Introduction to Organizational Behavior Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS 1

WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR? Some common definitions of Organizational Behavior (OB); OB is defined as the systematic study and application of knowledge about how individuals and groups act within the organization where they work. 2Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS

WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR? The attitudes and behaviors of individuals and groups in organizations. The systematic study of how people behave in organizations. OB studies what people do in an organization and how that behavior affects the performance of the organization. 3Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS

WHAT IS AN ORGANIZATION? Organization is a consciously coordinated social unit, composed of two or more people, that functions on a relatively continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals. 4Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS

Origins of Organizational Behavior 5 Hawthorne Experiments ( ); these studies mark the starting point of the field Organizational Behavior.

HAWTHORNE EXPERIMENTS ( ) ELTON MAYOHAWTHORNE STUDIES 6Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS

HAWTHORNE EXPERIMENTS ( ) 7Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS Illumination Experiments (1924) Relay Assembly Test Room Experiments ( ) Mass Interview Programme ( ) Bank Wiring Test Room Experiment ( )

Illumination Experiments (1924) Was conducted to test the relationship between output and illumination (physical factor). When the intensity of light was increased, the output also supposed to increase. But the output showed an upward trend even when the illumination was gradually brougt down to normal level. It was concluded that there is no consistent relationship between output of workers and illumination level of the factory. Implications: observing people’s behavior tends to alter their behavior. HAWTHORNE EXPERIMENTS ( ) 8Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS

Relay Assembly Test Room Experiments ( ) At this phase, impact of length of the working day, rest hours and other physical conditions were tested. a small homogeneous work group of six girls was constituted. These girls were friendly to each other and were asked to work in a very informal atmosphere under the supervision of researcher. Productivity and morale increased considerably during the period of the experiment. Productivity went on increasing and stabilized at a high level when all the improvements were taken away and the pre-test conditions were re-introduced. Implications: socio-psychological factors such as feeling of being important, recognition, attention, participation, cohasive work group and non-directive supervision held the key for higher productivity. HAWTHORNE EXPERIMENTS ( ) 9Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS

Mass Interview Programme ( ) At this phase, the researchers interviewed a large number of workers with regard to their opinions on work, working conditions and supervision. At first a direct approach was used whereby interviews asked questions considered important by managers and researchers. But then the researchers observed that the replies of the workers were guarded and they were not open. Therefore, this approach was replaced by an indirect technique, where the interviewer simply listened to what the worker say. Implications: The findings confirmed the importance of social factors at work in the total work environment. İf workers are asked for opinions, told they mattered, then positive atttitudes increase towards organization. HAWTHORNE EXPERIMENTS ( ) 10Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS

Bank Wiring Test Room Experiment ( ) The experiment group consisted of 14 workers and conditions were as close as possible to normal. After the experiment, the production records of this group was compared with their earlier production records. It was observed that the group evolved its own production norms for each individual worker, which was made lower than those set by management. Because of this, workers would produce only that much, thereby defeating the incentive system. Those workers who tried to produce more than the group norms were isolated, harassed or punished by the group. Implications: informal groups play an important role in the working of an organization. Social groups can influence production and individual worker behavior. HAWTHORNE EXPERIMENTS ( ) 11Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS

Contributions of Hawthorne Experiments An organization is not just a techno-economic system but also a social system. management must learn to develop co-operative attitudes and not rely merely on command. Productivity is linked with employee satisfaction in any business organization. Therefore management must take greater interest in employee satisfaction. Group psychology plays an important role in any business organization. We must therefore rely more on informal group effort. Hawthorne experiments resulted in a dramatic shift towards the "human relations" school of thought. HAWTHORNE EXPERIMENTS ( ) 12Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS

Level of Analysis in OB 13Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS

Level of Analysis in OB 14Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS Individual level: Learning, perception, stress, individual differences etc… Group level: Teamwork, power and politics, decision making etc… Organizational level: Organizational culture, organizational change, organizational structure and change etc…

Contributing Disciplines to OB Field 15Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS

Contributing Disciplines to OB Field 16Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS

Contributing Disciplines to OB Field 17Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS

Contributing Disciplines to OB Field 18Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS

Contributing Disciplines to OB Field 19Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS

Why Organizational Behavior Matters? 20Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS Because it is all about things you care about. OB helps you; Become a more engaged organizational member Getting along with others easily Lowering your stress level Making more effective decisions Working effectively with a team

Why Organizational Behavior Matters? 21Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS Because employers care about OB Employers ask for skills such as; Communication skills, honesty and integrity, interpersonal skills, motivation/initiative and strong work ethic. These are all about organizational behavior (OB).

Why Organizational Behavior Matters? 22Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS It matters because organizations care about OB The best companies in the world understand that the «people make the place». Organizations that value their employees are more profitable than those do not. Research show that organizations that are considered healthier and more effective have strong OB characteristics.

Prof. Dr. Rana ÖZEN KUTANİS THANK YOU… 23