Organizational Behavior

Session 1

Organizational behaviorOB is a field of study that

investigates the impact that

individuals, groups, and

structure have on behavior

within organizations for the

purpose of applying such

knowledge towards

improving an organization’s

effectiveness.

Organizational behavior (page 38-45)

Importance

Implementation of most managerial decisions requires understanding how people behave and react to different issues.

Management skills According to Robert Katz, essential

management skills are: Technical skills Human skills Conceptual skills

Human skills are essential for all kinds of managerial positions.

Management skills and levels

Management (page 4-7)

Main topics Interaction between values, beliefs, and perceptions and

behaviors;

Motivation theories;

Group and team behaviors;

Communication;

Leadership theories;

Power and politics;

Conflict management;

Organizational culture and structure.

Important approaches of the course

Multilevel approach

Level 3 Organizational level Organizational performance Organizational culture Strategies, Structure--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Level 2 Group level Group performance,

Cooperation Group learning, Cohesion

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Level 1 Individual level Individual performance,

Personality Beliefs, Attitudes

Essentials of daft (page 14-16)

Important approaches of the course (continued)

Cross-cultural approach

Cultural influences on individuals; Cultural differences and cross-

cultural management; Culture and management

theories.

Organizational behavior page 50

Organizational Behavior

Session 2

Scientific foundations of OB

Psychology Social Psychology Cognitive Psychology I/O Psychology Sociology Anthropology Political science

Organizational behavior page 47

Some definitions

Perception: is the process of acquiring, selecting, interpreting, and organizing sensory information;

Belief: is a conviction of the truth of a statement or existence of a phenomenon (e.g., beliefs about one’s capabilities, beliefs about organizational culture);

Attitudes: are positive or negative views about a person, behaviour, or event.(e.g., job satisfaction, attitude toward teamwork);

Value: is a term that express the concept of worth (e.g., job values);

Norm: is a rule that is socially enforced (e.g., respect to elders).

Social cognitive theory(Albert Bandura)

Triadic reciprocal causation

P

B E

P: personal factors B: behavioral factors E: environmental

factors (Bandura, 1997, p. 6)

Ladder of inference

Examples of ladder of inference

Organizational trust

Theory of Planned Behavior/ Reasoned Action (Ajzen and Fishbein(

The theory of planned behavior is a theory which predicts deliberate behavior.

Attitudes

Norms Intention Behavior

Perceived behavioral control

Assignment 2

Discuss various factors that may influence an employee’s cooperation with his/her other project team members from other departments using theories described in the class.