An Overview of Organizational Behavior

1. An Overview of Organizational Behavior Chapter 1

2. Chapter Learning Objectives After studying this chapter you should be able to: • Define organizational behavior. • Identify the functions that comprise the management process and relate them to organizational behavior. • Relate organizational behavior to basic managerial roles and skills. • Describe contemporary organizational behavior. • Discuss contextual perspectives on organizational behavior. © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

3. What is Organizational Behavior? • Organizational behavior (OB) is the study of: • Human behavior in organizational settings • The interface between human behavior and the organization • The organization itself © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning Stockbyte at Getty Images®

4. Figure 1.1The Nature of Organizational Behavior © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

5. The Importance of Organizational Behavior • Organizations can have a powerful influence on our lives: • Most people are born and educated in organizations • Most people acquire most of their material possessions from organizations • Most people die as members of organizations • Many of our activities are regulated by governmental organizations • Most people spend most of their lives in organizations © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

6. Why Study OB? • Studying organizational behavior can clarify factors that affect how managers manage by: • Describing the complex human context of organizations • Defining the associated opportunities, problems, challenges, and issues • Isolating important aspects of the manager’s job • Offering specific perspectives on the human side of management © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

7. Why Study OB? (cont’d) • Studying OB helps managers understand: • The behaviors of others in the organization • Personal needs, motives, behaviors, feelings and career dynamics • Attitudinal processes, individual differences, group dynamics, inter group dynamics, organization culture, power, and political behavior • Interactions with people outside of the organization and other organizations • The environment, technology, and global issues © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

8. Management Functions Planning Organizing Leading Controlling Resources Used by Managers Human Financial Physical Information Organizational Behavior and the Management Process © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

9. Functions of Management © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

10. Figure 1.2Basic Managerial Functions © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

11. Organizational Behavior and the Manager’s Job • Basic Managerial Roles • Interpersonal • Informational • Decision-Making Stockbyte at Getty Images® © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

12. Table 1.1Important Managerial Roles © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

13. Critical Managerial Skills © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

14. Figure 1.3Managerial Skills at Different Organizational Levels © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

15. Contemporary Organizational Behavior • Characteristics of the Field • Interdisciplinary in focus • Descriptive in nature • Basic Concepts of the Field • Individual processes • Interpersonal processes • Organizational processes/characteristics © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

16. Figure 1.4 The Framework for Understanding Organizational Behavior © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

17. Contextual Perspectives on Organizational Behavior Systems Perspective Situational Perspective Contingency Interactional Contemporary Organizational Behavior © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

18. The Systems Perspective • System • An interrelated set of elements that function as a whole—inputs are combined/transformed by managers into outputs from the system. • Value of the Systems Perspective • Underscores the importance of an organization’s environment • Conceptualizes the flow and interaction of various elements of the organization. © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

19. The Situational Perspective • The Situational Perspective • Recognizes that most organizational situations and outcomes are influenced by other variables • The Universal Model • Presumes a direct cause-and-effect linkage between variables • Complexities of human behavior and organizational settings make universal conclusions virtually impossible © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

20. Figure 1.5The Systems Approach to Organizations © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

21. Figure 1.6Universal Versus Situational Approach © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

22. Interactionalism: People and Situations • Interactionalist Perspective • Focuses on how individuals and situations interact continuously to determine individuals’ behavior • Attempts to explain how people select, interpret, and change various situations. © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

23. Figure 1.7The Interactionalist Perspective on Behavior in Organizations © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

24. Managing for Effectiveness • Managers work toward accomplishing the various goals (outcomes) that exist at specific levels in an organization: • Individual-level outcomes • Group-level outcomes • Organizational-level outcomes © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

25. Figure 1.8Managing for Effectiveness © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

26. Organizational Behavior in Action • Based on your reading of the chapter opening case: • Why is employee morale at Microsoft so low despite excellent pay, benefits, and working conditions? • Which basic managerial roles and skills does Microsoft’s Lisa Brummel need to use to convince her fellow Microserfs that the organization really cares about them? • At which level in the Microsoft organization are the most critical problems occurring? © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning