Managing Organization Behavior

Organizational Behavior

Interdisciplinary field

• Psychology

• Sociology

• Engineering

• Anthropology

• Management

• Medicine

Hawthorne Studies (1927-1932)

study of the effects of lighting on effectiveness

• performance went up regardless of light, then returned to normal

• led to the beginning of Human Resource Management

Hawthorne effect

changes in behavior occurred as a function of being observed and expectations concerning role as a research participant

Formal

official, legitimate, and most visible

Informal

unofficial, unstructured, less visible

Why Study OB?

competitive advantage

Organizational Culture

system of shared meaning held by people that distinguishes the organization from other organizations

culture norms - 3 dimensions

• content

• consensus

• intensity

Levels of culture

invisible/unconscious → underlying assumptions

greater level of awareness → values

visible → artifacts

Categorizing Culture

Geert Hofstede (IBM survey) identified 5 dimensions of cultural differences

• Individualism/collectivism

• Power distance

• Uncertainty avoidance

• Masculinity/Femininity

• Time orientation

Ethics

moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity

Consequentialism

consequences of an action of behavior

• Hinges on the well-being of society

Utilitarianism

the consequence of the action determines whether it is right or wrong

• Individualism vs. collectivism

Rule-Based theory

focuses on the process

Character Theory

ethical theory that emphasizes the character, personal virtues, and intent of the individual

Strong Culture

high ethical standards

aggressiveness and high outcome orientation

Bad Culture

reputational costs

Corporate social responsibility

an organization’s obligation to behave ethically in its social environment

• protecting the environment

• promoting worker safety

• supporting social issues

• fairness and justice

• investing in the community

Classical View of Social Responsibility

utilizing resources on doing social good

Socioeconomic View of Social Responsibility

Go beyond making profits to include protecting and improving society

What are some factors that influence global competitiveness?

Location, Technology, Politics/Social Issues, and Global Market Sharing

Talent Management

strategic processes for attracting, developing, engaging, and retaining a skilled workforce

• Firing and hiring the right people

• Learning and growing

• Managing and rewarding performance

• Tailoring the employee experience

• Optimizing workforce planning and strategy

Sexual Harassment

unwelcome verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature that is severe and affects working conditions or creates a hostile work environment

• perpetrated by anyone

• goes unreported b/c victims are embarrassed or fear retaliation

Whistleblowers

employees who inform authorities of wrongdoings by their companies or coworkers

• Challenging

Organizational Justice

perceptions of overall fairness of one’s organization

Distributive Justice

fairness in outcomes

Procedural Justice

fairness in the process

Interactional Justice

fairness in interpersonal relationships

• interpersonal

• informational

Personality

relatively stable set of characteristics that influences an individual’s behavior

Determinants

hereditary and the environment

Trait theory

the breaking down of behavior patterns into a series of observable traits in order to understand human behavior

Interactional Psychology

• Kurt Lewin

• Behavior is a function of person and environment

Social Cognitive Theory

• Albert Bandura

• Person, environment, and behavior all interact together

Nature

• Biological approach

• Personality seen as a product of genetics, hormones, and other neuro-chemical reasons

• Personality is “hard-wired” and emerges throughout life due to maturation

  • Language acquistion

  • Physical development

Nuture

• Behavioral approach

• Personality seen as a product of learning from one’s environment

• Individuals born as “blank slates” that are filled in through life experiences

  • Observation and imitation of parents and other influential adults

The Big Five

Conscientiousness

Agreeableness

Extraversion

Openness to experience

Emotional stability

Openness to experience

• Tendency to be original, have broad interests, be open to a wide range of stimuli, be daring and take risks

• more creativity or adaptability

Conscientiousness

• Tendency to be careful, scrupulous, and persevering

• Managers high in this trait are organized and self-disciplined

• Best predictor of job performance

Extraversion

• Tendency to experience positive emotions and moods and feel good about oneself and the rest of the world

• Managers high in extraversion tend to be sociable, affectionate, outgoing and friendly

• Social demands

Agreeableness

• Tendency to get along well with others

• Managers high in agreeableness are likeable, affectionate and care about others

• Outward state

• Social demands

Emotional Stability

• Tendency to experience negative emotions and moods, feel distressed, and be critical of oneself and others

• Inner state

Neuroticism

• Second most important

• Neurotics

  • less satisfied with their jobs

  • less happy about life in general

  • more stressed

  • tend to attribute the causes of events to external environment

Benefits and drawbacks of big five

• N- Leaders who are generally calm (N-) must occasionally show agitation & strong emotion (N+)

• E+ May generally be outgoing & assertive (E+) but occasionally retire in solitude (E-)

• O+ May espouse vision (O+) and also be practical & efficient (O-)

• A- Can be unyielding (A-), but also nurturing (A+)

• C+ Must focus on goals (C+), but may be occasionally spontaneous (C-)

Why study personality traits?

• used in hiring decisions

• 70-80% of fortune 500 organizations use personality tests

How to measure personality

• self-report

• interview questions

• vignettes

Machiavellianism

cunningness, the ability to manipulate others, and the drive to use whatever means necessary to gain power

Psychopathy

antisocial behavior, impulsivity, selfishness, callousness, and remorselessness

Narcissism

Delusions of grandeur, excessive pride, massive egos, self-centered

The Dark Side of Personality

Narcissism: grandiosity and entitlement

Psychopathy: Impulsivity and lack of anxiety

Machiavellianism: Coldness and manipulativeness

Common Core: low in agreeableness

Social Perception

a process of interpreting information about another person

Barriers to social perception

• Stereotypes

• First-impression error

• Self-fulfilling prophecy/Pygmalion effect

Attribution Theory

explains others behavior by making sense of the situation or using the person’s disposition

Locus of control

Internal: Tendency to locate responsibility for one’s fate within oneself

External: Tendency to locate responsibility for one’s own fate in outside forces and to believe that one’s own behavior has little impact on outcomes

Impression Management

process by which individuals try to control the impressions others have of them

• Self-enhancing

• Other-enhancing