Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.

Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Chapter 1
What is Organizational
Behaviour?
Chapter 1, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 1-2
Copyright 2007 Pearson Education Canada
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 1-3
Copyright 2007 Pearson Education Canada
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, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
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, Nancy Langton and Stephen P. Robbins, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition 1-5
Copyright 2007 Pearson Education Canada
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, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
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.


Flexibility
Control
Mentor Innovator
Broker
Facilitator
Monitor Producer
Coordinator Director
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Roles and Skills in the New
Workplace
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
Workplace
Organizational Level
Productivity
Developing effective employees
Global competition
Managing in the global village
Group Level
Working with others
Workforce diversity
Individual Level
Job satisfaction
Empowerment
Behaving ethically
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:

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Exhibit 1-4
The Layers of OB
The Organization
Negotiation
Conflict
Communication
Groups and teams
Power and politics
The Group
Emotions
Values and attitudes
Perception
Personality
Motivating self and others
The Individual
Change
Organizational culture
Decision making
Leadership
Groups and teams
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
Social psychology
Psychology
Behavioural
science
Contribution Unit of
analysis
Output
Anthropology
Sociology
Political science
Study of
Organizational
Behaviour
Organization
system
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
Conflict
Intraorganizational politics
Power
Organizational culture
Organizational environment
Behavioural change
Attitude change
Communication
Group processes
Group decision making
Group
Comparative values
Comparative attitudes
Cross-cultural analysis
Individual
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
Exhibit 1-2
Research Methods in OB
Source: J. R. Schermerhorn, J.G. Hunt, and R. N. Osborn, Organizational Behaviour, 9
th
Edition, 2005, p. 4. Copyright 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Reprinted
with the permission of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Second Canadian Edition.
Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Canada 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.