Lecture 1
Organization = a system of people, not of things that survive and adapt and where
interaction and coordination is
Organizational behavior deals with the attitudes and behaviors of individuals and groups in
organizational contexts. We are interested in the behavioral of individuals and groups within
organization with the focus on performance.
- Why do people behave in a certain way in an organizational environment?
- What factors affect job performance, employee interaction, job commitment,
leadership, managerial styles etc.
- What makes work teams flourish or flounder?
Importance of the field of Organizational Behavior
For most ‘the organization’ is the most prominent context in our life. When you go to the
supermarket you act in their organization. We spend 100,000 hours of work at life, also an
organization.
Organizational behavior is the field of individuals studies in an organization and their acting
and performing in organizations. Organizational theory is the field of organizations
performing as a whole.
The field of organizational behavior has a lot of overlap with other fields. (Example: the poor
performance of the Dutch National Team)
1. Economics
a. Is there a big enough pool of talented players in the country to pick from?
2. Psychology
a. Are all the players intrinsically motivated to win?
b. Do all of them do their best individually?
3. Management
a. What is the best time to substitute players?
b. Is it clear to everyone what the strategy is?
4. Human resources management?
a. How can we increase each individuals player’s skills?
b. Would a bonus make them work harder?
,All of those would fit in the field of Organizational behavior. But the core is:
- Are all the players forming a performance team?
- Do the make up for each other’s mistakes?
- Do they coach each other enough?
- How satisfied are players with their own performance and with the performance of
the team?
- Is there enough creativity in the team?
- How can momentum be created in a team that only meats every few months?
How to investigate organizational behavior?
Individuals do not perform in isolation, but they
are constantly interacting with others. Their
behaviors are influenced by their surroundings.
Organizations are complex systems that ‘live’
within and depend on the external environment.
To survive and adapt, they need to transform
inputs to outputs efficiently and flexibly.
Integrative model of OB
Personality
,= refers to the distinctive way by which individuals react to their environment and problems
Myers-Briggs Type (A self-evaluation questionnaire)
The Myers-Briggs system describes a person’s personality through four opposing
personality functions, variously known as dichotomies, preferences or scales.
Extraversion vs. Introversion: How do you gain energy? Extraverts like to be with
others and gain energy from people and the environment. Introverts gain energy
from alone-time and need periods of quiet reflection throughout the day.
Sensing vs. Intuition: How do you collect information? Sensors gather facts from
their immediate environment and rely on the things they can see, feel and hear.
Intuition looks more at the overall context and think about patterns, meaning, and
connections.
Thinking vs. Feeling: How do you make decisions? Thinkers look for the logically
correct solution, whereas Feelers make decisions based on their emotions, values,
and the needs of others.
Judging vs. Perceiving: How do you organize your environment? Judgers prefer
structure and like things to be clearly regulated, whereas Perceivers like things to
be open and flexible and are reluctant to commit themselves.
Myers and Briggs outlined 16 personality types based on the four personality preferences.
Each personality type is designated with a four-letter code, with each letter signifying one
of the personality preferences.
Type A and B
- Type A competitive, time urgent, hostile and aggressive
- Type B Relaxed, patient, easy going
De big 5
The Big Five model represents
five major personality traits
Using personality test
, - MBTI has limited scientific foundation, but it’s used a lot in organizations
- Psychologists aimed at developing psychology test with scientific validity (e.g. Five-
Factor Model of Personality (Big 5))
Lotus of control = degree to which a person takes responsibility for his/her behavior and it’s
consequences
- Internal (controle over je eigen leven)
- External (alles overkomt mij)
Self-monitoring = do you observe your behavior to look appropriate or do you don’t care?
- High self-monitoring (network, chameleon)
o High responsive to social and interpersonal ques and adjust their behavior
accordingly
- Low self-monitoring (they do whatever they want, adaptive to ambiguous situations)
o Expressive of their inner states (attitudes, feelings, traits) in a functional way
Self-efficiency (Bandura) self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their ability to succeed in a
particular situation
- The belief that one person possesses adequate strength and overcome adversities
- Specific to a goal/task/ability
- Can increase or decrease through experience or situational factor
- One’s sense of self-efficacy can provide the foundation for motivation, well-being and
personal accomplishment
Why do we care about personality?
- To check if the person fits with the company
- Create a right mix of members
- Understand who you are managing
- Understand who manages you
Learning
Organization = a system of people, not of things that survive and adapt and where
interaction and coordination is
Organizational behavior deals with the attitudes and behaviors of individuals and groups in
organizational contexts. We are interested in the behavioral of individuals and groups within
organization with the focus on performance.
- Why do people behave in a certain way in an organizational environment?
- What factors affect job performance, employee interaction, job commitment,
leadership, managerial styles etc.
- What makes work teams flourish or flounder?
Importance of the field of Organizational Behavior
For most ‘the organization’ is the most prominent context in our life. When you go to the
supermarket you act in their organization. We spend 100,000 hours of work at life, also an
organization.
Organizational behavior is the field of individuals studies in an organization and their acting
and performing in organizations. Organizational theory is the field of organizations
performing as a whole.
The field of organizational behavior has a lot of overlap with other fields. (Example: the poor
performance of the Dutch National Team)
1. Economics
a. Is there a big enough pool of talented players in the country to pick from?
2. Psychology
a. Are all the players intrinsically motivated to win?
b. Do all of them do their best individually?
3. Management
a. What is the best time to substitute players?
b. Is it clear to everyone what the strategy is?
4. Human resources management?
a. How can we increase each individuals player’s skills?
b. Would a bonus make them work harder?
,All of those would fit in the field of Organizational behavior. But the core is:
- Are all the players forming a performance team?
- Do the make up for each other’s mistakes?
- Do they coach each other enough?
- How satisfied are players with their own performance and with the performance of
the team?
- Is there enough creativity in the team?
- How can momentum be created in a team that only meats every few months?
How to investigate organizational behavior?
Individuals do not perform in isolation, but they
are constantly interacting with others. Their
behaviors are influenced by their surroundings.
Organizations are complex systems that ‘live’
within and depend on the external environment.
To survive and adapt, they need to transform
inputs to outputs efficiently and flexibly.
Integrative model of OB
Personality
,= refers to the distinctive way by which individuals react to their environment and problems
Myers-Briggs Type (A self-evaluation questionnaire)
The Myers-Briggs system describes a person’s personality through four opposing
personality functions, variously known as dichotomies, preferences or scales.
Extraversion vs. Introversion: How do you gain energy? Extraverts like to be with
others and gain energy from people and the environment. Introverts gain energy
from alone-time and need periods of quiet reflection throughout the day.
Sensing vs. Intuition: How do you collect information? Sensors gather facts from
their immediate environment and rely on the things they can see, feel and hear.
Intuition looks more at the overall context and think about patterns, meaning, and
connections.
Thinking vs. Feeling: How do you make decisions? Thinkers look for the logically
correct solution, whereas Feelers make decisions based on their emotions, values,
and the needs of others.
Judging vs. Perceiving: How do you organize your environment? Judgers prefer
structure and like things to be clearly regulated, whereas Perceivers like things to
be open and flexible and are reluctant to commit themselves.
Myers and Briggs outlined 16 personality types based on the four personality preferences.
Each personality type is designated with a four-letter code, with each letter signifying one
of the personality preferences.
Type A and B
- Type A competitive, time urgent, hostile and aggressive
- Type B Relaxed, patient, easy going
De big 5
The Big Five model represents
five major personality traits
Using personality test
, - MBTI has limited scientific foundation, but it’s used a lot in organizations
- Psychologists aimed at developing psychology test with scientific validity (e.g. Five-
Factor Model of Personality (Big 5))
Lotus of control = degree to which a person takes responsibility for his/her behavior and it’s
consequences
- Internal (controle over je eigen leven)
- External (alles overkomt mij)
Self-monitoring = do you observe your behavior to look appropriate or do you don’t care?
- High self-monitoring (network, chameleon)
o High responsive to social and interpersonal ques and adjust their behavior
accordingly
- Low self-monitoring (they do whatever they want, adaptive to ambiguous situations)
o Expressive of their inner states (attitudes, feelings, traits) in a functional way
Self-efficiency (Bandura) self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their ability to succeed in a
particular situation
- The belief that one person possesses adequate strength and overcome adversities
- Specific to a goal/task/ability
- Can increase or decrease through experience or situational factor
- One’s sense of self-efficacy can provide the foundation for motivation, well-being and
personal accomplishment
Why do we care about personality?
- To check if the person fits with the company
- Create a right mix of members
- Understand who you are managing
- Understand who manages you
Learning
