The Essence of Organizational Behaviour
THE ESSENCE OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
A definition of organizational behaviour
‘The study of the structure, functioning and performance of organizations, and the behaviour of groups and individuals within them’ (Pugh, 1971).
Characteristics of organizational behaviour (Ivancevich et al, 2008)
● It is a way of thinking about individuals, groups and organizations. ● It is multidisciplinary. ● There is a distinctly humanistic orientation. ● It is performance-oriented. ● The use of scientific method is important in studying variables and relationships. ● It is applications-oriented in the sense of being concerned with providing useful answers to questions that arise when managing organizations.
Organizational behaviour and the social and behavioural sciences
● Organizational behaviour studies use social and behavioural science methodologies, which involve scientific procedures. ● The social sciences include the disciplines of psychology, social psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics and political science. ● Behavioural science is mainly concerned with psychology and sociology. It was defined by Kelly (1969) as: ‘The field of enquiry dedicated to the study of human behaviour through sophisticated but rigorous methods.’
Factors affecting organizational behaviour
The actions, reactions and interactions of people that constitute organizational behaviour are influenced by the following factors: ● The characteristics of people at work – individual differences, attitudes, personality, attributions, orientation and the roles they play. ● How people are motivated. ● The process of employee engagement. ● The process of organizational commitment. ● How organizations function. ● Organizational culture.
Explaining organizational behaviour
Variance theory ● Variance theory explains the causes of organizational behaviour by reference to the independent or causal variables that cause a change and result in dependent variables – the
A definition of organizational behaviour
‘The study of the structure, functioning and performance of organizations, and the behaviour of groups and individuals within them’ (Pugh, 1971).
Characteristics of organizational behaviour (Ivancevich et al, 2008)
● It is a way of thinking about individuals, groups and organizations. ● It is multidisciplinary. ● There is a distinctly humanistic orientation. ● It is performance-oriented. ● The use of scientific method is important in studying variables and relationships. ● It is applications-oriented in the sense of being concerned with providing useful answers to questions that arise when managing organizations.
Organizational behaviour and the social and behavioural sciences
● Organizational behaviour studies use social and behavioural science methodologies, which involve scientific procedures. ● The social sciences include the disciplines of psychology, social psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics and political science. ● Behavioural science is mainly concerned with psychology and sociology. It was defined by Kelly (1969) as: ‘The field of enquiry dedicated to the study of human behaviour through sophisticated but rigorous methods.’
Factors affecting organizational behaviour
The actions, reactions and interactions of people that constitute organizational behaviour are influenced by the following factors: ● The characteristics of people at work – individual differences, attitudes, personality, attributions, orientation and the roles they play. ● How people are motivated. ● The process of employee engagement. ● The process of organizational commitment. ● How organizations function. ● Organizational culture.
Explaining organizational behaviour
Variance theory ● Variance theory explains the causes of organizational behaviour by reference to the independent or causal variables that cause a change and result in dependent variables – the