1/22/2021 Three Levels of Influence | Organizational Behavior and Human Relations

Organizational Behavior and Human

Relations
Module 1: Introduction to Organizational Behavior

Three Levels of In uence

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LEARNING OUTCOMES

Di erentiate between the three levels of in uence

If you have ever held a job, taken a class, or participated in an organized

activity, you have seen levels of in uence. The three levels of in uence
are the individual, the group, and the organization. The three levels are
interconnected so it is critical to understand each one.

The Individual

The
individual
level
includes
each
individual
person
within an
organization.
Each
individual
acts di erently which a ects group dynamics and the organization as a
whole. If there are a lot of happy and e cient individuals, the work
environment will be an e cient and productive one. However, if there
are a lot of negative and disgruntled individuals, it can create a toxic
environment.

It is impossible for a company to study each individual employee’s

behavior, however, it is important for a company to create guidelines and
expectations that will attract employees with desirable behaviors. For
example, a company may hire employees based on their personality or
how they answer behavioral based interview questions. At the same
time, companies can help in uence individual behavior. They do this by

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1/22/2021 Three Levels of Influence | Organizational Behavior and Human Relations

creating a code of conduct, establishing policy and procedure

guidelines, and by developing incentives and consequences.

The Group

The group level includes any groups within an organization. Groups can
range in size from a couple people working together, to a large group
with dozens or hundreds of members. As we just discussed, individuals
can a ect a group and a group can a ect an organization. And at the
same time, a group can a ect individuals and an organization can a ect
a group. Imagine organizational behavior as a large spider web over
each organization. The spider web connects each level of in uence with
the two others, creating a pathway between each one.

The Organization

Finally, the organization level incorporates the organization as a whole.

In case you haven’t picked up on the trend, it’s important to point out
that the organization impacts the individual and group behavior and that
individual and group behavior impacts an organization.

PRACTICE QUESTION

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1/22/2021 Three Levels of Influence | Organizational Behavior and Human Relations

What are the three levels of in uence?

logical, emotional, cooperative

private, public, potential

informational, psychological, and biological

individual, group, and organization

Check Answer

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