1. What is organizational behavior and why is it important?
2. What are organizations like as work settings?
3. What is the nature of managerial work?
4. How do we learn about organizational behavior?
OB IN ACTION
Case Trader Joe‘s
Management Training Dilemma
Experiential Exercises My Best Manager
My Best Job
Graffiti Needs Assessment
Sweet Tooth: Pfeiffer Training Annual
Self-Assessments Student Leadership Practices Inventory
Learning Styles
Managerial Assumptions
21st Century Manager
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
This chapter provides an introduction to the field of organizational behavior. Organizational
behavior is important because virtually everyone works with other people in some organized
capacity, whether for monetary gain or voluntarily. An understanding of the principles of
organizational behavior will not only help people to become better employees and managers, but
will also help people become more astute observers of the organizational world, in general, and
the business world, in particular.
The chapter begins by defining organizational behavior, discussing its scientific foundations, and
identifying contemporary workplace trends that are being reflected in organizational behavior
theories, concepts, and applications. The chapter then describes organizations as work settings.
The meaning of ―organization‖ is examined and put in the context of several important concepts,
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including: the organization‘s purpose, mission; the environment and stakeholders; organizational
culture and diversity; and organizational effectiveness.
Next, the nature of managerial work is described. Emphasis is placed on the manager‘s role in
fostering two key results: task performance and job satisfaction, and how the managerial
functions of planning, organizing, directing, and controlling contribute to achieving these results.
The chapter concludes with a discussion of individual learning and organizational learning,
placing emphasis on experiential learning within the context of organizational behavior.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
INTRODUCING ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Importance of Organizational Behavior
Scientific Foundations of Organizational Behavior
Shifting Paradigms of Organizational Behavior
ORGANIZATIONS AS WORK SETTINGS
Organizational Purpose, Mission, and Strategy
Organizational Environments and Stakeholders
Organizational Cultures
Diversity and Multiculturalism
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR AND MANAGEMENT
The Management Process
Managerial Activities, Roles, and Networks
Managerial Skills and Competencies
Moral Management
LEARNING ABOUT ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Learning and Experience
Learning Styles
Learning Guide to Organizational Behavior 11/E
CHAPTER LECTURE NOTES
The chapter opens with a description of the National Basketball Association‘s decision to change
from leather to synthetic balls. Players disliked the new ball and called for the return of the
leather ball. The NBA acquiesced and realized that it should have asked players before changing
something so vital to the game.
INTRODUCING ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR?
Organizational behavior (OB) is the study of individuals and groups in organizations.
Organizational behavior is a multidisciplinary field devoted to understanding individual and
group behavior, interpersonal processes, and organizational dynamics.
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SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Interdisciplinary Body of Knowledge
Organizational behavior is an interdisciplinary body of knowledge with strong ties to the
behavioral sciences of psychology, sociology, anthropology, and the allied social sciences such as
economics and political science.
Use of Scientific Methods
Organizational behavior uses scientific methods to develop and empirically test generalizations
about behavior in organizations.
Models are simplified views of reality that attempt to explain real-world phenomenon.
Independent variables are presumed causes that influence dependent variables.
Dependent variables are outcome of practical value and interest.
Figure 1.1 from the textbook identifies the research methodologies that are commonly used in
organizational behavior.
Scientific thinking is important to OB researchers and scholars for the following reasons
The process of data collection is controlled and systematic.
Proposed explanations are carefully tested.
Only explanations that can be scientifically verified are accepted.
Focus on Application
Organizational behavior focuses on applications that can make a real difference in how
organizations and people in them perform.
Contingency Thinking
Organizational behavior uses contingency thinking in its search for ways to improve
organizational outcomes.
The contingency approach tries to identify how different situations can be best understood and
handled.
Important contingency variables include environment, technology, tasks, structure, and people.
LECTURE ENHANCEMENT
Ask students to describe examples of management practices that may work well in one
organization, but poorly in another. For example, how would the management practices that
might work to motivate newspaper photographers to be creative differ from those used to keep
construction workers from deviating from blueprints?
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SHIFTING PARADIGMS OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Progressive workplaces today look and act very differently from those of the past.
Trends occurring in modern workplaces include the following:
Commitment to ethical behavior.
Importance of human capital.
Demise of ―command and control.‖
Emphasis on teamwork.
Pervasive influence of information technology.
Respect for new workforce expectations.
Changing definition of ―jobs‖ and ―career.‖
LECTURE ENHANCEMENT
Conduct a brainstorming session with students to identify recent examples of each of the
preceding workplace trends. After generating a sufficient number of examples, focus class
discussion on the implications of these examples for managerial and leadership activities.
ORGANIZATIONS AS WORK SETTINGS
An organization is a collection of people working together in a division of labor to achieve a
common purpose.
ORGANIZATIONAL PURPOSE, MISSION, AND STRATEGY
The core purpose of an organization is the creation of goods and services for customers.
Mission statements focus the attention of organizational members and external constituents on the
core purpose.
Given a sense of purpose and a vision, organizations pursue strategies to accomplish them.
A strategy is a comprehensive plan that guides organizations to operate in ways that allow them
to outperform their competitors.
Knowledge of organizational behavior is essential to effectively implement strategies.
LECTURE ENHANCEMENT
Describe your college‘s or university‘s mission and strategy to the students. Explain how the
strategy is implemented.
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