CONTEXTUAL PERSPECTIVES

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Chapter 5
 CONTEXTUAL
PERSPECTIVES
SOCIO-CULTURAL

Individuals AND

ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES
 THE SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE

THE SITUATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

INTERACTIONALISM: PEOPLE & SITUATIONS

 THE SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE

 “theory of systems”
 an interrelated set of elements
that function as a whole - inputs
are combined/transformed by
managers into outputs from the
systems.
THE SYSTEMS APPROACH TO ORGANIZATION
FEEDBACK

INPUTS OUTPUTS

• Material Inputs • Products/Services

• Human Inputs
TRANSFORMATION • Profits/Losses
• Financial Inputs • Employee Behaviors
• Information Inputs • New Information

ENVIRONMENT
TRANSFORMATION
 VALUE OF THE SYSTEMS
PERSPECTIVE
 underscores the importance of an
organization’s environment
 conceptualizes the flow and interaction
of various elements of the organization
 THE SITUATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

 recognizes the most organizational situations and

outcomes are influenced by other variables

THE UNIVERSAL MODEL

presumes a direct cause and effect linkage between

variables

complexities of human behavior and organizational

settings make universal conclusions virtually
impossible
UNIVERSAL & SITUATIONAL APPROACH
SITUATIONAL APPROACH

Organizational
problems or Elements of the Contingent or
situations must be situation, which then situational ways of
evaluated in terms of suggest.. responding.
….

UNIVERSAL APPROACH

Organizational problems or situations determine….. The one best way of responding

 INTERACTIONALISM: PEOPLE & SITUATIONS

 focuses on how individuals and

situations interact continuously to
determine individual’s behavior.

 attempts to explain how people,

select, interpret, and change various
situations.
INTERACTIONALISM: PEOPLE & SITUATIONS
MANAGING
FOR
EFFECTIVENES
S
 INDIVIDUAL-LEVEL Managers work
OUTCOMES toward
accomplishing the
various goals
(outcomes) that
GROUP-LEVEL OUTCOMES exist at specific
levels in an
organization.

ORGANIZATIONAL-LEVEL
OUTCOMES
MANAGING FOR EFFECTIVENESS