Many people must be familiar with the term “Organisational Behaviour”, but most of them are not thorough about what it involves. It is a behavioural study of humans in the workspace setting that revolves around elements like how an organisation influences its employees and vice versa.
The study explores the management’s behavioural approach with various aspects, including values, attitudes and behaviours which impact the functioning of an organisation. This guide offers in-depth insights into organisational behaviour.
Influence of organisational behaviour on organisational success
The impact of organisational behaviour on organisational success can’t be understated. Studies have shown that employees who are motivated, appreciated and supported through the organisation’s behaviours are more likely to produce higher levels of production and efficiency. Healthy organisational behaviour promotes collaboration and creativity while fostering a positive workplace culture.
Organisations with a focus on learning and enhancing organisational behaviour are more likely to have long-term success. It can help managers to have a better grasp of the elements that influence employee performance and decision-making when they understand key organisational behaviour ideas and theories involving motivation, leadership and organisational culture. Furthermore, organisations may create ways to increase engagement, enhance employee satisfaction and ultimately achieve higher success by putting these ideas into practice.
Nature of Organisational Behaviour
Organisational behaviour is an emerging concept that is categorised into various study fields. The nature acquired in this concept involves:
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An interdisciplinary approach
Organisational behaviour analysis human behaviour at work using an interdisciplinary approach that integrates information from fields including sociology, psychology and anthropology.
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A Separate field of study and not discipline only
A discipline is a scientific field with a theoretical foundation. However, organisational behaviour has a multi-interdisciplinary perspective, making it a different area of study rather than a discipline because it is not based on a particular theoretical system.
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An Applied science
Organisational behaviour is an applied study with a focus on resolving issues with human behaviour in organisations. It contrasts with pure science, which emphasises basic research that includes both applied research and organisational analysis as one of its applications. Organisational behaviour combines both scientific and artistic principles in order to solve organisational issues.
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A Normative science
Organisational behaviour is a normative science that specifies how the results of applied research should be applied to socially accepted organisational goals. It deals with what is considered acceptable by both individuals and society within an organisation. The development of management theories emphasises O.B., even though it is not totally normative.
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A total system approach
Behavioural scientists developed the systems approach, which combines all factors influencing organisational performance by examining human behaviour in light of its socio-psychological context. It aims to investigate and address the complexity of people.
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A humanistic and optimistic approach
Organisational behaviour is a humanistic approach that emphasises the effect of the environment on employee performance while acknowledging the underlying desire for creativity, independence, and productivity among the workers.
Levels of Organisational Behaviour
Organisational behaviour refers to the conduct and actions of individuals and teams and how they affect the performance and functioning of an organisation. Hence, it is studied at several organisational levels. Each of which has its own duties, responsibilities and objectives.
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Individual level
In this first level, employers can use psychology to properly understand complicated employee behaviour. The individual-level concepts include personality, perception, motivation, learning, and attitude.
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Group Level
The group level involves a collection of individuals working together to accomplish shared objectives. The analysis includes how the group is formed, making the team effective and improving the group activities individually and collectively. It involves concepts like leadership, team, conflict, power and politics.
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Organisational level
At the organisational level, the concept creates the organisation and analyses how individuals interact with the environment. The topics involve the concept of organisation, different organisational models, and changes and their implementation and impact. This level of analysis discusses working conditions and stress management.
Ethical Perspective on Organisational Behaviour
Organisations must prioritise ethics as it helps employees understand proper conduct, the adverse effects of acting unethically, and how to establish trust with clients.
Conflicts of interest, pressure to produce outcomes, and resolving opposing viewpoints are some of the key references to ethical issues in an organisation.
Making moral decisions is crucial for keeping a good reputation and building a positive atmosphere at work.
Businesses should equip workers with the knowledge and skills they need to make ethical choices, and leaders should always act ethically.
Understanding organisational behaviour is essential for fostering a productive workplace, increasing worker productivity, and staying consistent with the organisation’s vision.
Now that you know what involves organisational behaviour concepts, you can practise them to achieve organisational goals more efficiently.
Organisations can have a better potential to manage their workforce and develop an efficient communication base that builds cooperation based on understanding the dynamics of human behaviour in the workplace.
Principles of Organizational Behaviour
The principles of organizational behavior form the foundation for understanding and managing these dynamics.
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Individual Behaviour
Individual behavior in an organization is shaped by various factors, including personality, perception, attitude, and motivation. Understanding these elements is crucial for leaders to effectively manage and engage employees. For instance, recognizing diverse personalities within a team can help tailor leadership approaches for better outcomes.
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Group Dynamics
Organizations are composed of groups and teams, each with its own dynamics. The principles of OB delve into how these groups form, communicate, and collaborate. The study of group dynamics helps in creating cohesive teams, managing conflicts, and fostering a positive work environment.
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Leadership and Power
Effective leadership is a cornerstone of organizational success. OB principles emphasize the different leadership styles, the impact of power and influence, and how leaders can motivate and guide their teams. Leadership principles guide managers in decision-making, communication, and creating a vision that aligns with organizational goals.
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Organizational Culture and Structure
The culture and structure of an organization significantly impact its members’ behavior. Organizational culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, and norms, while structure deals with the arrangement of roles and responsibilities. OB principles explore how these elements influence employee behavior, innovation, and adaptability.
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Communication
Communication is a critical aspect of organizational behavior. Effective communication fosters understanding, reduces conflicts, and enhances cooperation. OB principles highlight the importance of clear and open communication channels within an organization, considering both verbal and non-verbal cues.
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Change Management
In a dynamic business environment, change is inevitable. Organizational behavior principles provide insights into how individuals and groups react to change. This includes understanding resistance to change, strategies for successful implementation, and creating a culture that embraces innovation.
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Job Satisfaction and Performance
The relationship between job satisfaction and performance is a key focus in OB. Satisfied employees are more likely to be productive and committed to their work. Principles in this area guide organizations in creating conducive work environments, recognizing achievements, and addressing factors that contribute to job satisfaction.
Goals of Organisational Behaviour
The four goals of organizational behaviour are:
- Describe: The main goal is to talk about how people act in different situations. For instance, a manager should know that one of their junior officers consistently arrives late and leaves early.
- Understand: Determining why people act the way they do. Managers need to know why someone does something, like why a junior officer is showing up late and leaving early.
- Predict: Anticipating what employees might do in the future is another thing organizational behavior aims for. Managers often try to understand why employees stick around or want to leave. For example, if someone wants to quit, the organization needs to know why and what it can do to keep them on the team. It’s about knowing their role and what actions they should take.
- Control: The main aim of organizational behavior is to create a nice and friendly environment at work. Managers play a big role in how well a company does, so they need to make sure their team works well together, has the right skills, and is dedicated. Managers should also take steps to improve things.
Processes to Modify and Integrate Organisational Behaviour
There are four big ways to change how people and groups act in a company, like their attitudes and behaviors.
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Managerial Style
- McGregor came up with Theory X and Theory Y, which have totally different ideas about how people behave in organizations.
- The leadership style of managers shows how they generally act in their role.
- It also affects how they handle their relationship with their team.
- The way a leader leads can impact how productive and happy employees are.
- Sometimes, a manager might focus more on getting work done, while others might prioritize keeping employees happy.
- Every now and then, a manager might try to balance both, aiming for both high productivity and employee satisfaction.
- However, a production-centered approach tends to boost productivity but can overlook the well-being of the people in the organization.
- In simple terms, the employee-centered management style relies on people feeling motivated socially to reach the company’s goals.
- This approach aims for consistently high productivity over time.
- Currently, leaders often use a democratic and participative style to boost productivity without neglecting human values in the workplace.
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Positive Behaviour Reinforcement
- Basically, when you do good stuff at work, your bosses like it and might give you a pat on the back.
- They also want to stop you from doing anything bad. Getting praised feels good, and when you know how well you’re doing, it’s like a little bonus too.
- If workers do things that cause problems, we’ll help them do better. If they do well, we’ll give them rewards.
- So, by having a plan to reward good behavior, we can change how the whole organization behaves.
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Job Enrichment
- Having a good job can make people happier and more eager to work together and do their tasks with excitement.
- It can also make employees feel more satisfied and give them a chance to grow.
- A good job should be interesting and important.
- When you make a job bigger and more fulfilling, employees act better, and it aligns individual and organizational goals.
- Job enrichment means giving tasks that are meaningful, enjoyable, and satisfying.
- People used to have really specific jobs that made them feel like machines.
- Now, we’re realizing it’s better to mix things up a bit, give folks more variety and make their jobs more interesting.
- This keeps everyone happy and helps the company do well too.
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Organizational Development
- Organizational development (OD) is like giving a human touch to a company.
- It’s about making the formal organization more people-friendly, removing things that get in the way of the organization working well, and having members tackle and solve problems together.
- All of this happens with the help of a trained expert in human behavior who guides the process.
- It’s all about getting along with others, solving problems when they come up, and building trust and openness.
- OD works on creating a friendly atmosphere and building a community with shared goals or interests.
- Open communication and focusing on common goals are the main reasons for organizational development.
- It’s about helping people in a group work together smoothly, with trust and honesty, and without unnecessary competition and conflicts.
Challenges Faced by Organizational Behavior
Studying OB is more important than ever because the business world keeps changing a lot. There are a ton of things happening globally, in industries, and within organizations. All these changes make OB face many challenges.
Globalization
It means, no organization can go it alone; they have to deal with global stuff that affects them. Globalization brings a bunch of challenges. For example, employees might need to work in other countries or team up with folks from different cultures.
In a group, making decisions can be tricky, especially when people come from different cultures. And when companies merge or take over others, big cultural differences can cause issues.
Management of Workforce Diversity
Dealing with a diverse group of people at work requires using various ways to solve problems and settle conflicts. It’s tough to manage employees from different cultures because they have different values and beliefs. But if you handle diversity well, it can bring good things, like new ideas and talents.
Improvement in Quality and Productivity
Making things better is like keeping up with what people want while still doing a good job. According to expert Tom Peter, making things simpler in design, production, layout, and how things are done is a big part of getting better quality.
Nowadays, there are different plans like process reengineering and quality management that are used to make work better and more efficient.
Incorporation of Innovation
Basically, it means we should update the rules and ways of doing things in a company to match today’s standards. Coming up with new plans is easy, but getting everyone on board can be tough. If we can get employees to accept the changes, it can make the company better and more productive.
Improvement in People Skills
To keep up with the changes in the world, it’s important to regularly help employees get better at their job skills. The business, politics, and technology are always changing, so we need to train our employees to stay updated. They should always be working on getting better at both technical stuff and how they work with others.
Incorporation of Work-Life Balance
It means that tough work hours and hard jobs can mess up your personal and social life. To fix this, you can try things like working from home or having flexible hours.
Future of Organizational Behavior
Organizational behavior is inherently tied to the human element within companies. Behavioral dynamics evolve in response to organizational requirements. Examining the trajectory of management theories from the era of Henry Fayol and F.W. Taylor to the present day reveals that the workforce adapts its behavior to meet the contemporary needs, fostering the growth and success of organizations.
Human behavior is shaped by both psychology and the surrounding environment in which individuals live and work. While the study of organizational behavior (OB) may be relatively recent, it has been intertwined with the functioning of organizations since they first emerged to pursue business objectives.
The dynamics of behavior are intertwined with any living entity, especially when the human element is involved. Only recently have we started recognizing the behavioral dimensions within organizations, taking into account cognitive factors and the social systems that shape organizational functioning.
Nowadays, Organizational Behavior (OB) is viewed as a crucial element influencing the success of organizations, with a keen understanding of the systems in which they operate.
In prioritizing Organizational Behavior (OB), Human Resources Management (HRM) assumes a pivotal role in driving organizational development (OD). The landscape of workforces in organizations is shifting with technology gradually taking over human roles. Organizations may embrace information technology and other advanced technological solutions in this transformative process.
Flawless technology has given rise to robots that can alleviate the workload for humans. However, it’s crucial to remember that the driving force behind this technology is the human brain, and only humans should be responsible for operating it. Consequently, while the human factor in work may decrease in the future, the behavioral aspect will persist.
Human behavior is a complex puzzle with unpredictable pieces. By drawing on diverse disciplines like psychology, sociology, anthropology, and more, we unravel the intricacies of behavioral aspects. This understanding guides the development and adaptation of methods and procedures.
The way people behave is shifting. In non-technical settings, the human element plays a larger role. With the continuous introduction of technology, the behavioral aspects of the human element are also evolving. However, organizational behavior aspects remain timeless.