Objectives:

• Analyze a real-life management situation through the lens of organizational behavior;
• Applying organizational behavior concepts (specifically, from Ch. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of our textbook) to a real-life management situation;
• Build an argument based on research and evidence;
• Synthesize your analysis to generate recommendations for future actions for the individuals or organizations in the case.

Tasks: 

• Read the article carefully, then select one of the following questions. Write an essay of 500-750 words and address all the questions in the prompt(Article attached below as “The Four-Second Catastrophe” ).

Question 1:

•  As Boeing was rolling out its 737 MAX airplane, individuals at the company made a number of assumptions, errors in judgment, and shortcuts in decision-making. Select at least three errors you believe they made, name and define them, and discuss the effect they had on the outcomes in the case. What changes would you make to solve the decision-making errors at Boeing?
• Concepts that should be drawn upon in Essay 1(Doesn’t have to be all): Perception, Attribution theory, Selective perception, Shortcuts used in judging people and situations, Confirmation bias, Other biases used in making decisions, Risk aversion, Decision-making, Bounded rationality, Intuitive decision making, Ethical decision making

Question 2: 

• Boeing worked to ensure that the 737 MAX airplane would require no additional training on flight simulators for airlines that bought the new plane. How would you characterize the motivational theories that were influencing this decision? Do you agree or disagree with their decisions, and what details would you cite from the article to support your view? Based on motivational theory, how would you adapt the motivations driving decisions at Boeing to change the outcome?
• Concepts that should be drawn upon in Essay 1(Doesn’t have to be all): Motivation, Extrinsic & intrinsic motivation, How positive & negative reinforcement rewards people Needs, goals, and fairness as motivators for the company?