Chapter 1

What Is Organizational Behaviour?

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition. Copyright 2003 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Chapter 1 Outline
Defining Organizational Behaviour Todays Challenges in the Canadian Workplace OB: Making Sense of Behaviour in Organizations Levels of Organizational Behaviour

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition. Copyright 2003 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

What Is Organizational Behaviour?

Questions for Consideration
What is organizational behaviour? What challenges do managers and employees face in the workplace of the 21st century? How will knowledge of organizational behaviour make a difference for you?
Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition. Copyright 2003 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Organizational Behaviour
. . . a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups and structure have on behaviour within organizations, for the purpose of applying such knowledge toward improving an organizations effectiveness.

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition. Copyright 2003 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Why Do We Study OB?

To learn about yourself and how to deal with others You are part of an organization now, and will continue to be a part of various organizations Organizations are increasingly expecting individuals to be able to work in teams, at least some of the time Some of you may want to be managers or entrepreneurs
Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition. Copyright 2003 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

What Is an Organization?
A consciously coordinated social unit, composed of a group of people, which functions on a relatively continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals.

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition. Copyright 2003 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, Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition. Copyright 2003 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Todays Challenges in the Canadian Workplace

Challenges at the Individual Level
Job Satisfaction Empowerment Behaving Ethically

Challenges at the Group Level

Working With Others Workforce Diversity
Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition. Copyright 2003 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Todays Challenges in the Canadian Workplace

Challenges at the Organizational Level
Productivity Developing Effective Employees
Absenteeism Turnover Organizational Citizenship

Competition From the Global Environment Managing and Working in a Global Village
Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition. Copyright 2003 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Productivity
Productivity
A performance measure including effectiveness and efficiency

Effectiveness
Achievement of goals

Efficiency
The ratio of effective work output to the input required to produce the work
Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition. Copyright 2003 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Effective Employees
Absenteeism
Failure to report to work

Turnover
Voluntary and involuntary permanent withdrawal from the organization

Organizational citizenship behaviour

Discretionary behaviour that is not part of an employees formal job requirements, but is helpful to the organization
Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition. Copyright 2003 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Contributing Disciplines to the OB Field

Psychology Sociology Social Psychology Anthropology Political Science

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition. Copyright 2003 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Exhibit 1-2 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, Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition. Copyright 2003 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

The Rigour of OB
OB looks at consistencies
What is common about behaviour, and helps predictability?

OB is more than common sense

Systematic study, based on scientific evidence

OB has few absolutes OB takes a contingency approach

Considers behaviour in context
Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition. Copyright 2003 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Beyond Common Sense

Systematic Study
Looking at relationships, attempting to attribute causes and effects and drawing conclusions based on scientific evidence
Behaviour is generally predictable There are differences between individuals There are fundamental consistencies There are rules (written & unwritten) in almost every setting

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition. Copyright 2003 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Exhibit 1-3 Basic OB Model, Stage I

Organization systems level

Group level

Individual level

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition. Copyright 2003 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Exhibit 1-4 Basic OB Model, Stage II

Human resource policies and practices Organizational culture Organization structure and design Work design and technology

Organization Systems Level

Change and stress Group decision making Leadership

Communication

Group structure

Work teams

Productivity

Absence

Other groups

Conflict

Power and politics

Turnover

Group Level

Human output

Satisfaction

Organizational commitment Biographical characteristics

Workplace interaction

Personality

Perception

Values and attitudes

Motivation

Individual decision making

Human input

Ability

Individual Differences

Individual Level Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition. Copyright 2003 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, Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition. Copyright 2003 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Exhibit 1-5 Competing Values Framework

Flexibility

Internal Focus

External Focus

Control
Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition. Copyright 2003 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Competing Values Framework

Internal-External Dimension
Inwardly toward employee needs and concerns and/or production processes and internal systems or Outwardly, toward such factors as the marketplace, government regulations, and the changing social, environmental, and technological conditions of the future

Flexibility-Control Dimension
Flexible and dynamic, allowing more teamwork and participation; seeking new opportunities for products and services or Controlling or stable, maintaining the status quo and exhibiting less change

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Organizational Behaviour, Third Canadian Edition. Copyright 2003 Pearson Education Canada Inc.