The Dynamics of People

and Organizations

Understanding Organizational
Behavior
Organizational

Behavior is the
systematic study and careful
application of knowledge about
how people- as individuals and as
groups- act within organizations.

Goals of Organizational
Behavior
Describe.

To describe,
systematically, how people
behave under a variety of
conditions.
Understand. Understand why
people behave as they do.

Predict.

Predicting future
employee behavior. Ideally,
managers would have the
capacity to predict which
employees might be dedicated
or productive or which ones
might be absent, tardy, or
disruptive on a certain day (so
that managers could take
preventive actions).

Control.

Control, at least
partially, and develop some
human activity work. Managers
need to be able to improve
results through the actions they
and their employees take.

Forces of Organizational
Behavior
These forces can be classified into
four areaspeople, structure,
technology, and the environment
in which the organization
operates.

People.

People make up the

internal social system of the
organization. The system
consists of individuals and
groups, and large groups as well
as small ones.
Diversity- which means that
employees bring a wide array of
educational and ethnic and
cultural and religious and gender
and economic backgrounds,

Structure.

Defines the formal

relationship and use of people in
organizations.
Technology. Provides the
resources with which people work
and affects the tasks they
perform.
Environment. Environments
can be internal or external, and
all organizations operate within

Organizational Behavior has

emerged as an interdisciplinary
field of value to managers. It
builds on an increasingly solid
research foundation, and it draws
upon useful ideas and conceptual
models from many of the
behavioral sciences to make
managers more effective.

Interdisciplinary

OB draws from the field of:

psychology
sociology
social psychology
group dynamics
anthropology

Three

keys to success

Theories- offer explanations of how and

why people think, feel, and act they do.
Research- process of gathering and
interpreting relevant evidence that will
either support a behavioral theory or
help change it.

Practice- conscious application of

conceptual models and research
results in order to improve
individual and organizational
performance at work.

Fundamental Concepts
The

Nature of People
Individual Differences- each
person is different from all others.
Perception- the unique way in
which a person sees, organizes,
and interprets things.
A Whole Person- people function
as total human beings.

Motivated Behavior- from

psychology, we learn that normal
behavior has certain causes.
These may relate to a persons
needs or the consequences that
result from acts. In the case of
needs, people are motivated not
by what we think they ought to
have but what they themselves
want.

Desire for Involvement- many

employees today are actively
seeking opportunities at work to
become involved in relevant
decisions, thereby contributing
their talents and ideas to the
organizations success.

Value of the Person- people want

to be treated with caring, respect
and dignity.

The

Nature of Organizations
Social Systems- From sociology,
we learn that organizations are
social systems; consequently,
activities therein are governed by
social laws as well as
psychological laws. Just as
people have psychological needs,
they also have social roles and
status.

Mutual Interest- Organizations

need people and people need
organizations.
Ethics- is the use of moral
principles and values to affect the
behavior of individuals and
organizations with regard to
choices between what is right
and wrong.

Basic Approaches in OB
Human

Resources (Supportive)
Approach- concerned with the
growth and development of
people toward higher levels of
competency, creativity,
fulfillment, because people are
the central resource in any
organization and any society.

Contingency

Approach- different
situations require different
behavioral practices for greatest
effectiveness.
Results-Oriented Approachoutcomes of OB programs are
assessed in terms of their
efficiency.
Systems Approach- All parts of an
organization interact in a

Limitations of OB
Behavioral

Bias- a narrow viewpoint

that emphasizes satisfying employee
experiences while overlooking the
broader system of the organization in
relation to all its publics.
Law of Diminishing Returns- the
concept implies that for any situation
there is an optimum amount of a
desirable practice. When that point is
exceeded, a decline in returns occurs.

Unethical

Treatment of People
and Use of Resources- knowledge
and techniques can be used to
manipulate people unethically or
without regard for human
welfare.

Ethical managers will not

manipulate people. Ethical
Leadership will recognize such
principles as the following:
Social Responsibility
Open Communication
Cost-benefit analysis

Continuing Challenges
Seeking

Quick Fixes and Using

Old Solutions
Varying Environments
Definitional Confusion