CTO
Contemporary topics in organisational behaviour
40%- Group project presentation
- research literature
- apply to BOS company (observe, describe, analyse: explain the causes and the impact)
60%- Individual assignment
- Choose a subtopic of a theme to focus on
- literature review
- start with RQ
Contemporary topics in organisational behaviour
Chapter 1
Organisational behaviour= The study of human behaviour in organisational settings, the interface
between human behaviour and the organisation and the organisation itself
The managerial context of organisational behavior
Managers engage in the four basic functions
⁃ planning (=the process of determining an organisation’s desired future position and the best
means of getting there)
⁃ organising (=the process of designing jobs, grouping jobs into units and establishing
patterns of authority between jobs and units)
⁃ leading (the process of getting the organisation’s members to work together toward the
organisation’s goals)
⁃ controlling (= the process of monitoring and correcting the actions of the organisation and
its members to keep them directed towards their goals)
These functions are applied to
⁃ human resources
⁃ nancial resources
⁃ physical resources
⁃ information resources
With the ultimate purpose of ef ciently and affectively attaining organisational goals
Critical management skills:
⁃ technical skills (= the skills needed to accomplish speci c tasks)
⁃ interpersonal skills (= effectively communicate with, understand and motivate groups)
⁃ conceptual skills (=thinking in the abstract/ seeing the big picture)
⁃ diagnostic skills (= understanding cause and effect relationships and to nd optimal solutions
to problems)
HRM= the set of organisational activities directed at attracting, developing and maintaining an
effective workforce
The strategic context of organisational behaviour
fi fi fi fi
, The competitive advantage= What gives a rm an edge over rivals in attracting customers and
defending itself against competition (competitive advantage sources: innovation, distribution,
speed, convenience, rst to market, cost, service, quality, branding)
Primary types of Business Strategies:
1. Cost leadership strategy (=striving to be the lowest cost producer)
> Uses the operational excellence competitive advantage (=maximising ef ciency of manufacturing
or product development to minimise costs)
2. Differentiation strategy (=developing a product or service that has unique characteristics
valued by customers)
> Through Image, Durability, Quality, Safety and Usability
> Uses the product innovation competitive advantage
3. Specialisation strategy (=focusing on a narrow market segment and pursuing either a
differentiation or a cost leadership strategy)
> Uses the customer intimacy competitive advantage (=delivering unique and customisable
products or services to meet customer’s needs and increase customer loyalty)
4. Growth strategy ( =company expansion organically or through mergers and acquisitions)
>pages 20-30 left
Chapter 3: Individual behaviour
People in organisations
Individual differences- personality, intelligence, learning styles, attitudes, values, emotions,
perception, stress
Person-job t = the t between a person’s abilities and the demands of the job, and the t between
a person’s desires and motivations and the attributes and rewards of the job
Dimensions of t:
⁃ person-job t (demands of job)
⁃ person-group t (group styles, skills, dynamic) -too much exposure to group> limits creativity,
honesty
⁃ person-organisation t (organisational culture, norms and values)
⁃ person-vocation t (between interests, abilities and personality to the profession)
Realistic job previews (RJP’s)= the presentation of both positive and potentially negative
information to job candidates in order to decrease psycological contract violations
Psychological contract= individuals' expectations, beliefs, ambitions and obligations, as
perceived by the employer and the worker
Personality and individual behaviour
• The “Big Five” Framework (= a set of ve fundamental traits that are especially relevant to
organisations)
fifi fifi fi fififi fi fi fi fi
Contemporary topics in organisational behaviour
40%- Group project presentation
- research literature
- apply to BOS company (observe, describe, analyse: explain the causes and the impact)
60%- Individual assignment
- Choose a subtopic of a theme to focus on
- literature review
- start with RQ
Contemporary topics in organisational behaviour
Chapter 1
Organisational behaviour= The study of human behaviour in organisational settings, the interface
between human behaviour and the organisation and the organisation itself
The managerial context of organisational behavior
Managers engage in the four basic functions
⁃ planning (=the process of determining an organisation’s desired future position and the best
means of getting there)
⁃ organising (=the process of designing jobs, grouping jobs into units and establishing
patterns of authority between jobs and units)
⁃ leading (the process of getting the organisation’s members to work together toward the
organisation’s goals)
⁃ controlling (= the process of monitoring and correcting the actions of the organisation and
its members to keep them directed towards their goals)
These functions are applied to
⁃ human resources
⁃ nancial resources
⁃ physical resources
⁃ information resources
With the ultimate purpose of ef ciently and affectively attaining organisational goals
Critical management skills:
⁃ technical skills (= the skills needed to accomplish speci c tasks)
⁃ interpersonal skills (= effectively communicate with, understand and motivate groups)
⁃ conceptual skills (=thinking in the abstract/ seeing the big picture)
⁃ diagnostic skills (= understanding cause and effect relationships and to nd optimal solutions
to problems)
HRM= the set of organisational activities directed at attracting, developing and maintaining an
effective workforce
The strategic context of organisational behaviour
fi fi fi fi
, The competitive advantage= What gives a rm an edge over rivals in attracting customers and
defending itself against competition (competitive advantage sources: innovation, distribution,
speed, convenience, rst to market, cost, service, quality, branding)
Primary types of Business Strategies:
1. Cost leadership strategy (=striving to be the lowest cost producer)
> Uses the operational excellence competitive advantage (=maximising ef ciency of manufacturing
or product development to minimise costs)
2. Differentiation strategy (=developing a product or service that has unique characteristics
valued by customers)
> Through Image, Durability, Quality, Safety and Usability
> Uses the product innovation competitive advantage
3. Specialisation strategy (=focusing on a narrow market segment and pursuing either a
differentiation or a cost leadership strategy)
> Uses the customer intimacy competitive advantage (=delivering unique and customisable
products or services to meet customer’s needs and increase customer loyalty)
4. Growth strategy ( =company expansion organically or through mergers and acquisitions)
>pages 20-30 left
Chapter 3: Individual behaviour
People in organisations
Individual differences- personality, intelligence, learning styles, attitudes, values, emotions,
perception, stress
Person-job t = the t between a person’s abilities and the demands of the job, and the t between
a person’s desires and motivations and the attributes and rewards of the job
Dimensions of t:
⁃ person-job t (demands of job)
⁃ person-group t (group styles, skills, dynamic) -too much exposure to group> limits creativity,
honesty
⁃ person-organisation t (organisational culture, norms and values)
⁃ person-vocation t (between interests, abilities and personality to the profession)
Realistic job previews (RJP’s)= the presentation of both positive and potentially negative
information to job candidates in order to decrease psycological contract violations
Psychological contract= individuals' expectations, beliefs, ambitions and obligations, as
perceived by the employer and the worker
Personality and individual behaviour
• The “Big Five” Framework (= a set of ve fundamental traits that are especially relevant to
organisations)
fifi fifi fi fififi fi fi fi fi
