ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

UNIT-I

DEFINITION OF ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

Stephen P. Robbins states as "Organizational Behavior studies the impact that
individuals, groups and structure have on behavior within organization for the purpose
applying such knowledge toward improving and organizations effectiveness.“

THE CONCEPT OF OB

The concept of OB is based on two key elements namely −

Nature of people
Nature of the organization
Nature of People
In simple words, nature of people is the basic qualities of a person, or the character that
personifies an individual they can be similar or unique. Talking at the organizational
level, some major factors affecting the nature of people have been highlighted. They are
−
1.Individual Difference − It is the managerial approach towards each employee
individually, that is one-on-one approach and not the statistical approach, that is,
avoidance of single rule. Example− Manager should not be biased towards any particular
employee rather should treat them equally and try not to judge anyone on any other factor
apart from their work.
2.Perception − It is a unique ability to observe, listen and conclude something. It is
believing in our senses. In short, the way we interpret things and have our point of view
is our perception. Example − Aman thinks late night parties spoil youth while Anamika
thinks late night parties are a way of making new friends. Here we see both Aman and
Anamika have different perception about the same thing.
3.A whole person − As we all know that a person’s skill or brain cannot be employed we
have to employee a whole person. Skill comes from background and knowledge. Our
personal life cannot be totally separated from our work life, just like emotional conditions
are not separable from physical conditions. So, people function is the functioning of a
total human being not a specific feature of human being.
4.Motivated behavior − It is the behavior implanted or caused by some motivation from
some person, group or even a situation. In an organization, we can see two different types
of motivated employees −
Positive motivation − Encouraging others to change their behavior or say complete
a task by luring them with promotions or any other profits. Example − “If you complete
this, you will gain this.”
Negative motivation − Forcing or warning others to change their behavior else
there can be serious consequences. Example − “If you don’t complete this, you will be
deprived from the office.”
5.Value of person − Employees want to be valued and appreciated for their skills and
abilities followed by opportunities which help them develop themselves.
Nature of Organization
Nature of organization states the motive of the firm. It is the opportunities it provides in
the global market. It also defines the employees’ standard; in short, it defines the
character of the company by acting as a mirror reflection of the company. We can
understand the nature of any firm with its social system, the mutual interest it shares and
the work ethics.

1.Social system − Every organization socializes with other firms, their customers, or
simply the outer world, and all of its employees - their own social roles and status. Their
behavior is mainly influenced by their group as well as individual drives. Social system
are of two types namely −
Formal − Groups formed by people working together in a firm or people that
belong to the same club is considered as formal social system. Example − A success party
after getting a project.
Informal − A group of friends, people socializing with others freely, enjoying,
partying or chilling. Example − Birthday party.
2.Mutual interest − Every organization needs people and people need organizations to
survive and prosper. Basically it’s a mutual understanding between the organization and
the employees that helps both reach their respective objectives. Example − We deposit
our money in the bank, in return the bank gives us loan, interest, etc.
3.Ethics − They are the moral principles of an individual, group, and organization. In
order to attract and keep valuable employees, ethical treatment is necessary and some
moral standards need to be set. In fact, companies are now establishing code of ethics
training reward for notable ethical behavior.
MEANINGOFORGANIZATIONALBEHAVIOR

Organizational behavior is the academic study of how people interact within groups. The
principles of the study of organizational behavior are applied primarily in attempts to
make businesses operate more effectively.
IMPORTANCE OF MANAGEMENT ARE AS FOLLOWS-
1. Management helps in achieving group goal:
Management tries to integrate the objectives of individuals along with organisational
goal. Management directs the efforts of all the individuals in the common direction of
achieving organisational goal.
2. Management improves efficiency:
Managers try to reduce the cost and improve productivity with minimum wastage of
resources. Management insists on efficiency and effectiveness in the work through
planning, organising, staffing, directing and controlling.
3. Management creates a dynamic organization:
Organisations have to survive in dynamic environment so managers keep making
changes in the organisation to match the environmental changes. The employees in the
organisation are generally resistant to change. Efficient management motivates
employees to adopt changes willingly by convincing them that change is not only
beneficial for organisation but it improves the employee’s work also in the competitive
world.
4. Management helps in achieving personal objectives:
An efficient manager is the one who brings maximum prosperity for employer as well as
employees. Managers lead the people in such a manner that along with organisational
goal individual goal of employees is also achieved.
As organisational goal and individual goal are in one direction only. Individual wants to
earn more and organisation wants maximum production. Employees can earn more by
producing more. This will fulfill the objectives of both the groups.
5. Management helps in development of society:
Efficient management always has multiple objectives, they give due importance to social
obligations, towards different groups of people such as employees, customers, suppliers
etc. It insists on providing quality goods, Helps in competitive salary, create employment
opportunity etc. By increasing production management also contributes to increase in
GDP (gross Helps in Brings domestic product) and leads to growth of nation.
6. Management brings harmony in work:
In an organization employees come from different backgrounds, they have different
attitudes and different styles of working and if everyone starts following his own style, it
can lead to chaos and confusion in the organization. By giving directions managers bring
uniformity and harmony in the action of employees.

Managers
Managers play an important role in the overall success of a company. They are
responsible for leading a team of employees to meet goals and achieve performance
metrics.
A manager is a professional who takes a leadership role in an organization and manages a
team of employees. Often, managers are responsible for managing a specific department
in their company. There are many types of managers, but they usually have duties like
conducting performance reviews and making decisions. Managers are often the line of
communication between a company's employees and its high-level executives.

What are the job responsibilities and duties of a manager?

A manager's daily responsibilities may vary depending on the industry where they work.
However, some common responsibilities of managers across different sectors can
include:
Leading a team
A key responsibility of a manager is leading their team. They give direction to their
employees and answer their questions. They also delegate tasks to specific employees
and ensure that projects stay on track. Great managers commit to the role of being a fair
leader to help increase their teams' productivity.
Training employees
Managers are often responsible for training their employees to perform their job duties
and learn new skills. They might also offer them professional development opportunities.
Often, managers also act as mentors to their employees and teach them skills that they
can use as they advance their careers.
Making decisions
Another duty of a manager is making decisions for their department. Sometimes,
managers make difficult decisions, so it's important for them to have a strong decision-
making process. This can help them make the best possible decisions for the success of
their departments. Often, managers communicate with their employees and other people
at their company to help them make the best decisions.
Managing conflicts
Managers also address conflicts when necessary, including conflicts between members of
their team. This means that they usually exercise conflict resolution skills and mediate
workplace conflicts. This can help them maintain a positive work environment for their
team.
Managing their department's budget
Managers sometimes take responsibility for their department's budget and using finance
and accounting tools. They may meet with other professionals to create budgets. They
can also determine how much funding their department needs to operate.
Conducting performance reviews
Another major responsibility of managers is conducting performance reviews for their
employees. Usually, performance reviews occur on a periodic basis. In performance
reviews, managers give their employees feedback and suggestions on how they can
improve. They might also help their employees set goals or track their progress on
meeting goals.
Hiring new employees
Managers also frequently work with their company's human resources department to hire
new employees. They may identify job candidates, conduct interviews and extend job
offers. Typically, great managers know how to tell if a job candidate is the right fit for
their team, as they know what skills and qualities people need in order to excel in their
department.

Types of managers
There are several different types of managers, including:
Top managers
Top managers are usually involved with their company's overall strategy. They may
oversee many departments. They are also responsible for making sure that different tasks
and projects align with the overarching mission of their company.
General Managers
General Managers are responsible for a variety of management tasks, including
overseeing product production. They typically set goals for their employees and create
product plans. Usually, a general manager's overall goal is to increase their company's
revenue.
Line managers
Line managers are responsible for achieving specific outputs. Typically, their
responsibilities relate to their company's products or services. Line managers often
communicate with a company's upper management and report results to them.

Team managers
Team managers, which may be referred to as supervisors, are responsible for overseeing
specific groups or functions of an organization. They may be tasked with supervising
projects or keeping teams on track. Like line managers, team managers also report results
to a company's upper management.
SKILLS FOR MANAGERS
To be a successful manager, you may consider developing the following skills:
1. Leadership
Leadership is a core skill for managers, as one of their major job responsibilities is
leading their team. Managers often lead by example, encouraging their employees to
mirror their actions and work ethic. To become a great leader, you can work on
developing qualities like:
Motivation: Managers with leadership skills know how to motivate their
employees. They may use incentives to keep their employees motivated, such as
employee of the month programs or other rewards.
Positivity: Great leaders also maintain a positive attitude and encourage their
employees to do the same. They think optimistically and show positivity when they
interact with others.
Confidence: Confidence can equip leaders to handle difficult situations and lead
their employees effectively. It can help them make strong decisions and lead by example.
Resilience: Leaders are also resilient. This means that they can keep leading
effectively even in difficult circumstances.
Delegation: Delegation is another skill of great leaders, as it enables them to
reassign tasks to the right employees and free up their own time for other tasks.
2. Communication
Managers also need communication skills to succeed at their jobs, as they frequently
communicate with both their employees and other members of their company. Usually,
managers also need written communication skills, as they may be responsible for writing
reports and emails. Active listening is also categorised as a communication skill, and it's
important for managers to have this skill to communicate effectively. Active listening
includes eye contact, body language and smiling.
3. Decision-making
Managers often have to make tough decisions for their teams, so strong decision-making
skills are essential. Often, managers develop their own decision-making processes to help
them handle decisions and other issues in the workplace. Great managers are also willing
to ask other people at the company for feedback as they make decisions.
4. Relationship-building
Great managers also build relationships with their employees. They may do this through
frequent communication with their employees as well as relationship-building exercises.
When managers form strong relationships with their employees, it can help increase
mutual trust and boost employee morale.
5. Customer service
Customer service skills can also be useful for managers. Sometimes, managers
communicate directly with their company's customers, acting as a communication line
between the customers and the upper management of the company. This makes customer
service skills helpful, including skills like empathy, patience and persuasion.
What Is a Managerial Role?
In an organization, a managerial role involves responsibility and supervision. They
contribute to their companies in many ways that hinge upon their job titles and the
organization’s needs. Managers, from department managers to project managers, play
different roles in the scope of their work. All of these roles serve to advance
organizational objectives.

5 Common Managerial Responsibilities

1. Communication: Managers play interpersonal roles in an organization, which hinge
on effective communication. Managers transmit messages up and down the chain of
command, offering worker insight to those at higher levels and corporate guidance to
those at lower levels. They might also communicate external information from
customers and vendors.
2. Leadership: The role of a manager starts with leadership. Managers oversee a set of
team members and guide them in their duties. The best managers even serve as role
models to their direct charges.
3. Decision-making: Managers play decisional roles in an organization. Top managers
steer the entire organization, while departmental managers focus primarily on their
department and immediate colleagues. Project managers focus on one single objective
at a time.
4. Mentoring and advocacy: Effective managers do not merely oversee other
employees. They treat them as true team members, advocating for them with upper
management and offering advice and mentorship as appropriate.
5. Problem-solving: Problem-solving is intrinsic to the nature of managerial work. A
manager’s job may not involve setting policies, but they will take corrective action
when plans go awry. A manager may also play a negotiator role, like a de facto human
resources officer, if problems arise between team members. Learn more
about problem-solving.

10 TYPES OF MANAGERIAL ROLES

Henry Mintzberg, a Canadian academic and business writer, categorizes management
roles into ten main types. Mintzberg’s management roles are:
1. Leader: The first of Mintzberg’s managerial roles is that of a leader. Leaders call
upon their management skills to oversee their staff, keep projects on pace, and provide
feedback. At times, a leader may find themselves motivating staff to see a project
through to its finish.
2. Disseminator: The disseminator plays an informational role within an organization.
They communicate company initiatives, long-term goals, and expectations from top
management.
3. Disturbance handler: Disturbance handlers stand out for their problem-solving and
conflict-resolution skills. When plans go awry, managers spring into action to find
workarounds. Managers may work with human resources officers to address
underlying issues when employees show dissatisfaction. When external clients
complain, disturbance handlers assuage their anger and find solutions.
4. Entrepreneur: Entrepreneurs managers build from the ground up. They specialize in
personal drive and problem-solving. When problems arise, or sales wane, the
entrepreneur devises new ideas to keep the company on track. They also build
collaborative workplaces that utilize the talents of each employee.
5. Figurehead: The figurehead role is a symbolic one. When managers meet
prospective clients or attend conferences, they act as the face of the company,
promoting its brand and ethos.
6. Liaison: Managers can act as a go-between who bridges the gap between the C-
suite and associate-level employees at lower levels. A strong liaison promotes healthy
organizational structures by hearing and sharing what each end of the company needs
from the other.
7. Monitor: The role of monitoring requires both internal and external focus. Internally,
good managers track team progress and align stakeholders toward common goals.
Externally, these leaders monitor new trends and changing technologies, thinking
proactively about potential new products and new marketing initiatives.
8. Negotiator: For some managers, every day brings some form of negotiation, which
may mean negotiating with an employee about their salary. It may mean trading
figures with an outside vendor or client regarding a contract or negotiating among
vested company stakeholders who want their ideas heard. In all cases, the manager
must remain firm and fair, looking out for the company’s interests.
9. Resource allocator: Managers frequently distribute resources such as money,
equipment, and human resources. Top executives often give managers a budget and
resources with which to work. The manager must then decide how to allocate these
resources as they seek a strong return on investment and an empowered, satisfied
workforce.
10. Spokesperson: Managers can be the face of a company, presenting sales or
statistics at shareholder meetings or speaking on behalf of the brand at a workshop or
conference. In their spokesperson role, a successful manager favorably represents the
company to new clients and the general public.

CONTRIBUTING DISCIPLINES TO ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR (OB)

Organizational behavior (OB) is characterized by being a multidisciplinary discipline in
nature as so OB is contributed by various disciplines.
These disciplines have developed and made organizational behavior a strong separate
field of study with its own applications to use. As the complexities are increasing, OB has
faced many complexities and assumed to use ideas of some disciplines that led it to bring
success in the organizational functions.
The major contributing disciplines to the field of organizational behavior are:
 Psychology
 Sociology
 Social Psychology
 Anthropology
 Political Science
 Economics
 Medicine
Here, we will discuss all these disciplines and how they have contributed to
organizational behavior to be a better discipline.
Psychology
Psychology is the behavioral science that studies human behavior (+animals) and mental
processes. It is the science of humans. It is the best tool to understand why people think,
what they think, and how they think.
Psychology helps to know why people think and behave the way they do. Its major seven
perspectives – cognitive, behavioral, psychodynamic, humanistic, biological, socio-
cultural, and evolutionary are what let us understand human behavior in a better way.
Psychology has contributed many important concepts to OB, such as:
 Motivation
 Learning
 Perception
 Personality
 Emotion
 Training
 Employee Selection
 Attitude
 Work Design
 Job Stress, etc.
Since organizational behavior is also a behavioral approach the above contributions of
psychology have made better use in organizational settings. Such as motivation, is the
influencer of employees when motivation is seen in employees the organizational
performance seems to be positively boosted, and learning on the job further enhances the
skills of employees, and so forth.
Sociology
Sociology is the study of human behavior in a social setting consisting of human
interaction, social ties, growth of society, structure, and regulations. Sociology believes
humans are social beings, they are in groups.
Sociologists study humans in group behavior. After psychology, sociology is one of the
most important contributing disciplines to the field of organizational behavior.
The major contributions areas of sociology are group dynamics, status, culture, status,
power, communication, socialization, organizational change, and technology.
Sociologists view an organization as a system consisting of a variety of people having
different roles, statuses, power, and authorities.
A manager should use the concept of sociology to understand a group’s behavior at both
group and organizational levels and take appropriate managerial actions.
Social Psychology
Social psychology is the combination of both psychology and sociology. It studies the
social behavior and thought of people plus how people think, feel, process, and act. It
explains the interaction, interdependence, and influence of people among one another.
It studies the behavior of people at the group level. One of the main contributions of
social psychology to the OB is how to predict, manage, and change the behavior of
humans in organizational settings.
Social psychologists study various areas combining both sociology and psychology but
the most important for organizational behavior are the concept of behavioral change,
attitude change, communication, group process, and group decision making.
Anthropology
Anthropology is the science of humans. It studies the evolution or development stages of
human beings consisting of human nature, different societies, and how different cultures
are developed.
It also studies how humans interacted with their environment, how they are now, and how
in the future and how humans are civilized.
It helps to understand the society of humans and their activities. Its major contributions
include comparative values, attitude, analysis, and norms and it helps to understand
cultural factors in organizational settings such as organizational culture, environment,
power, and so on.
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Challenges and opportunities for organizational behavior are massive and rapidly
changing for improving productivity and meeting business goals.
Although the problems with organizations and the solutions over the ages have not
changed, the emphasis and surrounding environmental context certainly have changed.
Although the resulting lean and mean organizations offered some short-run benefits in
terms of lowered costs and improved productivity, if they continued to do business, as
usual, they would not be able to meet current or future challenges.
As a Harvard Business Review article argues, “These are scary times for managers”.
The singular reason given for these frightening times – the increasing danger of
disruptive change.
The nature of work is changing so rapidly that rigid job structures impede the work to be
done now, and that may drastically change the following year, month, or even week.

Main challenges and opportunities of organizational behavior are;

 Improving Peoples’ Skills.
 Improving Quality and Productivity.
 Total Quality Management (TQM).
 Managing Workforce Diversity.
 Responding to Globalization.
 Empowering People.
 Coping with Temporariness.
  Stimulating Innovation and Change.
 Emergence of E-Organisation & E-Commerce.
 Improving Ethical Behavior.
 Improving Customer Service.
 Helping Employees Balance Work-Life Conflicts.
 Flattening World.
Improving People’s Skills
Technological changes, structural changes, environmental changes are accelerated at a
faster rate in the business field.

Unless employees and executives are equipped to possess the required skills to adapt to
those changes, the targeted goals cannot be achieved in time.
These two different categories of skills – managerial skills and technical skills.
Some of the managerial skills include listening skills, motivating skills, planning and
organizing skills, leading skills, problem-solving skills, decision-making skills.
These skills can be enhanced by organizing a series of training and development
programs, career development programs, induction, and socialization.
Improving Quality and Productivity
Quality is the extent to which the customers or users believe the product or service
surpasses their needs and expectations.
For example, a customer who purchases an automobile has a certain expectation, one of
which is that the automobile engine will start when it is turned on.
If the engine fails to start, the customer’s expectations will not have been met and the
customer will perceive the quality of the car as poor. The key dimensions of quality as
follows.
Performance: Primary rating characteristics of a product such as signal coverage, audio
quality, display quality, etc.
Features: Secondary characteristics, added features, such as calculators, and alarm clock
features in handphone
Conformance: meeting specifications or industry standards, the workmanship of the
degree to which a product’s design or operating characteristics match pre-established
standards
Reliability: The probability of a product’s falling within a specified period
Durability: It is a measure of a product’s life having both economic and technical
dimension
Services: Resolution of problem and complaints, ease of repair
Response: Human to human interfaces, such as the courtesy of the dealer « Aesthetics:
Sensory characteristics such exterior finish
Reputations: Past performance and other intangibles, such as being ranked first.
More and more managers are confronting to meet the challenges to fulfill the specific
requirements of customers.
To improve quality and productivity, they are implementing programs like total quality
management and reengineering programs that require extensive employee involvement.

Total Quality Management (TQM)

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a philosophy of management that is driven by the
constant attainment of customer satisfaction through the continuous improvement of all
organizational processes.
The components of TQM are;
(a) An intense focus on the customer,
(b) Concern for continual improvement,
(c) Improvement in the quality of everything the organization does,
(d) Accurate measurement and,
(e) Empowerment of employees.
Managing Workforce Diversity

This refers to employing different categories of employees who are heterogeneous in

terms of gender, race, ethnicity, relation, community, physically disadvantaged, elderly
people, etc.
The primary reason to employ the heterogeneous category of employees is to tap the
talents and potentialities, harnessing the innovativeness, obtaining synergetic effect
among the divorce workforce.
In general, employees wanted to retain their individual and cultural identity, values and
lifestyles even though they are working in the same organization with common rules and
regulations.
The major challenge for organizations is to become more accommodating to diverse
groups of people by addressing their different lifestyles, family needs, and work styles.
Responding to Globalization

Today’s business is mostly market-driven; wherever the demands exist irrespective of

distance, locations, climatic conditions, the business
operations are expanded to gain their market share and to remain in the top rank, etc.
Business operations are no longer restricted to a particular locality or region.
The company’s products or services are spreading across nations using mass
communication, the internet, faster transportation, etc.
More than 95% of Nokia (Now Microsoft) handphones are being sold outside of their
home country Finland.
Japanese cars are being sold in different parts of the globe. Sri Lankan tea is exported to
many cities around the globe.
Garment products of Bangladesh are exporting in the USA and EU countries. Executives
of Multinational corporations are very mobile and move from one subsidiary to another
more frequently.
Empowering People
The main issue is delegating more power and responsibility to the lower level cadre of
employees and assigning more freedom to make choices about their schedules,
operations, procedures and the method of solving their work-related problems.
Encouraging the employees to participate in the work-related decision will sizable
enhance their commitment to work.
Empowerment is defined as putting employees in charge of what they do by eliciting
some sort of ownership in them.
Managers are doing considerably further by allowing employees full control of their
work.
Movement implies constant change an increasing number of organizations are using self-
managed teams, where workers operate largely without a boss.
Due to the implementation of empowerment concepts across all the levels, the
relationship between managers and the employees is reshaped.
Managers will act as coaches, advisors, sponsors, facilitators and help their subordinates
to do their tasks with minimal guidance.

Coping with Temporariness

In recent times, the product life cycles are slimming, the methods of operations are
improving, and fashions are changing very fast. In those days, the managers needed to
introduce major change programs once or twice a decade.
Today, change is an ongoing activity for most managers.
The concept of continuous improvement implies constant change.
In yesteryears, there used to be a long period of stability and occasionally interrupted by a
short period of change, but at present, the change process is an ongoing activity due to
competitiveness in developing new products and services with better features.
Everyone in the organization faces today is one of permanent temporariness. The actual
jobs that workers perform are in a permanent state of flux.
So, workers need to continually update their knowledge and skills to perform new job
requirements.
Stimulating Innovation and Change
Today’s successful organizations must foster innovation and be proficient in the art of
change; otherwise, they will become candidates for extinction in due course of time and
vanished from their field of business.
Victory will go to those organizations that maintain flexibility, continually improve their
quality, and beat the competition to the market place with a constant stream of innovative
products and services.
For example, Compaq succeeded by creating more powerful personal computers for the
same or less money than EBNM or Apple, and by putting their products to market
quicker than the bigger competitors.
The emergence of E-Organization & E-Commerce
It refers to the business operations involving the electronic mode of transactions. It
encompasses presenting products on websites and filling the order.
The vast majority of articles and media attention given to using the Internet in business
are directed at online shopping.
In this process, the marketing and selling of goods and services are being carried out over
the Internet.
In e-commerce, the following activities are being taken place quite often – the
tremendous numbers of people who are shopping on the Internet, business houses are
setting up websites where they can sell goods, conducting the following transactions such
as getting paid and fulfilling orders.
It is a dramatic change in the way a company relates to its customers. At present e-
commerce is exploding. Globally, e-commerce spending was increasing at a tremendous
rate.
Improving Ethical Behavior
The complexity in business operations is forcing the workforce to face ethical dilemmas,
where they are required to define right and wrong conduct to complete their assigned
activities.
For example,
Should the employees of a chemical company blow the whistle if they uncover the
discharging its untreated effluents into the river are polluting its water resources?
Do managers give an inflated performance evaluation to an employee they like, knowing
that such an evaluation could save that employee’s job?
The ground rules governing the constituents of good ethical behavior have not been
clearly defined, Differentiating right things from wrong behavior has become more
blurred.
Following unethical practices have become a common practice such as successful
executives who use insider information for personal financial gain, employees in
competitor businesses participating in massive cover-ups of defective products, etc.
Improving Customer Service
OB can contribute to improving organizational performance by showing drat how
employees’ attitudes and behavior are associated with customer satisfaction.
In that case, service should be the first production-oriented by using technological
opportunities like a computer, the internet, etc.
To improve customer service we need to provide sales service and also the after-sales
service.
Helping Employees Balance Work-Life Conflicts
The typical employee in the 1960s or 1970s showed up at the workplace Monday through
Friday and did his or her job 8 or 9-hour chunk of time.
The workplace and hours were specified. That’s no longer true for a large segment of
today’s workforce.
Employees are increasingly complaining that the line between work and non-work time
has become blurred, creating personal conflict and stress.
Many forces have contributed to blurring the lines between employees’ work life and
personal life.

First, the creation of global organizations means their world never sleeps. At any time
and on any day, for instance, thousands of General Electric employees are working
somewhere.

Second, communication technology allows employees to do their work at home, in their

cars, or on the beach in Cox’s Bazar.

This lets many people in technical and professional jobs do their work anytime and from
any place.

Third, organizations are asking employees to put in longer hours.

Finally, fewer families have only a single breadwinner. Today’s married employee is
typically part of a dual-career couple. This makes it increasingly difficult for married
employees to find the time to fulfill commitments to home, spouse, children, parents, and
friends.

Flattening World

Thomas Friedman’s book The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century
makes the point that the Internet has “flattened” the world and created an environment in
which there is a more level playing field in terms of access to information. This access to
information has led to an increase in innovation, as knowledge can be shared instantly
across time zones and cultures.It has also created intense competition, as the speed of
business is growing faster and faster all the time.