Rift Valley

University

Department of Business Management

MBA Program
Organizational Behavior Individual assignment

Submitted By: Seble Asfaw

ID nu.

Submitted To:-Tesfa Mezgebu (Assistant professor)

Date August 20220

Q1 Some of the reasons why Organizational Behavior is an integral part of most management
.

programs is as follows:

1. Understanding the relationship between an organization and its employees: The

study of Organizational Behavior helps in the better understanding of the relationship
between an organization and its employees thereby helping in the development of better
Human Resource strategies in creating a better work environment, employee loyalty and
increasing the overall value of the human capital for the organization.
2. Motivating employees: Studying Organizational Behavior help managers to better
understand their employees and motivate them, applying different motivational tools as
per individual requirements resulting in the better performance of the organization as a
whole.
3. Improving industrial/ labor relations: Organizational Behavior help in understanding
the cause of a problem predict its future course and control its consequences. As a result,
managers are able to maintain better relations with their employees by nipping any
problem in the bud.
4. Effective utilization of Human Resource: Knowledge of Organizational Behavior help
managers to effectively and efficiently manage their employees, inspiring and motivating
them to higher efficiency and productivity through a better understanding and analysis of
human behavior.
5. Predicting human behavior: This is probably the most important reason for studying
Organizational Behavior in management. Knowledge of Organizational Behavior
prepares students to become better managers by becoming a student of human behavior
from a management perspective and thereby contributing to organizational effectiveness
and profitability.

Q2. There are many different concepts and ideas that have brought the world today to a better
understanding of how to manage or operate an organization. Many of which were developed by
different people in the early 1900’s. Without the implementation of certain theories, it would be
challenging for an organization to succeed to its full potential. “Many companies have shown
poor leadership when trying to capitalize on technological breakthroughs.” (Hartman, n.d.) A
company must do whatever it takes to enable their organization to function long term.
While the first organization behavior theorists such as Henri Fayol’s “Scientific Management”,
Max Weber’s “Bureaucracy”, and Frederick W. Taylor’s “piece rate-system” have shown us
some great concepts that we use today, their emphasis was on the organization as a whole. One
downfall to Taylor’s clipboard and stopwatch way of thinking was that he placed efficiency
before ethics. (Crainer, 2003) Other’s say that “scientific management may not have produced a
moral uplift but it was not immoral.” (Crainer, 2003) But these initial concepts have certainly
metamorphosed into new concepts.

To be sure that they were implemented properly, he felt that mangers needed to PODSCORB
(Hartman, n.d) That is 1)planning, 2)organizing, 3)developing, 4)staffing, 5)coordinating, and
6)budgeting. Today that is called “leading”(Crainer, 2003), or “Leadership”. Taylor’s “Principles
of Scientific Management”, still have an influence that is “felt in every corner of business,
industry, psychology, and education. (Blake & Moseley, 2010) Foyal had a classical view of
administration, and his 14 principles were a concern for managers. (Crainer, 2003) This theory is
analogous to the ideas of Taylor.

lor. Max Weber designed a bureaucratic branch of administration within the classical school that
is widely adapted, yet has its critics as well. (Hartman, n.d.) Chester Barnard’s acceptance theory
and ideas are that communication flows from the bottom to the top. This is contrary to Weber’s
top down bureaucratic approach. There must be empathy involved when it comes to employees,
which is a big part of the behavioral school of management. (Hartman, n.d.) This was not
necessarily a focus for some early theorists. Herbert Simon’s “satisfying” approach to decision
making was the demise of the classical management theory

Q3 . Organizational behavior is an interdisciplinary approach as it has borrowed concepts,

theories, models and practices of physical sciences as well as social sciences. The main features
of organizational behavior are primarily based on behavioral sciences. The organizational
behavior is studied in relation to psychology, sociology, political science, anthropology,
economics, science, technology and environmental sciences. OB is, in fact, called an applied
behavioral science.

The relationship of OB with other fields of study is depicted in the following diagram:
Psychology:
The term ‘psychology’ is derived from the Greek World ‘Psyche’ which means ‘soul’ or ‘spirit’.
Organizational behavior studies human behavior which is concerned mainly with the psychology
of the people. Psychology, especially, industrial or organizational psychology is the greatest
contributor to the field of organizational behavior. Psychologists study behavior and industrial or
organizational psychologists deal specifically with the behavior of people in organizational
settings.

Psychology as a science, measures, explains and suggests the appropriate human behaviour.
Individual behavior is governed by perception, learning and personality. Industrial psychology
understands people’s behavior at work, particularly under different working conditions, stress,
conflicts and other related behavior of employees. Job satisfaction, performance appraisals and
reward systems are measured and directed with the use of psychological theories and models.

Group behavior in the organizations is studied, researched and molded with the use of theories of
Social Psychology. The communication system in the organization, attitudes of employees, their
needs etc. as a subject of social psychology have a great influence on behavior. Thus, many of
the concepts which interest psychologist’s e.g. learning, motivation etc. are also central to the
students of organizational behavior. We can conclude that the contribution of psychology in the
field of organizational behavior is quite significant.
Sociology:
Sociology also has a major impact on the study of organizational behavior. Sociology makes use
of scientific methods in accumulating knowledge about the social behavior of the groups.
Sociologists study social systems such as a family, an occupational class, a mob or an
organization. It specifically studies, social groups, social behavior, society, customs, institutions,
social classes, status, social mobility, prestige etc.

It studies the behavior of the people in the society in relation to their fellow human beings.
Sociology contributes to organizational behavior through its contribution to the study of
interpersonal dynamics like leadership, group dynamics, communication etc. Socialization is
accepted for molding the behavior of people where the capacities of individuals to learn and
respond to social systems, values, norms and social roles are accelerated and appreciated. The
attitudes and behavioral patterns of individuals and groups are greatly influenced by
socialization.

Anthropology:
Anthropology is concerned with the interactions between people and their environment,
especially their cultural environment. Culture is a major influence on the structure of
organizations as well as on the behavior of people within organizations. ‘Anthrop’ is a Greek
word which means ‘man’ and ‘logy’ means ‘Science’. Aristotle defined anthropology as a
science of man’s self understanding. It particularly studies civilization, forms of cultures and
their impact on individuals and groups, biological features of man and evolutionary pattern,
speech and relationship among languages.

Anthropology contributes in understanding the cultural effects on organizational behavior,

effects of value systems, norms, sentiments, cohesion and interaction. Socialization involves
spreading of values and missions of organization among employees. Anthropology influences the
employees’ behavior through motivation, interaction, goal setting, decision making, coordinating
and controlling.

Political Science:
In recent times, political science has also started interesting the organizational behaviorists.
Political Science is usually, thought of as the study of political systems. But political scientists
are interested in how and why people acquire power, political behavior, decision making,
conflict, the behavior of interest groups and coalition formation. These are also major areas of
interest in organizational behavior

In organizations, people strive for power and leadership recognition. Political Science helps in
the management of men in an effective and efficient manner. Political perspectives and
government policies are thoroughly analyzed for molding and modifying the behavior of people,
because they greatly influence the organization. The law and order of the country influence the
people at work.

Economics:
Economists study the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. Students
of organizational behavior share the economist’s interest in such areas as labor market dynamics,
productivity, human resource planning and forecasting, and cost benefit analysis.

The economic conditions of a country have long lasting impact on organizational behavior. If
psychological and economic expectations of employee are met, they are satisfied and become
high performers. Economic systems include financial, commercial and industrial activities which
have greater influences on the behavior of the people. The consumption pattern in society
monitors the behavior of employees. Consumption oriented society witnesses a different
employee behavior from that of a production oriented society.

Personality contributes in part to workplace behavior because the way that people think, feel,
and behave affects many aspects of the workplace. Attitude is another major factor to be
considered here. People's personalities influence their behavior in groups, their attitudes, and the
way they make decisions.

Today, at the hiring stage itself many organizations are attempting to screen applicants who are
more likely to fit with their company culture. Organizations want to hire individuals with
positive traits and attitudes to create a healthy environment.

Importance of Personality

Personality is a set of distinctive individual characteristics, including motives, emotions, values,

interests, attitudes, and competencies. It is a stable set of characteristics representing internal
properties of an individual, which are reflected in behavioral tendencies across a variety of
situations.

It determines an employee’s fitment in terms of personality, attitude and general work style. In
managing the day-to-day challenges, it is the personality of the people involved that affects the
decisions taken in an organization. For example, a manager who cannot motivate his staff
positively risks the integrity of the team which directly impacts the quality of service resulting
in low productivity.

A manager’s personality greatly impacts motivation, leadership, performance, and conflict. The
more understanding a manager has on how personality in organizational behavior works, the
better equipped he will be to bring out the best in people and situation.

Work Attitude
Given that work attitudes may give us clues as to who will leave or stay, who will perform better,
and who will be more engaged, tracking satisfaction and commitment levels is a helpful step for
companies. If there are companywide issues that make employees unhappy and disengaged, then
these issues need to be resolved. There are at least two systematic ways in which companies can
track work attitudes: through attitude surveys and exit interviews. Companies such as KFC
Corporation and Long John Silver’s Inc. restaurants, the SAS Institute, Google, and others give
periodic surveys to employees to track their work attitudes. Companies can get more out of these
surveys if responses are held confidential. If employees become concerned that their individual
responses will be shared with their immediate manager, they are less likely to respond honestly.
Moreover, the success of these surveys depends on the credibility of management in the eyes of
employees. If management periodically collects these surveys but no action comes out of them,
employees may adopt a more cynical attitude and start ignoring these surveys, hampering the
success of future efforts.

Attribution is what happens when a person takes the information they perceived and determines a
reason as to what happened. What you attribute things like success to depends on your own
perception and behaviors, which may be wrong due to being unrealistic or having the incorrect
information for the situation. Things like bias and misconceptions can cloud that reasoning,
which can interfere with a person's proficiency in the workplace and may contribute to issues
with diversity.

One of the concepts used in organizational behavior to help improve perception and attribution is
attribution theory. The theory was first brought forth by psychologist Fritz Heider in the 1950s
and stated that people had a desire to explain the reasoning behind their actions and the actions
of others.4 It was expanded upon over the years by fellow psychologists Bernard Weiner and
Harold Kelley, both of whom looked at the factors in a person's life that can impact their
perception and their validity. They also looked at what impact certain attributions can have when
a person acts upon them. Today, the theory is used to help people explain the causes behind
human behaviors and largely make sense of them

Q4. Background on Attitudes

Before we can explain Borufens attitude, we must first define some key terms. Attitude refers to
our evaluation of some object, idea, situation, group, or person. What you are evaluating is
referred to as the attitude object. The attitude object in this example is Alis persistent and talent.
The three components of attitude are affective, behavioral, and cognitive. We can refer to these
components collectively as the ABC of model of attitude.
1. The affective component of attitude has to do with the feelings and emotions you hold
regarding an attitude object. As a result the talent of Ali Bira talent and persistent produces
feelings of joy, happiness, likes, admires satisfaction for Borufen.
2. The behavioral component of attitude deals with how he acts in relation to the attitude
object. Borufens behavioral component includes wearing or dresses shirts having the artist’s
picture or name.
3. And remember, the cognitive component of attitude consists of the beliefs, knowledge, and
thoughts you have about the attitude object. For example, Borufen believes that dresses
shirts having the artist’s picture or name. is important, is a positive and socially responsible
thing to do, and can benefit society.

Q5 Background on Attitudes

Before we can explain Borufens attitude, we must first define some key terms. Attitude refers to
our evaluation of some object, idea, situation, group, or person. What you are evaluating is
referred to as the attitude object. The attitude object in this example is Borufens attitude
towards Alis persistent and talent. The three components of attitude are affective, behavioral, and
cognitive. We can refer to these components collectively as the ABC of model of attitude.
4. The affective component of attitude has to do with the feelings and emotions you hold
regarding an attitude object. As a result the talent of Ali Bira talent and persistent produces
feelings of joy, happiness, likes, admires satisfaction for Borufen.

5. The behavioral component of attitude deals with how he acts in relation to the attitude

object. Borufens behavioral component includes wearing or dresses shirts having the artist’s
picture or name.
6. And remember, the cognitive component of attitude consists of the beliefs, knowledge, and
thoughts you have about the attitude object. For example, Borufen believes the persistence
and the Talent of Ali Bira Is important, is a positive and socially responsible thing to do, and
can benefit society.

Q6 Orientation (Forming Stage)

The first stage of group development is the forming stage. This stage presents a time where the
group is just starting to come together and is described with anxiety and uncertainty.

Members are discreet with their behavior, which is driven by their desire to be accepted by all
members of the group. Conflict, controversy, misunderstanding and personal opinions are
avoided even though members are starting to form impressions of each other and gain an
understanding of what the group will do together.

Typical consequences of the forming stage include achieving an understanding of the group's
purpose, determining how the team is going to be organized and who will be responsible for
what, discussion of major milestones or phases of the group's goal that includes a rough project
schedule, outlining general group rules that includes when they will meet and discovery of what
resources will be available for the group to use.

At this stage, group members are learning what to do, how the group is going to operate, what is
expected, and what is acceptable.

Power Struggle (Storming Stage)

The second stage of group development is the storming stage. The storming stage is where
dispute and competition are at its greatest because now group members have an understanding
of the work and a general feel of belongingness towards the group as well as the group
members.

This is the stage where the dominating group members emerge, while the less confrontational
members stay in their comfort zone.

Questions around leadership, authority, rules, policies, norms, responsibilities, structure,

evaluation criteria and reward systems tend to arise during the storming stage. Such questions
need to be answered so that the group can move further on to the next stage.

Cooperation and Integration (Norming Stage)

In this stage, the group becomes fun and enjoyable. Group interaction are lot more easier, more
cooperative, and productive, with weighed give and take, open communication, bonding, and
mutual respect.

If there is a dispute or disruption, it’s comparatively easy to be resolved and the group gets back
on track.

Group leadership is very important, but the facilitator can step back a little and let group
members take the initiative and move forward together.

Synergy (Performing Stage)

Once a group is clear about its needs, it can move forward to the third stage of group
development, the norming stage. This is the time where the group becomes really united.

At this stage, the morale is high as group members actively acknowledge the talents, skills and
experience that each member brings to the group. A sense of belongingness is established and
the group remains focused on the group's purpose and goal.

Members are flexible, interdependent, and trust each other. Leadership is distributive and
members are willing to adapt according to the needs of the group.

Closure (Adjourning Stage)

This stage of a group can be confusing and is usually reached when the task is successfully
completed. At this stage, the project is coming to an end and the team members are moving off
in different directions.
This stage looks at the team from the perspective of the well-being of the team instead of the
perspective of handling a team through the original four stages of team growth

Q7 Importance of Values
Values are the enduring beliefs that a specific mode of conduct or end-state of existence is
personally or socially preferable.

These are more difficult to change or alter.

As ethical conduct receives more visibility in the workplace, the importance of values is
increased as a topic of discussion in management.

Values are general principles to regulate our day-to-day behavior. They not only give direction to
our behavior but are also ideals and objectives in themselves.

They are the expression of the ultimate ends, goals or purposes of social action.

Our values are the basis of our judgments about what is desirable, beautiful, proper, correct,
important, worthwhile and good as well as what is undesirable, ugly, incorrect, improper and
bad.

Instrumental Values and Terminal Values

Instrumental values can be defined as specific methods of behavior. Instrumental values are not
an end goal, but rather provide the means by which an end goal is accomplished. Character traits
and personal characteristics, such as being imaginative and independent, make up most of the
instrumental values. Rokeach developed a list of 18 instrumental values.
Q8. Reinforcement Vs Punishment
In behavioral psychology, reinforcement is a consequence applied that will strengthen an
organism's future behavior whenever that behavior is preceded by a specific antecedent stimulus.
This strengthening effect may be measured as a higher frequency of behavior (e.g., pulling a
lever more frequently), longer duration (e.g., pulling a lever for longer periods of time), greater
magnitude (e.g., pulling a lever with greater force), or shorter latency (e.g., pulling a lever more
quickly following the antecedent stimulus). There are two types of reinforcement, known as
positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement; positive is where by a reward is offered on
expression of the wanted behaviour and negative is taking away an undesirable element in the
persons environment whenever the desired behavior is achieved. Rewarding stimuli, which are
associated with "wanting" and "liking" (desire and pleasure, respectively) and appetitive
behavior, function as positive reinforcers;[1] the converse statement is also true: positive
reinforcers provide a desirable stimulus.[1] Reinforcement does not require an individual to
consciously perceive an effect elicited by the stimulus. [2] Thus, reinforcement occurs only if there
is an observable strengthening in behavior. However, there is also negative reinforcement, which
is characterized by taking away an undesirable stimulus

Modifying operant behavior: reinforcement and punishment

Main articles: Reinforcement and Punishment (psychology)
Reinforcement and punishment are the core tools through which operant behavior is modified.
These terms are defined by their effect on behavior. Either may be positive or negative.

 Positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement increase the probability of a

behavior that they follow, while positive punishment and negative punishment reduce the
probability of behavior that they follow.

Another procedure is called "extinction".

 Extinction occurs when a previously reinforced behavior is no longer reinforced with

either positive or negative reinforcement. During extinction the behavior becomes less
probable. Occasional reinforcement can lead to an even longer delay before behavior
extinction due to the learning factor of repeated instances becoming necessary to get
reinforcement, when compared with reinforcement being given at each opportunity before
extinction.[16]

There are a total of five consequences.

1. Positive reinforcement occurs when a behavior (response) is rewarding or the behavior

is followed by another stimulus that is rewarding, increasing the frequency of that
behavior.[17] For example, if a rat in a Skinner box gets food when it presses a lever, its
rate of pressing will go up. This procedure is usually called simply reinforcement.
2. Negative reinforcement (a.k.a. escape) occurs when a behavior (response) is followed
by the removal of an aversive stimulus, thereby increasing the original behavior's
frequency. In the Skinner box experiment, the aversive stimulus might be a loud noise
continuously inside the box; negative reinforcement would happen when the rat presses a
lever to turn off the noise.
3. Positive punishment (also referred to as "punishment by contingent stimulation") occurs
when a behavior (response) is followed by an aversive stimulus. Example: pain from
a spanking, which would often result in a decrease in that behavior. Positive
punishment is a confusing term, so the procedure is usually referred to as "punishment".
4. Negative punishment (penalty) (also called "punishment by contingent withdrawal")
occurs when a behavior (response) is followed by the removal of a stimulus. Example:
taking away a child's toy following an undesired behavior by him/her, which would
result in a decrease in the undesirable behavior?
 5. Extinction occurs when a behavior (response) that had previously been reinforced is no
longer effective. Example: a rat is first given food many times for pressing a lever, until
the experimenter no longer gives out food as a reward. The rat would typically press the
lever less often and then stop. The lever pressing would then be said to be
"extinguished."

Factors that alter the effectiveness of reinforcement and punishment

The effectiveness of reinforcement and punishment can be changed.

1. Satiation/Deprivation: The effectiveness of a positive or "appetitive" stimulus will be

reduced if the individual has received enough of that stimulus to satisfy his/her appetite.
The opposite effect will occur if the individual becomes deprived of that stimulus: the
effectiveness of a consequence will then increase. A subject with a full stomach wouldn't
feel as motivated as a hungry one.
2. Immediacy: An immediate consequence is more effective than a delayed one. If one
gives a dog a treat for sitting within five seconds, the dog will learn faster than if the treat
is given after thirty seconds.
3. Contingency: To be most effective, reinforcement should occur consistently after
responses and not at other times. Learning may be slower if reinforcement is intermittent,
that is, following only some instances of the same response. Responses reinforced
intermittently are usually slower to extinguish than are responses that have always been
reinforced.
4. Size: The size, or amount, of a stimulus often affects its potency as a reinforcer. Humans
and animals engage in cost-benefit analysis. If a lever press brings ten food pellets, lever
pressing may be learned more rapidly than if a press brings only one pellet. A pile of
quarters from a slot machine may keep a gambler pulling the lever longer than a single
quarter.
Q9. Difference between Team work and Group work
In the business world, the words “group” and “team” seem interchangeable, but smart entrepreneurs
realize there are subtle – and important – differences. Recognizing these differences early on will help
business owners and managers to achieve their organizational goals with the staff on hand.

What Is a Group?

A group in the workplace is usually made up of three or more people who recognize themselves as a
distinct unit or department, but who actually work independently of each other. For example, a small
business may have a client services group, but one person may focus on local clients, one person may
focus on regional clients and a third person may assist those individuals. Also, groups tend to be
permanent fixtures with ongoing goals or responsibilities

What Is a Team?

A team consists three or more people who may come from different departments within a
business, but collaborate on the same purpose, goal or project. For instance, before your
business creates a new product, you might organize a team composed of people from all
departments – engineering, finance, legal, marketing, etc. – to think through your potential new
product and avoid costly surprises down the road. With a team, individuals recognize the
expertise and talents of others needed to achieve the team’s goal. Additionally, teams are often
formed for temporary assignments with one specific goal, focus or outcome in mind.

Why Form Groups?

Managers recognized many years ago that two heads are better than one, thus small
businesses have turned to groups or departments for many reasons. With group work,
members have a shared knowledge of the group’s objectives, but specific tasks or
responsibilities are assigned to different individuals. By separating work into groups –
such as one devoted to marketing, one devoted to accounting, etc. – individuals within
those groups are able to maximize their expertise on a long-term basis.

Why Form Teams?

Businesses form teams usually to tackle a specific – and usually temporary – goal or project
with the intent of leveraging the collective expertise of a variety of people. Because experts
from various departments are involved, teams can avoid potential problems early on in a
project. For instance, a team of only engineers may create a new product but may not
understand whether it’s affordable until someone with a finance background completes a
“return on investment” or ROI analysis on its feasibility.

Having a finance member involved in the team from the beginning will help the engineers to
create an affordable product in the first place, saving time and resources. Teams can be very
productive because involving people with different talents provides teams with increased
opportunities to work more efficiently.

Q10 Learning Theory describes how students absorb, process, and retains knowledge
during learning. Cognitive, emotional, and environmental influences, as well as prior experience,
all play a part in how understanding, or a world view, is acquired or changed and knowledge and
skills retained.

Behaviorists look at learning as an aspect of conditioning and advocate a system of rewards and

targets in education. Educators who embrace cognitive theory believe that the definition of
learning as a change in behavior is too narrow, and study the learner rather than their
environment and in particular the complexities of human memory. Those who
advocate constructivism believe that a learner's ability to learn relies largely on what they already
know and understand, and the acquisition of knowledge should be an individually tailored
process of construction. Transformative learning theory focuses on the often-necessary change
required in a learner's preconceptions and world view. Geographical learning theory focuses on
the ways that contexts and environments shape the learning process.

Outside the realm of educational psychology, techniques to directly observe the functioning of
the brain during the learning process, such as event-related potential and functional magnetic
resonance imaging, are used in educational neuroscience. The theory of multiple intelligences,
where learning is seen as the interaction between dozens of different functional areas in the brain
each with their own individual strengths and weaknesses in any particular human learner, has
also been proposed, but empirical research has found the theory to be unsupported by evidence.

Q11 The term ‘motivation’ is derived from the word ‘motive’. Motive may be defined as
needs, wants, drives or impulses within the individual. Motivation is defined as the processes
that account for an individual’s intensity, direction, and persistence of effort toward attaining a
goal. The level of motivation varies both between individuals and within individuals at different
times.

Elements of Motivation

The three key elements in motivation are intensity, direction, and persistence:

1. Intensity: It describes how hard a person tries. This is the element most of us focus on
when we talk about motivation.
2. Direction: High intensity is unlikely to lead to favorable job-performance outcomes
unless the effort is channeled in a direction that benefits the organization. Therefore, the
quality of effort as well as its intensity matters. Effort directed toward, and consistent
with, the organization’s goals is the kind of effort once should be seeking.
3. Persistence: It measures how long a person can maintain effort. Motivated individuals
stay with a task long enough to achieve their goal.
 When managers working with Employees they could see the motivation of its staff
increases. These factors are largely associated with sense of achievement and psychological
growth of the employee. At this point, Herzberg (1987) coined the term enrichment. He
postulates for enrichment as a way to influence the motivation-hygiene theory. Managers need to
increase enrichment work to achieve efficient use of human resources. In doing so,
managers will provide a means of psychological growth for its employees. However, the term
enrichment should not be misunderstood with extension that will work only for
structural enlargement.