Organizational Behavior

Nature and Definition of OB

Organisation can be created on the basis that more can be achieved when people work in harmony for a particular purpose than by individual acting alone.

Organisational Behaviour is defined as a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups and structures in an orgn.

OB is the study and application of knowledge of about how people as individuals and as groups act within the organisation. It strives to identify various ways in which people can act more effectiveley.

GoalsTo describe systematically how people under a variety of conditions.To understand why people behave as they doTo predict future employee behaviourTo control and develop some human activity at work.

Historical evolution of OB

Industrial RevolutionScientific managementHuman relations movementBehaviour science/OB

Fundamental conceptsNature of peopleIndividual differencesPerceptionThe whole personMotivated BehaviourDesire for involvementValue of the person

Nature of OrganisationSocial systemsMutual interestEthics

Contributing disciplines to the OB field

Orgl Behaviour is an applied behavioural science that is built on contributions from a number of behavioural disciplines.Psychology: is the science seeks to measure, explain, and sometimes change the behavior of humans and other animals. It’s a study of understanding individual behaviour.Social Psychology: blends concepts from both psychology and sociology, though it is generally considered a branch of psychology. It focuses on how people’s influence on one another.Sociology: while psychology focuses on the individual, sociology studies people in relation to their social environment or culture. Study of group behavior in organizations.Anthropology: is the study of societies to learn about human beings and their activities. Study on cultures, environment in understanding differences in fundamental values, attitudes and behaviour between people in diff countries and within organizations.

Basic OB model

Individual Level

Group level

Organisation system level

OB model

Personality, Perception, Learning, Attitudes and values & motivation.

Group dynamics, Leadership,Power& politics,Communication,Conflict

Organsational Culture,HR Policies and practices,Work stress,Org’l change

and development

Individual Behaviour

OrganisationalBehaviour

Group Behaviour

Org’l Effectiveness

Challenges/opportunities for OB field

1. Responding to Globalisation: Organisations are no longer constrained by national borders.world has become a global village. In the process, the manager’s job is changing.

Increased foreign assignmentsWorking with people from diff culturesOverseeing movement of jobs to countries with low-cost labor.

2. Managing workforce diversity3. Responding to Outsourcing4. Improving customer service5. Improving people skills6. Empowering people 7. stimulating innovation and change8. Coping with temporaries9. Helping employees Balance work-Life

conflicts/balancing10. Improving ethical behavior

Foundations of Individual Behaviour

Individual Differences:Ability

Intellectual AbilitiesPhysical abilitiesThe Ability-Job Fit.

_ Biographical Characteristics:AgeGenderRaceTenure

LearningLearning: Def: is any relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs as a result of experience.Learning is a change in behavior.

Theories of Learning:Classical conditioningOperant conditioningSocial Learning

Theories of LearningClassical conditioning: is a simple form of learning in which conditioned response is linked with an unconditioned stimulus.Oldest model of change.Russian Psychologist, Ivan Pavlov experiment: Food ----- salivation

(Unconditioned stimulus) ------ (unconditioned response)Bell with Food -------- SalivationUnconditioned stimulus ------ unconditioned response

Ringing of the Bell ------ Salivation(Conditioned stimulus) ------- (conditioned Response)

Theories of LearningOperant Conditioning/Instrumental learning

B.F.Skinner: ReinforcementPositive re-inforcement ( desirable behaviour if rewarded)Negative reinforcement ( undesirable behaviour will not be repeated if punished).ExtinctionPunishment

Social Learning:Individuals learn by observing what happens to other people and just by being told about something, as well as by direct experiences.Learn both through observation and direct experience

The influence of Model is central to the social-learning. Four processes:

1. Attentional Process: people learn from a model only when they recognise and pay attention to its critical features.

2. Retention: a Models influence will depend on how well the individual remembers the model’s action after the if the model is no longer available.

3. Motor Reproduction: after observation watching converts into actions.

4. Reinforcement: individuals will be motivated to exhibit the models behaviour if positive rewards are provided.

Shaping Behaviour

Four ways of shaping behaviour:Reinforcement – Four ways

Schedules of Reinforcement: Major Two types of Reinforncement:1. Continuous reinforcement: schedule reinforces the desired behaviour each and every time it is demonstrated.

2. intermittent reinforcement: rationinterval type: Fixed / variable interval.

Behaviour Modification: OB Mod: The application of reinforcement concepts to individuals in the work setting.

Orgl applications: Well Pay vs Sick payEmployee disciplineDeveloping training programmesSelf-management.

Attitudes and Job satisfaction

Attitude is described as a persistent tendency to feel and behave in a particular way towards some object.Attitudes are evaluative statements- either favorable or unfavorable- concerning objects or events. They reflect how one feels about something.

Components of Attitudes:1. cognitive component2. Affective3. Behavior

Components of Attitudes

Negative attitude towards supervisor

Cognitive = evaluation

ex;: my supervisor gave a promotion to a coworker who deserved it less than me. My supervisor is unfair

Affective = Feeling

I dislike my supervisor

Behavioral = action

Iam looking for other work; I’ve compained about my supervisor to anyone who would listen

Cognitive,affect, behavior are

Types of Job AttitudesJob related attitudes:

Job Satisfaction : how one feels about one’s job. Positive attitude.Job Involvement: this refer to the extent to which an individual identifies psychologically with his or her job and will try to perform the job to the his/ her ability. Positive disposition towards his colleagues/subordinates. Derive a pleasure in performing duties.Organisational Commitment: this can be visible in how an employee has identified with an orgn, its goals, vision and is also proud to be a part of the orgn. High degree of Orgl commitment will posses a sense of belonging towards the orgn.

Attitudes and Behaviour

Behavior always follow from attitudes:Attitudes affect Behavior – research continues…Functions of Attitudes:According to Koontz;1. The adjustemnt function: Employees form

posiive attitudes towards their superiors when their expressed and unexpressed problems are solved by superiors.

2. The Ego-Defensive : when subordinate gives innovative ideas superiors doesn’t accept. And Ego clashes.

3. The Value-Empressive : 4. The knowledge function:

Changing AttitudesAttitudes change faster that the culture.It changes with new knowledge developed based on research.

Barries to Attitudinal Change: 1. Prior Commitments:2. Result of Inadequate information.Measures of Changing Attitudes: • Provide additional information• Use of Fear• Resolving discrepancies• Influence of friends and peers• The co-opting Approach: means involving

people who are dissatisfied with a situation to understand the things and change their attitude.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Leon Festinger- to explain the linkage between attitudes and behaviour. It refers to any incompatibility that an individual might perceive two or more attitudes or between behaviour and attitudes.

Job Satisfaction:

Personality

Personality: a dynamic concept describing the growth and development of a person’s whole psychological system.A dynamic orgn within an individual of those psychological systems that determine his unique adjustments to his environment.Personality is a sum total of ways in which an individual reacts to and interacts with others. It is most oftwen described in terms of measurable traits that a person exhibits.

DefinitionsStephen P.Robbins: The process by which individual organize and interpret their sensory impression in order to give meaning to their environment.The process of receiving, slecting, organsing interpreting, checking and reacting to sensory stimuli or data. ---by Udai Pareek.

Factors influencing Perception

Factors in the situation:

Time

Work setting

Social setting

Factors in the Perceiver

Attitudes

Motives

Interest

experience

Expectations

Perception

Factors in the target

Novelty

Motion, sounds, size

Background

Similarity

DefinitionsStephen P.Robbins: The process by which individual organize and interpret their sensory impression in order to give meaning to their environment.The process of receiving, slecting, organsing interpreting, checking and reacting to sensory stimuli or data. ---by Udai Pareek.