Organizational behavior (OB) refers to how individuals and groups act within organizations and how their interactions affect organizational performance. OB draws on psychology, sociology, and other fields to understand and influence human behavior in organizational settings. The goal of OB is to apply knowledge about individuals, groups, and organizational structure to improve an organization's effectiveness through better control, leadership, motivation, communication, and management of change.

2.  What are organizations?
 Why do organizations exist?
 Organizational effectiveness

3.  OB refers to the behavior of individuals and groups
within organizations and the interaction between
organizations and their external environment.
 OB is a field of study that investigates the impact of
that individuals, groups and structure have on
behavior within organizations for the purpose of
applying such knowledge towards improving an
organization’s effectiveness.

4.  A study of behavior, attitudes and
performance and attitudes of people in
organizations.
 Emphasis on applied psychology
 A cause and effect study
 A branch of social science

5.  Description of human behavior
 Understanding it
 Individual behavior
 Interpersonal
 Group
 Inter group
 Prediction of human behavior

6. To determine your likeability, add the ten
numbers you selected as your answers. The
number will range from 10 to 50. A higher score
indicates a higher likeability.

7.  Control (belief that organisms respond to
stimulus)
 Leadership
 Motivation
 Communication
 Organizational change and development
 Organizational climate

8.  Caused / motivated behavior
 A whole person
 Individual differences
 Human dignity

9. OB is an applied behavioral science which
derives heavily from:
 Psychology
 Sociology
 Anthropology
 Political Science
 Economics
 Medicine and many others

10.  Planning
 Organizing
 Leading
 Controlling

11.  Interpersonal roles
 Figurehead
 Leader
 Liaison

12.  Informational
 Monitor
 Disseminator
 Spokesperson
 Decisional
 Entrepreneur
 Disturbance handler
 Resource allocator
 Negotiator

13. Situation 1
Sam works for you. He is technically capable
and a good worker, but does not get along well
with people in the group. When Sam gets an
opportunity to get a transfer, you encourage
him to take it. What would you say to Sam’s
potential supervisor when he asks about Sam?

14. Situation 2
Your boss has told you that you must reduce
your work group by 30 percent. Which criteria
would you use to lay off workers?

15. Probable answers to situation 2
 Lay off older, higher paid employees
 Lay off younger, lower paid employees
 Lay off workers based on seniority only
 Lay off workers based on performance only

16. Situation 3
You are engineer employed with ABC Ltd. but not
working on the company’s Department of
Transportation project. You overhear a conversation in
the cafeteria that a large contract is going to be given
to ABC company to develop a DOT subsystem. This
contract is likely to positively influence the share
prices of the company.
 Would you buy shares of ABC Ltd.?
 Would you share this information with some one
else?

17. Situation 4
You work for a cigarette company and up till
now you have not been convinced that
cigarettes cause cancer. Recently you have got
conclusive evidence of the same. What would
you do?

18. Situation 5
You are the CEO of a company, a close
competitor of which has made an un
patentable discovery likely to boost profits.
Would you attempt to hire employees of the
competitor company who know all the intricate
details of this company?

19.  What if everyone acted this way?
 Would you want someone to do this for / to
you?
 Can you comfortably defend your actions?
 Are there any other alternatives which are
more ethical?

20.  Diversity management
 Changing demographics of workforce
 Changed employee expectations
 Globalization
 Promoting ethical behavior
 Technology transformation

21.  Dimensions of diversity
 Age
 Gender
 Sexual orientation
 Ethnic heritage
 Race
 Mental/physical abilities / characteristics

22.  Dimensions of diversity
 Geographic location
 Cultural experience
 Work experience
 Income
 Religion
 First language
 Organizational role and level
 Communication style
 Family status
 Work style
 Education

23.  Prejudice
 Ethnocentrism
 Stereotypes
 Discrimination
 Harassment
 Sexual harassment
 Backlash

24.  Biographical characteristics
 Abilities (mental and physical)
Study of individual behavior is aimed at finding
the right ability job fit.

25. Any permanent change in behavior that occurs
as a result of experience.
Steps in the process:
 Acquiring new input
 Assimilating new input
 Internalization of the input
 Availability of internalized input for use
(generally involves creativity)
 Improved capacity for learning

26.  Classical conditioning
 Smells and sounds evoke memories
 Unconditioned stimulus evokes unconditioned
response
 Conditioning is required to produce a conditioned
response
▪ Goof off when no one is watching
▪ Arrive on time / late

27.  Operant conditioning
 Good acts are positively reinforced and bad acts
are negatively reinforced leading to desired
voluntary behavior.
▪ We automatically pull back our hand when it comes in
contact with a hot object.

28.  Social Learning Theory
 People learn through observation and direct
experience.
▪ Pay attention
▪ Retain
▪ Do
▪ Reinforce

29.  Cognitive dissonance
 Adult learning theories (CAL)
 Capitalize on experience
 Adapt to limitation
 Learning programmes

30.  Reinforcement
 Positive
 Negative
 Extinction
▪ Some type of reinforcement is required to change
behavior
▪ Some types of rewards are more effective in changing
behavior
▪ Timing of reinforcement is important (continuous or
intermittent)

31.  Reduction in absenteeism (rewarding no
absence)
 Well pay (sick pay reinforces wrong behavior)
 Discipline (match severity of crime with
punishment)
 Training (provide opportunity to practice new
behaviors and internalize positive ones)
 Mentoring
 Self management (to reduce external
negative reinforcement)