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Week 1MS-344 Organizational Behavior, DuBrin
Chapter 1
Discussion What is Organizational Behavior?
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The Meaning of Organizational Behavior

• Organizational behavior (OB) is
• the study of human behavior in the workplace,
• the interaction between people and the
  organization,
• and the organization itself.
• Organizational behaviors major goals are to
• explain, predict, and control behavior.
• Compare Definitions

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the study of human behavior in the
workplace,interaction between people and the
organization, and the organization itself.

• study of how employees work to become assets of
  organization and how leadership works to assist
  them in doing so SW
• study of the interaction between individuals and
  groups (may include reactions) JS
• study of peoples work habits, ethics, and how
  people conduct their day-to-day taskshow leaders
  can oversee work VK
• interactions between various employees within
  the organizationencompasses various levels of
  management, chain of command within organization
  and interactions between employees and their
  superiors JB
• actions taken by a group of people in an
  organized waypre-thought in order to have
  actions done at peak performance of group - PB

• relationships and interactions between different
  people with similar or different roles, inside
  the organization, and their relationships with
  outside stakeholders -AK
• includes the way an enterprise condones doing
  business. Ethics are the guide VR
• attitudes, customs and beliefs that a
  company/organization holds MF
• behavior that is expected for certain ways of
  business. The way people think and act in an
  organized manner. The way corporations will gear
  its thinking or actions toward other companies or
  people JP
• way in which you function and interact with
  fellow employees in a business setting JK
• attitude and judgment of those within an
  organization MB

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OB Data Collection and Research Methods

• Data collection methods
• Survey questionnaires
• Interviews
• Direct observation
• Systematic observation
• Participant observation
• Researcher methods
• Case studies
• Laboratory experiments
• Field experiments (or studies)
• Meta-analysis

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Benefits of Studying Organizational Behavior

• Develop skills to function effectively in the
  workplace.
• Grow personally through insight into human
  behavior.
• Enhance overall organizational effectiveness
• Sharpen and refine common sense.

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Key Developments in OB History

• The Hawthorne Studies at Western Electric
• Originally intended as a study of the effects of
  environmental changes on productivity.
• The Hawthorne Effect the tendency of people to
  behave differently (perform better) when they
  receive attention.
• Key Findings
• Economic incentives are less potent than
  generally believed.
• Dealing with human problems is complicated and
  challenging.
• Leadership practices and work-group pressures
  strongly influence productivity, satisfaction,
  and performance.
• Personal problems influence worker productivity.
• Effective communication is critical to success.
• Factors embedded in the social system influence
  behavior.

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Key Developments in OB History

• The Human Relations Movement
• Based on belief that managerial practices,
  morale, and productivity are strongly linked and
  that the proper working environment enhances
  worker capabilities.
• Douglas McGregor
• Theory X
• Managers assume people dislike work, avoid
  responsibility, lack ambition, and need close
  supervision.
• Theory Y
• Managers assume people enjoy work, accept
  responsibility, are innovative, and
  areself-controlling.

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Key Developments in OB History

• The Contingency Approach
• Emphasizes that there is no one best way to
  manage people. Different situations require
  managers to make decisions about which managerial
  methods and approaches to use in a specific
  instance.
• Knowledge of organizational behavior and
  management is essential to the examination of
  individual and situational differences before
  deciding a course of action.

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Key Managerial Practices of Successful
Organizations

• Employment security.
• High standards in selecting personnel.
• Extensive use of self-managed teams and
  decentralized decision making.
• Comparatively high compensation based on
  performance.

• Extensive employee training.
• Reduction of status differences between higher
  management and other employees.
• Information sharing among managers and other
  workers.
• Promotion from within.

Source Jeffery Pfeffer, The Human Equation
(Boston, MA Harvard Business School Press,
1998), pp. 6498 Joanne Cole, Interview with
Jeffery Pfeffer Putting People First, HRFOCUS,
April 1998, pp. 1112 Pfeffer, Producing
Sustainable Competitive Advantage through the
Effective Management of People, Academy of
Management Executive, February 1995, pp. 6465.
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A Model for DevelopingOrganizational Behavior
Skills
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A Framework for Studying Organizational Behavior
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Discussion Torpedoed Submarine Rolls