What is Organizational Behaviour

Chapter 1, Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton, Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, Canadian EditionCopyright © 2002 by Pearson Education Canada Inc. 1

What is Organizational

Behaviour?

KINE 3240Behavioural Approach to Administration in Fitness

and Sport

Jim Shaw


Outline What is Organizational

Behaviour? OB and Today’s Challenges in the

Canadian Workplace How Will Knowing OB Make a

Difference? OB: Making Sense of Behaviour in

Organizations There Are Few Absolutes in OB The Organization of This

Textbook


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?

Questions for Consideration


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 organization’s effectiveness.


Why Do We Study OB?

To learn about yourself and how to deal with others (knowing how you work will help you understand how others work; help you work with…)

You are part of an organization now, and will continue to be a part of various organizations (this class is an organization, your team will be an organization)

Organizations are increasingly expecting individuals to be able to work in teams, at least some of the time (committees, groups)

Some of you may want to be managers or entrepreneurs (have to supervise or deal with other people)



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.– A Football team

The offensive line, defensive line

– A Provincial Sport Governing Body The Board of Directors, The Office Staff

– Municipal Parks and Recreation Dept. The Parks Dept., The Commissioners Office

– Your Project Team– Maple Leaf Sport and Entertainment

The Leafs, The Raptors

– Sunnybrooke Hospital Emergency, Surgery


Flexibility

Control

Inte

rnal Fo

cus

Exte

rnal Fo

cus

Competing Values Framework in an

Organization


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


Roles and Skills in the New Workplace

Flexibility

Control

Mentor Innovator

BrokerFacilitator

Monitor Producer

Coordinator Director

Inte

rnal F

ocu

sE

xte

rnal Fo

cus


Skills in the New

Workplace

Source: R.E. Quinn. Beyond Rational Management. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc., 1988, p. 48.

Flexibility

Control

MENTOR INNOVATOR

•Living with change•Creative thinking•Managing change

FACILITATOR BROKER

MONITOR PRODUCER

COORDINATOR

DIRECTOR

•Understanding yourself and others•Interpersonal communication•Developing subordinates

ExternalInternal

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

•Planning•Organizing•Controlling

•Team building•Participative decision making•Conflict management

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

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

•Taking initiative•Goal setting•Delegating effectively


Exhibit 1-3:How Companies are

Changing

“Cool” companiesThink casual Fridays are pitiful

Believe titles are obsolete

Don't impose on employees' personal time

Allow staff to come and go as they please

Offer all employees stock options

Let employees make decisions that affect their work

Offer assistance with childcare

Have minimal bureaucracy (red tape)

“Old” companies Believe casual days

are progressive Charge employees

for perks and incentives

Hold events on employee time

Have flex time: but only between 7:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Hide financial results from their employees

Encourage employee input -- but rarely act on it

Employ rigid hierarchies (chain of command)

Stop at “open door” policies


Today’s Challenges in the Canadian

Workplace Productivity (getting the most out of the

organization) Lack of Respect Demand for Job Satisfaction

– Absenteeism (sign of dissatisfied employees)

– Turnover Sharing Power (Participative Decision

Making)

Managing and Working in a Changing and Competitive Environment (Circumstances change rapidly, people do not)

Managing and Working in a Global Village (World is getting smaller, more competitive)

Managing and Working in a Culturally Diverse Workplace (many cultures mean many views and values)


Layers of OB

The OrganizationChangeOrganizational CultureDecision MakingLeadership

The Individual

EmotionsValues and AttitudesPerceptionPersonality

Motivating Self and Others

The Group

NegotiationConflictCommunicationGroups and Teams

Power and Politics


Contributing Disciplines

to the OB Field


Summary and Implications

Managers and employees need to develop their interpersonal, or people, skills to be effective in their jobs, regardless of the job.

Organizational Behaviour is a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups, and structure have on behaviour within an organization.

Organizational Behaviour focuses on improving productivity, employee job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and on reducing absenteeism and turnover.

Organization Behaviour uses systematic study to improve predictions of behaviour.

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What is Organizational Behaviour