ORGANISATION BEHAVIOR

1. Describe the scope of organizational behavior as a discipline(5marks)

As An Interdisciplinary Approach; Organizational behavior is essentially an interdisciplinary

approach to study human behavior at work. It tries to integrate the relevant knowledge drawn

from related disciplines like psychology, sociology and anthropology to make them applicable

for studying and analyzing organizational behavior.

As An Applied Science; The very nature of O.B. is applied. What O.B. basically does is the

application of various researches to solve the organizational problems related to human behavior.

The basic line of difference between pure science and O.B. is that while the former concentrates

of fundamental researches, the latter concentrates on applied researches. O.B. involves both

applied research and its application in organizational analysis. Hence, O.B. can be called both

science as well as art.

As a Humanistic and Optimistic Approach; Organizational Behaviour applies humanistic

approach towards people working in the organization. It, deals with the thinking and feeling of

human beings. O.B. is based on the belief that people have an innate desire to be independent,

creative and productive. It also realizes that people working in the organization can and will

actualize these potentials if they are given proper conditions and environment. Environment

affects performance or workers working in an organization.

.As People; The people constitute the internal social system of the organization. They consist of

individuals and groups. Groups may be large or small, formal or informal, official or unofficial.

They are dynamic. They form, change and disband. Human organization changes everyday.

Today, it is not the same as it was yesterday. It may change further in the coming days. People

are living, thinking and feeling being who created the organization and try to achieve the

objectives and goals. Thus, organizations exist to serve the people and not the people exist to

serve the organization.

As a Structure; Structure defines the sole relationship of people in an organization. Different

people in an organization are given different roles and they have certain relationship with others.

It leads to division of labor so that people can perform their duties or work to accomplish the
organizational goal. Thus, everybody cannot be an accountant or a clerk. Work is complex and

different duties are to be performed by different people. Some may be accountant, others may be

managers, clerks, peons or workers. All are so related to each other to accomplish the goal in a

coordinated manner. Thus, structure relates to power and duties. One has the authority and others

have a duty to obey him.

As aTechnology; Technology imparts the physical and economic conditions within which

people work. With their bare hands people can do nothing so they are given assistance of

buildings, machines, tools, processes and resources. The nature of technology depends very

much on the nature of the organization and influences the work or working conditions. Thus,

technology brings effectiveness and at the same restricts people in various ways.

As a Social System; Social system provides external environment which the organization

operates. A single organization cannot exist also. It is a part of the whole. One organization

cannot give everything and therefore, there are many other organizations. All these organizations

influence each other. It influences the attitudes of people, their working conditions and above all

provides competition for resources and power.

2. Discuss function of groups in organization (5 marks)

Work Roles : These roles relate to task-oriented activities involved in accomplishing the group

tasks or group goals. Developing a strategy for accomplishing the task, assigning jobs, evaluating

work progress and clarifying the group goals are the examples of work roles related to task-

oriented activities.
Maintenance Role : These roles relate to social-emotional activities of group members that help

maintain their involvement and commitment to group. Examples of these roles may be

encouraging other fellow members to participate, praising and rewarding other members for their

excellent contribution and similar other activities designed to maintain a friendly group

atmosphere.

Blocking Roles : These are the activities that disrupt or destroy the group. These activities may

include such things as dominating the discussion, attacking other group members, disagreeing

unreasonably with other group members and distracting group by unnecessary humor.

3. What can you do as a manager to increase likelihood that you employees will exert a high
level of effort? (10 marks)

Design economic incentives so employees at all levels of an organization can benefit from

them. There's a natural tendency for management to focus most heavily on senior-level

economic incentives. While this is completely understandable, it's best not to neglect substantive

incentives for lower-level employees... that is, if you expect them to be vigorously committed to

an enterprise's success. To the argument that this will be unduly costly, a program has to be

carefully structured, of course, so additional payouts reflect clearly defined revenue and/or

earnings targets.

Provide meaningful feedback in a constructive manner on a regular basis. Feedback is a foundational

management skill; the ability to provide regular, helpful feedback to employees in a manner that

encourages, not discourages, is a cornerstone of effective management. That's not to say feedback is

always positive - that wouldn't be management at all - but that the communication is done
thoughtfully... whether the occasion is encouragement for a job well done, or that course correction is

needed.

Respect employees as individuals, in addition to the job they do. Respect can be a simple but

powerful motivator, just as its unpleasant twin, lack of respect, has the opposite effect. When

employees feel genuinely respected (always assuming it's warranted), they're much more likely

"to go the extra mile" to help a company succeed.

Be sure management at all levels of an organization receives adequate training. There's a

tendency for companies to invest heavily in "leadership training" while focusing far less on

supervisors and middle managers. I can readily speak from experience on this one, having

received considerably more training and development opportunities in the latter stages of my

career than in the early formative stages, when I most needed it. Provide support for employees

when it's genuinely needed. Valued support can take many forms: equipment when existing is

outdated or inefficient; emotional support in the face of (occasionally) unfair criticism; flexible support

for a reasonable level of work-life balance. Management support in times of need won't be forgotten;

it builds employee goodwill and loyalty.

Don't be emotionally stingy. There's nothing for management to gain by withholding praise and

recognition when it's warranted. A recent employee study came across indicated that

recognition is often a more powerful motivator than money. While this may well be less true at

senior levels as financial rewards escalate, this post is focused on general employee

productivity...where the broadest gains can be made.

Ensure senior leadership models behavior that makes the rank-and-file proud to be part of

the team. Nothing demoralizes employees more quickly than seeing senior leaders act in a way

they don't respect, and few things energize employees more than a senior team they

admire. Leader are always being watched and judged; employees have keen eyes (and are keen

data sharers!). When leadership is "walking the talk," it will be quickly noted - but so will

"talking the walk" without actually walking it.

4. Participation is an excellent method for identifying differences and resolving conflicts

What techniques can a manager use to resolve these conflicts (10 marks)

By Viewing Conflict as Opportunity: Hidden within virtually every conflict is the potential for
a tremendous teaching/learning opportunity. Where there is disagreement there is an inherent
potential for growth and development. If youre a CEO who doesnt leverage conflict for team
building and leadership development purposes youre missing a great opportunity. Divergent
positions addressed properly can stimulate innovation and learning in ways like minds can't even
imagine. Smart leaders look for the upside in all differing opinions.

Defining of roles and responsibilities. A major cause of workplace flare ups is lack of role
clarity. In relationships, it often leads to tension when a person feels he is carrying too much of
the weight. Take the time up front to understand and clarify expectations. A brief conversation
initially can save a lot of time and angst later. A good approach is to bring all interested parties
together to define responsibilities as a group.

By Compromising.

The compromise technique recognizes that some conflicts cannot be fully solved. For example, you may
have an ambitious developer who is interested in learning the Salesforce interface deeply and asks to go
on a week-long training session. Based on your analysis of the schedule, that type of training would
cause significant problems for the schedule. A compromise solution in that case would be to arrange a
different training arrangement such as a briefing with an expert from Salesforce and a $100 budget to
buy books about the technology. In this situation, the developer obtains partial satisfaction and the
project manager largely maintains the project schedule.

Assuming of positive intent. Allow people the benefit of the doubt and watch conflicts solved
with less animosity. When you assume positive intent you will be more willing to forgive and
forget. It is much more difficult to move on if you believe the other person intended to harm you.
In reality, most of the time conflict is caused by good people who act poorly or are
misinterpreted. It is constructive to depersonalize your feelings and focus on the problem not the
person.

By avoiding to socialize the disagreement. During conflict it is natural to seek out allies. While
it may serve to placate your short term emotional needs, discussing the issues with others in the
organization is basically gossip and may lead to deeper, more lasting tension. So unless you are
clearly seeking advice from a confidant keep your comments to yourself.

By clarifying of concerns. Be proactive and dont let issues fester. If you sense someone is
upset with you ask them a question such as "Did I do something that upset you?" If you are upset
with someone say "Something is bothering me. Do you have time to discuss it?" These
approaches can go a long way to nipping issues in the bud.

Focus the dialogue on understanding the other persons viewpoint. Once you grasp their
perspective you can express yours. Letting another person share first helps to defuse anger and
create the opportunity for resolution.

Addressing people in a non-confrontational manner. Steer clear of aggressive or judgmental

comments. Speak calmly, describing your frustration in neutral, but clear language. Be sincere,
courteous and direct. Dont attack, judge or interrupt. Doing so will only generate an emotional,
defensive response and serve to deepen the rift.

By controlling of your emotions. Letting your emotions get the better of you will only
exacerbate the issues. Act professionally and let rationality rule the day.
By Accepting responsibility. It always takes two to tango. Taking accountability for your role in
the disagreement will help to defuse the situation. It will also position you as the resolver of
conflict, something your boss will appreciate.

Arguments are part of every workplace. How they are handled goes a long way to define the
health and informal culture of an organization. I hope these tips help to improve your conflict
management skills.

Reference.

Allaire, Y., and M. E. Firsirotu, M.E. 1984. Theories of organizational culture. Organization
Studies 5:193-226.

Andrews, Kenneth. 1989. Ethics in practice. Harvard Business Review (Sept- Oct): 99-104.

Argyris, Chris. 1987. Double loop learning in organizations. Harvard Business Review (Sept-
Oct): 115-125.

Ashforth, B.E., and F. Mael. Social identity theory and the organization. Academy of
Management Review 14 (1): 20-39.

Ashmos, D.P., and G.P Huber. 1987 The systems paradigm in organizational theory: Correcting
the record and suggesting the future. Academy of Management Review 12 (4): 607-621.
Augustine, Norman R. 1987. Reshaping an industry: lockheed martins survival story. Harvard
Business Review (May-June).

Barasch, Douglas, S. 1987. God and toothpaste. New York Times Magazine.

Barrick, M. R., and M.K. Mount. 1991. The big five personality dimensions and job
performance: a meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology 44: 1-26.

Bass, B. M. 1985. Leadership and performance beyond expectation. New York: Free Press.

Becker, H.S., and B. Geer. Latent culture. Administrative Science Quarterly 5: 303-313.