Chapter7ObservingDecision-MakerBehaviorandtheOffice

,Click to edit Master title style,Click to edit Master text styles,Second level,Third level,Fourth level,Fifth level,Kendall & Kendall,7-,*,Chapter 7Observing Decision-MakerBehavior and the Office Environment,Systems Analysis and Design,Kendall and Kendall,Fifth Edition,1,Major Topics,Observation,Sampling,Recording observation,Office environment,STROBE,Applying STROBE,Observation,Observation provides insight on what organizational members actually do,Gain information about decision makers and their environments that is unavailable through any other method,Help confirm what has been found through other methods,Observing Decision Makers,Guidelines,Decide what is to be observed (activities),Decide the level of concreteness of the activities,Create categories that adequately capture key activities,Prepare appropriate scales, checklists, or other materials for observation,Decide when to observe,Basic Approaches,Two basic approaches to observation are,Time sampling,Event sampling,Time Sampling,Observing at specific time intervals,Advantages,Reducing bias from random observing,View of activities that occur frequently,Disadvantages,Gathering piecemeal data that may not give the entire picture,Rare or infrequent data may not be represented,Event Sampling,Sampling a single event,Advantages,Observe behavior as it unfolds,Observe an important event,Disadvantages,Takes a great deal of time,Misses representative sample of frequent decisions,Body Language,It is important to observe body language,Difficult to do correctly,Varies across cultures,Recording Observations,Systematic techniques for recording observations include,Adjective pairs,Category systems,Checklists,Scales,Field notes,Play scripts,Adjective Pairs,A popular way to record behavior,Use adjectives like,decisive/indecisive,confident/not confident,assertive/unassertive,calm/excited,articulate/inarticulate,self-started/unmotivated,Category Systems,Determine activities before observations,Count times behavior occurs,Category examples,Instructs subordinates,Questions superiors,Opens mail,Reads external information,Processes own information,Analysts Playscript,Involves observing the decision-makers behavior and recording their actions using a series of action verbs,Examples,talking,sampling,corresponding,deciding,STROBE,STR,uctured,OB,servation of the,E,nvironment,A technique for observing the decision makers environment,STROBE,Provides a standard methodology and classification for the analysis of the elements that influence decision making,Other analysts can apply the same framework to the same organization,Limits analysis to the organization as it exists during the current life cycle stage,STROBE Elements,Analyzes seven environmental elements,Office location,Placement of the decision makers desk,Stationary office equipment,Props,External objects,Office lighting and color,Clothing,Office Location,Accessible offices,Main corridors, open door,Major traffic flow area,Increase interaction frequency and informal messages,Inaccessible offices,May view the organization differently,Drift apart from others in objectives,Placement of the Decision Makers Desk,Visitors in a tight space, back to wall, large expanse behind desk,Indicates maximum power position,Desk facing the wall, chair at side,Encourages participation,Equal exchanges,Stationary Office Equipment,and bookshelves,If not present, person stores few items of information personally,If an abundance, person stores and values information,Props,Calculators,Personal computers,Pens, pencils, and rulers,If present, person processes data personally,Trade Journals and Newspapers,Trade journals or newspapers present indicate the person values outside information,Company reports, memos, policy handbooks indicate the person values internal information,Office Lighting and Color,Warm, incandescent lighting indicates,A tendency toward more personal communication,More informal communication,Brightly lit, bright colors,Indicates more formal communications (memos, reports),Clothing,Male,Formal 3 piece suit - maximum authority,Casual dressing (sport jacket/slacks) - more participative decision making,Female,Skirted suit - maximum authority,Dress, less formal,Applying STROBE,Applying STROBE includes,Analysis of photographs,Checklists,Anecdotal list with symbols,Observation/narrative comparison,Analysis of Photographs,Advantages,Helpful when visits are limited by time, distance, or expense,Analyst may focus on pertinent elements,May do a side-by-side comparison,Photograph may supply details missed in person,May be put onto Web for team member viewing,Drawbacks to Photographs,Limited to what they can take in,May be posed, changing the environment of the decision maker,Checklist/Likert Scale,Five-point Likert-type scales related to STROBE,Office houses many pieces of equipment used for,storing information,No storage cabinets Four or more,in office cabinets or shelves,1 2 3 4 5,Anecdotal List With Symbols,Five symbols used to evaluate how observation of the elements of STROBE compared with interview results,Anecdotal List With Symbols,Five symbols,A checkmark, the narrative is confirmed,An “X” means the narrative is reversed,An oval or eye-shaped symbol serves as a cue to look further,A square means observation modifies the narrative,A circle means narrative is supplemented by observation,Observation/Narrative Comparison,The least structured method,If analyst is aware of the elements and they are consciously observed, valuable insights can be gained,