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Evolution of Organizational Behavior

The document summarizes the historical evolution of organizational behavior from 1700 to the present. Some of the most important milestones include the early theories on the division of labor of Adam Smith and Charles Babbage in the 18th century, the scientific management of Frederick Taylor and the management theory of Henry Fayol in the classical era of 1900, the social relations movement. humanities in the years 1930-1960 and behaviorist theorists such as Skinner and Herzberg in the decades of 1940-1980. Organizational behavior today focuses

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112 views3 pages

Evolution of Organizational Behavior

The document summarizes the historical evolution of organizational behavior from 1700 to the present. Some of the most important milestones include the early theories on the division of labor of Adam Smith and Charles Babbage in the 18th century, the scientific management of Frederick Taylor and the management theory of Henry Fayol in the classical era of 1900, the social relations movement. humanities in the years 1930-1960 and behaviorist theorists such as Skinner and Herzberg in the decades of 1940-1980. Organizational behavior today focuses

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HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

1700 - First Practices



Adam Smith 1776
 The Wealth of Nations, published in 1776, included an argument about the
economic advantages that organizations and society would reap from the
division of labor.

 Robert Owen 1789


He proposed a utopian workplace that would reduce the suffering of the
working class.

 Charles Babbage 1792


In his book “Qn the Economy of Machinery and Manufactures” published in
1832 he added points to Smith's list of advantages derived from the division of
labor.

1900 - Classic Era

 Scientific Administration 1901


Frederick W. Taylor:
Formulate a method
Choose according to your capabilities
Cooperate with workers
Divide work and responsibilities

 Administrative Theory 1916


Henry Fayol proposed that all administrators perform five administrative
functions:
To plan
Organize
Order
To coordinate
Check

 Structural Theory 1920


Max Weber developed a theory of authority structures and described
organizational activity based on authority relationships.

Weber's ideal bureaucracy:


Job specialization
Hierarchy of authority
Formal selection
Formal rules and regulations
Impersonality
Career orientation

Theory of the "social man" 1921
Two theorists who saw the importance of the social aspects of organizations.
MARY PARKER FOLLETT and CHESTER BARNARD

1930 - Behaviorist Era


The birth of the "personnel office"
They created the position of "welfare secretary" as he was the one who helped workers
by suggesting better working conditions, housing, medical care, educational facilities
and recreation.

The birth of industrial psychology 1940


Hugo Münsterberg created the field of industrial psychology, advocating the scientific
study of human behavior to identify general patterns and explain individual differences.

Wagner Law 1950


Magna Carta of workers' unions.

Human Relations 1960


The Hawthorne studies were the most important contribution to the human relations
movement. They were designed to examine the effect of various levels of lighting on
worker productivity.

 Dale Carnegie
Carnegie's essential theme is that the path to success lies in knowing how to
gain the cooperation of other people.
 Abraham Maslow
"Each stage in the hierarchy must be satisfied before the next can be activated"
 Douglas Mcgregor
He is known for his formulation of two sets of hypotheses
-theory X and theory Y-

Theorists of behavioral science 1948 - 1987


Behavioral science theorists were concerned with the objective investigation of
human behavior in organizations.

 B.E. Skinner
1948
He found that people are much more willing to perform the desired behavior if
they are rewarded for it.

 Jacob Moreno
1951
He created an analytical technique called Sociometry to study group
interactions.
 Fred Fiedler (1951)
Leadership is one of the most important and most extensively researched topics
in organizational behavior.
 Frederick Herzberg 1968
He concluded that people prefer jobs that offer opportunities for recognition,
fulfillment, taking responsibility, and growth.
 J. Richard Hackman and Greg Oldham (1976)
They found that among individuals with strong growth needs, jobs that are
highly skilled lead to high performance and employee satisfaction.
 David Mccelland - 1987
His research has helped organizations better match people to jobs and redesign
jobs for high achievers to maximize their motivational potential.

Organizational Behavior today:


The most recent topics of research in recent years have been theories of
motivation, leadership, job design, and job satisfaction.

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