• In words of Stephen P.

Robbins, “OB is a field of study that

investigates the impact that individuals, groups and structures have on
behaviour within organisations for the purpose of applying such
knowledge towards improving an organisation’s effectiveness.”
• According to Davis and Newstram, “Organisational behaviour is the
study and application of knowledge about how people act within
organisations.”
• The five models of organisational behaviour are the:
•  autocratic model,
•  custodial model,
•  supportive model,
•  collegial model and
•  system model.
• AUTOCRATIC MODEL Autocratic model is the model that depends
upon strength, power and formal authority.
• In an autocratic organisation, the people (management/owners) who
manage the tasks in an organisation have formal authority for
controlling the employees who work under them. These lower-level
employees have little control over the work function. Their ideas and
innovations are not generally welcomed, as the key decisions are made
at the top management level.
• CUSTODIAL MODEL The custodial model is based around the
concept of providing economic security for employees – through
wages and other benefits – that will create employee loyalty and
motivation.
• In some countries, many professional companies provide health
benefits, corporate cars, financial packaging of salary, and so on –
these are incentives designed to attract and retain quality staff. The
underlying theory for the organisation is that they will have a greater
skilled workforce, more motivated employees, and have a competitive
advantage through employee knowledge and expertise.
• SUPPORTIVE MODEL Unlike the two earlier approaches, The intent of this
model is to motivate employees through a positive workplace where their ideas are
encouraged and often adapted. Therefore, the employees have some form of “buy-
in” to the organisation and its direction.
• COLLEGIAL MODEL: The role of the manager is to foster this teamwork and
create positive and energetic workplaces. In much regard, the manager can be
considered to be the “coach” of the team. And as coach, the goal is to make the
team perform well overall, rather than focus on their own performance, or the
performance of key individuals. The collegial model is quite effective in
organisations that need to find new approaches – marketing teams, research and
development, technology/software – indeed anywhere the competitive landscape is
constantly changing and ideas and innovation are key competitive success factors.
• SYSTEM MODEL
• The final organisational model is referred to as the system [Link]
is the most contemporary model of the five models discussed in this
article. In the system model, the organisation looks at the overall
structure and team environment, and considers that individuals have
different goals, talents and potential.
CONTRIBUTING DISCIPLINES TO THE
FIELD OF OB
• 1. Psychology – deals with Individual Behaviour
• 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
• Psychology has contributed many important concepts to OB, such as:
• Motivation, Learning, Perception, Personality, Emotion, Training,, Attitude
•.
• Sociology
• Sociology is the study of human behavior in a social setting consisting
of human interaction, social ties, growth of society, structure, and
regulations.
• Sociologists study humans in group behavior.
• 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.
• 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.
• Political Science
• Political science deals with politics and its practices in
• different scenarios. It mainly concerns the allocation of power, conflict
resolution, group coalition, and how to manipulate power for
individual self-interest.
• Its concerns in OB mainly deal with the allocation of power to the
employees, manipulation, and controlling of conflicts in the
organization.
• Economics
• The science of economics is related to the cost. It is the study of how
to minimize cost, how to best use scarce resources, and achieve more
from less.
• The study of economics helps managers to best use the organization’s
limited resources. And, economic factors such as labor market
dynamics, wages, demand-supply, cost of production, etc. also
influence organizational behavior.
• Social Psychology
• Individual differences
• People have much in common (they become excited, or they are grieved by the loss of
loved one), but each person in the world is also individually different. Each one is
different from all others, probably in millions of ways, just as each of their fingerprints is
different, as a far as we know. And these differences are usually substantial rather than
meaningless. All people are different. This is a fact supported by science.
• A whole person
• Although some organisations may wish they could employ a person’s skill or brain, they
actually employ a whole person, rather than certain characteristics. Different human
traits may be separately studied, but in the final analysis they are all part of one system
making up a whole person. Skill does not exist apart from background or knowledge.
Human life is not totally separable from work life and emotional conditions are not
separate from physical conditions. People function as total human beings.
• Caused Behaviour
Behavior is always caused and not Random
• Value of the person (human dignity)
• This concept is of a different order from the other three because it is
more an ethical philosophy than a scientific conclusion. It asserts that
people are to be treated differently from other factors of production
because they are of a higher order in the universe. It recognizes that
because people are of a higher order they want to be treated with
respect and dignity – and should be treated this way. The concept of
human dignity rejects the old idea of using employees as economic
tools.
• Social systems
• From sociology we learn that organizations are social systems;
consequently activities there-in are governed by social laws as well as
psychological laws. Just as people have psychological needs, they also
have social roles and status. Their behaviour is influenced by their
group as well as by their individual drives. In fact, two types of social
systems exist side by side in organisations. One is the formal (official)
social system, and the other is the informal social system.
• Mutual Interest
• Holistic organizational behaviour
• When the six fundamental concepts of organizational behaviour are
considered together, they provide a holistic concept of the subject.
Holistic organizational behaviour interprets people-organisation
relationships in terms of the whole person, whole group, whole
organisation, and whole social system.