Organizational Behavior
PART I
Organizational behavior is the study of life, work, and interaction within groups and individuals
in an organizational context. It goes further to describe how individuals engage, conduct
themselves, and operate within these spaces. OB is more focused on subject matters like attitude,
personality, communication, leadership, and organizational culture, the major purpose of which
is to explain the working of these factors for its proper functioning and efficiency.
New trends in OB are evident in the changes that are current in workplaces and in society.
Another notable trend is DEI or the recognition and utilization of the richness of the diversity of
the organization’s workforce. Moreover, the increased usage of remote work and virtual teams
pushed a reconsideration of leadership and communication patterns, focusing on flexibility and
technology skills. Similarly, the increasing focus on employee health and wellness also points to
more effective organizational support for the employees and work-life balance policies. In
addition, the use of artificial intelligence and automation in the workplace is changing the nature
of work, career paths, and required skills, which means that professional development for
workers is essential. There are also issues of sustainability and ethics which are becoming
important in business, and they affect the value systems and choices of organizations.
Consequently, the current trends in OB represent a gradual transition towards the improvement
of organizational practices as they adapt to the constantly changing environment and the growing
importance of social responsibility in the era of advanced technologies.
PART II
Out of all the ideas presented in DEI, intersectionality is one particularly compelling concept.
Intersectionality is a framework that considers the fact that people have multiple social
categories (for example, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability status etc.) and these
categories combine to create different patterns of advantage and disadvantage. This aspect of
DEI is rather important in the present organizational environment because it acknowledges the
multifaceted nature of human existence and underscores that it is impossible to solve problems of
inequity simplistically.
One example that would fit in this context is the tech industry where women of color experience
double or even triple the discrimination compared to their white male counterparts. Research has
indicated that women of color are hired to fewer leadership roles than their white or male
counterparts or men of color; they are also more likely to be subjected to microaggressions and
exclusion than the other two groups. These intersecting forms of discrimination can be seen as a
failure on the part of companies to hire and retain talented people of colour, and as such, those
organizations that do not acknowledge these issues are likely to suffer from a lack of creativity
and competitiveness.
By integrating intersectional approaches into organizational processes and, in particular, into the
management of human resources and decision-making, companies can contribute to the
development of more equal and inclusive organizational cultures to encourage all talents and
employees to realize their full potential.
