INTRODUCTION

Unit 1
Content
■ Concept of organizational behavior;
■ Levels of OB analysis;
■ Organizational behavior system;
■ Basic assumptions of organizational behavior;
■ Contributing disciplines to the field of organizational behavior;
■ Individual behavior as an input-output system;
■ Mental process: beliefs, attitudes, values, needs, motives and behavior;
■ Emotions and Cognitive dissonance;
■ New challenges for manager in OB.
Background

■ Hawthrone Studies established the identity and value of behaviours of

people at work.
■ OB is the area of study and analysis on how people at work   behave and
respond to each other; it is the study of series of activities a person does.
■ OB is human tool for human benefits.
■ The field of OB does not depend upon assumptions based on intuition
and gut feelings but attempts to gather information regarding an issue in a
scientific manner under controlled conditions
Definition
■ “Organizational behaviour is the understanding, prediction, and
management of human behaviour in organizations.” (Fred Luthans)
■ “OB is the study of human in organizational settings, of the interface
between human behaviour and the organization, and of the organization
itself.” (Morehead and Griffin,1999)
■ “ OB refers to the field of study that investigates the impact that
individuals, groups & structures have on behaviour within the
organizations, for the purpose of applying that knowledge towards an
organizational effectiveness.”
■ Orgnization behaviour actually refers to the behaviour of the people in
the organizations because organizations themselves do not behave
Features of OB
■ Behavioural approach to management- OB has emerged as a distinct
field of study because of the importance of human behaviour in
organizations.
■ Cause & effect relationship-It provides generalizations that managers
can use to anticipate the effect of certain activities on human behaviour.
■ Branch of social sciences- OB is heavily influenced by several other
social sciences viz Psychology, Sociology.
■ 3 levels of analysis- OB encompasses the study of three of analysis
namely individual behaviour, inter-individual behaviour and the
behaviour of organizations themselves.
■ Science as well as an art-OB is science as well as an art
Continued……

■ A body of theory, research & application- All these techniques

help the managers to solve human problems in organizations.
■ Beneficial to both organisation & individuals- A reasonable
climate is created so that employees may get satisfaction & the
organization may attain its objectives.
■ Rational thinking- The major objective of OB provides a
rational thinking about the people and their behaviour in
organizations, so that result yielding situations can be created.
Importance Of OB

a. Understanding human behavior

b. Influencing human behavior
a. Understanding human behaviour
Individual Group Interpersonal Inter-group
Behaviour Behaviour behavior behavior
• It tries to • Individual • Interpersonal • It is very
analyze why behave interaction important for
and how an differently as represents managers to
individual an individual man’s most understand the
behaves in a and as a natural group
particular way member of the attempt at relationships. The
in a given group. His socialization. cooperation,
situation. behaviour is By studying coordination &
• The behaviour often modified behavioural conflicts within
of individuals by group sciences, the group influence
is affected by norm. managers can performances.
a number of understand
psychological, themselves
social & and the others
cultural better.
factors.
b. Influencing human behavior
■ Leadership- An org. can achieve success only with the right type of leadership. A
competent leader uses all the human and physical resources at the maximum levels
for achieving the org. goals.
■ Motivation- OB helps the managers in understanding the needs & desires of the
subordinates and other factors which affect their motivation.
■ Communication- OB analyses the factors that affect communication so as to make
it more effective.
■ Organisational change & development- OD is needed for the change &
development of individuals. Org have to undergo changes as a result of social,
technological, political & other environmental factors.
Basic OB model

OB Inputs OB Processing OB Output

• Individual • Individual • Organizationa

Inputs Processing l Effectiveness
• Group level • Group level again through
• Organizationa • Organizationa all 3 levels
l level l level
Levels of analysis
Individual Level

■ In individual level, organizational behavior involves the study of learning, perception,

creativity, motivation, personality, turnover, task performance, cooperative
behavior, deviant behavior, ethics, and cognition.
■ At this level of analysis, organizational behavior draws heavily upon psychology,
engineering, and medicine.
■ A study of organizational behavior at the individual level of analysis might focus on the
impact of different types of overhead lighting on such factors as productivity and
absenteeism.
Group Level

■ At the group level of analysis, organizational behavior involves the study of group
dynamics, intra- and inter group conflict and cohesion, leadership, power, norms,
interpersonal communication, networks, and roles.
■ At this level of analysis, organizational behavior draws upon the sociological and socio-
psychological sciences
■ A study of how different personality types correspond to different leadership styles and
levels of results operates at the group level of analysis.
Organizational Level

■ At the organization level of analysis, organizational behavior involves the study of

topics, such as, organizational culture, organizational structure, cultural diversity,
inter-organizational cooperation and conflict, change, technology, and external
environmental forces.
■ At this level of analysis, organizational behavior draws upon anthropology and political
science.
Cognitive dissonance
■ Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person holds two related but contradictory
cognitions, or thoughts.
■ The psychologist Leon Festinger came up with the concept in 1957and proposed that two
ideas can be consonant or dissonant. Consonant ideas logically flow from one another,
while dissonant ideas oppose one another.
■ For example, a person who wishes to protect other people and who believes that the
COVID-19 pandemic is real might wear a mask in public. This is consonance.
■ If that same person believed the COVID-19 pandemic was real but refused to wear a
mask, their values and behaviors would contradict each other. This is dissonance.
■ The dissonance between two contradictory ideas, or between an idea and a behavior,
creates discomfort. Festinger argued that cognitive dissonance is more intense when a
person holds many dissonant views, and those views are important to them.