Lecture 2 - HROB

Learning Outcome:

-Define and describe basic characteristics of organizations and organizational behaviour

-Understand the history and contemporary challenges to the development of OB

Organizational Behaviour

-Organizations are:
-Social interventions..
-…for accomplishing common goals…
-…through group effect

-Focus on:
-Attitudes and behaviours if individuals and groups in organizations
-How organizations can be effectively structured
-How external events influence organizations

Human Resource Management

-Complementary to organizational behaviour

-More focused on programs, practices, and systems
-Emphasis placed on:
-Recruitment
-Selection
-Compensation
-Training and development

Why do we study organizational behaviour?

-Intellectual stimulation, creative exercise

-All employment and workplaces involve people and some degree of human interaction
>How can we be more effective as individuals?
>How can we maximize others’ efforts
>How can we make ourselves more valuable?

-We seek to maximize the quality of efforts and time involved in work
-Four large goals of organizations: Survival, competitiveness, adaptability, and success

Organizational Behaviour Success

-Innovative organizational design and structures

-Wellness, occupational health & safety programs
-Work-life policies and practices
-Employee compensation programs
>Stock options, profit sharing, bonuses
-Professional development and training
-Diversity and inclusion programs and strategies
-Recognition and reward systems

Common Response to OB

-“This is common sense”

-“I could have guessed that”
-“I’m an expert”
-“I knew that”
-“I’ve been doing this for years”
-“This is what happened to me/my colleague/ my friend…”
-“I saw Google and Facebook do…”

Goals of Organizational Behaviour

1. Predict behaviour
2. Explain behaviour
3. Manage behaviour

-Evidence-based management: utilizing the best scientific evidence available to guide

organizational decision making

Mangement: The art of getting things accomplished in organizations through others

A Brief History of OB

-Frederick Taylor - scientific management; “Taylorization” and Henry Ford

-Bureaucracy
-Hawthrone Studies (Changing work environments to see how employees react, kept
being more productive)
>Employees knew they were being watched
>Changing the social environment will result in a behavioural change
>Making too many changes, reducing productivity in the long run (Makes
employees frustrated, more likely to leave, etc.) ***ON EXAM
-Human relations movement - challenging classic management to orient towards
employee needs
-Contingency model - “It depends…”

Current Issues Facing OB

-Diversity and inclusion

-Globalization and internationalization
-Employee health and wellbeing (including mental health)
-Positive organizational behaviour
-Talent management and employee engagement