive behavior.
Property Deviance: Behaviors that harm the organization’s assets and possessions.
Employee behaviors that intentionally hinder organizational goal accomplishment are referred to as ________ behaviors.
- negative
- aggressive
- deviant
- counterproductive
- assaultive
Counterproductive behavior is defined as employee behaviors that intentionally hinder organizational goal accomplishment. These are things that employees mean to do, not things they accidentally do.
Counterproductive Behavior: Employee behaviors that intentionally hinder organizational goal accomplishment.
Serious interpersonal counterproductive behaviors include
- sabotage.
- harassment.
- incivility.
- gossiping.
- wasting resources.
Harassment, which occurs when employees are subjected to unwanted physical contact or verbal remarks from a colleague, is a type of serious interpersonal counterproductive behavior. Gossiping and incivility are minor interpersonal counterproductive behaviors and wasting resources is a type of minor organizational counterproductive behavior, while sabotage is a serious organizational counterproductive behavior.
Harassment: Unwanted physical contact or verbal remarks from a colleague.
Minor organizational counterproductive behaviors include
- sabotage.
- harassment.
- incivility.
- gossiping.
- wasting resources.
Wasting resources, which is a part of production deviance, is a type of minor organizational counterproductive behavior. Gossiping and incivility are minor interpersonal counterproductive behaviors. Harassment is a serious interpersonal counterproductive behavior and sabotage is a serious organizational counterproductive behavior.
Wasting Resources: Using too many materials or too much time to do too little work.
Serious organizational counterproductive behaviors include
- incivility.
- harassment.
- gossiping.
- sabotage.
- abuse.
Sabotage is a serious organizational counterproductive behavior. The others are minor (gossiping and incivility) and major (harassment and abuse) interpersonal counterproductive behaviors.
Sabotage: Purposeful destruction of equipment, organizational processes, or company products.
Minor interpersonal counterproductive behaviors include
- sabotage.
- harassment.
- incivility.
- abuse.
- theft.
Incivility is a minor interpersonal counterproductive behavior and part of political deviance. The others are major interpersonal (abuse, harassment) and organizational (sabotage, theft) counterproductive behaviors.
Incivility: Communication that is rude, impolite, discourteous, and lacking in good manners.
Personal aggression behaviors include
- incivility and abuse.
- incivility and sabotage.
- harassment and abuse.
- harassment and sabotage.
- harassment and substance abuse.
Personal aggression, or serious interpersonal behaviors, include harassment and abuse.
Harassment: Unwanted physical contact or verbal remarks from a colleague.
Production deviance behaviors include
- wasting resources and substance abuse.
- wasting resources and sabotage.
- theft and substance abuse.
- theft and harassment.
- theft and sabotage.
Wasting resources is the most common form of production deviance, when employees use too many materials or too much time to do too little work. Substance abuse represents another form of production deviance. If employees abuse drugs or alcohol while on the job or shortly before coming to work, then the efficiency of their production will be compromised because their work will be done more slowly and less accurately.
Substance Abuse: The abuse of drugs or alcohol before coming to work or while on the job.
Behaviors that intentionally disadvantage other individuals rather than the larger organization are referred to as
- property deviance.
- wasting resources.
- substance abuse.
- personal aggression.
- political deviance.
Political deviance refers to behaviors that intentionally disadvantage other individuals rather than the larger organization. It includes gossiping and incivility.
Political Deviance: Behaviors that intentionally disadvantage other individuals.
________ is made up of behaviors that focus specifically on reducing the efficiency of work output.
- Political deviance
- Property deviance
- Personal aggression
- Political aggression
- Production deviance
Production deviance, directed against the organization, focuses specifically on reducing the efficiency of work output. It includes wasting resources and substance abuse.
Production Deviance: Intentionally reducing organizational efficiency of work output.
Among the important points about counterproductive behaviors is the fact that
- there is little connection between task performance and counterproductive behavior.
- the worst workers are the most likely to be involved in counterproductive behaviors.
- counterproductive behavior is relatively easy to isolate and prevent from spreading.
- people tend to engage only in one specific form of counterproductive behavior.
- counterproductive behavior usually only applies to specific jobs.
There is only a weak negative correlation between task performance and counterproductive behavior.
Counterproductive Behavior: Employee behaviors that intentionally hinder organizational goal accomplishment.
When employees use too many materials or too much time to do too little work, this is ________ deviance.
- wasting resources, a form of production
- wasting resources, a form of property
- sabotage, a form of property
- sabotage, a form of production
- sabotage, a form of political
Like property deviance, production deviance is directed against the organization, but it focuses specifically on reducing the efficiency of work output. Wasting resources, which is when employees use too many materials or too much time to do too little work, is the most common form of production deviance.
Wasting Resources: Using too many materials or too much time to do too little work.
Property deviance refers to behaviors that harm the organization's assets and possessions.
Property deviance refers to behaviors that harm the organization's assets and possessions. For example, sabotage represents the purposeful destruction of physical equipment, organizational processes, or company products.
Property Deviance: Behaviors that harm the organization’s assets and possessions.
Wasting resources is the most common form of production deviance.
Wasting resources is the most common form of production deviance, when employees use too many materials or too much time to do too little work.
Production Deviance: Intentionally reducing organizational efficiency of work output.
Political deviance refers to behaviors that intentionally harm the organization's assets and possessions.
In contrast to property and production deviance, political deviance refers to behaviors that intentionally disadvantage other individuals rather than the larger organization.
Political Deviance: Behaviors that intentionally disadvantage other individuals.
A week ago, Manny wrecked a company car when another driver pulled out in front of him, and once he threw away about a hundred dollars' worth of perfectly good office supplies while clearing out an old storage cabinet. Yet his supervisors have not held either action against him. Why is this most likely the case?
- These acts were unintentional and therefore are not considered counterproductive behavior.
- Manny is already receiving professional help for his tendency toward counterproductive behavior.
- Manny is such a good performer at the company that he can get away with counterproductive behavior.
- Manny has connections to the company's leadership and therefore will not be blamed for counterproductive behavior.
- These acts were the result of Manny's personal problems and therefore are not considered counterproductive behavior.
Counterproductive behavior is defined as employee behaviors that intentionally hinder organizational goal accomplishment. Manny's apparent acts of sabotage or wasting resources were, in fact, the result of accidents.
Bobby and Sam are taking their time getting their work done. They have already had three smoke breaks in the past hour and a half, and they even managed to sneak in a beer. They could have finished this particular project an hour ago, but as Sam just said to Bobby, "Why bother working when nobody's watching?" This is an example of ________ deviance.
- wasting resources, the most common form of production
- substance abuse, the most common form of production
- wasting resources, the most common form of property
- substance abuse, the most common form of property
- wasting resources, the most common form of political
Given the fact that Sam and Bobby are smoking and drinking, this might seem like a case of substance abuse, but it is more properly identified as wasting resources, when employees use too many materials or too much time to do too little work-the most common form of production deviance.
Wasting Resources: Using too many materials or too much time to do too little work.
Behaviors that intentionally harm the organization's assets and possessions are referred to as
- production deviance.
- political deviance.
- property deviance.
- personal aggression.
- organizational aggression.
Property deviance refers to behaviors that harm the organization's assets and possessions. It includes theft and sabotage.
The weak negative correlation between task performance and counterproductive behavior can best be explained by the fact that
- poor performers are less creative at coming up with ways to undermine the organization.
- the best workers are the ones most likely to get away with counterproductive actions.
- top performers are too busy at their jobs to engage in counterproductive behavior.
- less talented workers are not as successful at avoiding blame for their misdeeds.
- good workers can behave counterproductively and still get the job done.
Sometimes the best task performers are the ones who can best get away with counterproductive actions because they are less likely to be suspected or blamed. Moreover, counterproductive behaviors might even be tolerated for a while where the individual is able to effectively accomplish very challenging tasks.
________ occurs when an employee is assaulted or endangered in such a way that physical and psychological injuries may occur
- Aggression
- Sabotage
- Incivility
- Abuse
- Bullying
Abuse occurs when an employee is assaulted or endangered in such a way that physical and psychological injuries may occur.
Abuse: Employee assault or endangerment from which physical and psychological injuries may occur.
________ occurs when employees are subjected to unwanted physical contact or verbal remarks from a colleague.
- Harassment
- Abuse
- Incivility
- Aggression
- Bullying
Personal aggression is defined as hostile verbal and physical actions directed toward other employees. Harassment falls under this heading and occurs when employees are subjected to unwanted physical contact or verbal remarks from a colleague.
Harassment: Unwanted physical contact or verbal remarks from a colleague.
________ is/are hostile verbal and physical actions directed toward other employees.
- Personal politics
- Political aggression
- Personal aggression
- Personal deviance
- Political deviance
Personal aggression is defined as hostile verbal and physical actions directed toward other employees.
Personal Aggression: Hostile verbal and physical actions directed toward other employees.
Communication that is rude, impolite, discourteous, and lacking in good manners is
- abusive.
- incivil.
- gossiping.
- harassment.
- property deviance.
Incivility represents communication that is rude, impolite, discourteous, and lacking in good manners. It is a form of political deviance.
Incivility: Communication that is rude, impolite, discourteous, and lacking in good manners.
The most common form of production deviance is
- theft.
- incivility.
- wasting resources.
- substance abuse.
- harassment.
Production deviance, directed against the organization, focuses specifically on reducing the efficiency of work output. It includes wasting resources and substance abuse. Wasting resources, when employees use too many materials or take too much time to do too little work, is the most common form of production deviance.
Someone has been stealing from the company, and suspicion has fallen on Elizabeth. Her supervisors have evidence against her, and their suspicions are rightly compounded by the fact that she
- is not one of the company's better workers.
- has a tendency to be abusive toward coworkers.
- lacks education and is therefore more likely to steal.
- comes from a background where stealing is common.
- works as a cashier, a job likely to be associated with theft.
Elizabeth may lack education and come from a troubled background, but that makes her no more likely to engage in counterproductive behavior that someone who grew up in a mansion and went to an Ivy League school. As for the fact that she is a cashier, while that clearly gives her ready access to cash, counterproductive behavior is relevant to any job. Nor is her poor performance as a worker necessarily a strike against her, because there is a weak negative correlation between task performance and counterproductive behavior. Her abusive behavior, however, is a clue that she might be the company thief: there is evidence that people who engage in one form of counterproductive behavior also engage in others-in other words, such behaviors tend to represent a pattern of behavior rather than isolated incidents.
Abusive Supervision: The sustained display of hostile verbal and nonverbal behaviors on the part of supervisors, excluding physical contact.