Introduction to OB Human Behavior in Organizations 10 22 2012 Organizations have been described as clockworks in which human behavior is logical and rational but they often seem like snake pits to those who work in them o Clockwork metaphor reflects an orderly idealized view of organizational behavior devoid of conflict or dilemma because all the working parts people mesh smoothly o Snake pit describes daily conflict distress and struggle in organizations Organizational behavior the study of individual behavior and group dynamics in organizations o Psychological interpersonal and behavioral dynamics in organizations Understanding Human Behavior o Internal worker s minds to understand their behavior understand human behavior in terms of the thoughts feelings past experiences and needs of the individual Explains people s actions and behavior in terms of their histories and personal value systems o External Focuses on factors outside the person to understand behavior external events consequences and environmental factors Interdisciplinary Influences OB is a blended discipline that has grown out of contributions from numerous earlier fields of study o Psychology the science of human behavior ex Worker motivation o Sociology the science of society roles within a society or culture norms and standards of behavior in groups consequences of compliant and deviant behavior o Engineering applied science of energy and matter enhances our understanding of the design of work human productivity and efficiency in work behavior o Anthropology the science of human learned behavior o Management the study of overseeing activities and supervising people in organizations design implementation and management of various administrative and organizational systems o Medicine the applied science of treating diseases to enhance an individual s health and well being focuses on both physical and psychological health as well as industrial mental health Behavior in Times of Change People often experience change as a threat and respond by relying on well learned and o People often become rigid and reactive in the midst of change rather than open and dominant forms of behavior responsive creating discomfort and discontent determines the outcome Big changes disrupt people s habitual behavior and force them to learn new skills often Change carries both the risk of failure and opportunity for success our behavior often The Organizational Context A complete understanding of OB requires an understanding of both human behavior and of the organizational context the specific setting within which behavior is acted out Organizations as Open Systems o People the human resources of the organization o Tasks the organizations mission purpose or goal for existing o Technology the wide range of tools knowledge and or techniques used to transform inputs into outputs o Structure the systems of communication authority and roles and workflow o External Task Environment suppliers customers and federal regulators o Organization system works by taking inputs converting them to throughputs and delivering them as outputs to its task environment Inputs human informational material and financial resources Throughputs the materials and resources as they are transformed by the organization s technology Outputs for customers consumers and clients The other elements of the task environment affect the organization and the behavior of people at work The Formal and Informal Organization Formal the official legitimate and most visible part of the organization and this is the part that enables people to think of organizations in logical and rational ways o Goals and objectives policies and procedures job descriptions authority structure communication channels financial resources products and services Informal unofficial and less visible part of organization including group norms attitudes beliefs perceptions and feelings o Hawthorne studies conducted during the 20 s and 30 s first suggesting the importance of informal elements o Informal elements are often points of diagnostic and intervention activities in organizational developments though the formal elements must always be considered because they provide the context for the informal Change Creates OB Challenges and Opportunities Product and service quality are the major ways that companies can win in a competitive environment High Quality o Too much change leads to chaos and too little change leads to stagnation o Global competitions had challenged organizations to become more customer focused to meet changing product and service demands and to exceed customer s expectations of high quality o Total Quality Management TQM is the total dedication to continuous improvement and to customers so that the customer s needs are met and their expectations are exceeded o Six Sigma a philosophy for company wide quality improvement developed by Motorola Characterized by its customer driven approach its emphasis on using quantitative data to make decisions and its priority of saving money 4 phases measure analyze improve control Behavior and Quality at Work o Total quality has important direct effects on the behavior of employees at all levels Chief executives must be willing to change focus on quality as a criterion in reward systems improve the flow on information being involved in quality efforts Organizations that do not respond to customers needs find their customers choosing alternative products and services Managing Organizational Behavior in Changing Times o Challenging because The increasing globalization of organizations operating territory The increasing diversity of organizational workforces The continuing demand for higher levels of moral and ethical behavior at Continuing technological innovation with its companion need for skill work enhancement Learning about OB Mastery of a certain body of objective knowledge o Results from research experimentation and scientific observation Development of specific skills and abilities o Skill development based on knowledge and an understanding of oneself in order to master the abilities essential to success Both objective knowledge and skill development must be applied in real world settings o Objective Knowledge Basic and applied research Critical thinking based on knowledge and understanding of the basic ideas leads to inquisitive exploration and is a key to accepting the responsibility of coproducer in the learning process Questioning probing attitude is
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