What is Organizational Behaviour

1
Chapter 1

• What is Organizational Behaviour?

2
Chapter 1 Outline

• Enter Organizational Behaviour
• What Do We Mean by Organization?
• What Are the Roles Within Organizations?
• Todays Challenges in the Canadian Workplace
• Does Managing Well Make a Difference?
• OB Making Sense of Behaviour in Organizations
• There Are Few Absolutes in OB
• Explaining Organizational Behaviour

3
What is Organizational Behaviour?

• What is organizational behaviour?
• What challenges do managers and employees face in
  the workplace of the 21st century?
• How will knowledge of organizational behaviour
  make a difference for you?

4
OrganizationalBehaviour

• . . . a field of study that investigates the
  impact that individuals, groups and structure
  have on behaviour within organizations, for the
  purpose of applying such knowledge toward
  improving an organizations effectiveness.

5
Why Do We Study OB?

• To learn about yourself and how to deal with
  others
• You are part of an organization now, and will
  continue to be a part of various organizations
• Organizations are increasingly expecting
  individuals to be able to work in teams, at least
  some of the time
• Some of you may want to be managers or
  entrepreneurs

6
What is an Organization?

• A consciously coordinated social unit, composed
  of two or more people, that functions on a
  relatively continuous basis to achieve a common
  goal or set of goals.

7
Exhibit 1-1 Competing Values Framework
External Focus
8
Competing Values Framework

• Internal-External Dimension
• inwardly toward employee needs and concerns
  and/or production processes and internal systems
• or
• outwardly, toward such factors as the
  marketplace, government regulations, and the
  changing social, environmental, and technological
  conditions of the future
• Flexibility-Control Dimension
• flexible and dynamic, allowing more teamwork and
  participation seeking new opportunities for
  products and services
• or
• controlling or stable, maintaining the status quo
  and exhibiting less change

9
Exhibit 1-2 Skills in the New Workplace
Flexibility
Mentor
Innovator
Broker
Facilitator
Internal Focus
External Focus
Monitor
Producer
Coordinator
Director
Control
10
Exhibit 1-2 Skills in the New Workplace
Flexibility

• Understanding yourself and others
• Interpersonal communication
• Developing subordinates

• Living with change
• Creative thinking
• Managing change

• Building and maintaining a power base
• Negotiating agreement and commitment
• Negotiating and selling ideas

MENTOR
INNOVATOR

• Team building
• Participative decision making
• Conflict management

FACILITATOR
BROKER
External
Internal
MONITOR
PRODUCER

• Receiving and organizing info
• Evaluating routine info
• Responding to routine info

• Personal productivity and motivation
• Motivating others
• Time and stress management

COORDINATOR
DIRECTOR

• Planning
• Organizing
• Controlling

• Taking initiative
• Goal setting
• Delegating effectively

Control
Source R.E. Quinn. Beyond Rational Management.
San Francisco Jossey-Bass Inc., 1988, p. 48.
11
Exhibit 1-3Employment by Industry,1998

• Agricultural and related service industries
• Fishing and trapping industries
• Logging and forestry industries
• Mining (including milling), quarrying and oil
  well industries
• Utilities
• Manufacturing industries
• Construction industries
• Transportation and storage industries
• Communication and other utility industries
• Wholesale trade industries
• Retail trade industries
• Finance and insurance industries
• Real estate operator and insurance agent
  industries
• Business service industries
• Government service industries
• Educational service industries
• Health and social service industries
• Accommodation, food and beverage service
  industries
• Other service industries

• 3.1
• .2
• .5
• 1.2
• 1.0
• 16.7
• 5.4
• 4.0
• 2.4
• 4.1
• 12.2
• 3.7
• 1.8
• 7.9
• 5.5
• 6.7
• 10.3
• 6.4
• 7.2

12
Exhibit 1-3Employment by Industry,1998
13
Todays Challenges in the Canadian Workplace

• Productivity
• Lack of Respect
• Demand for Job Satisfaction
• Absenteeism
• Turnover
• Sharing Power
• Managing and Working in a Changing and
  Competitive Environment
• Managing and Working in a Global Village
• Managing and Working in a Culturally Diverse
  Workplace

14
Exhibit 1-4 Most Respected Businesses
15
Exhibit 1-5 Contributing Disciplines to the OB
Field
16
Exhibit 1-6Basic OB Model, Stage I
17
Exhibit 1-7 Basic OB Model, Stage II
18
Summary and Implications

• Managers and employees need to develop their
  interpersonal, or people, skills to be effective
  in their jobs.
• OB is a field of study that investigates the
  impact that individuals, groups, and structure
  have on behaviour within an organization.
• OB focuses on improving productivity, employee
  job satisfaction and organizational commitment,
  and on reducing absenteeism and turnover.
• OB uses systematic study to improve predictions
  of behaviour.