This document provides an overview of organizational behavior concepts through an analogy to a football team. It includes a table of contents, definition of organizational behavior, a visual model comparing a football team to an organization, and sections on related principles such as organizational structure, work specialization, communication, and effective teams. The conclusion states that developing effective teams takes time and resources but yields greater success than individual work. It aims to illustrate how individual and group behaviors within an organization's structure can be understood through the example of a football team working toward a shared goal.

1. Prepared by Group 6
Management 302
November 22, 2013

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS




Definition of Organizational Behavior
Visual of Model
Introduction to Organizational Behavior
Related Principles of Organizational
Behavior
 Conclusion
 Works Cited

3. WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL
BEHAVIOR?
The body of knowledge concerned with
individual and group conduct and the
structure of a defined entity, such as
a business corporation or a football team.

4. Fullback/
Employee
Management/Coaching Staff
Quarterback/
Manager
Running Back/
Employee
Wide Receiver/
Employee
Left Tackle/
Employee
Center/
Supervisor
Tight End/
Employee
Right Guard/
Employee
Right Tackle/
Employee
Wide Receiver/
Employee
Left Guard/
Employee

5. MANAGEMENT/COACHING STAFF
Head Coach/CEO

6. EVEN THOUGH MEMBERS OF THE TEAM HAVE
DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES, VALUES AND BELIEFS; THEIR
COMBINED EFFORTS YIELD GREATER RESULTS FOR THEIR
COMMON GOAL.

7. WHAT DOES ZAPPOS HAVE IN
COMMON WITH THE “1985
CHICAGO BEARS” OR THE “1996
GREEN BAY PACKERS”?
(Alex)
All three share the following characteristics:





Collective team effort
Trust among team members
Positive attitude by each individual
Continued development of skills by each individual
Doing fundamental things extremely well
(Robbins & Judge 326, as cited in Schomer, S. "HP's Susie Wee and the "Wall of Touch, " Fast
Company." )

8. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE WORK SPECIALIZATION
“Organizational structure defines how job
tasks are formally divided, grouped, and
coordinated.”
Work specialization is used both in the
football team and in a work team
to “subdivide jobs into separate jobs” thus,
making it easier to group common tasks.
(Robbins & Judge 480)

9. EXAMPLES OF WORK
SPECIALIZATION
A football team uses work specialization to
divide its coaches and players. Similarly to
the way business organizations hire its workforce
to fulfill the needs of the corporation.
 Coaches are divided into head coach, offense coach
defense coach and kicking coach – to name a few.
 On the other hand, players are divided by individual
skills such as quarterback, receiver, lineman, etc.

10. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE DEPARTMENTALIZATION
Departmentalization is used by both football
teams and companies to “group jobs by
common task.” (Robbins & Judge 482)
DEPARTMENTS WITHIN A
CORPORATION
•
•
•
•
•
•
I.T.
Marketing
Research & Development
Human Resources
Finance
Operations
DEPARTMENTS WITHIN
FOOTBALL TEAM
•
•
•
•
•
Offense
Defense
Kick-off
Receiving
Punt Team

11. SELECTING: HIRING TEAM
PLAYERS
The success or failure in both business
and in the football field lies on
the members of the team.
Thus, it is imperative for managers and
coaches to hire the right players.
And by doing so, “positive synergy is
generated through coordinated effort”.
(Robbins and Judge 309)

12. THE IMPORTANCE OF TEAM
PLAYERS
Bud Wilkinson, coach for the University of
Oklahoma during the 1950s, said it best:
"If a team is to reach its potential, each
player must be willing to subordinate his
personal goals to the good of the team.”
(Walters, as cited in Ezine Articles “Promoting Teamwork With Football Quotes”)

13. THE IMPORTANCE OF TEAM
PLAYERS
Furthermore, Zappos’ management is a perfect
example of a company that “increases
performance” by emphasizing a team
environment. (Robbins and Judge 309)
Zappos “believes that the best teams are
those that not only work with each
other but also interact with each other
outside the office environment.” (Zappos)

14. THE CEO AND THE COACH
The CEO and the coach have “legitimate
power to control and use organizational
resources based on structural position in the
organization”.
Moreover, the rise to power of these
individuals within the organization derives from
the “expert power” they acquired through the
years. (Robbins & Judge 414, 415)

15. EFFECTIVE TEAMS
It is essential for a manager and
a coach to develop a communication style
with the members of their team in order for
their group to be effective.
Granting that verbal communication and nonverbal communication is used to convey
instructions for a task/play; thus increasing
the effectiveness of the team as a whole.

16. COMMUNICATION
Due to globalization and affordable
technology, companies allow its employees
to work away from the office.
Technology, such as Skype and e-mail,
allows team members to communicate with
each other and be “virtually” present in the
office.

17. GLOBALIZATION &
TECHNOLOGY
 Virtual Teams - “Advancements in technology that
have accompanied globalization lead us to a
new type of working relationship.”
(Robbins & Judge 291, as cited in Lazarova, Joshi and H. Liao. “Getting Everyone on
Board: The Role of Inspirational Leadership in Geographically Dispersed Teams.”)
 Although virtual teams are not the answer
for every organization or project, “virtual teams
have emerged as a strategic corporate initiative
because of their obvious technological and
economic advantages.” (Ubell 18).

18. CONCLUSION
“Developing an effective team does not happen
overnight – it takes time and more resources
than individual work.” (Robbins & Judge 324)
Nonetheless, when members of a team strike
the right chemistry and in turn share
their individual knowledge and skills, their efforts
reap greater success and satisfaction than those
accomplished by an individual alone.

19. WORKS CITED
 Alex. Bleacher Report. 31 March 2010. Article. 17 November 2013.
 Bergiel, Blaise, J and Phillip W. Balsmeier. “The Reality of Virtual
Teams.” Competition Forum, 4.2 (2006): 427
 Robbins, Stephen and Timothy Judge. Organizational Behavior.
Prentice Hall, 2013. 291, 309, 324, 326, 414, 415, 480 & 482.
 Ubell, Robert. Virtual Teamwork: Mastering the Art and Practice of
Online Learning and Corporate Collaboration. Wiley, 2010. 18, 19.
 Walter, Julia, K. “Promoting Teamwork With Football Quotes.” n.d. Ezine
Articles. 19 November 2013.
 Zappos. “Our Unique Culture.” Zappos. Zappos, Inc. Web. 17
November 2013.

20. MEMBERS OF GROUP 6
Alejandro Quillahauquy
Alex Pircea
Alysa Pacrem
Luis Pimentel
Yanet Núñez