Organizational Behavior Chapter 1

Input

Variables that lead to processes.

Planning

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

Processes

Actions that individuals, groups and organizations engage in as a result of inputs and that lead to certain outcomes.

Model

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

Positive Organizational Scholarship

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

Social Psychology

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

Manager

An individual who achieves goals through other people.

Organizing

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

Citizenship Behavior

Discretionary behavior that contributes to the psychological and social environment of the workplace.

Workforce Diversity

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

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.

Conceptual Skills

The mental ability to analyze and diagnose complex situations.

Group Functioning

The quantity and quality of a work group's 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.

Ethical Dilemmas and Ethical Choices

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

Technical Skills

The ability to apply specialized knowledge or experience.

Human Skills

The ability to work with, understand, and motivate other people, both individually and in groups.

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 your core job tasks.

Productivity

The combo of the effectiveness and efficiency of an organization.

Leading

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

Intuition

A gut feeling not necessarily supported by research.

Contingency Variables

Situational factors: variables that moderate the relationship between two or more variables.

Organizational Behavior

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.

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.

Outcomes

Key factors that are affected by some other variables.

Systematic Study

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

Controlling

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