Chapter 1 what is Organizational behavior? Objective Questions

Show the value to OB of systematic study continu

BIG DATA: Background: The use of Big Data for managerial practices is a relatively new area, but one that holds convincing promise. Current Usage: The reasons for data analytics include predicting any event, detecting how much risk is incurred at any time, and preventing catastrophes. New Trends: The use of Big Data for understanding, helping, and managing people is relatively new but holds promise. Limitations: Use evidence as much as possible to inform your intuition and experience.

Demonstrate the importance of interpersonal skills in the workplace.

Good places to work' have better financial performance. Better interpersonal skills result in lower turnover of quality employees and higher quality applications for recruitment. There is a strong association between the quality of workplace relationships and job satisfaction, stress, and turnover. It fosters social responsibility awareness. Managers need a cadre of skills to create a productive workplace, including technical and quantitative skills. However, leadership and communication skills are critical to organizational success. When managers have solid interpersonal skills, there are positive work outcomes for the organization. These outcomes include lower turnover of strong employees, improved recruitment pools for filling employment positions, and a better bottom line.

Identify the major behavioral science disciplines that contribute to OB.

OB is a behavioral social science that merges concepts from a number of different social sciences to apply specifically to the organizational setting at both the individual (or micro) and group (or macro) levels. The most significant social sciences are psychology, social psychology, sociology, and anthropology.

Define organizational behavior (OB).

Organizational behavior (OB) is a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups, and structure have on behavior within organizations for the purpose of applying such knowledge toward improving an organization's effectiveness. More specifically, OB explores motivation; leader behavior and power; interpersonal communication; group structure and processes; attitude development and perception; change processes; conflict and negotiation; and work design.

Identify managers' challenges and opportunities in applying OB concepts.

Responding to economic pressure: During economic difficulties, the need for effective management is heightened. Anyone can manage during good times; it is much tougher to manage effectively through economic struggles. In bad economic times, resource constraints mayforce managers to make tough decisions, such as whether to lay off employees. It can also be difficult to motivate employees when resources are limited. Moreover, managers must be able to deal with employees who are stressed about their futures. Responding to globalization Globalization means that organizations now exist in an environment with no national borders. As a result, the manager's job has changed. Managers today need to have a broader perspective when making decisions. As foreign assignments increase, you will need to be able to manage a workforce that is different than what you may be used to, and which may bring different needs, aspirations, and attitudes to the workplace. You will also have individuals who come from different cultures coming to work in your own country. You will need to find ways to accommodate their needs and help them assimilate to your workplace culture. As more jobs move to countries with low-cost labor, managers will need to balance the needs of their organizations with the needs of the countries in which they operate. In the new global village, managers need to understand the implications of differing cultural and legal practices on their operations. Violating local regulations and practices could have serious consequences for the organization.

Show the value to OB of systematic study.

Systematic Study of Behavior: Behavior generally is predictable if we know how the person perceived the situation and what is important to him or her. Evidence-Based Management (EBM) Complements systematic study. Argues for managers to make decisions based on evidence. Intuition Systematic study and EBM add to intuition, or those "gut feelings" about "why I do what I do" and "what makes others tick." If we make all decisions with intuition or gut instinct, we're likely working with incomplete information. Many people say that the ideas and concepts of OB are common sense. However, the systematic study of OB has come closer to finding ways to predict the behavior of individuals and groups through an understanding of the situation and composition of the people. Evidence-based management (EBM) complements systematic study by basing managerial decisions on the best available scientific evidence. "Intuition" is a decision-making approach advocated by numerous managers and pundits. However, if we make all decisions with intuition or gut instinct, we're likely working with incomplete information. EBM and the systematic study of behavior enhance the understanding of these internal contributors to organization behavior.

Demonstrate why few absolutes apply to OB

There are few absolutes in organizational behavior. When making decisions, you must always take into account the situational factors that can change the relationship between two variables. Every situation has the potential to have unseen factors or even known factors that can change rapidly. Opening your minds to detecting these changes and unseen factors, and to being ready with optional responses, is essential to effective management. Contingency variables situational factors are variables that moderate the relationship between the independent and dependent variables Human beings are complex, and few, id any, simple and universal explain organizational behavior. Becuase we are not alike, our ability to make simply, accurate, and sweeping generalizations about ourselves is limited. Two people often act very differently in the same siutation, and the same person's behavior changes in different situations. For example, not everyone is motivated by money; and people ma have behave differently at a religious service than they do at a party. That doesn't mean that we cant offer reasoanably accurate explanations of human behavior or make valid predictions. It does mean that OB concepts must reflect situational or contigencey conditions.

Sociology looks

at the relationship between people and their environment. Sociologists' main contribution to OB has been a better understanding of group behavior, particularly in formal and complex organizations. Another key area that sociologists contribute to in OB is organizational culture, a key factor in OB studies.

Psychology

focuses on the individual level by seeking to measure, explain, and sometimes change behaviors in individuals. This area of study offers insights into such areas as learning, training, decision making, and employee selection. Contributors to the knowledge of OB are learning theorists, personality theorists, counseling psychologists and, most important, industrial and organizational psychologist.

Social psychology

moves beyond individual analysis to look at group behavior and how individuals can influence one another. It blends together sociology and psychology and looks primarily at change, communication, and group interactions. Social psychologists also contribute to measuring, understanding, and changing attitudes; identifying communication patterns; and building trust

Anthropology

study societies to learn about human beings and their activities. They help us understand the differences between different groups in terms of their values, attitudes, and behaviors. - Much of our current understanding of organizational culture, organizational climate, and differences among national cultures is a result of the work of anthropologists or those using their methods.