The Study of Organizational Behaviour Notes

Nadler and Tushman define Organizational Behaviour (OB) as ‘‘the study of human behaviour in organizational settings, the interface between human behaviour and the organization itself.’’
Stephen P Robbins defines OB as ‘‘a field of study that investigates the impact of individuals, groups and structure on behaviour within organizations for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving an organization’s effectiveness.’’
Studies the actions of people at work across three levels: individual, group, and organizational.

Improves the interaction between people and organizations.
Helps manage changing demographics, cultural diversity, and a more educated workforce.
Employs a contingency approach to diagnose problems based on specific situations.
Provides insights into human behaviour to increase effectiveness in group settings.
Teaches methods to motivate the workforce and achieve organizational goals.
Offers managers tools to improve productivity, reduce absenteeism, and increase job satisfaction.
Addresses modern challenges like Artificial Intelligence and diverse cultural aspects.

Psychology: Focuses on individual behaviour, including learning, personality, leadership effectiveness, and work stress.
Sociology: Studies social systems and roles, including group dynamics, organizational culture, and bureaucracy.
Social Psychology: Investigates interpersonal behaviour, group decision-making, and the effects of change.
Industrial Psychology: Focuses on individual reactions to the industrial environment, selection, and placement.
Anthropology: Examines how cultural heritage and environment affect value systems and organizational culture.
Political Science: Studies power allocation, conflict structuring, and manipulation for self-interest.
Economics: Provides insights via labour market dynamics, cost-benefit analysis, and human resource planning.
Engineering: Influences areas such as time motion study, workflow analysis, and job design.
Medicine: Focuses on work-related stress, tension, and depression.
Semantics: Contributes to understanding communication within the organization.

Autocratic Model: Based on power and formal authority; management controls employees through strength and centralized expertise.
Custodial Model: Based on economic resources and rewards; focuses on job security and fringe benefits to increase loyalty.
Supportive Model: Emphasizes supportive leadership and an environment that promotes employee engagement and innovation.
Collegial Model: Extension of the supportive model based on a team approach; emphasizes mutual understanding, delegated authority, and employee autonomy.

1. How do you define organizational behaviour?
2. Organizational behaviour is built on contributions from many different types of disciplines. Explain how the current trends and developments in medicine and engineering affect human behaviour at work.
3. Differentiate between the fields of psychology, social psychology and industrial psychology.
4. ‘‘Since behaviour is generally predictable, there is no need to formally study OB’’ Why is this statement wrong?
5. How do the fields of sociology and anthropology contribute to the development of human beliefs, values and attitudes?
6. Differentiate between supportive model and collegial model of OB Models.
7. Do you think ‘Autocratic Model’ is essential for an organization? Provide suitable justification for your answer with example.