Organizational Behavior Chapter 2

Organizational Behavior (OB)

• OB is the study of human behavior in organizations, helping individuals understand themselves and others better, improving communication and relationships, and enhancing leadership and management skills.
• OB is a standard component of business courses, as it helps managers understand and manage employees, leading to increased productivity and effectiveness.
• Systematic study of OB provides frameworks and theories to understand and address behavioral issues, leading to better decision-making and problem-solving.

Behavioral Sciences Contributing to OB

• Psychology helps managers understand individual behavior, motivation, and learning.
• Other behavioral sciences contributing to OB include sociology, anthropology, and social psychology.

Applications of OB

• Applying the concept of self-efficacy (belief in one's abilities) to a situation in school or work can boost confidence and performance.
• Major OB challenges businesses face today include managing diversity, improving employee engagement, and developing effective leadership.

Levels of OB Analysis

• The three levels of OB analysis are individual, group, and organizational, each focusing on different aspects of behavior and addressing various issues.

Attitudes

• The three components of an attitude are affective (emotions), cognitive (beliefs), and conative (behavior).
• Attitudes influence behavior, but the relationship is complex, and behavior can also influence attitudes.
• Job attitudes like job satisfaction, engagement, and commitment are related but distinct concepts.

Job Satisfaction

• Managers can increase job satisfaction by providing meaningful work, recognition, and opportunities for growth.
• High job satisfaction leads to increased productivity and reduced turnover.
• Employee responses to dissatisfaction include exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect.

Emotions and Moods

• Emotional terms include emotions (intense feelings), moods (less intense feelings), and affect (general emotional state).
• Emotions and moods can come from various sources, including personality, environment, and social interactions.
• Emotional labor (managing emotions for work purposes) and stress can impact employee well-being and performance.

Emotional Intelligence (EI)

• EI is a valid concept that helps individuals recognize and manage their emotions and those of others.
• Emotion regulation is ethical when done authentically and not to manipulate others.

Emotions in the Workplace

• Emotions and moods significantly impact customer satisfaction, and emotional contagion (transferring emotions to others) plays a crucial role in customer service.
• Emotions are universal, but cultural and individual differences can influence their expression and interpretation.

Personality

• The two common methods of assessing personality are self-report inventories and observer ratings, with observer ratings likely to be more accurate.
• The MBTI framework categorizes individuals into 16 personality types based on four dimensions.
• The Big Five personality traits are extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience.

Values

• Values are important in OB because they influence behavior, decision-making, and job satisfaction.
• Two attributes of values are intensity and centrality.
• Terminal values are desired outcomes, while instrumental values are means to achieve those outcomes.

Cultural Differences

• Hofstede's framework focuses on national culture differences, while GLOBE's framework examines cultural practices and values.

Diversity

• The two main levels of diversity are surface-level (demographic) and deep-level (psychological and behavioral).
• Stereotypes can lead to discrimination and other negative consequences.