Chapter 1: Organizational Behavior and Opportunity

Distinguish between Internal and External Perspective.

Internal - considers factors inside the person to understand behavior; explains people's actions and behavior in terms of history and experiences, and needs of individuals. External - focuses on factors outside the person to understand behavior; implies that a person's behavior is best understood by examining the surrounding external events and environmental forces

Objective Knowledge and Skill Development

Both must be applied in real world setting

Describe how individuals and groups are likely to react when faced with significant change that is perceived as a threat.

Employees with weak attitudes toward change are likely to resists and potentially sabotage a change initiative.

Objective Knowledge

Knowledge that results from research and scientific activities

Describe the important components of an organization and explain why organizations are open systems.

INPUTS....then 1) Task - the mission, purpose, or goal for existing 2) People - are the human resource of the organization 3)Technology - range of tools, knowledge, and techniques used to transform the input into outputs 4) Structure - system of communication, authority, and workflow ....then comes OUTPUTS

Explain how the process of learning from structured activity is related to the Kolb's learning cycle.

Kolbs' Learning Cycle: 1st -EXPERIENCE 2nd - REFLECTING 3rd - CONCEPTUALIZATION 4th - EXPERIMENT Essentially, the two are same, there is a still a structured process that is being followed with the two.

Eric Browns recomendations for seeing opportunities for change:

1) Have positive attitude 2) ASK Questions 3) Listen to answers 4) Be Committed to success

Describe the process of learning from structured activity.

1ST - INDIVIDUAL/GROUP (STRUCTURED ACTIVITY) 2ND - SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE STRUCTURED ACTIVITY 3RD - CONCLUSIONS BASED ON THE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW 4TH - NEW/MODIFIED KNOWLEDGE OR SKILL

Six Sigma

A process for reducing costs, improving quality, and increasing customer satisfaction

Kurt Lewin's theory of behavior

Behavior is a function of both the person and environment

Task Technology

availability of programmed solutions to a manager to solve problems.

Medicine

Long-standing concern for both physical and psychological health, as well as for industrial mental health

Explain why organizations exists and what organizations must do to survive. (Professors lecture)

They exists to fulfill a need. Organizations must adapt to its environment and internally integrate.

Informal Organization

groups within a formal organization in which personal relationships are guided by norms, rituals, and sentiments that are not part of the formal organization

Formal Organization

official, legitimate, and must be visible part that enables people to think of organization in logical and rational ways.

Sociologist Robert Merton

shaped the concept of "role set" - which has been used to study the effects of codes of ethics in organizations.

Engineering

the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes

Psychology

the science of mental life; traces it own origins to philosophy and the science of physiology

Anthropology

the scientific study of the origins, cultural development, and customs of human beings

Sociology

the study and classification of human societies

Organizational Behavior

the study of individual behavior and group dynamics in organizations

Management

using resources effectively to achieve goals and solve problems

Frederick Taylor

American mechanical engineer, who wanted to improve industrial efficiency. He is known as the father of scientific management, and was one of the first management consultants

Hawthrone studies

Research done in the late 1920s and early 1930s devised by Western Electric industrial engineers to examine the effect of different work environment changes on worker productivity which led to a new emphasis on the human factor in the functioning of organizations and the attainment of their goals. Suggested the importance of the informal organization.

Skill Development

The mastery of abilities essential to successful functioning in organizations.