Organizational Behavior Chapter 1

Organizational Behavior Chapter 1

• Organizational behavior (OB) is the study of how individuals, groups, and structure influence behavior within organizations
• Its main goal is to apply knowledge to improve organizational effectiveness
• Interpersonal skills are crucial in the workplace, impacting financial performance, employee attraction/retention, and workplace satisfaction
• OB considers the influence of individuals, groups, and structure on workplace behavior
• Few absolutes apply to OB due to the complexity and diversity of human beings
• OB principles must adjust to situational conditions

Learning Objectives

• 1.1: Demonstrate the importance of interpersonal skills in the workplace
• 1.2: Define organizational behavior (OB)
• 1.3: Highlight the value of systematic study for understanding OB
• 1.4: Identify the major behavioral science disciplines contributing to OB
• 1.5: Explain why few absolutes apply to OB
• 1.6: Recognize manager challenges and opportunities in applying OB concepts
• 1.7: Compare different levels of analysis in OB models
• 1.8: Describe key employability skills learned from studying OB

Characteristics of Organizations

• Organizations possess three key characteristics: distinct purpose, deliberate structure, and people

Organization as Iceberg

• Organizations have visible and hidden aspects
• Visible aspects include strategies, objectives, policies, structure, technology, and formal authority
• Hidden aspects include attitudes, perceptions, group norms, informal interactions, and interpersonal conflicts

Who is a Manager?

• A manager coordinates and oversees the work of others to achieve organizational goals

Managerial Activities

• Traditional management: decision-making, planning, controlling
• Communication: exchanging routine information
• Human resource management: motivating, disciplining, managing conflicts, staffing, and training
• Networking: socializing, politicking, interacting with outsiders

Four Functions of Management

• Planning: setting goals, developing strategies, and creating plans to coordinate activities
• Organizing: determining what needs to be done, how it will be done, and who is responsible for tasks
• Leading: motivating, leading, and coordinating people to work together
• Controlling: monitoring activities to ensure they are accomplished as planned

Managerial Roles

• Interpersonal: figurehead, leader, liaison
• Informational: monitor, disseminator, spokesperson
• Decisional: entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, negotiator

Management Skills

• Technical skills: knowledge and proficiency in a specific field
• Human skills: ability to work well with others
• Conceptual skills: ability to think and conceptualize about abstract and complex organizational situations

Efficiency and Effectiveness

• Efficiency: achieving goals with minimal resources
• Effectiveness: achieving desired outcomes

The Field of Organizational Behavior

• OB studies the impact of individuals, groups, and structure on work behavior
• The goal is to apply knowledge and improve organizational effectiveness

Focus of Organizational Behavior

• Individual behavior: attitudes, personality, perception, learning, motivation
• Group behavior: norms, roles, team building, leadership, conflict
• Organizational aspects: structure, culture, human resource policies and practices

Goals of Organizational Behavior

• Explain behavior
• Predict behavior
• Influence behavior

Focal Points of OB

• Motivation
• Leader behavior and power
• Interpersonal communication
• Group structures and processes
• Attitude development and perception
• Change processes
• Conflict and negotiation
• Work design

Complementing Intuition with Systematic Study

• Intuition("gut feeling") contrasted with systematic study.
• Systematic study provides accurate predictions, as behavior isn't random.
• Fundamental and consistent factors underlie behavior.
• Individual differences can modify how these elements apply

Systematic Study

• Examines relationships
• Attributes causes and effects
• Conclusions based on scientific evidence, rigorous data collection, and interpretation

Evidence-Based Management

• Management decisions informed by the best available scientific evidence.
• Complements systematic study
• Encourages systematic thinking.

Big Data

• Big data involves extensive statistical compilation and analysis.
• Statistical analysis produces persistent and predictive insights.

Contributing Disciplines to the OB field

• Psychology: Studies individual behavior (attitudes motivation, perception)
• Social psychology: Explores how people affect each other; focuses on change.
• Sociology: Studies human behavior in relation to society; explores organization culture, structure, power, and conflict.
• Anthropology: Views societies to understand human customs, differences in attitudes and behaviors in different countries/organizations.

Few Absolutes in OB

• Impossible to create simple, accurate generalizations about human behavior
• Human beings are complex and diverse
• OB concepts must adjust to situational factors "contingency variables"

Employment Options

• Employment categories and types/options including full-time, part-time, flextime, contract workers
• Various compensation methods and conditions of employment are highlighted

Challenges and Opportunities for OB

• Globalization: increasing interconnectedness, cross-cultural cooperation, adapting to different norms.
• Workforce Demographics: longevity, birth rates changes impacting employment considerations
• Workforce Diversity: recognition of different genders, ages, races, and ethnicities within organizations.
• Impact of Social Media: employee use of social media and its impact on work and well-being.
• Employee well-being: the line between work and life is blurred, and employees' well-being is increasingly affected by work-related burdens
• Creating positive work environments: strategies for enhancing strengths, fostering vitality, building resilience, and unlocking potential in organizations.
• Improving ethical behavior: addressing and fostering ethical conduct in the workplace

Developing an OB Model

• Models are simplified representations of reality, representing complex organizational phenomena
• Three types of variables: inputs, processes, and outcomes of organizations.
• Different levels of analysis: individual, group, organizational

A Basic OB Model

• Demonstrates the inter-relationship of multiple organizational entities.
• Shows factors impacting and resulting from organizational decisions at all levels.

Three Levels of OB Analysis

• Individual level, group level, organizational level

Employability Skills

• Critical thinking
• Communication
• Collaboration
• Knowledge application and analysis
• Social responsibility

Implications for Managers

• Don't rely on generalizations
• Use metrics and situational factors to understand cause-and-effect
• Improve interpersonal skills to improve leadership potential
• Enhance technical and conceptual skills to keep up with big data trends.
• Recognize the importance of organizational behavior in improving employee work quality and productivity

Discussion Questions (Example)

• What are some concerns related to using artificial intelligence in organizations?
• A recent study found that positive mood and repeated Facebook use correlate with declining moods throughout the day, which is associated with lower satisfaction. How can managers address this?