Mgmt 506 - Organization Behavior

SA03: Briefly explain the concept of Self-Fulfilling Prophecy (7.5 pts). Provide one workplace example of the concept, making sure to explain why your example illustrates Self-Fulfilling Prophecy (7.5 pts)

Answer (SA03):

A self-fulfilling prophecy is when a person unknowingly causes a prediction to come true, due to the simple fact that he or she expects it to come true. In other words, an expectation about a subject, such as a person or event, can affect our behavior towards that subject, which causes the expectation to be realized. Have you ever woken up and just knew it was going to be a bad day? Sure enough, you stub your toe, people at work seem to be in a bad mood, and negative things just seem to happen. If so, you were likely experiencing a self-fulfilling prophecy. A self-fulfilling prophecy is when a person unknowingly causes a prediction to come true, due to the simple fact that he or she expects it to come true.

In other words, an expectation about a subject, such as a person or event, can affect our behavior towards that subject, which causes the expectation to be realized. For example, a high school volleyball coach expects freshmen to be less skilled, so she does not put them in to play very often. When she does put them in, they are rusty and don't do well, thereby fulfilling her expectations. The self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when someone's high expectations for another person result in high performance for that person. Mangers should recognize that all employees are capable of performing better and has the potential to go the next level, managers can do this by showing confidence to the employees, setting higher performance goals, always reinforcing employees of the good work they are doing, always provide feedback that is constructive and not criticize, be there for the employees and help them out, set a friendly environment, be more vigilant of the work place and discourage unprofessional behavior.  

SA04: Provide an organizational example of “confirmation bias” and make sure to explain how your example illustrates the concept (7.5 pts).

Answer (SA04): The confirmation bias occurs when one subconsciously decides something before investigating why it is the right decision, and seeks information that supports this decision. The anchoring bias occurs when decision makers are influenced by the first information received about a decision, even if it is irrelevant.

For example, Consider the debate over gun control due to multiple fatalities and death occurs due to improper use of guns. Let say, I support gun control and we must go through proper background checks to get one if we choose to get it. I always see in the news a new case of gun violence and how it is hurting many people around the country because the guns were purchased illegally and more than often it was used to committee crime, at that moment its not about protection but to extort people, many more stories and article reaffirms my stand that the need of gun ownership must be limited and we must go through tougher checks to get one. When I hear stories about shootings in the media, I often interpret them in a way that supports my existing beliefs.

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