Organizational behavior

 

Figure 1: Organizational Behavior

Organizational behavior is a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups & structures have on the behavior within organizations, for the purpose of applying such knowledge to improving an organization’s effectiveness.

Therefore, organizational behavior is all about studying how people interact within organizations. This includes how they behave as individuals, how they interact with each other, and how they interact with the larger organization itself. It encompasses topics such as motivation, communication, leadership, decision-making, group dynamics, and culture. Furthermore, appreciation, prediction, and regulation of employees’ behaviors within an organization are the main areas of study in organizational behavior (Farid, et al., 2019).

Figure 2: Organizational Behavior

 

Elements of organizational behavior

People, structure, technology, and the environment in which the organization operates are considered as main elements of organizational behavior (Liu, et al., 2017). Improvements can be made by understanding how these elements interact with each other (Saravanakumar, 2019).

 Figure 3: Elements of Organizational Behavior

People/employees- this is an integral part of an organization that creates a unique social system in the organization. People are comprised of individuals and groups who work in an organization. This factor is dynamic and complex in nature (Saravanakumar, 2019). Managers must be able to manage people in a way that will ensure that there won’t be any cultural conflict among its members (Farid, et al., 2019).

 

Structure- this is all about the formal relationship of people in an organization. For effective coordination, different types of jobs that are performed by different people in an organization need to be organized through a systematic structure. This relationship determines and shapes the behavior to a huge extent in an organization (Saravanakumar, 2019). This emphasizes effective coordination between different departments is required for a successful business operation.

Technology- the technology used in an organization significantly influences how people interact with each other in an organization. It has both advantages and disadvantages in its people’s behavior (Saravanakumar, 2019). Technology plays a significant role in shaping organizational affairs (Farid, et al., 2019). Increased production and improved quality of products and services are the means by which technological factors impact the behaviors of employees in an organization.

Environment & social system - environmental factors with which members of the organization are associated have a huge influence in shaping the behavior of people in an organization (Saravanakumar, 2019). Internal and external environments influence all organizations in either a positive or negative manner. Thus, managers are required to enhance social relationships among their members to provide a better environment for work (El Shaer, 2019).

 

Importance of studying organizational behavior

Studying organizational behavior is important because it helps us understand how people behave within organizations. By understanding how individuals and groups interact, we can more effectively manage human resources and organizational systems. According to Borrego, (2022) the importance of studying OB is emphasized for the following reasons.

• Better communication channels and protocols- Understanding the way people behave in an organization helps the middle and top management to create better communication channels and protocols that will enable them to build more effective teams.
• Comfortable work environment- the study of organizational behavior helps the organization to be adaptive to a comfortable work environment for all the parties involved in the organizational affairs.
• Influencing management style- by studying organizational behavior, a more linear and flatter structure can be created. This will help them to perform their tasks through highly collaborating with core employees and superiors.

·       Building a winning people strategy- understanding or defining how business leaders interact with employees and their work culture helps them to formulate a winning people strategy that mainly focuses on developing employees.

 

Approaches to organizational behavior

There are mainly four approaches to organizational behavior (Saravanakumar, 2019).

                                                            Figure 4: Approaches to Organizational Behavior

1. Human Resource Approach
2. Contingency approach
3. Productivity approach
4. System approach

1. Human resource approach

People or the members of the organization are treated as the biggest and foremost asset of the organization. It emphasizes that managers should, instead of controlling them, focus on developing them to an extent that will bring out their maximum potential. This approach guides managers to create an environment where employees can work with minimum supervision. Effectiveness and efficiency are normally increased when opportunities for the workforce are increased.

2. Contingency approach

This approach specifies the importance of playing according to the situation. It believes that a technique, strategy, or approach that perfectly works in a situation will not perfectly suit another situation. Therefore, it demands managers and other supervisors to change and develop separate approaches for different situations. Behaviors that are shown and succeeded in one situation might fail in another situation. It further indicates that universal or generally accepted principles or methods to deal with people or organizational resources cannot be applied in all situations.

3. Productivity approach

This approach has changed the traditional view of productivity that considers only the economic input and output into a more people-centric view of productivity. This says that human and social input and output are equally important as economic input and output. Better organizational behavior can increase human output by decreasing employee turnover and absenteeism and other people management indicators.

4. System approach

Under this approach to organizational behavior, the organization is viewed as a unified and powerful system that includes all of the interrelated divisions and departments of the organization. Moreover, the activity of one unit or a department has a certain level of impact on the other parts of the organization. This approach demands managers of an organization have a comprehensive overlook of the organization’s people, resources, and all the processes as a single system.  Material, human, and financial inputs that are essential for an organization are received from its environment.

 Conclusion

The purpose of studying organizational behavior is to know how people interact within an organization. This helps to effectively manage human resources available within an organization. People or employees, structures, technology and social system are the integral part of organizational behavior. There are four approaches to define the behavior of people within an organization. They are human resources, contingency, productivity and system approaches.

References

Borrego, P., 2022. Humanyze. [Online]
Available at: https://humanyze.com/blog-what-is-organizational-behavior-and-why-is-it-important/
[Accessed 2023 April 28].

El Shaer, T., 2019. THE LANCET. [Online]
Available at: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)30632-4/fulltext
[Accessed 2023 April 28].

Farid, T. et al., 2019. Employees’ Perceptions of CSR, Work Engagement,and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Mediating Effects of Organizational Justice. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, p. 16.

Liu, X., Huang, Q., Wang, H. & Liu, S., 2017. Tha International Journal of Human Resource Management. [Online]
Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09585192.2017.1381859
[Accessed 2023 April 28].

Saravanakumar, A., 2019. researchgate. [Online]
Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330409514_UNIT_1_ORGANISATIONAL_BEHAVIOUR
[Accessed 28 April 2023].

 

 

 

 

 

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