ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

Organisational Behaviour

Organisational Behaviour

Section 1 - Organisational Behaviour

Organisational behavior (OB) is the study of human behavior in organisational settings, how human behavior interacts with the organization, and the organization itself. Although we can focus on any one of these three areas independently, we must remember that all three are ultimately connected and necessary for a comprehensive understanding of organisational behavior (Higgs, Plewina and Ploch, 2005: 166). For example, we can study individual behavior (such as the behavior of a company's CEO or of one of its employees) without explicitly considering the organization. But because the organization influences and is influenced by the individual, we cannot fully understand the individual's behavior without knowing something about the organization. Similarly, we can study an organization without focusing specifically on each individual within it. But again, we are looking at only one piece of the puzzle. Eventually, we must consider the other pieces to understand the whole.

An organization, of course, exists before a particular person joins it and continues to exist long after he or she has left. Therefore, the organization itself represents a crucial perspective from which to view organisational behavior. For instance, the consultant studying turnover would also need to study the structure and culture of Texas Instruments. An understanding of factors such as the performance evaluation and reward systems, the decision-making and communication patterns, and the design of the firm itself can provide additional insight into why some people decide to stay while others elect to leave. (Jackson, 2002: 105)

Clearly, the field of organisational behavior can be both exciting and complex. Myriad variables and concepts impact the interactions described, and together these factors can greatly complicate a manager's ability to understand, appreciate, and manage others in an organization. However, they can also provide unique opportunities to enhance personal and organisational effectiveness. The key, of course, is understanding. To provide some groundwork for understanding, we look first at the historical roots of organisational behavior.

Many disciplines, such as physics and chemistry, are literally thousands of years old. Management has also been around in one form or another for centuries. For example, the writings of Aristotle and Plato abound as references and examples of management concepts and practices. But because serious interest in the study of management did not emerge until the turn of the twentieth century, organisational behavior is only a few decades old. One reason for the relatively late development of management as a scientific field is that very few large business organizations existed until around a hundred years ago. Although management is just as important to a small organization as it is to a large one, large firms provided both a stimulus and a laboratory for management research. Second, many of the initial players interested in studying organizations were economists. Economists initially assumed that management practices are by nature efficient and effective; therefore, they concentrated on higher levels of analysis such as national economic policy and industrial structures rather than on the internal structure of ...