ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

MBA 809

MOHAMMED NUHU PhD

STUDY QUESTIONS
▪ Explain various components that should be taken care of while
studying organizational behaviour.

▪ Explain the field of organizational behaviour. Why the study is

challenging.

▪ Explain the field of organizational behaviour. Why the study is

challenging.

▪ Trace out the evolution of management theories. Identify major

landmarks in the process.
▪ Explain the concept of learning. How learning leads
to behaviour modification.

▪ What are various learned characteristics of an

individual. How these affect behaviour?

▪ What environmental factors have influence on

individual behaviour. Discuss

▪ What are various personality traits that are generally

found in each individual?
▪ Define perception. What are various factors that
affect perception?

▪ How does personality affect individual perception?

▪ Write short notes on the following

(a) Type A and B personality.
(b) Authoritarianism.
▪ Why people join group. Explain.

▪ What are various types of group?

▪ Study of norms and status is essential for the study of

group dynamics. Explain.
Case Study
Case 1: The Unattended Accident

Vinod Khanna left Bombay for Surat on official work on 3rd November, by 10.45 p.m. train. On the following day
in Surat, Vinod received a phone call from a colleague in Bombay saying that his mother and his children had
met with a car accident. He phoned back his sister in Bombay and got the details about the accident. As he felt
concerned about the nature of injuries to his mother, he felt it advisable to return. He therefore, took the
evening plane back to Bombay. Vinod Khanna stays in the housing colony of the company with his parents and
his children. The company and its housing colony are situated at a place not easily accessible to the mainland
city of Bombay. On the previous evening, when he was leaving for Surat, he had requisitioned the office car at
7.45 p.m. for commuting to the station. On the way to the station, he had picked up his mother and children
from his sister’s house in the mainland city.

After seeing him off at the railway station. His family members were returning to their company quarters by the
same car. Half the way up, the car was hit by a truck. The driver received minor injuries. Vinod’s daughter got
some bruises. His son’s jaw was badly hurt endangering one of his teeth. His mother was hurt on the face, her
denture was thrown off and her ears started bleeding. The car was badly damaged. An RTO officer who was
around directed the driver and Vinod’s relations to the nearest police station. From the police station the driver
called the company’s Administrative Officer and informed him about the accident. Vinod’s son contacted his
aunt who came and took care of the children and the mother. They were taken to a hospital where the children
were treated and allowed to go, and the mother was hospitalized.
Case 1: The Unattended Accident……Cont
The next morning, that is on 4th November, Vinod’s sister called the company’s Administrative Officer and was
informed as to where Vinod could be contacted. She also called a colleague of Vinod and told him about the
accident. On reaching his office on 5th November, Vinod complained to the Chief Executive about the neglect and
lack of concern shown by the administration regarding the accident. The Administrative Officer had not taken
any immediate action consequent to the driver’s phone call. Vinod also complained that while commuting to the
office that morning by the company’s bus. The Administrative Officer confirmed that he received the driver’s
phone call at 11.30 p.m. He maintained that the driver had said that he had been slightly injured. Where after he
had talked to the police sub-inspector on duty, who also informed him that the driver and Vinod’s son had
received minor injuries; and that he would release the driver and the car immediately.

The Administrative Officer further contended that the driver did not ask to be picked up also that he did not
know that Vinod’s mother was also in the car and that she had been badly hurt. The driver submitted his report
the next evening. The driver contended that after phoning the Administrative Officer from the police station, he
went back to the car at the site of the accident and spent the night with his injuries untreated. He said since the
police officer talked to the Administrative Officer in English, he did not know what conversation took place
between them. In the morning, he phoned the transport incharge, whence he was picked up and the car towed
to the company premises.
Case 1: The Unattended Accident…..cont.

The transport incharge, Mr. Kashyap maintained that the car and the driver were assigned for
duty only upto the railway station and back. He said he also did not know that Vinod’s mother
had been in the car until the driver filed his report. Nor, he said, did he notice Vinod on the bus
on the morning of 5th November. On 6th November, the Chief Executive received a
memorandum from the Employees Association of the company complaining about the inaction
of the Administrative Officer concerning the accident.

QUESTIONS
Read the above case carefully and answer the following questions.
Q. 1. Identify the human relations problems in the case.
Q. 2. It is possible to deal with the problem through formal procedures?
Q. 3. What may be other methods of resolving the problem?
Q. 4. What kind of behavioural change is required on the part of different functionaries involved?
Q. 5. What are the likely consequences of dealing with it formally?
Case 2: Mr Vice chancellor needs learning through doings
Often changes surface the organizations with the new Heads of the Organizations. So is true in case of an infant
Central University in the North-Eastern Region of India. As the Vice Chancellors in the University system are
migratory birds for a certain period of 3 or 5 years to stay in the University, the previous Vice Chancellor left
and the New Vice Chancellor joined the University with his own type of mission and vision for the University.

He, from his first day in the University, started thinking and working to achieve his mission and vision. In order
to monitor the things/ happening in the University in right direction, he formed an informal advisory committee
consisting of some 20 Professors of the University. He also evolved a modus operandi for this advisory
committee.

Fortnightly, he started holding meetings with the group of advisory committee in order to keep them informed
and teach them the specifics of any new change in the Government and the University Grants Commission
policies and procedures that might affect their work. He also used to discuss priorities and assignments for
them. This meeting was also a time and place when the members can share some of the problems and concerns
of their respective departments. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 3 P.M. sharp (prompt) every second and
fourth Saturday of the month. Initially, when it was non-teaching duration, the members came on time. Lately,
when classes in the Semester System gained momentum, the members have been filtering in every five minutes
or until almost 4 P.M. This made the Vice Chancellor delay the start of the meeting until all the members arrive.
Case 2: Mr Vice chancellor needs learning through doings…….cont.
During the last few weeks when classes are running in full swing, the meetings have not started until 4 P.M. In fact, at
3 P.M., nobody has shown up. The Vice Chancellor could not understand what has happened. The facts unknown to
him were mainly missing a single class in the semester system costs as lot, most of the Professors-Members were two-
in-one i.e, the Deans of the Schools and the Heads of the Departments, and non-availability of transport after 5 PM
from the University Campus to the city with a distance of 20 kms. Though the Vice Chancellor was seeing the crowd
of the students, teachers and non-teaching employees standing by the road-side waiting for highly irregular public
transport, every day while passing through the bus stop in his black glass official vehicle, but was oblivious to think
over how they will come back to the city which is 20 kms away from the Campus.

The Vice Chancellor was only concerned how to conduct the Advisory Committee meetings on time. For a moment, he
thought to start meeting at 3 P.M. so that meeting is over by 5 P.M. before all, the advisory committee is informal and,
thereby, the members are volunteers by nature, and, therefore, he cannot push them or make them get to the meetings
on time. On the other hand, the Professor- members, who are in no way less qualified than the Vice Chancellor, didn’t
care for this advisory committee meetings which are not under the purview of their official duties or jobs.

QUESTIONS
Read the above case carefully and answer the following questions with the help of OB knowledge.
1. If you were a consultant to the Vice-Chancellor, what advice would you give to the Vice Chancellor?
2. In terms of re-enforcement theory, explain what is happening here and what the Vice Chancellor needs to do to get
the meeting started on time.
THANK YOU