Introduction to Organization
Behavior
Unit -1
What will you learn ?
• Importance of Interpersonal Skills
• Organization and Managers
• Management – Functions , Roles , Skills
• Effective Vs Successful Managers
• OB Definition
• Intuition and Systematic Study
• Contributing Disciplines to OB
• Few Absolutes in OB
• Challenges and opportunities in OB
• The OB Model – The Three Levels
Importance of Interpersonal Skills
Management Functions – Henry Fayol
Planning
Organizing
Leading
Controlling
Managerial
Roles
Management Skills
Effective Vs Successful Managers
Definitions
The Field of Organizational Behavior
Organizational Behavior studies the influence that individuals, groups
and structure have on behavior within organizations.
Its chief goal is to apply that knowledge toward improving an
organization’s effectiveness.
1-13
Focal Points of OB
• Jobs
• Work
• Absenteeism
• Employment turnover
• Productivity
• Human performance
• Management
1-14
Complementing Intuition with Systematic Study
• Intuition: the “gut feeling” explanation of
behavior.
• Systematic study improves ability to accurately
predict behavior.
• Assumes behavior is not random.
• Fundamental consistencies underlie behavior.
• These can be identified and modified to reflect
individual differences.
1-15
Intuition and Systematic Study
Systematic Study
• Examines relationships.
• Attempts to attribute causes and effects.
• Bases conclusions on scientific evidence:
• On data gathered under controlled conditions.
• Data is measured and interpreted in a
reasonably rigorous manner.
1-18
Evidence-Based Management
• Complements systematic
study.
• Bases decisions on the best
available scientific evidence.
• Forces managers to become
more scientific in their
thinking.
1-19
Contributing Disciplines
to the OB Field
Micro: Psychology
The Individual
Social Psychology
Sociology
Macro:
Groups &
Organizations Anthropology
1-20
Contributing Disciplines
Few Absolutes in OB
• Impossible to make simple and accurate
generalizations
• Human beings are complex and diverse
• OB concepts must reflect situational conditions:
contingency variables
Condition Behavior
Input “A”
“C” “B”
1-23
Contributing Disciplines
Micro: Psychology
The Individual
Social Psychology
Sociology
Macro:
Groups &
Organizations Anthropology
Few Absolutes in OB
• Impossible to make simple and accurate generalizations
• Human beings are complex and diverse
• OB concepts must reflect situational conditions: contingency variables
Condition Behavior
Input “A”
“C” “B”
Challenges and Opportunities for OB
• Economic Pressures
• Globalization
• Workforce Diversity
• Improving Customer Service
• Improving People Skills
• Managing Innovation and Change
• Coping with Temporariness
• Working in Networked Organizations
• Work Life Balance Conflicts
• Ethical Behavior
1-27
Challenges and Opportunities for OB
• The workplace is contains a wide mix of cultures, races, ethnic groups,
genders and ages
• Employees have to learn to cope with rapid change due to global
competition
• Corporate loyalty has decreased due to corporate downsizing and use
of temp workers
• Managers can benefit from OB theory and concepts
1-28
Responding to Globalization
• Increased foreign assignments
• Differing needs and aspirations in workforce
• Working with people from different cultures
• Domestic motivational techniques and managerial
styles may not work
• Overseeing movement of jobs to countries with
low-cost labor
Managing Workforce Diversity
Workforce diversity:
organizations are becoming a more
heterogeneous mix of people in
terms of gender, age, race, ethnicity,
and sexual orientation
Diversity Implications
“Managers have to shift their philosophy from treating
everyone alike to recognizing differences and
responding to those differences in ways that ensure
employee retention and greater productivity while, at
the same time, not discriminating.”
OB Offers Insights Into:
• Improving quality and productivity
• Customer service and building a
customer-responsive culture
• Developing people skills
OB Aids in Dealing With:
• Stimulating Innovation and
Change
• Increasing “temporariness” in
the workplace
• Helping employees balance
work-life conflicts
• Improving ethical behavior
Thinking Positive
• Creating a positive work environment can be a competitive advantage
• Positive Organizational Scholarship (Positive OB):
• Examines how organizations develop human strengths, foster vitality and
resilience, and unlock potential.
• Focus is on employee strengths, not their weaknesses.
Three Levels of OB Analysis
Implications for Managers
• OB helps with:
• Insights to improve people skills
• Valuing of workforce diversity
• Empowering people and creating a positive work
environment
• Dealing with labor shortages
• Coping in a world of temporariness
• Creating an ethically healthy work environment
Keep in Mind…
• 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.
End of Unit 1
