HUMAN BEHAVIOR

IN ORGANIZATION
◦ Learning Objectives
➢Chapter 1: Introduction to Advanced Human Behavior in
Public Organization
✓Overview of organizational behavior theories
✓Application of behavioral theories
✓The role of organizational behavior in achieving organizational
goals.
What is Organizational Behavior?
Organizational behavior is simply the study of how people act and interact
in a workplace. It looks at what motivates employees, how they work
together, and how the work environment affects their behavior.
Types of Organizational Behavior
1. Individual Behavior:
Meaning: How each person acts at work.
Example: An employee’s punctuality and attitude affect their job performance and
interactions with others.
2. Group Behavior:
Meaning: How people work together in teams.
Example: Team members collaborate on a project, sharing tasks and solving
problems together.
3. Leadership Behavior:
Meaning: How managers lead and influence their teams.
Example: A manager motivates their team by setting clear goals and providing
feedback.
Organizational behavior (OB) theories are ideas that explain how people behave in
workplaces. These theories help us understand why people act the way they do at work and
how their actions affect the organization .
1.Classical Management Theory:
Meaning: Aims to improve efficiency and productivity by organizing work tasks and
defining clear roles.
Example: In a factory, workers are assigned specific tasks along an assembly line, ensuring
that each step of production is handled efficiently to maximize output.
2.Human Relations Theory:
Meaning: Focuses on improving employee satisfaction and interpersonal relationships to
enhance productivity.
Example: A manager fosters a positive workplace by organizing regular team-building
events and encouraging open communication, leading to better teamwork and lower
turnover.
3. Transformational vs. Transactional Leadership:
Meaning: Transformational leaders inspire and motivate employees by creating a vision for
the future, while transactional leaders focus on maintaining performance through rewards
and penalties.
Example: A transformational leader in a tech company motivates the team with an exciting
vision for new product development, while a transactional leader sets specific sales targets
and offers bonuses for meeting them.
A behavior model for organizational efficiency is a simple way to improve how well
people work together by focusing on their actions. Here’s a straightforward breakdown:
1.Set Clear Expectations:
Define what behaviors are needed for success.
Example: Employees should arrive on time and communicate effectively.
2.Monitor Behavior:
Keep track of how employees act.
Example: Record attendance and check if tasks are completed on schedule.
3.Encourage Positive Behavior:
Reward good actions.
Example: Give praise or bonuses for outstanding performance.
4.Correct Negative Behavior:
Address and improve unwanted actions.
Example: Offer additional training for employees who struggle with deadlines.
5.Provide Feedback:
Regularly share information about performance.
Example: Conduct performance reviews to discuss what’s going well and what can
be improved.

This approach focuses on managing and improving the actions of employees

to make the organization run more efficiently.
Management functions are the core activities that managers perform to
ensure an organization runs smoothly. These functions are typically
categorized into:
1.Planning:
Meaning: Setting goals and deciding on the actions needed to achieve
them.
Example: Developing a strategic plan for the next year, including marketing
strategies and budget allocations.
2.Organizing:
Meaning: Arranging resources and tasks to implement the plan effectively.
Example: Creating a project team, assigning roles, and setting up schedules.
3.Leading:
Meaning: Motivating and guiding employees to achieve organizational
goals.
Example: Providing direction and support to your team, holding meetings to
encourage progress, and resolving conflicts.
4.Controlling:
Meaning: Monitoring performance and making adjustments to stay on track
with goals.
Example: Tracking project milestones, analyzing performance reports, and
making necessary changes to ensure objectives are met.

These functions help managers plan, organize, lead, and control resources
to achieve the organization’s goals efficiently.
Management roles are the various positions and responsibilities that managers
take on to effectively lead and manage their teams. These roles are often
categorized into different types:
1.Informational Roles:
Meaning: Involve managing and processing information.
Roles:
• Monitor: Gathers and analyzes information from within and outside the
organization. (Managers)
• Disseminator: Shares important information with team members and other
stakeholders. (Executive)
• Spokesperson: Represents and communicates the organization’s information to
external parties.
2.Interpersonal Roles:
Meaning: Involve interacting with people.
Roles:
•Figurehead: Performs ceremonial duties and represents the organization in formal
settings. (CEO attending ribbon-cutting)
•Leader: Motivates, directs, and manages employees, and setting an example.
•Liaison: Builds and maintains relationships with external and internal stakeholders.
(a person that facilitates communication and cooperation between different parties
or groups) (HR)
3.Decisional Roles:
Meaning: Involve making decisions and solving problems.
Roles:
•Entrepreneur: Identifies opportunities for innovation and improvement, initiating
new projects.
•Disturbance Handler: Addresses and resolves issues or conflicts that arise.
(manager or csr)
•Resource Allocator: Decides how to distribute resources such as time, money, and
personnel. (HR Manager, Financial Planner)
•Negotiator: Engages in negotiations to reach agreements or resolve disputes.
(union or mediator)
Here are three fields contributing to organizational behavior, explained simply
with clear examples:
1.Psychology:
•Meaning: The study of how people think and feel.
•Contribution: Helps understand what drives people’s actions at work.
•Example: If a manager knows that employees feel more motivated when they
receive praise, they can give regular positive feedback to boost morale.
2.Sociology:
•Meaning: The study of how people interact and form groups in society.
•Contribution: Helps understand how team interactions affect work.
•Example: If team members get along well, they work together more effectively, so
a manager might organize team-building activities to improve relationships.
3. Management:
• Meaning: The study of how to organize and lead a team.
• Contribution: Helps in managing people and processes efficiently.
• Example: A manager who uses a clear and organized approach can make sure
tasks are completed on time, improving overall team productivity.
Here are the three most critical components that need to be managed in an
organization:
1.People:
•Meaning: Employees and their roles.
•Management: Hiring, training, and motivating staff.
•Importance: Ensuring you have skilled and motivated employees is crucial for
achieving organizational goals and maintaining productivity.
2.Processes:
•Meaning: How work gets done.
•Management: Organizing tasks and improving workflows.
•Importance: Efficient processes lead to higher productivity and better quality work,
helping the organization operate smoothly.
3.Resources:
•Meaning: Money, materials, and information.
•Management: Budgeting and ensuring resources are used effectively.
•Importance: Proper management of resources ensures that the organization
can support its operations and achieve its objectives without waste.

These components are foundational for running an organization effectively and

ensuring its success.
Group Dynamics refers to the study of how people interact and work
together in groups. It examines how group members influence each other,
the roles they play, and how the group functions as a whole.
Classifying Groups involves understanding the different types of groups
within an organization and their characteristics. Here are the main
classifications:
1.Formal Groups:
•Meaning: Groups that are officially established by the organization to
achieve specific goals.
Examples:
•Departments: Marketing, Sales, Finance teams.
•Project Teams: A team assembled to work on a specific project.
2.Informal Groups:
•Meaning: Groups that form naturally among employees based on personal
relationships or common interests.
Examples:
•Friendship Groups: Colleagues who socialize outside of work.
•Interest Groups: Employees who share hobbies or interests, like a book
club.
3.Task Groups:
•Meaning: Groups created to accomplish a specific task or project.
Examples:
•Work Teams: A group assembled to complete a particular project or task,
such as a product development team.
In organizational behavior, motivation and employee engagement are crucial
for enhancing performance and creating a positive work environment. Here’s
how they are applied:
Motivation in Organizational Behavior
•Meaning: Refers to the reasons behind employees’ actions and the energy
they invest in their work. It affects how individuals perform and contribute to the
organization.
Application:
•Goal Setting: Setting clear and achievable goals can motivate employees by
giving them targets to strive for.
•Example: Sales teams might have sales targets that, when met, lead to bonuses
or other rewards.
•Incentives: Offering rewards such as bonuses, promotions, or recognition
can enhance motivation.
•Example: An organization might offer performance-based bonuses to
motivate employees to exceed their targets.
Employee Engagement in Organizational Behavior
•Meaning: The level of emotional commitment and involvement an employee
has towards their organization, influencing their performance and satisfaction.

Application:
• Work Environment: Creating a supportive and inclusive work environment
helps increase engagement.
•Example: Regular team-building activities and open communication channels
can foster a sense of belonging and commitment.
• Career Development: Providing opportunities for professional growth and
advancement can boost engagement.
• Example: Offering training programs and career development plans can keep
employees engaged by aligning their career goals with organizational
objectives.
Communication strategies in public organization are essential for ensuring
transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness in government operations. Here are key
strategies:
1. Clear and Transparent Messaging
•Meaning: Ensure that information is easy to understand and truthful.
•Importance: Builds trust with the public and prevents misinformation.
•Example: When introducing new regulations, provide simple explanations and
updates through official channels like press releases and government websites.
2. Regular Updates
•Meaning: Keep stakeholders informed about ongoing activities and changes.
•Importance: Keeps the public engaged and reduces uncertainty.
•Example: Use newsletters or social media to provide consistent updates on
projects, policy changes, or public services.
3. Two-Way Communication
•Meaning: Encourage feedback and dialogue between the public and officials.
•Importance: Helps address public concerns and improves responsiveness.
•Example: Organize public forums or use online surveys to gather input and
respond to community feedback on local issues.

These strategies help ensure effective communication, enhance public trust,

and improve overall administrative effectiveness.
Here are the two best strategies for conflict resolution in public organizations.
1.Mediation
• Meaning: A neutral person helps resolve conflicts by guiding discussions and helping
people agree.
• Example: A mediator helps two departments who are arguing over budget shares to talk
through their issues and find a middle ground.
2.Collaborative Problem Solving
• Meaning: People work together to find solutions that consider everyone’s input and work
for all parties involved.
• Example: A city council forms a committee that includes residents, business owners, and
local government officials to address traffic congestion in a busy neighborhood. Together,
they brainstorm and evaluate different solutions, such as adding more public
transportation routes, creating bike lanes, or adjusting traffic signal timing. By
collaborating, they develop a comprehensive plan that improves traffic flow.
Here are three easy strategies for making decisions in public organizations.
1. Define the Problem
• Meaning: Understand what the issue is.
• Example: Realizing that a public park needs more maintenance.
2.Gather Information
•Meaning: Collect all the necessary details.
•Example: Finding out what specific maintenance tasks are needed and how
much they will cost.
3.Evaluate Alternatives
•Meaning: Compare different solutions.
•Example: Deciding whether to hire a full-time maintenance worker or to use a
contractor for park maintenance.
Innovation in the public sector involves introducing new ideas, services, or processes to
improve efficiency and effectiveness in delivering public services.
Key Points:
1.Adopting New Technologies:
• Meaning: Using advanced tools and systems to enhance operations.
• Example: A city government implements an online portal for residents to report issues like
broken streetlights or potholes. Instead of calling or visiting in person, residents can submit
requests online. This technology speeds up response times and improves service efficiency.
2. Engaging Citizens:
• Meaning: Involving the public in decision-making and feedback.
• Example: A local government sets up an online survey to gather input from residents about a
proposed park redesign. They also host public meetings where community members can share
their ideas and vote on different design options. This involvement helps ensure that the park
meets the needs and preferences of the community.
Here’s an example of ethical and social responsibility in using a public budget:
Example: A city council’s budget allocation for community programs:
1. Ethical Behavior:
• Meaning: Handling the budget honestly and transparently.
• Example: Publicly sharing how funds are allocated and ensuring that spending
decisions are made based on clear criteria and are free from favoritism.
2. Social Responsibility:
• Meaning: Using the budget to benefit the community and address social needs.
Example:
• Supporting Education: Allocating funds to improve local schools and provide
scholarships for underprivileged students.
•Enhancing Public Safety: Investing in programs to reduce crime and improve
emergency services.
Ethical behavior in a public organization’s budget involves:
• Transparent Spending: Clearly reporting how public funds are allocated
and spent. For instance, a city government publicly shares detailed budget
reports, showing how money is used for projects like road repairs and
community programs. This prevents misuse of funds and builds public
trust.
Q&A