organization behavioure chapter 1

Chapter 1

Introducing Organizational Behavior

People Make the Difference

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-2

Chapter Study Questions

• What is organizational behavior and why is it important?

• What are organizations like as work settings?

• What is the nature of managerial work?

• How do we learn about organizational behavior?


What is organizational behavior and why is it important?

• Organizational behavior– Study of human behavior in organizations. – A multidisciplinary field devoted to

understanding individual and group behavior, interpersonal processes, and organizational dynamics.



• Scientific methods models – simplified views of reality that attempt to identify

major factors and forces underlying real-world phenomenon

• Link independent variables with dependent variables


Figure 1.1



Scientific thinking is important to OB because:– Process of data collection is controlled and

systematic– Proposed explanations are carefully tested– Only explanations that can be scientifically

verified are accepted



• Contingency approach– researchers identify how different situations can

be best understood and handled



• Modern workplace trends– Commitment to ethical behavior– Importance of human capital– Demise of “command and control”– Emphasis on teamwork– Pervasive influence of information technology– Respect for new workforce expectations– Changing definition of “jobs” and “career”


What are organizations like as work settings?

• Organization – a collection of people working together in a

division of labor to achieve a common purpose.



• The core purpose of an organization is the creation of goods and services.

• Mission statements focus attention on the core purpose.



• Strategy – comprehensive plan that guides organizations

to operate in ways that allow them to outperform their competitors.


Figure 1.2



• Stakeholders– People, groups, and institutions having an

interest in an organization’s performance – Interests of multiple stakeholders sometimes

conflict



• Organizational culture – the shared beliefs and values that influence the

behavior of organizational members.


Figure 1.3


What are organizations like as work settings?• Constructive culture

– members are encouraged to work together in ways that meet higher order human needs

• Passive/defensive culture – members tend to act defensively in their working

relationships

• Aggressive/defensive culture – members tend to act forcefully in their working

relationships to protect their status and positions



• Workforce diversity – describes the presence of individual differences

based on gender, race and ethnicity, age, able-bodiedness, and sexual orientation



• Multiculturalism – refers to pluralism and to respect for diversity

and individual differences


What is the nature of managerial work?

• Manager – someone whose job it is to directly support the

work efforts of others

• Effective manager – one whose team consistently achieves its goals

while members remain capable, committed, and enthusiastic



• Task performance – quality and quantity of the work produced by

the work unit as a whole

• Job satisfaction – how people feel about their work and the work

setting



• The management process.– Planning– Organizing– Leading – Controlling


Figure 1.4



• The nature of managerial work.– Managers work long hours.– Managers are busy people.– Managers are often interrupted.– Managerial work is fragmented and variable.– Managers work mostly with other people.– Managers spend a lot of time communicating.


Figure 1.5



Managerial skills and competencies

• Skill– an ability to translate knowledge into action that

results in a desired performance.



• Technical skill – ability to perform specialized tasks

• Human skill – ability to work well with other people

• Conceptual skill – capacity to analyze and solve complex and

interrelated problems



• Emotional intelligence – ability to understand and deal with emotions

• Self-awareness

• Self-regulation

• Motivation

• Empathy(Understanding and entering into another's feelings)

• Social skill



Moral Management

• Immoral manager

• Amoral manager

• Moral manager– Ethics mindfulness


Figure 1.6


How do we learn about organizational behavior?

• Learning – an enduring change in behavior that results

from experience.


How do we learn about organizational behavior?

• Life-long learning – learning continuously from day-to-day work

experiences, advice from mentors and training seminars and workshops

• Organizational learning – process of acquiring knowledge and utilizing

information to adapt successfully to changing circumstances.


Figure 1.7

Education

organization behavioure chapter 1