Chapter 1 PDF

CHAPTER 1 LESSON 1: OBJECTIVES Define organizational behaviour Explain the value of the systematic study of OB Identify the major behavioural science disciplines that contribute to OB Demonstrate why few absolutes apply to OB Identify the challenges and opportunities managers have in a...

CHAPTER 1 LESSON 1: OBJECTIVES Define organizational behaviour Explain the value of the systematic study of OB Identify the major behavioural science disciplines that contribute to OB Demonstrate why few absolutes apply to OB Identify the challenges and opportunities managers have in applying OB concepts Identify the three levels of analysis in OB ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR (OB) OB studies the influence that individuals, groups, and structure have on behavior within organizations. The chief goal of OB is to apply that knowledge toward improving an organization’s effectiveness. FOCAL POINTS OF OB Jobs Absenteeism Turnover Productivity Human performance Management FOCUS OF OB COURSE: Motivation Leader behavior and power Interpersonal communication Group structure and processes Perceptions and attitudes Personality, emotions, and values Change processes Conflict and negotiation Work design COMPLEMENTING INTUITION WITH SYSTEMATIC STUDY People develop intuitive understandings of the behaviors of other people through experience. You can improve your predictive ability by taking the systematic approach to the study of human behavior. Human behavior is not random. There are fundamental consistencies that underlie the behavior of all individuals. WHAT IS SYSTEMATIC STUDY? Systematic study means examining relationships, attempting to attribute causes and effects, and basing our conclusions on scientific evidence – that is, on data gathered under controlled conditions and measured and interpreted in a reasonably rigorous manner. WHAT IS EVIDENCE-BASED MANAGEMENT? EBM is the complimentary approach to systematic study that involves basing managerial decisions on the best possible scientific evidence. Managers must become more scientific about how they think about managerial problems and not rely on instinct. WHAT IS INTUITION? Intuition is your “gut feelings” about “what makes other tick.” This natural ability to guess how people will react is most accurate when coupled with systemic thinking and evidence-based management. DISCIPLINES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO OB FIELD: A. Psychology B. Social psychology C. Sociology D. Anthropology WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY? Psychology is a study that seeks to measure, explain, and sometimes change behavior of human and other animals. – The following are the contributors of OB knowledge: 1. Learning theorists 2. Personality theorists 3. Counseling psychologists 4. Industrial and organizational psychologists SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY It is generally considered a branch of psychology that focuses on the concepts that blends both psychology and sociology to focus on people’s influence on one another. – The important contributions of sociologists studies are organizational culture, formal organization theory and structure, organizational technology, communications, power and conflict. WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY? Is the study of people in relation to their social environment or culture. – Sociologists have contributed to OB their study of group behavior in organizations, particularly formal and complex organization. – Organizational culture – Formal organization theory and structure – Organizational technology, communications, power and conflict. WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY? Anthropology is the study of societies to learn about human beings and their activities. – The contributions of anthropologists to OB are the results of their work that makes us understands the differences in fundamental values, attitudes and behavior between people in different countries and within different organizations. – organizational culture, organizational environments, and differences among national cultures. VALID PREDICTIONS Person X leads to do Y, but only under conditions specified in Z – the contingency variables. CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR OB The typical employee is getting older More women and people of color are in the workplace; corporate downsizing and heavy use of temporary workers are severing the bonds of loyalty of employees Global competition Global recession MAJOR CHALLENGES Responding to economic pressures Managing workforce diversity Improving customer service Improving people skills Stimulating innovation and change Coping with “temporariness.” Working networked organizations Helping employees balance work-life conflicts Improving ethical behavior THE THREE LEVELS OF OB ANALYSIS 1. Individual level – examines foundations of individual behavior: personality, values, perception, decision-making, motivation, emotions, and moods 2. Group level – group behavior is more than the sum of the behaviors of the individuals in it; additionally, individuals act differently when in groups. 3. Organization system level – organizational behavior, while composed of both individual and group behaviors, is more than the sum of its parts. IMPLICATIONS FOR MANAGERS Managers need to develop their interpersonal skills to be effective in their jobs How to? a. OB investigates the impact that individuals, group and structures have on behavior within an organization. b. Some generalizations are erroneous (mostly predictions) c. OB offers specific insights to improve manager’s people skills THINGS TO REMEMBER OB’s goal is to understand and predict human behavior in organizations. Fundamental consistencies underlie behavior. It is more important than ever to learn OB concepts. Both managers and employees must learn to cope with temporariness.