Organizational behavior (OB) is the study of how individuals, groups, and structures influence behavior within organizations and how that behavior affects their performance and effectiveness. The goals of OB are to understand employee behavior related to work and how it impacts outcomes like absenteeism, productivity, and management. OB applies this knowledge to make organizations operate more effectively. It examines behavior at the individual, group, and organizational levels and seeks to explain outcomes through an inputs-processes-outcomes model.

1. Definishion of organizational
behavior (OB).
• Organizational behavior (often
abbreviated OB) is a field of study that
investigates the impact that individuals,
groups, and structure have on behavior
within organizations, for the purpose of
applying such knowledge toward
improving an organization’s effectiveness.

2. Goals and tasks of OB
• OB is the study of what people do in an
organization and how their behavior affects the
organization’s performance.
• OB is concerned specifically with employmentrelated situations, it emphasizes behavior as
related to concerns such as jobs, work,
absenteeism, employment turnover, productivity,
human performance, and management.
• OB applies the knowledge gained about
individuals, groups, and the effect of structure on
behavior in order to make organizations work
more effectively.

3. OB Disciplines

4. Challenges and Opportunities for OB
Today’s challenges bring opportunities for managers to use OB concepts:
- Responding to Economic Pressures
- Responding to Globalization (Increased Foreign Assignments, Working with
People from Different Cultures, Overseeing Movement of Jobs to Countries with LowCost Labor)
-
Managing Workforce Diversity
Improving Customer Service
Improving People Skills
Stimulating Innovation and Change
Coping with “Temporariness”
Working in Networked Organizations
Helping Employees Balance Work–Life Conflicts
-
Creating a Positive Work Environment
Improving Ethical Behavior

5. Diversity Management Strategies
Diversity management makes everyone more aware of and sensitive
to the needs and differences of others.
Effective, comprehensive workforce programs encouraging diversity
have three distinct components:
• First, they teach managers about the legal framework for equal
employment opportunity and encourage fair treatment of all people
regardless of their demographic characteristics.
• Second, they teach managers how a diverse workforce will be better
able to serve a diverse market of customers and clients (An
effective selection process will improve the fit between employees
and job requirements).
• Third, they foster personal development practices that bring out the
skills and abilities of all workers, acknowledging how differences in
perspective can be a valuable way to improve performance for
everyone.
So, strategies are: Attracting, Selecting, Developing, and Retaining
Diverse Employees
See
www.mymanagementlab.com.

6. Tree levels of OB studies
• Organizational behavior studies three
determinants of behavior in organizations:
individuals, groups, and structure.
• OB model proposes three types of
variables (inputs, processes, and
outcomes) at three levels of analysis
(individual, group, and organizational).

7. A Basic OB Model
Inputs
Individual Level
• Diversity
• Personality
• Values
Processes
Individual Level
• Emotions and moods
• Motivation
• Perception
• Decision making
Group Level
• Group structure
• Group roles
• Team
responsibilities
Group Level
• Communication
• Leadership
• Power and politics
• Conflict and
negotiation
Organizational
Level
• Structure
• Culture
Organizational Level
• Human resource
management
• Change practices
Outcomes
Individual Level
• Attitudes and stress
• Task performance
• Citizenship behavior
• Withdrawal behavior
Group Level
• Group cohesion
• Group functioning
Organizational Level
• Productivity
• Survival

8. OB model
Inputs are the variables like personality, group structure,
and organizational culture that lead to processes.
Processes are actions that individuals, groups, and
organizations engage in as a result of inputs and that
lead to certain outcomes.
Outcomes are the key variables that you want to explain or
predict, and that are affected by some other variables.
individual-level outcomes like attitudes and satisfaction,
task performance, citizenship behavior, and withdrawal
behavior. At the group level, cohesion and functioning
are the dependent variables. Finally, at the
organizational level we look at overall profitability and
survival