Organizational Behaviour Introduction

What are organizations? Social inventions for accomplishing goals through group effort. –Social inventions: There is a fundamental requirement the presence of people. People interacting. –Goals accomplishment: Organizations exist to achieve goals. One overriding goal is survival. –Group effort: Individuals in organizations are coordinated to achieve goals efficiently, the result is a group effort.

What is Organizational Behaviour? A general term referring to the attitudes and behaviours of individuals and groups in organizations. The field of organizational behaviour involves the systematic study of these attitudes and behaviours. –Goals: Prediction Explanation Managing

Curious contradictions in common sense: Look before you leap BUT He who hesitates is lost. Better safe than sorry BUT Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Two heads are better than one BUT If you want something done right, do it yourself.

Our knowledge or lack of knowledge is created by: Direct experience and overgeneralization Indirect experience (e.g. popular press) and fads Values

The historic progression of organizational behaviour theory - from yesterday to today Classical view –Scientific Management –Bureaucracy Human relations movement –Hawthorne studies

The historic progression of organizational behaviour theory - from yesterday to today (cont.) The contingency approach (contemporary) –No simple principle can be applied to all situations –There is no one best way, but one way is not as equally effective as another. The best way depends on the situation.