What is Organizational Behavior?

1. What is Organizational Behavior? • A relatively new field of scientific study • Concerned with human behavior that occurs in work settings • Began by borrowing from other disciplines like economics, • psychology, sociology, etc. • It is, simply put, the scientific study of the behavior and • attitudes of individuals and groups within organizations.

2. Characteristics of Organizational Behavior • Focuses on human behavior on the individual, • group and organizational levels • Recognizes the importance of the context in which • human behavior occurs. • Is multidisciplinary • Is performance oriented • Uses the scientific method • Is application oriented

3. Why is OB important? • Employees can be a source of competitive advantage • popular business press • Attracting & retaining talent is increasingly difficult • Supply & demand in certain occupations. • Research suggests that employees in the US will • experience 10 employers over their 40 year work • careers, with 2/3rds coming within the 1st 10 yrs. • Job change is both employee and employer • (downsizing, mergers, layoffs) motivated • Team-based work systems require an understanding of • human behavior (collaboration, empowerment, etc) • continued

4. Why is OB important? - continued • An increasingly diverse workforce requires a greater • understanding of individual differences. • The impact of undesirable work attitudes is well • documented (“deviant workplace behavior”)

5. Outcomes of “bad” employee attitudes • Organizational performance • Job satisfaction • Absenteeism • Turnover (costly and can affect customer satisfaction) • Effort • Theft • Organizational citizenship • Willingness to relocate

6. Epistemologies • Common Sense • Experience • Intuition • History/Tradition • Expert Testimony/Higher Authority • Science

7. Nothing is as Practical as a Good Theory! A good theory will allow us to: • Describe • Understand • Predict • Control Types of theories Lay Theories vs. Systematic Theories

8. Types of Managers Traditional Human Relation Human Resources • Assumptions • Work is inherently • distasteful to most • people. • What workers do is • less important than • what they earn for • doing it. • Few want or can • handle work that • requires creativity • and self direction. • Assumptions • People want to feel • useful. • People desire to • belong. • These needs are • more important • than money. • Assumptions • Work is not inherently • distasteful. • People want to • contribute to • meaningful goals • which they have • helped establish. • Most people can • exercise far more • creativity and self- • direction than their • present job demands.

9. Types of Managers: continued Traditional Human Relations Human Resource • Policies • Manager’s job is • to closely supervise • and control • subordinates. • Break tasks down • into simple, • repetitive, easily • learned operations. • Establish detailed • work procedures • and enforce them • firmly but fairly. • Policies • Manager’s job is • to make each • worker feel useful • and important. • Should keep each • worker informed & • listen to their • concerns. • Manager should allow • subordinates some • self-direction & self- • control on routine • matters. • Policies • Manager’s job is • to make use of • “untapped: human • resources. • Create an environment • where all can • contribute their best. • Encourage participation • on important as well • as routine matters.

10. Types of Managers:continued Traditional Human Relations Human Resource • Expectations • Expanding subordinate • self-direction and self- • control will lead to • direct improvements in • operating efficiency. • Work satisfaction may • improve as a by-product • of subordinates making • full use of their resources. • Manager’s Role • Developer • Expectations • People can tolerate • work if the pay is • decent and the boss • is fair. • If tasks are simple • enough and people • are closely controlled, • they will produce up • to standard. • Manager’s Role • Controller • Expectations • Sharing information • and involving • people will satisfy • needs to belong. • Satisfying these • needs will improve • morale and workers • will “willingly • cooperate” • Manager’s Role • Controller & • Maintenance

11. Systematic Theories Individual Generalized Theoretical Test Managerial Commonalities Statements Behaviors And Attitudes

12. What are the characteristics of science? • It is empirical • It is rational (not emotional) • It’s purposes are to describe, understand, predict, • control • It is tentative • It is cumulative; via replication & extension • It is self-correcting

13. The Research Process: Science in Action • An Event or Phenomenon • A Desire to Explain it • Development of a Theoretical Framework • Concepts • Proposition • Operationalization of the Concepts • Change Concepts into Variables • Instrumentation • Derive Hypotheses • Collect Data • Sampling • Research Design • Test Hypotheses • Results

14. Lag Time Between Research and Practice Research Research Practitioner Implementation Journals Periodicals and Practice & Seminars TIME

15. Research Designs Designs Control Manipulation Realism Scope Case Study Low Low High Moderate Field Survey Moderate Low High High Lab Experiment High High Low Low Field Experiment High High High Low Control = ability to hold outside factors constant Manipulation = Ability to alter the variables of interest Realism = degree to which design duplicates the real world Scope = number of variables you can study at one time