Topics:

Introduction: What is
Organizational Behavior?

The Individual as a Person

Foundations of Individual Behavior

What is 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.
An entity comprises of
multiple people, such as an
institution or an association,
that has a collective goal that
is linked to an external
environment. (wikipedia.org)
behavior?
A response of an individual or
group to an action,
environment, persons or
stimulus.
(businessdictionary.com)
The range of actions and
mannerisms made by
individuals, organisms,
systems or artificial entities
on conjunction with
themselves or their
environment. (wikipedia.org)
What is
Organizational
Behavior?
OB can be defined in terms of the study of individuals
and groups in an organization. As the second word
suggests, one of its principal concerns is behaviour, of
individuals and of groups, while the first word suggests
that it also has something to do with the study of
organization. Thus we can say that OB is concerned with
the behavior of individuals and groups in an
organizational context. OB is also concerned with how
organizations are designed and structured, and how
they function. Organization will also be influenced by the
external environment or context in which they operate.
The importance of organizational
behavior

One purpose could be simply to improve our

understanding: of ourselves and our behavior, and
that of others, and of organization- that is,
knowledge for knowledge’s sake.

Another would be to enable people to be better

managers, and a related one would be to improve
organizational effectiveness – that is, to enable
organizations run better, Lastly, it could be in order to
improve understanding, not just for its own sake, but
to challenge how things are perceived and done now
and try to being change.

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Levels of organizational behavior

The Individual

Organizations are made up of a collection o different individuals,

each with his or her own background, personality, attitudes, skills
and attributes. Understanding the behavior of individuals
requires an appreciation of these differences, which is where
psychology is important.
The Group

Much work is done in groups or teams and these are

essential to the workings of organizations. Group working
brings many advantages – different expertise and roles,
ideas, support – but it may also bring challenges. Group
members will influence each other in ways that my or may
not be beneficial to the organization. As well as the formal
groups set up in organizations, informal groups are likely to
arise.
The Organization

Individual behavior and interaction, as well as

group functioning, take place within, and are
influenced by, the context of organization.
Organization has formal structures that set out
different levels and job roles in the
organization and the relationships between
these. Structures can be formal and hierarchal
or more flexible and flat. The behavior of
individuals and groups will be influenced by
such structures, as well as by the culture,
technology and management style of the
organization
 The
Individual
As a Person
When we meet someone for the first time, we
often form immediate impressions based only
on very limited information.

All individuals are unique,

but although we are
different, we all share
several things.

Personality is the characteristics of an individual

that make the individual unique and shape his or
her behavior
What is Individual? What is a Person?

Inseparable Human, an individual

A particular being or A human being that thinks

thing as distinguished and walks.
from a class, species
or collection; a single A being that has certain
human contrasted capacities or attributes such
with a social group or as reason, morality,
a single organism consciousness or self-
distinguished from a consciousness and a part of a
group culturally established form of
social relations such as
kinship, ownership of property
or legal responsibility
 Psychology is the
science of human behavior.

The study of personality dates back to the Middle Ages,

when the first examples of personality theory suggested
that personality was linked to our physiological make-
up and balance of our bodily fluids.
Sheldon’s Personality Theory
William Herbert Sheldon claimed that a body type
could be linked with the personality of the person. He
split up these body/personality types into 3 categories
called somatotypes.
 Typologies of Personality

Endomorph
plump, rounded people
Happy, jolly and easy-going

-also known as viscerotonic

-physically round
-Have wide hips and narrow
shoulders
Have a lot of extra fat on the body
-characteristics are relaxed,
tolerant, comfortable and sociable
-fun-loving, good humoured, even-
tempered and loves food and
affection
Mesomorph or
Mesomorphic
athletic, muscular people
Energetic, hearty and outgoing but insentitive

-between the endomorph and thin

ectomorph
-have an attractive and desirable body
-tend to have large head and broad
shoulders with a narrow waist.
-has a strong muscular body
-They are adventurous and courageous
-they are not afraid to break out and do
new things with new people
-assertive and competitive and desires
to have power and be dominant
-loves taking risks and chances in life
Ectomorph
thin, fragile people
Introspective, restrained and shy

-complete opposite of endomorph

-has narrow shoulders, thin legs and
arms, little fat on the body
-tend to be self-conscious, socially
anxious, artistic, thoughtful, quiet
and private.
-afraid to branch out
Foundations of
Individual
Behavior
Individual Behavior

Attitudes

learning Personality

Perception
 Attitudes
is a psychological construct, a mental and emotional
entity that inheres in, or characterizes a person.

Positive
Attitudes
Job
Satisfaction

Job
Dissatisfaction
Negative
Attitudes
People expect more than material…

People seeks:
– Personal communications
– Friendship
– Support from other people
– (socializes)

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 Personality
• The sum total of ways in which an individual
reacts to an interact with others.

• The complex characteristics that distinguishes

an individual or a nation or group

• Thee totality of individual’s behavior and

emotional characteristics
 Personality: The big five model.
• Extraversion:
– sociable, talkative and assertive.
• Agreeableness:
– Good natured, cooperative and trusting.
• Conscientiousness:
– responsible, dependable, persistent and
achievement oriented
• Emotional stability:
– Calm, enthusiastic, secure (positive) vs. tense,
nervous, depressed, and insecure (negative).
• Openness to experience:
– Imaginativeness, artistic sensitivity and
intellectualism
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 Major personality attributes
influencing OB
• Locus of control
– Internals
– Externals
• Machiavellianism
• self esteem
• Self monitoring
• Risk taking
• Type A personality
• Type B personality
 Perception
• A process by which individuals organize and
interpret their sensory impressions in order
to give meaning to their environment
• Factors influencing perception:
– The perceiver,
• Attitudes, motives, interest, experience, expectations
– The target
• Novelty, motion, sounds, size, background, proximity
– The situation
• Time, work setting, social setting
• When we observe people we attempt to develop
explanations of why they behave in certain ways.

• When individuals observe behavior, they attempt to

determine whether it is internally or externally
caused.

• Internally: under control of individual.

• Externally: outside causes.

 Learning
• Any relatively permanent change in
behavior that occurs as result of
experience.
• How do we learn?
– Classical conditioning
• Behavior depends on consequences (money,
smiles,…)
– Positive consequences: repeat.
– Negative consequences: do no repeat.

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 Learning

conditioning

Behavior
Environment

Shaping
 Learning
• Operant conditioning
– slow, rewards, punishment.
– Test and fail
• Shaping
– By observing what happens to other people.
– Quick

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Books:

Smith, P, Farmer, M and Yellowley, W. Organizational behavior

Robbins, S and Judge, T. Organizational Behavior Edition 15
Erdogan, E, et.al. An Introduction to Organizational Behaviour

Slideshare

GpiIC-1A Foundations of individual behavior

Websites:

Wikipedia.org
Businessdictionary.com