Unit 1 Organization Behavior

1. Organization
Q.What is an organisation?
An organisation is a group of individuals working together to achieve one or
more objectives Although organisations have been defined differentl! b!
different theorists" virtuall! all definitions refer to five common features#
1 the! are composed of individuals and groups of individuals
$ the! are oriented towards achieving collective goals
% the! consist of different functions
& the functions need to be coordinated
' the! e(ist independentl! of individual members who ma! come and go
OB is therefore concerned with#)
1 *he purposes for which organisations are created
$ *he behaviour of individuals" and an understanding of the pressures and
influences that cause them to
act and react in particular wa!s
% *he +ualities that individuals bring to particular situations
& *he creation of groups ie" collections of people brought together for given
purposes
' *he background and conte(t within which activities take place
, *he relationships and interactions with the wider environment with other
organisations and groups
- *he management and ordering of the whole and its parts into productive
and effective work relationships
Types of organization
a.Formal: *he part of the organization that has legitimac! and official
recognition
b. Informal: *he unofficial part of the organization
Features of Organisation Behaviour
Q. Eplain the features!"hara"teristi"s of organisation #ehaviour
*he essential characteristics of organisational behaviour are as follows#
/i. $n Integral %art of &anagement OB is a part of general
management and not the whole of management 0t represents
behaviour approach to management 0t is significant to note that
because of the importance of human behaviour in organisations"
OB has assumed the status of a distinct field of stud!
/ii. $ Fiel' of (tu'y OB is a field of stud! backed b! a bod! of
theor!" research and application associated with a growing concern
for people at the workplace 0ts stud! helps in understanding the
human behaviour in work organizations 0t includes creative
thinking among the managers to solve human problems in
organisations
/iii. Inter)'is"iplinary $pproa"h *he field of organisational
behaviour is heavil! influenced b! several other behavioural
sciences and social sciences *he prominent among these are
psychology, sociology and anthropology Organisational
behaviour draws a rich arra! of research from these disciplines
1hat makes it a field in its own right is the attempt to integrate
various aspects and levels of behaviour
/iv. *evels of $nalysis. OB involves three levels of analysis of
behaviour individual behaviour, group behaviour and behaviour
of the organisation itself. 0t helps in demolishing incorrect
assumptions one ma! hold about behaviour 0t provides a rational
thinking about people
/v. +oal)Oriente'. OB is an action 2 oriented and goal)directed
discipline *he major goals of organisational behaviour are to
understand" e(plain and predict human behaviour in the
organisational conte(t so that it ma! be moulded into result)
!ielding situations 0t provides a rational thinking about people and
their behaviour
/vi. ,uman Tool. OB is a human tool for human benefit 0t helps in
understanding and predicting the behaviour of individuals 0t
provides generalisations that managers can use to anticipate the
effects of certain actions on human behaviour
/vii. ("ien"e an' $rt. OB is both a science as well as an art *he
s!stematic knowledge about human behaviour is a science *he
application of behaviour knowledge and skills clearl! leans
towards being an art 3owever" organisation behaviour is not an
e(act science like ph!sics or chemistr! 0t cannot provide specific
answers to all organisational problems *he e(act prediction of
behavior of people in organisations is also not possible 0t is
possible to predict relationships between variables on a broad
scale" but it is difficult to appl! predictive models in all situations
/viii. (atisfa"tion of Employees- .ee's OB seeks to fulfill emplo!ees
need and aspirations 4ver! emplo!ee in the organisation wants to
fulfill his needs through organisational activities 0t is the
organisations responsibilit! to provide congenial climate in the
organisation so that people ma! get need satisfaction and the
organisation ma! attain its objectives *hus" both organisation and
individuals can be benefited b! each other
&O/E*( OF O.B: )
Q. Eplain the mo'els of organization #ehavior
5odels are frameworks or possible e(planations wh! do people behave as the! do at
work *here are so man! models as organisations are ver! man! 6ar!ing results across
the organisations are substantiall! caused b! differences in the models of organization
#ehavior 7enerall!" organization #ehavior 5odels can be divided into & categories"
namel!"
1. *he autocratic model"
$. *he custodial"
%. *he supportive and
&. *he collegial
*he following *able shows the differences among the 5odels# )
$uto"rati" 0usto'ial (upportive 0ollegial
Basis of 5odel 8ower 4conomic 9esources :eadership 8artnership
5anagerial
Orientation
Authorit! 5one! ;upport *eam 1ork
4mplo!ee
Orientation
Obedience ;ecurit! and Benefits <ob 8erformance 9esponsible Behaviour
4mplo!ee
8s!chological
9esult
=ependence on
Bo(
=ependence on
Organisation
8articipation ;elf discipline
4mplo!ee needs
met
;ubsistence ;ecurit! ;tatus and recognition ;elf Actualisation
8erformance
9esult
5inimum 8assive >ooperation Awakened drives 5oderate 4nthusiasm
?or managing people" ever! organisation follows an organisational Behaviour s!stem or
framework" commonl! called @model of OB@ ?our models of OB are the automatic" custodial"
supporit!" and collegial Under autocratic model" managers use their power and authorit!" where
as emplo!ee become dependent on organisations in case of custodial model ;upportive model
supports emplo!ee and collegial model inculcates teamwork feeling among emplo!ees in the
organisation
+oals of OB
Q.What are the goals of an organization?
To 'es"ri#e 2 *he first objective is to describe 2 how people
behave under a variet! of conditions
To un'erstan' 2 as to why people behave as the! do
To pre'i"t 2 8redicting future employee behavior is another goal
of OB 5anagers would have the capacit! to predict which
emplo!ees ma! be dedicated and productive or which ones might
be absent or disruptive on a certain da! so that the manager could
take preventive actions
To "ontrol 2 *he final goal of OB is to control and develop some
human activit! at work 5anagers also want to make an impact on
emplo!ee behavior" skill development" team effort and
productivit!
5anagers should be able to improve the results through their own and
their emplo!ees actions
I&%O1T$.0E OF OB
A 7ive the importance of organization #ehavior
1. OB helps an individual to understand himself and others better
*his will improve interpersonal relations considerabl!
Attitudes" perception" leaderships" communication"
transactional anal!sis and conflicts can also be understood
better with the stud! of OB
$. A manager in a business establishment is concerned with
getting things done through others 3e will be successful in his
job when he can motivate his subordinates to work for better
results OB will help the manager understand the basis of
motivation and what he should do to motivate his subordinates
%. *he field of OB will be successful in maintaining cordial
industrial relations. 0f an emplo!ee is slow in his work" or if his
productivit! is readil! declining" the basic issue ma! not be
demand for more wages" higher bonus" a better canteen etc
*his can be due to an! other reasons like the indifferent attitude
of the boss towards the worker which in turn can lead to the
worker loosing interest in his work graduall! ;imilarl!"
reluctance of the management to talk to union leaders ma!
provoke them to give a strike 3ence the relations between the
management and the emplo!ees are often strained for reasons
which are personal but not technical
&. OB helps in the field of marketing 0n the d!namic mechanism
of the flow of goods and services from producer to consumer"
the awareness of the nature of individual and social process has
an immediate or long term contribution to the success or the
failure of the enterprise
'. OB helps in predicting the behaviour of individual and thus
help the organization to be effective having good people skills
which includes the abilit! to understand ones emplo!ees and to
use this knowledge to make them work efficientl! is a vital
re+uirement if a person has to succeed as a manager
,. 4ffective management means competent utilization of technical
and financial resources OB is a discipline which enables a
manager to motivate his subordinates towards higher
productivity and better results
Q.2: Fun'amental "on"epts of Organizational Behavior:
Organizational Behavior starts with a set of fundamental
concepts revolving around the nature of people and
organizations ;uch concept consists of two main elements#
1. T,E .$T31E OF %EO%*E: In'ivi'ual /ifferen"es:
*he idea of individual differences comes originall! from
8s!cholog! *he belief that each person is different from all
others is t!picall! called the Law of Individual Differences
%er"eption: 4ven when presented with the same object" two
people ma! view it in two different wa!s *heir view of their
objective environment is filtered b! Perception
$ 4hole person: Although some organizations ma! wish
the! could emplo! onl! a persons skill or brain" the! actuall!
emplo! a whole person rather than certain characteristics
&otivate' Behavior: *his fact leaves management with
two basic wa!s to motivate people 0t can show them how
certain action will increase their need fulfillment" or it can
threaten decreased need fulfillment if the! follow an
undesirable course of action
/esire for Involvement: 5an! emplo!ees are contributing
their talents and ideas to the organizations success
Organizations need to provide opportunities for meaningful
involvement
5alue of the %erson: 8eople deserve to be treated
differentl! from other factors of production because the! are of
a higher order in the universe and want to be treated with
caring" respect" dignit!
6. T,E .$T31E OF O1+$.I7$TIO.(: (o"ial
(ystems: *wo t!pes of ;ocial ;!stems e(ist side b! side in
organizations One is the formal /official. social s!stem" and th
other is the informal social s!stem
&utual Interest: Organizations need people and people
need organizations *he! are formed and maintained on the
basis of some mutuality of interest among their participants
Managers need employees to help them reach organizational
objectivesB people need organizations to help them reach
individual objectives
Ethi"s: 0n order to attract and retain valuable emplo!ees in
an era in which good workers are constantl! recruited awa!"
ethical treatment is necessar!
1hen the organizations goals and actions are ethical" mutualit!
creates a triple reward system in which individual"
organizational" and social objectives are all met
6. The nature of organizations
Q. Eplain the nature of organizations
Organization: a tool used b! people to coordinate their actions to obtain
something the! desire or value
Organizations provide goods and services
Organizations emplo! people
Organizations bring together people and resources to produce products and
services
Basicall!" organizations e(ist to create value
0t is a process of co)ordination of emplo!ees activities in an orderl! manner
0t is a framework of interior relationships 0t defines the relationship between
person to person" position to position" job to job and so on
8. Why 'o organizations eist?
Q. Eplain 4hy 'o organizations eist.
Organisations e(ist because groups of people working together can achieve more
than the sum of the achievements which the individuals in the organisation could
produce when working separatel! ?or e(ample" one person might struggle all da! to
carr! a piano upstairs" whereas a team of four people" each taking one corner" ma!
need to put in much less than a +uarter of the effort of one person to complete the
task Although such cooperation is beneficial" if individuals pull in different
directions" the result is counter)productive *hus coordination is necessar! and this is
a fundamental role of management" as will be discussed in a later section of this
session
' major reasons wh! organizations e(ist#
To in"rease spe"ialization an' the 'ivision of la#or
=ivision of labor allows specialization
;pecialization allows individuals to become e(perts at their job
To use large)s"ale te"hnology
4conomies of scale# cost savings that result when goods and services are
produced in large volume
4conomies of scope# cost savings that result when an organization is able
to use underutilized resources more effectivel! because the! can be shared
across several different products or tasks
To manage the eternal environment
4(ternal environment consists of the political" social" economic" and
technological factors that affect organizations
Organizations regularl! e(change products and services for needed
resources
Organizations need to manage their e(ternal environment
To eert po4er an' "ontrol
Organizations structure their members to efficientl! produce products and
services
*o economize on transaction costs
*ransaction costs# the costs associated with negotiating" monitoring" and
governing e(changes between people who must cooperate
9. 0omponents Of Organization
Q.What are the "omponents of an organisation?
Q.What are the :ey elements of organization
Mintzbergs fve components of organisation
5intzberg suggested that all organisations consist of five components" as shown in
?igure 1
?igure 1 5intzbergs five parts of the organisation
At the top of the organisation is a ;trategic ape( the purpose of which is to ensure the
organisation follows its mission and manages its relationship with its environment *he
individuals comprising the ape(" for e(ample" the >hief 4(ecutive Officer />4O." are
responsible to owners" government agencies" unions" communities and so on
Below the ape( is the 5iddle line" a group of managers who are concerned with
converting the objectives and broad plans of the ;trategic ape( into operational plans that
can be carried out b! the workers
As organisations grow and become more comple(" the! usuall! develop a separate group
of people who are concerned with the best wa! of doing a job" specif!ing output criteria
/eg" +ualit! standards. and ensuring that personnel have appropriate skills /eg" b!
organising training programmes. *his group of anal!sts is referred to b! 5intzberg as
the*echnostructure *he organisation also adds other administrative functions that
provide services to itself" for e(ample legal advice" public relations" mailroom" cafeteria
and so on *hese are the ;upport staff
?inall!" at the bottom of the organisation" is the Operating core *hese are the people who
do the basic work of producing the products or delivering the services
5intzbergs generic organisational model also illustrates an important principle of
organisation structure# the separation of direction and management" whereb! those people
who decide the mission and general direction of the organisation are different /other than
in a ver! small organisation. from those who handle the implementation of plans and
subse+uent controlling of operations to ensure that objectives are met ;enior managers
/the ;trategic ape(. will establish long)term organisational objectives and policies
through which goals are to be achieved 5iddle managers /the 5iddle line. will be
responsible for translating the necessaril! broad and general strategic plans into detailed
action plans" specif!ing managerial responsibilities for particular tasks and how resources
are to be allocated *hese middle managers will also be responsible for monitoring
activities and taking action to ensure that resources are being used efficientl! and
effectivel! to achieve organisational objectives
2. Organization $s Open (ystems
Q. Eplain the vie4 of organization as a open system?
(ystemati" $pproa"h to &anagement:
A s!stem is an entit! with a purpose that has interdependent parts *he s!stems
approach suggests viewing the organization as a s!stem All s!stems have four basic
characteristics#
1. *he! operate within an environmentB
$.*he! are composed of building blocks called elements" components" or subs!stemsB
%.*he! have a central purpose against which the organizationCs efforts and subs!stems
can be evaluatedB and
&.essential s!stems thinking places focus onthe interrelatedness among the
subs!stems and its environment
;!stematic management emphasized internal operations because managers were
concerned primaril! with meeting the e(plosive growth in demand brought about b!
the 0ndustrial 9evolution 0n addition" managers were free to focus on internal issues
of efficienc!" in part because the government did not constrain business practices
significantl! ?inall!" labor was poorl! organized
As a result" man! managers were oriented more toward things than toward people
*he influence of the s!stematic management approach is clear in the following
description of one organizationCs attempt to control its workers
Open versus Closed Systems
A closed s!stem does not interact with the outside environment Although few
s!stems actuall! take this form" some of the classical approaches treated
organizations as closed s!stems *he assumption was that if managers improve
internal processes" the organization would succeed >learl!" however" all
organizations are open s!stems" dependent on inputs from the outside world" such as
raw materials" human resources" and capital" and output to the outside world that meet
the marketCs needs for goods and services
Above figure illustrates the open)s!stem perspective *he organizational s!stem
re+uires inputs" which the organization transforms into outputs" which are received b!
the e(ternal environment *he environment reacts to these outputs through a feedback
loop" which then becomes an input for the ne(t c!cle of the s!stem *he process
continues to repeat itself for the life of the s!stem
As above ?igure shows" a s!stem is a set of interdependent parts that processes inputs
/such as raw materials. into outputs /products. Business inputs t!picall! known as
resources including human" ph!sical" financial etc resources 5ost businesses use a
variet! of human" financial" ph!sical" and informational resources 5anagerCs
function is to transform these resources into the outputs of the business 7oods and
services are the outputs of the business ;ome of the major components of the
e(ternal environment include customers" competitors" suppliers" and investors
;. &anagers in organization
Manager: The member of the organization who participates in the
management process by planning, organizing, leading, or controlling the
organization's resources.
Types of Mangers
Q. Explain the types of managers
There are three types of mangers. Managing is like holding a dove in your
hand. If you squeeze too tight, you kill it. pen your hand too much, you
let it go'
!. Strategic Manager" #trategic managers are the senior e$ecutives hand
of an organization and are responsible for its overall management. Ma%or
activities include developing the company's goals and plans. Typically
strategic managers focus on long&term issues and emphasize the survival,
growth, and overall effectiveness of the organization.
'. Tactical Managers: Tactical managers are responsible for translating
the general goals and plans developed by strategic managers into
ob%ectives that are more specific and activities. These decisions, or
tactics, involve both a shorter time horizon and the coordination of
resources. Tactical managers are often called middle managers, because
in large organizations they are located between the strategic and
operational managers. Today's best middle managers have been called
(working leaders.( They focus on relationships with other people and on
achieving results. They are hands&on, working managers. They do not %ust
make decisions, give orders, wait for others to produce, and then evaluate
results. They get dirty, do hard work themselves, solve problems, and
produce value.
). Operational Managers: perational managers are lower&level
managers who supervise the operations of the organization. These
managers often have titles such as supervisor or sales manager. They are
directly involved with non&management employees, implementing the
specific plans developed with tactical managers. This role is critical in the
organization, because operational managers are the link between
management and non&management personnel. *our first management
position probably will fit into this category.
Managers are Universal:
5anagers work in all t!pes of organizations" at all levels" and in all functional areas
:arge and small businesses" hospitals" schools and governments benefit from efficient
and effective management *he leaders of these organizations ma! be called e(ecutives"
administrators" or principals" but the! are all managers and are responsible for the success
or failure of the organization *his success or failure is reflected in a managerCs career
?or e(ample" when a >4O saves a failing corporation" the board rewards this success
with bonuses and stock options 1hen a professional football team starts losing" the
owner fires the coach" not the team
The Managerial Sills
Q./is"uss the three types of managerial s:ills an' its importan"e
5anagers need three basic sets of skills# technical" interpersonal" and conceptual
a. Technical Sills
*he skills that include knowledge of and proficienc! in a certain specialized field Top
&anagers need to be technicall! competent *he! need to know how to plan" organize
lead and control :ine managers need this skill the most while top manager will need
minimum of technical skills
#. Interpersonal (:ills!,uman (:ills
0nterpersonal skills include the abilit! to work well with other people both individuall!
and in a group 5angers need good interpersonal skills" knowledge about human
behaviors and group processes" abilit! to understand the feelings" attitudes and motives of
others" and abilit! to communicate" clearl! and persuasivel! 3uman skills are ver!
important at each level of management
". 0on"eptual (:ills
>onceptual skills include the abilit! to think and to conceptualize about abstract and
comple( situations" to see the organization as a whole" and to understand the relationships
among the various subunits" and to visualize how the organization fits into its broader
environment >onceptual skills include anal!tical abilit!" logical thinking" concept
formation" and inductive reasoning *he! manifest themselves in things like good
judgment" creativit!" and the abilit! to see the big picture *op mangersD>4O needs this
t!pe of skill the most
*evels of &anagers
Q.

/es"ri#e the levels of manager
*evels of &anagement *hree level in the organization can classif! managers"
particularl! for traditionall! structured organizations
1 First)line managers are the lowest level of management *he!Cre often called
supervisors
$ &i''le managers include all levels of management between the first)line level and
the top level of the organization
8. Top managers include managers at or near the top of the organization who are
responsible for making organization wide decisions and establishing the plans and goals
that affect the entire organization
Manager!s "oles:
Q. #escri$e the different roles played $y a manager
a. %nterpersonal roles
+igurehead&&duties that are ceremonial and symbolic in nature
,eadership&&hire, train, motivate, and discipline employees
,iaison&&contact outsiders who provide the manager with information.
These may be individuals or groups inside or outside the organization.
$.%nformational roles-
5onitor))collect information from organizations and institutions outside their own
=isseminator))a conduit to transmit information to organizational members
;pokesperson))represent the organization to outsiders
c. #ecisional roles
4ntrepreneur))managers initiate and oversee new projects that will improve their
organizationCs performance
=isturbance handlers))take corrective action in response to unforeseen problems
9esource allocators))responsible for allocating human" ph!sical" and monetar!
resources
Eegotiator role))discuss issues and bargain with other units to gain advantages for
their own unit
&ll managers are mostly concerned 'ith follo'ing activities:
#taffing
.etention
/evelopment
0d%ustment
Managing change
<. T,E 0,$**E.+E( F$0I.+ &$.$+E&E.T
Q.*ist out the "hallenges in organization #ehavior
0hallenges an' Opportunities for OB
1espon'ing to +lo#alisation 2 Organisations are no longer limited
b! national borders 5anagers have to be capable enough to work
with people across cultures Being a manager" one needs to manage
a worforce which is different in needs" aspirations and attitudes
*o work effectivel! with these people" one needs to understand
their culture, how it has shaped them and how can the
management st!le be adapted to suit their differences
&anaging 4or:for"e 'iversity 2 1hile globalization focuses
on differences between people from different countries" workforce
diversit! focuses on differences among people with given
countries 1orkforce diversit! means that organizations are
heterogenous in terms of gender" race and ethnicit! *he challenge
for organizations" thus" is to make themselves more accommodating
to diverse groups of people b! focusing on their different lifest!les"
famil! needs and workst!les" while at the same time not
discriminating *his involves providing diversity training, and
revamping benefit programs to accommodate the different needs of
different emplo!ees =iversit!" if properl! managed" can increase
creativity and innovation in organizations as well as improve
decision maing b! providing different perspectives on problems
If diversity is not properly managed, it leads to a higher turnover,
more difficult communication and more interpersonal conflicts.
Improving Quality an' %ro'u"tivity 2 *he managers often
confront challenges to improve their organizations productivit! and
the +ualit! of products and services the! offer ?or this" the! often
have to implement programs of Aualit! management and 8rocess
9eengineering
!uality Management 2 /i. Constant attainment of customer
satisfaction through the continuous improvement of all organizational
processes
/ii. 0mprovement in the +ualit! of ever!thing that the organization
does 2 how the organization handles deliveries" how rapidl! it
responds to complaints etc
/iii. Accurate measurement 2 Aualit! 5anagement uses statistical
techni+ues to measure the performance variables and then compare
them with the standards D benchmarks
/iv. mpo!erment of employees 2 Aualit! management involves the
people in the improvement process *eams are used in A5 programs
as empowerment vehicles for finding and solving problems
Process "eengineering 2 helps managers to reconsider how work
would be done and the organization restructured if the! were starting
over from the scratch
1espon'ing to the la#our shortage 2 4conomic ups and downs are
difficult to predict 0n 1FFGs" the labour markets were tight as the
world econom! was robust 0t was difficult to fill vacancies with
skilled workers 0n $GG1" there was an economic recession 2 lot of
la!offs took place and hence the skilled workers were in plent!
0t is also predicted that there will be a labour shortage for atleast 1G)
1' !ears 0n the latter part of the $G
th
centur!" there was a huge
increase in the number of women entering the workforce which was a
new suppl! of talented and skilled workforce Also" the older
workforce seem to be less interested to work which can be attributed
to improved pension plans" e(panded social securit! benefits and a
health! stock market
=uring labour shortage" good wages and benefits are not the onl!
means to get and keep skilled emplo!ees Eewer recruitment and
retention strategies have to be developed with the help of OB
Improving "ustomer servi"e 2 OB can contribute to improving an
organisations b! showing managers how emplo!ee attitudes and
behavior are associated with customer satisfaction
*he management should focus on creating a customer # responsive
culture 2 a culture in which emplo!ees are friendl! and courteous"
accessible" knowledgeable" prompt in responding to customer needs
and willing to do whats necessar! to please the customer
Improving people s:ills 2 *echni+ues should be developed to
design motivating jobs" to improve upon the listening skills and to
create effective teams.
Empo4ering people 2 *here has been a complete change in the
relationship between managers and the emplo!ees "ecision
making now happens at the operating level 4mplo!ees have started
having a full control of their work *here is also a concept of self#
managed teams wherein workers operate largel! without bosses B!
empowering emplo!ees" managers are learning how to give up
control" and employees kno! ho! to take responsibility for their
work and make appropriate decisions
0oping 4ith =Temporariness> 2 Unlike !ester!ears" HmanagingI
toda! includes long periods of ongoing change" interrupted
occasionall! b! short periods of stabilit! *he workers need to
update their kno!ledge and skills continuall! to perform new job
re+uirements 1ork groups are also in a state of flu( 4arlier"
emplo!ees were assigned to a specific work group which was
permanent ;o there was securit! in working with the same people
But now" !ork groups are temporary wherein members are from
different departments and members keep changing and employee
rotation is practiced to fill constantl! changing work assignments
Organisations also continuousl! reorganize their divisions" sell)off
poor performing businesses" subcontract non)critical services and
operations to other organisations and replace permanent emplo!ees
with temporar! workers
*he managers and emplo!ees should know to cope with
temporariness" to live with fle(ibilit!" spontaneit! and
unpredictabilit!
(timulating Innovation an' 0hange 2 *he organizations should
foster innovation" continuousl! improve their +ualit! in order to beat
competition 4(ample" *he services of =ominos has brought an end to
a number of pizza parlours in the cit! *he challenge for managers is
to stimulate the emplo!ees creativit!
,elping employees #alan"e 4or: ! life "onfli"ts ? *he line between
the work and non work time of emplo!ees has become blurred"
creating personal conflicts and stress *his can be due to the following
reasons 2
0reation of glo#al organizations ? 4mplo!ees are re+uired to
work $&J-
0ommuni"ation te"hnology ? 8eople do their work from an!
place at an! time
*onger hours put in b! the emplo!ees
/ual)"areer "ouples 2 as a result married couples have lesser
time to fulfill commitments back home
;o" managers should help in making their workplace and jobs such
that it helps the emplo!ee deal with work D life conflicts
Improving ethi"al #ehavior 2 4mplo!ees at times" face ethical
dilemmas ie situations in which individuals are re+uired to define
right and wrong conduct ?or e(ample" ;hould the! follow orders with
which the! dont personall! agreeK ;hould the! uncover illegal
activities taking place in the compan!K
&anagers an' organizations are trying to ta":le this pro#lem #y 2
o 1riting and distributing codes of ethics to guide the emplo!ees
o $eminars, worshops, similar training programs to tr! and
improve ethical behavior
o 8rovision for an in%house advisor who can be contacted
/anon!mousl!. for assistance in dealing with an ethical issue
Also" the! provide with protection mechanisms for emplo!ees
who reveal internal unethical practices
*imitations of organization #ehavior
Q. /es"ri#e the limitations of organization #ehavior
Behavioural #ias ? Behavioral bias gives a narrow viewpoint to the
emplo!ees that emphasizes satisf!ing emplo!ee e(periences while
overlooking the broader s!stem of the organization 0t is more like a
tunnel vision in which people have narrow viewpoints as if the! were
looking through a tunnel *he concern for emplo!ees can be so greatl!
overdone that the original purpose of bringing people together) productive
organizational outputs is lost 0t is wrong to assume that the objective of
OB is simpl! to create a satisfied workforce without worr!ing about
customer service and productivit! 4+uall!" if a person is continuousl!
concerned with production outputs without regard for emplo!ee needs is
misappl!ing OB
Behavioural bias can harm the emplo!ees as well as the organizations*oo
much of care can make the emplo!ees dependent and unproductive *he!
ma! find e(cuses for failure and avoid taking responsibilit! for progress
*he! lack self discipline and self respect
The *a4 of /iminshing 1eturns 2 *he :aw of diminishing 9eturns is a
limiting factor in OB as in 4conomics which produces negative results 0n
OB" this law states that at some point" increases of a desirable practice
produce declining returns" eventuall! zero returns" and then negative
returns asmore increases are added ?or an! situation" there is an optimum
amount of a desirable practice" such as recognition or participation 1hen
that point is e(ceeded" there is a decline in returns ?or e(ample" too much
securit! ma! lead to less emplo!ee initiate and growth
,en"e@ organizational effe"tiveness is a"hieve' not #y maimizing one
human varia#le #ut #y 4or:ing all system varia#les together in a
#alan"e' 4ay.
3nethi"al manipulation of people ? *he knowledge and techni+ues of
OB are at times used to manipulate people unethicall! as well as to help
them develop their potential 8eople who lack respect for the basic dignit!
of the human being could use OB for selfish ends and use people in
unethical wa!s
A. Organizational behavior and the new workplace
A What $re the 0hara"teristi"s of Organizational Behavior in the Wor:pla"e?
There are several common characteristics of organizational
behavior in the workplace, but these are dependent on the
current conditions of the workplace for their continuation.
1ssentially, characteristics like these are caused by the state of
the workplace and the workers themselves, so changes over
time can affect the way organizational behavior unfolds.
2ehavior also depends on the type of workplace and the
e$pectations of the workers, among many other different
qualities. 3eneralizations about this type of behavior might
include information about what factors improve productivity and
how the employees see themselves as part of the company.
The best way to understand the characteristics of organizational
workplace behavior is to think about what states cause what
behaviors in members of the organization. #mall actions in a
large group can yield large changes on the institutional level. +or
e$ample, if each employee works %ust slightly harder, then the
effect for the company as a whole can be enormous even though
each employee contributed only a little. rganizational behavior
studies focus on what states can create changes like these,
which affect the attitudes and productivity of workers.
4haracteristics of this behavior depend on the culture, workers,
and all other variables in the situation. 1ven so, common
characteristics include a relationship between managerial style
and worker satisfaction, a connection between worker
recognition and stress levels, and an overall tendency for power
to cause feelings of being above the rules. These factors play
into the particular culture of any work environment.
#ome general characteristics have to do with
human psychology and are, therefore, often quite common. +or
e$ample, people who feel invested in the workplace are less
likely to steal, and pride can lead employees to effectively police
one another. #trong bonds between employees and a
connection to the work being done can result in higher
productivity, but none of this can counteract negative relations
with management. Isolating where problematic relations are
occurring can help change the behavior of members of the
organization.
ne of the most important parts of organizational behavior
studies looks at what factors affect productivity. #tudies have
shown that, for e$ample, employees who are allowed to choose
their own schedules and work fle$ible hours tend to be both
healthier and more productive. ,ikewise, workers who are
invested in the company on a personal level may also be more
productive. 5hile people studying organizational behavior in the
workplace often seek to describe effects that e$ist currently, they
also sometimes conduct e$periments to attempt to gain valuable
information that can help design better work environments for the
future.