Chapter 1-What Is Organizational Behaviour 3

Chapter 1
What is Organizational
Behaviour?
Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
What is Behavior
• the way in which one acts or conducts oneself,
– especially toward others
• the way in which an animal or person acts
– in response to a particular situation or stimulus
• is the range of actions and mannerisms
– made by
• individuals
• organisms
• systems
• artificial entities
– in conjunction with themselves or their environment
Stimulus (Stimuli)
• a thing or event that evokes a reaction in an

organism.
• a thing that arouses activity or energy in
someone or something
Behavior
• It is the response of the system or
organism to various stimuli or inputs
– internal or external,
– conscious or subconscious,
– overt or covert, and
– voluntary or involuntary
.
What is an Organization?
• A consciously coordinated social
unit
– composed of two or more people
• functions on a continuous basis
• to achieve a common goal
Organizational Behavior
• A field of study
• Investigates how individuals, groups
and structure affect AND are affected
by behavior within organizations
– Individuals, groups & structures affect
behavior
– Behavior affect individuals, groups &
structures
• Aims at improving an organization’s
effectiveness
Areas of Research
• Improving job performance
• Increasing job satisfaction
• Promoting innovation
• Encouraging leadership
• Foundations of human resources.
History
• Its root in the 1920s and 30s
• Hawthorne Effect Experiment
– Western Electric Company
– Hawthorne Works plant in Cicero, Il
• To determine how environment affect
workers behaviors—
– E.g. lighting and design improvement
Hawthorne Effect
• Result-environment was less important
• Social factor—became more important
– how workers get along
– Managers appreciation
• More researches in 1960s &70s
OB Questions
• What motivates people?
• What makes employees productive?
• What makes some employees leaders and
others not?
• Why do groups often work in opposition
to their employer?
• How do organizations respond to changes
in their external environments?
• How do people communicate and make
decisions?
The Field of Organizational
Behavior
Organizational Behavior studies

the influence that individuals, groups
and structure have on behavior within
organizations and vise versa.
Its chief goal is to apply that knowledge

toward improving an organization’s
effectiveness.
Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. 1-11
The Layers of OB
The Organization
Change
Organizational culture
Decision making
The Group Leadership
Power and politics

Negotiation
Conflict
Communication
The Individual Groups and teams
Motivating self and others

Emotions
Values and attitudes
Perception
Personality
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
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
Evidence-Based
Management
• Complements systematic
study
• Bases decisions on the
best available scientific
evidence
• Forces managers to
become more scientific in
their thinking
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
Conditio Behavior
Input “A”
n “C” “B”
Focal Points of OB
•Jobs
•Work
•Absenteeism
•Employment turnover
•Productivity
•Human performance
•Management
Why Do We Study OB?
• To learn about yourself and others
• To understand how the many organizations you
encounter work
• To become familiar with team work
• To help you think about the people issues faced
by managers and entrepreneurs
Chapter 1, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 1-
18 Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education Canada © 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Challenges and
Opportunities for OB
• The workplace 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
Challenges Facing the Workplace
Organizational Level
•
•
Productivity
Developing effective employees
• Global competition
•
Managing in the global village
Group Level
•
Working with others
Workplace
•
Workforce diversity
Individual Level
•
•
Job satisfaction
•
Empowerment
Behaving ethically
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.
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
Developing Effective Employees
Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB)

– Discretionary behaviour that is not part of an
employee’s formal job requirements, but that
nevertheless promotes the effective functioning
of the organization.
Putting People First
• committed workforce and positively affects

the bottom line
• “more control and say in their work.”
• How do you Put people first?
Global Competition
• In recent years, North American businesses

have faced tough international competition,
as well as from other companies within our
borders.
• Reduce costs, increase productivity, and
improve quality.
Managing and Working in a
Multicultural World
• Managers and employees must become capable
of working with people from different cultures:
How Will Knowing OB Make
a Difference?
• For Managers
• For Individuals
Toward an OB Discipline
Behavioural Contribution Unit of Output
science analysis
Learning
Motivation
Perception
Training
Leadership effectiveness
Job satisfaction
Psychology Individual decision making
Performance appraisal
Attitude measurement
Employee selection
Work design
Work stress
Individual
Group dynamics
Work teams
Communication
Power
Conflict
Intergroup behaviour
Sociology
Formal organization theory Study of
Organizational technology Group Organizational
Organizational change Behaviour
Behavioural change
Attitude change
Social psychology Communication
Group processes
Group decision making
Organization
Comparative values system
Comparative attitudes
Cross-cultural analysis
Anthropology
Organizational environment
Conflict
Political science Intraorganizational politics
Power
The Rigour of OB
• OB looks at consistencies
• OB is more than common sense
• OB has few absolutes
• OB takes a contingency approach
Research Methods in OB
Source: J. R. Schermerhorn, J.G. Hunt, and R. N. Osborn, Organizational Behaviour, 9th Edition, 2005, p. 4. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Reprinted with the permission of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Bottom Line: OB Is For
Everyone
• Organizational behaviour is not just for
managers.
• OB applies equally well to all situations in
which you interact with others: on the
basketball court, at the grocery store, in
school, or in church.
Summary and Implications
• OB is a field of study that investigates the
impact that individuals, groups, and structure
have on behaviour within an organization.
• OB focuses on improving productivity,
reducing absenteeism and turnover, and
increasing employee job satisfaction and
organizational commitment.
• OB uses systematic study to improve
predictions of behaviour.

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Chapter 1

• a thing or event that evokes a reaction in an

Organizational Behavior studies

Its chief goal is to apply that knowledge

Power and politics

Motivating self and others

Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB)

• committed workforce and positively affects

• In recent years, North American businesses

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