Valassis Communications: A Case Study in Motivating for Performance
1 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR in CHANGING tIMES
Chapter Scan
This introductory chapter provides an overview of the environment of organizations for these changing times. It begins by providing an overview of behavior in organizations and the interdisciplinary origins of that behavior. Next, it describes the organizational context and presents the six focus organizations (Brinker International, Enron, Harley-Davidson, Hewlett-Packard, Patagonia, and the American Heart Association). Third, it points out the critical role of change and challenge, followed by a discussion of how people learn about organizational behavior. The chapter finishes by relating the various features of the book to learning styles and outlining the plan for the book.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, you should be able to do the following:
1. Define organizational behavior.
2. Identify six interdisciplinary contributions to the study of organizational behavior.
3. Identify the important system components of an organization.
4. Describe the formal and informal elements of an organization.
5. Understand the diversity of organizations in the economy, as exemplified by the six focus organizations.
6. Recognize the challenge of change for organizational behavior.
7. Demonstrate the value of objective knowledge and skill development in the study of organizational behavior.
KEY TERMS
Chapter 1 introduces the following key terms:
organizational behavior change challenge psychology sociology engineering anthropology management medicine task people structure formal organization informal organization
Hawthorne studies total quality management (TQM) objective knowledge skill development
the CHAPTER SUMMARized
I. THINKING AHEAD: Changing Administrations, Business, the Environment, and Patagonia
II. HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATIONS
Chapter one emphasizes the complexity of human behavior and group
Chapter Scan
This introductory chapter provides an overview of the environment of organizations for these changing times. It begins by providing an overview of behavior in organizations and the interdisciplinary origins of that behavior. Next, it describes the organizational context and presents the six focus organizations (Brinker International, Enron, Harley-Davidson, Hewlett-Packard, Patagonia, and the American Heart Association). Third, it points out the critical role of change and challenge, followed by a discussion of how people learn about organizational behavior. The chapter finishes by relating the various features of the book to learning styles and outlining the plan for the book.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, you should be able to do the following:
1. Define organizational behavior.
2. Identify six interdisciplinary contributions to the study of organizational behavior.
3. Identify the important system components of an organization.
4. Describe the formal and informal elements of an organization.
5. Understand the diversity of organizations in the economy, as exemplified by the six focus organizations.
6. Recognize the challenge of change for organizational behavior.
7. Demonstrate the value of objective knowledge and skill development in the study of organizational behavior.
KEY TERMS
Chapter 1 introduces the following key terms:
organizational behavior change challenge psychology sociology engineering anthropology management medicine task people structure formal organization informal organization
Hawthorne studies total quality management (TQM) objective knowledge skill development
the CHAPTER SUMMARized
I. THINKING AHEAD: Changing Administrations, Business, the Environment, and Patagonia
II. HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATIONS
Chapter one emphasizes the complexity of human behavior and group