Introduction: Chapter Overview
Chapter Overview
Below is a high-level overview of the topics and themes discussed in this book.
Chapter 1
Introduction to Psychology, Communication, and the Canadian Workplace – In this introductory chapter, students will receive a high-level overview of the field of organizational behavior (OB) including its goals, levels of analysis, and research methods. Students will be encouraged to explore how principles of psychology can be used to understand and develop interpersonal skills in the Canadian workplace.
Chapter 2
Communication – In this chapter, students will learn about the nature of language, the transactional theory of communication, and common channels of communication used in the workplace. In addition, students will explore the characteristics of competent communications and will be encouraged to engage in critical self-reflection about areas of strength and opportunity in their own communication repertoire.
Chapter 3
Emotions – In this chapter, students will learn about the nature of emotions. We will challenge the perception that the workplace should be void of emotions and discuss strategies for effectively communicating our emotions with others. In addition, we will discuss ineffective and effective the strategies for regulating strong emotions at work.
Chapter 4
Motivation – In this chapter, students will learn about popular theories of human motivation. We will explore how motivation impacts workplace behaviours, performance, and job satisfaction. In addition, we will learn about ways to set achievable goals and motivate ourselves and others.
Chapter 5
Learning – In this chapter, students will learn how theories of learning and principles of cognitive neuroscience can improve our ability to learn, remember, and solve problems in the workplace.
Chapter 6
Memory – In this chapter, students will learn the differences between the following forms of memory: working memory, episodic memory, semantic memory, and collective memory. In addition, we’ll learn about the three stages in the process of learning and remembering and review strategies that can be used to enhance the original learning or encoding of information.
Chapter 7
Decision-making – In this chapter, students will learn about the process of decision-making and its various influences as well as common biases that can impact the decision-making process. In addition, we discuss the ways we can learn to make good personal decisions, and also good decisions in the workplace.
Chapter 8
Personality – In this chapter, we will explore several popular theories of personality. We will examine how personality is assessed, some of the the benefits and challenges of using personality inventories in hiring decisions, and the relationship between personality traits and workplace behaviours.
Chapter 9
Group Dynamics – In this chapter, we will explore the process of team-building. Students will learn about different structures of teams used in the workplace. Using principles of social psychology, we will identify factors related to group effectiveness and explore strategies for reducing conflict and loafing in team settings. Students will be encouraged to reflect on their own capabilities to be a good team member.
Chapter 10
Leadership – In this chapter, we will discuss several popular theories of leadership (e.g., trait, behavioral, contingency) and characteristics of effective leadership. Students will be challenged to reflect on their own leadership abilities, including their ability to effectively engage in self-management.
Chapter 11
Dimensions of Diversity and Intercultural Communication – In this chapter, we will explore some of the dimensions of diversity that you will likely encounter in your professional life. You’ll then learn about why some of the benefits and challenges of diversity in Canadian workplaces. In order to understand how to communicate more effectively, we need to develop our abilities in better understanding ourselves and how culture influences our communication.
Chapter 12
Professionalism, Ethics, and Social Responsibility – In this chapter, we’re going to explore some areas directly related to workplace interpersonal relationships, including professionalism and ethics. We will also look at how our ethical behaviour and the behaviours of the organizations that we work in can be placed in terms of responsibility to society. Students will also be provided with further information about their rights in the workplace and suggested resources that they can use if they encounter harassment, discrimination, or violence in their workplace.
Appendix A: Case Studies
This section contains case studies.
Appendix B: Self-Assessments
This section contains self-assessments that can be used for critical self-reflection.
Glossary
This section contains a list of key terms that appear throughout the book.
Ancillary Resources
This section contains a full list of H5P interactives, slide decks for each chapter, and links to APA referencing resources.
