Organizational Behavior Notes
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Organizational Behavior- Definition, Importance & Model
Unit Objectives: This unit aims to define organizational behavior, identify management processes, relate managerial roles and skills to organizational behavior, describe contemporary characteristics, discuss contextual perspectives, and describe the role of organizational behavior in managing for effectiveness.
Introduction
Organizations impact daily life significantly, providing education, employment, and essential services.
Their success depends on the effectiveness of human resources, not just systems and processes.
Organizations use concepts like division of labor and hierarchy to achieve goals that individuals cannot achieve alone.
Effective managers understand and control human behavior within an organizational context.
The Indian industrial scene has changed due to globalization, requiring managers to understand human behavior to face challenges from multinational corporations.
The workforce is more educated and skilled, necessitating managers to understand behavioral aspects of employees.
What is Organizational Behavior (OB)?
Organizational behavior (OB) involves systematically studying and applying knowledge about individuals and groups within organizations.
It examines human behavior in relation to the organization and how it affects performance.
OB focuses on employment-related concerns like jobs, work, absenteeism, and management.
Definitions of Organizational Behavior (OB)
Stephen P. Robbins: OB is a field that investigates the impact of individuals, groups, and structures on behavior within organizations to improve effectiveness.
Luthans: OB is understanding, predicting, and managing human behavior to affect organizational performance.
History of Organizational Behavior (OB)
Historical Perspective
1776: Adam Smith advocated for division of labor-based organizational structure.
Later: Max Weber introduced rational organizations and charismatic leadership.
Origin and Development
The study of organizational behavior can be traced back to Max Weber.
Formal academic discipline began with scientific management in the 1890s, peaking with Taylorism (introduced systematic goal setting and rewards to motivate employees).
Frederick Winslow Taylor initiated the systematic use of goal setting and rewards to motivate employees.
Rationalizing organizations with instructions and time-motion studies would increase productivity.
In the 1920s, Elton Mayo's Hawthorne studies shifted focus to human factors and psychology affecting organizations.
The Human Relations Movement focused on teams, motivation, and individual goals within organizations.
Scholars like Chester Barnard, Henri Fayol, and Abraham Maslow contributed to OB's growth.
The field was strongly influenced by social psychology with an emphasis on quantitative research in the 1960s and 1970s.
Rising theories, bounded rationality, informal organization, contingency theory, resource dependence, institution theory and population ecology have contributed to the study of organizational behavior.
Historical Developmentof OrganizationalBehavior
Industrial Revolution
Large numbers of individuals have been required to work together in manager-subordinate relationships only since the Industrial Revolution.
Leaders' authority was supreme and unquestioned in organizations before this period.
Scientific Management
Scientific management movement focused on operations, with effective management as key to organizational success.
Frederick W. Taylor (1856 - 1915) is recognized as the father of scientific management.
Taylor introduced time-and-motion studies to improve manual labor efficiencies.
Taylorism increased productivity by up to 400% in some instances.
:
Physical work could be scientifically studied to determine the optimal method of performing a job.
Workers could be made more efficient with prescriptions for how to do their jobs.
Workers would adhere to prescriptions if paid on a