“All Human Behavior Is Learned.“ First Discuss the Statement with Pros and Cons, Second Apply It to the Organizational Context. Essay Example
“Behavior is a mirror in which every one displays his own image” (Goethe). Behavior of the human being has been analyzed and discussed as early as the stone ages. As the quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe shows, humans are influenced by their surroundings and will act accordingly. One can therefore say that human behavior is learned based on the social framework of a person. This claim can also be seen in the area of organizational behavior if one examines the behavior of employees in accordance to their life situation, their attitudes and their satisfaction within the employed job. Nevertheless, researches have shown that not all human behavior is learned and that we act based on instinct, intuition and emotions which are innate within the human being. This essay will examine to what extend innate and learned human behavior influence the area of organizational behavior.
Learning can be defined as “a relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs as a result of experience” (Weiss, 1990, pp.172-173). Every person has encountered a good or bad experience in their lifetime and changed his/her behavior accordingly. One can say that every experience influences the action of a person; nevertheless, some experiences are stronger and cause a greater change in behavior. If a little boy with an age of four touches a hot plate, then he will experience pain and will learn not to repeat such an action. The change in behavior however does not influence others and is caused by a specific event; one acts passively once learned (Robbins & Judge, 2009). This phenomenon is called classical conditioning and can also be seen in the area of organizational behavior. If the CEO plans a visit to a subsidiary office, most employees will try to clean the office and get everything done before the CEO arrives. Such behavior results from the motivation of the human being to respond to a specific situation.
These motivations, however, have to be satisfied or have to
Learning can be defined as “a relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs as a result of experience” (Weiss, 1990, pp.172-173). Every person has encountered a good or bad experience in their lifetime and changed his/her behavior accordingly. One can say that every experience influences the action of a person; nevertheless, some experiences are stronger and cause a greater change in behavior. If a little boy with an age of four touches a hot plate, then he will experience pain and will learn not to repeat such an action. The change in behavior however does not influence others and is caused by a specific event; one acts passively once learned (Robbins & Judge, 2009). This phenomenon is called classical conditioning and can also be seen in the area of organizational behavior. If the CEO plans a visit to a subsidiary office, most employees will try to clean the office and get everything done before the CEO arrives. Such behavior results from the motivation of the human being to respond to a specific situation.
These motivations, however, have to be satisfied or have to