Chapter 1

What is Organizational Behaviour?

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Chapter 1 Outline
Defining Organizational Behaviour OB: Making Sense of Behaviour in Organizations How Will Knowing OB Make a Difference? Todays Challenges in the Canadian Workplace

Chapter 1, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition Copyright 2007 Pearson Education Canada

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What Is Organizational Behaviour?

1. What is organizational behaviour? 2. Isnt organizational behaviour common sense? Or just like psychology? 3. How does knowing about organizational behaviour make work and life more understandable? 4. What challenges do managers and employees face in the workplace of the twenty-first century?
Chapter 1, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition Copyright 2007 Pearson Education Canada

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Organizational Behaviour
. . . a field of study that investigates how individuals, groups and structure affect and are affected by behaviour within organizations, for the purpose of applying such knowledge toward improving an organizations effectiveness.

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Why Do We Study OB?

To learn about yourself and others To understand how the many organizations you encounter work. To become familiar with team work To help you think about the people issues faced by managers and entrepreneurs

Chapter 1, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition Copyright 2007 Pearson Education Canada

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What is an Organization?
A consciously coordinated social unit, composed of two or more people, that functions on a relatively continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Roles and Skills in the New Workplace

Flexibility
Mentor Innovator External Focus Broker Producer Director

Internal Focus

Facilitator Monitor Coordinator Control

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

How Companies are Changing

Cool Companies Believe casual days are progressive Believe titles are obsolete Don't impose on employees' personal time Allow staff to come and go as they please Offer all employees stock options Let employees make decisions that affect their work Offer assistance with childcare Have minimal bureaucracy (red tape)

Old Companies Think casual Fridays are pitiful Charge employees for perks and incentives Hold events on employee time Have flex time: but only between 7:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Hide financial results from their employees Encourage employee input -but rarely act on it Employ rigid hierarchies (chain of command) Stop at open door policies

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Exhibit 1-1 Challenges Facing the Workplace

Organizational Level
Productivity Developing effective employees Global competition Managing in the global village

Group Level
Working with others Workforce diversity

Workplace

Individual Level
Job satisfaction Empowerment Behaving ethically

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Todays Challenges in the Canadian Workplace

Challenges at the Organizational Level
Productivity Effectiveness Efficiency

Developing Effective Employees

Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB)
Discretionary behaviour that is not part of an employees formal job requirements, but that nevertheless promotes the effective functioning of the organization.

Putting People First

committed workforce and positively affects the bottom line. more control and say in their work. How do you Put people first?

Global Competition
In recent years, Canadian businesses have faced tough international competition, as well as from other companies within our borders. Reduce costs, increase productivity, and improve quality.

Managing and Working in a Multicultural World

Managers and employees must become capable of working with people from different cultures:

Exhibit 1-4 The Layers of OB

The Organization
Change Organizational culture Decision making Leadership

The Group

Power and politics Negotiation Conflict Communication Groups and teams

The Individual

Motivating self and others Emotions Values and attitudes Perception Personality

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

How Will Knowing OB Make a Difference?

For Managers For Individuals

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Exhibit 1-3 Toward an OB Discipline

Behavioural science

Contribution
Learning Motivation Perception Training Leadership effectiveness Job satisfaction Individual decision making Performance appraisal Attitude measurement Employee selection Work design Work stress Group dynamics Work teams Communication Power Conflict Intergroup behaviour Formal organization theory Organizational technology Organizational change Organizational culture Behavioural change Attitude change Communication Group processes Group decision making Comparative values Comparative attitudes Cross-cultural analysis

Unit of analysis

Output

Psychology

Individual

Sociology

Group

Study of Organizational Behaviour

Social psychology

Organization system

Anthropology Organizational culture Organizational environment Political science Conflict Intraorganizational politics Power

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

The Rigour of OB
OB looks at consistencies OB is more than common sense OB has few absolutes OB takes a contingency approach

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Exhibit 1-2 Research Methods in OB

Source: J. R. Schermerhorn, J.G. Hunt, and R. N. Osborn, Organizational Behaviour, 9th Edition, 2005, p. 4. Copyright 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Bottom Line: OB Is For Everyone

Organizational behaviour is not just for managers. OB applies equally well to all situations in which you interact with others: on the basketball court, at the grocery store, in school, or in church.

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Summary and Implications

OB is a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups, and structure have on behaviour within an organization. OB focuses on improving productivity, reducing absenteeism and turnover, and increasing employee job satisfaction and organizational commitment. OB uses systematic study to improve predictions of behaviour.
Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition. Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.