HRM 360

Organizational Behavior (OB)

The systematic study and application of knowledge about how individuals and groups act within the organizations where they work.

What are the four assets that define an organization?

1. People 2. Financial resources 3. Physical resources 4. Information.

Levels of analysis in Organizational Behavior

Includes examining the individual, the group, and the organization.

Hypothesis

Tentative guesses or hunches for an expected observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested.

Variable

Entities that can take on different values.

Independent Variable

A variable that is manipulated to observe its effect on a dependent variable.

Dependent Variable

A variable that is measured to see how it is affected by changes in the independent variable.

Correlation

Measures the strength of the relationship between two variables.

Causation

The act of making something happen.

What is the difference between correlation and causation?

Correlation indicates a relationship between two variables, while causation implies that one variable directly affects another.

Case Studies

In-depth descriptions of a single industry or company.

Field Studies

Research conducted in actual organizations, including observation, interviews, surveys, or experiments.

Lab Studies

Research conducted under controlled conditions including observation, interviews, surveys, or experiments.

Meta-Analysis

The process of summarizing research findings from studies on related topics.

Surveys

Research tools used to elicit respondents' reactions to specific questions.

Employee Engagement

The degree to which employees are fully involved in and enthusiastic about their work.

Sustainable Business Practices

Practices that meet the current needs of businesses without compromising the needs of future generations.

Gig Economy

The prevalence of temporary employment positions where individuals are independent contractors rather than employees.

Outsourcing

An organization asking an outside organization to perform functions that could have been performed by itself.

Offshoring

Refers to some or all of a business process being moved from one country to another.

What is 'Learning'?

A relatively permanent change in knowledge or skill produced by experience.

Retention

The ability to recall or recognize what has been learned over time.

Chunking

The process of taking single pieces of information and grouping them into larger units.

Overlearning

Continued studying and practice after initial proficiency has been achieved.

Visual Learner

One who processes information by looking at words and diagrams.

Auditory Learners

One who processes information by listening or talking.

Kinesthetic (Tactile) Learners

One who processes information by actively engaging with the material.

Reliability

The consistency of measurement.

Validity

The degree to which a measure captures what it intends to measure.

Big Data

The volume, variety, velocity, and veracity of data.

Descriptive Analytics

Approaches focused on understanding what has already happened.

Predictive Analytics

What is likely to happen based on what we already know.

Prescriptive Analytics

A focus on what should be done in the future based on what we know.