1. A common refrain among executives is “People are our most important asset.” Relate this statement to any two of the four perspectives of organizational effectiveness presented in this chapter. The chapter discusses open systems perspective, organizational learning perspective, High performance work practises and stakeholder perspective. Does this statement apply better to some perspectives than to others? Why or why not?

2. A provincial government department has high levels of absenteeism among the office staff. The head of office administration argues that employees are misusing the organization’s sick leave benefits. However, some of the mostly female staff members have explained that family responsibilities interfere with work. Using the MARS model, as well as your knowledge of absenteeism behaviour, discuss some of the possible reasons for absenteeism here and how it might be reduced.

3. Describe how a manager or coach could use the process of self-fulfilling prophecy to enhance an individual’s performance. Please provide an example with your explanation.