Class -SYBBA Subject- Organisational Behaviour
Introduction to Organisational Behaviour
Organisational Behaviour – Meaning and Definitions:
Study of organisational behaviour helps in studying:
i. Why people behave in a particular way?
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ii. Why one person is more effective than the other?
iii. Why one group is more effective than the other?
iv. Why one person is more effective in one organisation as compared to the other organisations?
Organisational Behaviour – Nature:
The nature it has acquired is identified as follows:
1. A Separate Field of Study and Not a Discipline Only:
By definition, a discipline is an accepted science that is based on a theoretical foundation. But, O.B. has a multi- interdisciplinary orientation and is, thus, not based on a specific theoretical background. Therefore, it is better reasonable to call O.B. a separate field of study rather than a discipline only.
2. An Interdisciplinary Approach:
Organizational behaviour is essentially an interdisciplinary approach to study human behaviour at work. It tries to integrate the relevant knowledge drawn from related disciplines like psychology, sociology and anthropology to make them applicable for studying and analysing organizational behaviour.
3. An Applied Science:
The very nature of O.B. is applied. What O.B. basically does is the application of various researches to solve the organizational problems related to human behaviour. The basic line of difference between pure science and O.B. is that while the former concentrates of fundamental researches, the latter concentrates on applied researches. O.B. involves both applied research and its application in organizational analysis. Hence, O.B. can be called both science as well as art.
4. A Normative Science:
Organizational Behaviour is a normative science also. While the positive science discusses only cause effect relationship, O.B. prescribes how the findings of applied researches can be applied to socially accepted organizational goals. Thus, O.B. deals with what is accepted by individuals and society engaged in an organization. Yes, it is not that O.B. is not normative at all. In fact, O.B. is normative as well that is well underscored by the proliferation of management theories.
5. A Humanistic and Optimistic Approach:
Organizational Behaviour applies humanistic approach towards people working in the organization. It, deals with the thinking and feeling of human beings. O.B. is based on the belief that people have an innate desire to be independent, creative and productive. It also realizes that people working in the organization can and will actualise these potentials if they are given proper conditions and environment. Environment affects performance or workers working in an organization.
6 A Total System Approach:
The system approach is one that integrates all the variables, affecting organizational functioning. The systems approach has been developed by the behavioural scientists to analyse human behaviour in view of his/her socio-psychological framework. Man’s socio- psychological framework makes man a complex one and the systems approach tries to study his/her complexity and find solution to it.
Organisational Behaviour – Scope
Employee motivation
Leadership
How to create effective teams and groups
Study of different organizational structures
Individual behavior, attitude and learning
Perception
Design and development of effective organization
Job design
Impact of culture on organizational behavior
Management of change
Management of conflict and stress
Organizational development
Organizational culture
Transactional analysis
Group behavior, power and politics
Job design
Study of emotions
Organisational Behaviour – 5 Key Elements: People, Structure, Technology, Interactivze Behaviour and Environment/Determinants of organisational behaviour
such, the key elements of organisational behaviour are stated here:
People makes the interactive and behavioural platform in any organisation and people consists in the form of individuals and group. The role and behaviour of people identifies, recognise and develop the interactive relations towards behavioural attitudes in society.
The formal relationship of people makes the structural design in organisation. The managerial and organisational levels are decorated by specific job as well as level to be incurred in structural design. The rights and responsibilities are also being determined in a particular group or structure.
The technology represent all the resources with which people work and affects the task that they perform. The role and utilisation of technology has a significant influence on the performance of people and thereby to achieve perfections in the betterment of interactive behaviour.
Element # 4. Interactive Behaviour:
In any organisation, the interactive relations and behaviour between individual and groups as well as the relations by formal and informal ways also have an important role to make perspectives in organisational behaviour. The mutual behaviour among people may be developed by the identification, existence and interactive role in any organisation and society.
All organisations operates within internal and external environment. The existence, structural design, work performance, mutual relations and behavioural patterns are duly influenced by the internal and external environmental factors.
Contributing Disciplines To Organizational Behavior (OB)
Organizational behavior (OB) is characterized by being a multidisciplinary discipline in nature as so OB is contributed by various disciplines.
These disciplines have developed and made organizational behavior a strong separate field of study with its own applications to use. As the complexities are increasing, OB has faced many complexities and assumed to use ideas of some disciplines that led it to bring success in the organizational functions.
The major contributing disciplines to the field of organizational behavior are:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Social Psychology
- Anthropology
- Political Science
- Economics
- Medicine
Here, we will discuss all these disciplines and how they have contributed to organizational behavior to be a better discipline.
Psychology
Psychology is the behavioral science that studies human behavior (+animals) and mental processes. It is the science of humans. It is the best tool to understand why people think, what they think, and how they think.
Psychology helps to know why people think and behave the way they do. Its major seven perspectives – cognitive, behavioral, psychodynamic, humanistic, biological, socio-cultural, and evolutionary are what let us understand human behavior in a better way.
Psychology has contributed many important concepts to OB, such as:
- Motivation
- Learning
- Perception
- Personality
- Emotion
- Training
- Employee Selection
- Attitude
- Work Design
- Job Stress, etc.
Since organizational behavior is also a behavioral approach the above contributions of psychology have made better use in organizational settings. Such as motivation, is the influence of employees when motivation is seen in employees the organizational performance seems to be positively boosted, and learning on the job further enhances the skills of employees, and so forth.
Sociology
Sociology is the study of human behavior in a social setting consisting of human interaction, social ties, growth of society, structure, and regulations. Sociology believes humans are social beings, they are in groups.
Sociologists study humans in group behavior. After psychology, sociology is one of the most important contributing disciplines to the field of organizational behavior.
The major contributions areas of sociology are group dynamics, status, culture, status, power, communication, socialization, organizational change, and technology. Sociologists view an organization as a system consisting of a variety of people having different roles, statuses, power, and authorities.
Social Psychology
Social psychology is the combination of both psychology and sociology. It studies the social behavior and thought of people plus how people think, feel, process, and act. It explains the interaction, interdependence, and influence of people among one another.
It studies the behavior of people at the group level. One of the main contributions of social psychology to the OB is how to predict, manage, and change the behavior of humans in organizational settings.
Social psychologists study various areas combining both sociology and psychology but the most important for organizational behavior are the concept of behavioral change, attitude change, communication, group process, and group decision making.
Anthropology
Anthropology is the science of humans. It studies the evolution or development stages of human beings consisting of human nature, different societies, and how different cultures are developed.
It also studies how humans interacted with their environment, how they are now, and how in the future and how humans are civilized.
It helps to understand the society of humans and their activities. Its major contributions include comparative values, attitude, analysis, and norms and it helps to understand cultural factors in organizational settings such as organizational culture, environment, power, and so on.
Political Science
Political science deals with politics and its practices in different scenarios. It mainly concerns the allocation of power, conflict resolution, group coalition, and how to manipulate power for individual self-interest.
Its concerns in OB mainly deal with the allocation of power to the employees, manipulation, and controlling of conflicts in the organization.
Today, organizations are also regarded as a political system. Thus, a manager should understand the structure of politics and how it works.
Its concerns in OB mainly deal with the allocation of power to the employees, manipulation, and controlling of conflicts in the organization.
Today, organizations are also regarded as a political system. Thus, a manager should understand the structure of politics and how it works.
The study of politics helps managers to understand the dynamics of power and politics and help apply them in the organizational settings in a proper way.
Medicine
Medicine is the branch of health science that deals with the identification and treatment of diseases to improve the health of people. It treats both physical and psychological diseases of people.
While treating people it observes their behavior of people and tries to find out the causes. Some causes are related to the body and some are mental.
In organizational settings, employees also suffer from psychological diseases, and applications of medical science help managers organize different wellness programs so that employees’ health will be improved and they are ready again to work.
Economics
The science of economics is related to the cost. It is the study of how to minimize cost, how to best use scarce resources, and achieve more from less.
To run the daily operations of the organization there is a need for money. The study of economics helps managers to best use the organization’s limited resources. And, economic factors such as labor market dynamics, wages, demand-supply, cost of production, etc. also influence organizational behavior.
Organisational Behaviour – Four Major Models: Autocratic, Custodial, Supportive and Collegial
There are four major models or frameworks that organizations operate out of-
1. Autocratic,
2. Custodial,
3. Supportive, and
4. Collegial.
1. Autocratic:
The basis of this model is power with a managerial orientation of authority. The employees in turn are oriented towards obedience and dependence on the boss. The employee need that is met is subsistence. The performance result is minimal.
2. Custodial:
The basis of this model is economic resources with a managerial orientation of money. The employees in turn are oriented towards security and benefits and dependence on the organization. The employee need that is met is security. The performance result is passive cooperation.
3. Supportive:
The basis of this model is leadership with a managerial orientation of support. The employees in turn are oriented towards job performance and participation. The employee need that is met is status and recognition. The performance result is awakened drives.
4. Collegial:
The basis of this model is partnership with a managerial orientation of teamwork. The employees in turn are oriented towards responsible behavior and self-discipline. The employee need that is met is self-actualization. The performance result is moderate enthusiasm.
Although there are four separate models, almost no organization operates exclusively in one. There will usually be a predominate one, with one or more areas over-lapping in the other models.
The first model, autocratic, has its roots in the industrial revolution. The managers of this type of organization operate mostly out of McGregor’s Theory X. The next three models begin to build on McGregor’s Theory Y. They have each evolved over a period of time and there is no one best model. In addition, the collegial model should not be thought as the last or best model, but the beginning of a new model or paradigm.
Organisational Behaviour – Challenges Faced by Organizational Behavior:
Following points discuss these issues briefly:
1. Globalization:
Implies that no organization can work effectively in isolation and has to comply with the global factors that have an impact on it. Globalization poses numerous challenges in front of an organization. At the individual level, an employee may require to work on foreign assignments or collaborate with people from different cultures.
At the group level, problems may arise in decision-making procedures and while working in teams that include people of different cultural backgrounds. At the organizational level, problems may arise in case of mergers or acquisitions due to vast cultural differences.
2. Management of Workforce Diversity:
Refers to the need of numerous conflict resolution techniques and problem- solving approaches to deal with diverse workforce. It is difficult to manage the employees belonging to different cultural backgrounds, due to differences in their values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. A proper management of workforce diversity can have numerous positive results, such as the availability of fresh ideas and talents.
3. Improvement in Quality and Productivity:
Refers to matching the desired levels of quality and productivity with the ever-changing demands. Management guru Tom Peter says, “Almost all quality improvement comes via simplification of design, manufacturing, layout, processes, and procedures.” Now-a-days, a number of programs, such as process reengineering and quality management are being implemented to bring improvement in productivity.
4. Improvement in People Skills:
Implies that it is the necessity of time to improve and upgrade the skills of employees from time to time. The change in business, political, and technological environment makes it important to train and develop the employees according to new trends. The technical and interpersonal skills of employees need constant improvement.
5. Incorporation of Innovation:
Implies that it is necessary to incorporate change in rules, regulations, processes and procedures of an organization to suit the current standards. It is easy to formulate the strategies for change in an organization, but difficult to implement it due to the employee resistance. If the resistance of employees is overcome then the positive changes can be brought in the organization to enhance the productivity level.
6. Incorporation of Work-Life Balance:
Indicates that the demanding work schedules and challenging jobs tend to upset the personal and social life of employees at times. Work-life balance can be achieved by implementing the concepts, such as work from home and flexible work-timings.
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