Essentials of Organizational Behavior, 8/e
Stephen P. Robbins
Chapter 1
Introduction to
Organizational Behavior
1-1
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
1) Define Organizational Behavior (OB)
2) Identify the primary behavioral disciplines
contributing to OB
3) Describe the three goals of OB
4) List the major challenges and opportunities
for managers to use OB concepts
5) Describe how OB concepts can help make
organizations more productive
1-2
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
6) Discuss why workforce diversity has
become an important issue in management
7) Explain how managers and organizations
are responding to the problem of employee
ethical dilemmas
8) Discuss how a knowledge of OB can help
managers stimulate organizational
innovation and change
1-3
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
• Organizational Behavior - systematic
study of the actions
and attitudes
that people
exhibit within
organizations
1-4
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
The field of OB seeks to replace
intuitive explanations with
systematic study
1-5
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
Systematic study - the use of
scientific evidence gathered under
controlled conditions and measured
and interpreted in a reasonably
rigorous manner to attribute cause
and effect
1-6
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
Determinants of Employee
Performance
• Productivity
• Absenteeism
• Turnover
1-7
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
Organizational citizenship
• Discretionary behavior
• Not part of an employee's formal job
requirements
• Promotes the effective functioning of the
organization
1-8
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
Examples of Organizational
Citizenship
•
•
•
•
Helping others on one's work team
Volunteering for extra job activities
Avoiding unnecessary conflicts
Making constructive statements about
one's work group and the overall
organization
1-9
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
Job Satisfaction
• There’s a link between satisfaction and
productivity.
• Satisfaction appears to be negatively
related to absenteeism and turnover.
• Managers have a humanistic
responsibility to provide their employees
with jobs that are challenging,
intrinsically rewarding, and satisfying.
1-10
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
Organization
• Consciously coordinated
social unit
• Composed of two or more
people
• Functions on a continuous
basis to achieve a common
goal
• Characterized by formal roles
that define the behavior of its
members
1-11
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
Contributing Disciplines
Psychology seeks to
measure,explain,
and change
behavior
Sociology studies
people in relation to their
fellow human beings
Social psychology
focuses on the
influence of people
on one another
Anthropology is the
study of societies
to learn about human
beings and their activities
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
Political science is the
study of the
behavior of individuals
and groups within
1-12
a political environment
Goals of Organizational
Behavior
• Explain, predict,
and control
human behavior
1-13
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
Challenges and Opportunities
for OB
• Typical employee is getting older
• More women and minorities in the
workplace
• Global competition is requiring employees
to become more flexible
• Historical loyalty-bonds that held many
employees to their employers are being
severed
1-14
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
Responding to Globalization
• Increased Foreign Assignments
• Working with People from Different
Cultures
• Coping with Anti-Capitalism Backlash
• Overseeing Movement of Jobs to
Countries with Low-cost Labor
1-15
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
Managing Diversity
Workforce diversity organizations are
becoming a more
heterogeneous mix of
people in terms of
gender, age, race,
ethnicity, and sexual
orientation
1-16
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
Diversity Implications
• Managers have to shift their philosophy
from treating everyone alike to
recognizing differences and responding
to those differences in ways that ensure
employee retention and greater
productivity.
1-17
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
Improving Quality and
Productivity
• Quality management
• Process reengineering
1-18
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
Quality Management
1) Intense focus on the customer
2) Concern for continual improvement
3) Improvement in the quality of everything
the organization does
4) Accurate measurement
5) Empowerment of employees
1-19
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
Process Reengineering
• Evaluating process
in terms of
contribution to goals
• Inefficient processes
thrown out and new
systems introduced
• Redefines jobs and
requires most
employees to
undergo training
1-20
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
OB Insights
•
•
•
•
•
Improving People Skills
Improving Customer Service
Empowering People
Working in Networked Organizations
Stimulating Innovation and Change
1-21
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
OB Insights
• Coping with “Temporariness”
• Helping Employees Balance Work/Life
Conflicts
• Declining Employee Loyalty
• Improving Ethical Behavior
1-22
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
Levels of OB Analysis
Individual Level
Group Level
Organization System Level
1-23
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
Summary
1) Defined Organizational Behavior (OB)
2) Identified the primary behavioral disciplines
contributing to OB
3) Described the three goals of OB
4) Listed the major challenges and
opportunities for managers to use OB
concepts
5) Described how OB concepts can help make
organizations more productive
1-24
© 2005 Prentice-Hall
Summary
6) Discussed why workforce diversity has
become an important issue in management
7) Explained how managers and organizations
are responding to the problem of employee
ethical dilemmas
8) Discussed how a knowledge of OB can help
managers stimulate organizational
innovation and change
1-25
© 2005 Prentice-Hall