1-1
Organizational Behavior
MBA-542
Instructor: Erlan Bakiev, Ph.D.
1-2
Essentials of
Organizational Behavior, 11/e
Stephen P. Robbins & Timothy A. Judge
Chapter 1
Introduction to
Organizational Behavior
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
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1.
Define organizational behavior (OB).
2.
Explain the value to OB of systematic study.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Identify the major behavioral science disciplines that
contribute to OB.
Demonstrate why few absolutes apply to OB.
Identify the challenges and opportunities managers have in
applying OB concepts.
Identify the three levels of analysis in OB.
The Field of Organizational Behavior
1-4
Organizational Behavior studies the influence that
individuals, groups and structure have on behavior
within organizations.
Its chief goal is to apply that knowledge toward
improving an organization’s effectiveness.
Focal Points of OB
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






Jobs
Work
Absenteeism
Employment turnover
Productivity
Human performance
Management
Complementing Intuition with Systematic Study
1-6


Intuition: your “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
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


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
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


Complements systematic
study.
Bases decisions on the best
available scientific evidence.
Forces managers to become
more scientific in their
thinking.
Contributing Disciplines to the OB Field
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Micro:
The
Individual
Psychology
Social Psychology
Macro:
Groups &
Organizations
Sociology
Anthropology
Few Absolutes in OB
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


Impossible to
make simple
and accurate
generalizations
Human beings
are complex
and diverse
OB concepts
must reflect
situational
conditions:
contingency
variables
Contingency
Variable (Z)
Independent
Variable (X)
Dependent
Variable (Y)
In American
Culture
Boss Gives
“Thumbs Up”
Sign
Understood as
Complimenting
In Iranian or
Australian
Cultures
Boss Gives
“Thumbs Up”
Sign
Understood as
Insulting - “Up
Yours!”
Challenges and Opportunities for OB
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


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Responding to Economic Pressures
Responding to Globalization
Managing Workplace Diversity
Improving Customer Service
Improving People Skills
Stimulating Innovation and Change
Coping with “Temporariness”
Working in Networked Organizations
Helping Employees with Work-Life Conflicts
Improving Ethical Behavior
Responding to Economic Pressures
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

Effective management is especially important
during tough economic times.
Employees look to their managers to provide
security during the instability of a recession.
Responding to Globalization
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
Increased foreign assignments


Working with people from
different cultures


Differing needs and aspirations in
workforce
Domestic motivational techniques and
managerial styles may not work
Overseeing movement of jobs to
countries with low-cost labor
Managing Workforce Diversity
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Workforce diversity:
organizations are
becoming a more
heterogeneous mix of
people in terms of gender,
age, race, ethnicity, and
sexual orientation
Diversity Implications
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“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 while, at the
same time, not discriminating.”
Improving Customer Service & People Skills
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

The majority of
employees in
developed nations
work in service jobs
and they must know
how to please their
customers.
People skills are
essential to succeed
in today’s
organizations.
Stimulating Innovation and Change
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


Flexibility
Quality Improvement
Staying Competitive
Temporariness
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
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Jobs are constantly changing
Skills need to be updated for
workers to stay on target
Workers need to be able to
deal with change
Employees need to be able to
cope with flexibility,
spontaneity and
unpredictability
Working in Networked Organizations
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
Managers must
adapt their skills
and communication
styles to succeed in
an online
environment
Helping Employees handle work-life conflict
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The line between work and
non work has blurred and
managers are increasingly
dealing with conflicts that
arise between work and life
away from work.
Thinking Positive
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

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.
Three Levels of OB Analysis
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Chapters 14 - 16
Chapters 8 - 13
Chapters 2 - 7
Plan of the Book
Implications for Managers
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
OB helps with:
Insights to improve people skills
 Valuing of workforce diversity
 Empowering people and creating a
positive work environment
 Dealing with change in the workplace
 Coping in a world of temporariness
 Creating an ethically healthy work
environment

Keep in Mind…
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
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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.
Summary
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Defined Organizational Behavior (OB).
Show the value to OB of systematic study.
Identified the major behavioral science disciplines that
contribute to OB.
Demonstrated how few absolutes apply in OB.
Identified the major challenges and opportunities
managers have in applying OB concepts.
Identified the three levels of analysis in OB.