Chapter 1: What is Organizational Behavior?

Inputs

Inputs are the variables like personality, group structure, and organizational culture that lead to processes. (They set the state for behavior) Many are determined in advance of the business relationship. Individual level - diversity, personality, values Group level - group structure, group roles, and team responsibilities Organizational level - structure and culture

What are the three dimensions of job performance?

Inputs, Processes, and Outputs

Liaison (Interpersonal)

Maintains a network of outside contacts who provide factors and information.

Figure head (Interpersonal)

Symbolic head; required to perform a number of routine duties of a legal or social nature.

Why does the study of OB matter?

1. Organizations incorporating OB principles in the work place earn a reputation of a good place to work and have superior financial performance. 2. Developing interpersonal skills allows for organizations to attract and retain high-performing employees. 3. There are strong associations between the quality of workplace relationships and employee job satisfaction, stress, and turnover. 4. Increasing the OB element in organizations can foster social responsibility awareness.

Organization

A consciously coordinated social unit, composed of two or more people, that functions on a relatively continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals.

Organizational Behavior (OB)

A field of study that investigates the impact of individuals, groups, and structures have on behavior within organizations, for the purpose of applying such knowledge toward improving an organization's effectiveness.

Leading

A function that includes motivating employees, directing others, selecting the most effective communication channels, and resolving conflicts.

Planning

A process that includes defining goals, establishing strategy, and developing plans to coordinate activities.

Model

An abstraction of reality, a simplified representation of some real-world phenomenon.

Positive organizational scholarship

An area of OB research that concerns who organizations develop human strengths, foster vitality and resilience, and unlock potential.

Social psychology

An area of psychology that blends concepts from psychology and sociology to focus on the influence of people on one another.

Manager

An individual who achieves goals through other people. Many managers now are not trained and/or prepared to be managers.

Intuition

An instinctive feeling not necessarily supported by research.

Stress

An unpleasant psychological process that occurs in response to environmental pressures.

Attitudes

Attitudes are the evaluations employees make, ranging from positive to negative, about objects, people, or events.

Organizing

Determining what tasks are to be done, who is to do them, how the tasks are to be grouped, who reports to whom, and where decisions are to be made.

Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB)

Discretionary behavior that contributes to the psychological and social environment of the workplace. Going above and beyond expectations.

What are the challenges and opportunities for OB?

Economic pressures Continuing globalization Workforce demographics Workforce diversity Customer service People skills Networked organizations Social media Employee well-being at work Positive work environment Ethical behavior

How do effective managers allocate their time?

Effective managers - in terms of quantity and quality of their performance and the satisfaction and commitment of employees. Traditional management - 19% Communication - 44% HR management - 26% Networking - 11%

What did Henry Mintzberg do?

Henry Mintzberg concluded that managers perform 10 different, highly interrelated roles, or sets of behaviors, and serve a critical function in organizations. The ten roles are divided into interpersonal, informational, and decisional roles.

Why are there few absolutes in OB? What are some exceptions to that rule?

Human beings are complex, and few, if any, simple and universal principles explain OB. Some of the exceptions are that cognitive ability predicts job performance and that behavior is a combined function of person and environment together, specific, challenging, self-set goals motivate performance.

Big Data

It was first used to track sales data online, but now more information is tracked like customer preferences. It is now used to predict, predict future prospects and prevent catastrophes. It can even be used to discover new trends. It was then used to increase productivity at work.

Systematic study

Looking at relationships, attempting to attribute causes and effects, and drawing conclusions based on scientific evidence.

Resource allocator (Decisional)

Makes or approves significant organizational decisions.

Controlling

Monitoring activities to ensure they are being accomplished as planned and correcting any significant deviation.

Outcomes

Outcomes are the key variables that you want to explain or predict, and that are affected by some other variables. Individual levels - attitudes and stress, task performance, citizenship behavior, withdrawal behavior Group levels - group cohesion and group functioning Organizational levels - productivity and survival

Processes

Processes are actions that individuals, groups, and organizations engage in as a result of inputs and that lead to certain outcomes. Individual level - emotions and moods, motivation, perception, and decision making Group level - communication, leadership, power and politics, and conflict and negotiation. Organizational level - human resource management and change practices

What is the primary discipline that contributes to OB?

Psychology

What are the disciplines that contribute to OB?

Psychology, social psychology, sociology, and anthropology.

Monitor (Information)

Receives a wide variety of information; serves as nerve center for internal and external information of the organization.

Disturbance handler (Decisional)

Responsible for corrective action when organization faces important, unexpected disturbances.

Negotiator

Responsible for representing the organization at major negotiations.

Leader (Interpersonal)

Responsible for the motivation and direction of employees.

Entrepreneur (Decisional)

Searches organization and its environment for opportunities and initiates projects to bring about change.

Contingency variables

Situational factors: variables that moderate the relationship between two or more variables. (We can say that x leads to y, but only under conditions specified in z)

Ethical dilemmas and ethical choices

Situations in which individuals are required to define right and wrong conduct.

How do successful managers allocate their time?

Successful managers - in terms of speed of promotion within their organization. Traditional management - 13% Communication - 28% HR management - 11% Networking - 48%

What are the three skills needed to be a well-rounded and effective manager?

Technical skills - The ability to apply specialized knowledge or expertise. Human skills - The ability to work with, understand, and motivate other people, both individual and in groups. Conceptual skills - The mental ability to analyze and diagnose complex situations.

Describe the general model of OB

The OB model proposes three types of variables (inputs, processes, and outcomes) at three levels of analysis (individual, group, and organizational). Outcomes can influence inputs in the future. Inputs are the variables like personality, group structure, and organizational culture that lead to processes. Many are determined in advance of the business relationship. Processes are actions that individuals, groups, and organizations engage in as a result of inputs and that lead to certain outcomes. Outcomes are the key variables that you want to explain or predict, and that are affected by some other variables.

Evidence-based management (EBM)

The basing of managerial decisions on the best available scientific evidence.

Task performance

The combination of effectiveness and efficiency at doing core job tasks.

Productivity

The combination of effectiveness and efficiency of an organization.

Workforce diversity

The concept that organizations are becoming more heterogeneous in terms of gender, age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and other characteristics.

Efficiency

The degree to which an organization can achieve its ends at a low cost.

Organizational survival

The degree to which an organization is able to exist and grow over the long term.

Effectiveness

The degree to which an organization meets the needs of its clientele or customers.

Group cohesion

The extent to which members of a group support and validate one another while at work.

What does the field of OB seek to explain?

The field of OB seeks to explain individual and group behavior/phenomena and to understand how these factors affect organizational success. OB can be seen as the scientific explanation behind HR.

Group functioning

The quantity and quality of a group's work output.

Psychology

The science that seeks to measure, explain, and sometimes change the behavior of humans and other animals.

Withdrawal behavior

The set of actions employees take to separate themselves from the organization.

Sociology

The study of people in relation to their social environment or culture.

Anthropology

The study of societies to learn about human beings and their activities.

How do average managers allocate their time?

Traditional management - 32% Communication - 29% HR management - 20% Networking - 10%

What are the four major activities that managers perform?

Traditional management - decision making, planning, and controlling. Communication - exchanging routine information and processing paperwork. Human resource management - motivating, disciplining, managing conflict, staffing, and training. Networking - socializing, politicking, and interacting with outsiders.

Disseminator (Informational)

Transmit information received from outsiders or from other employees to members of the organization.

Spokesperson (Informational)

Transmit information to outsiders on organization's plans, policies, actions, and results; serves as expert on organization's industry.