Organizational Behavior
Part one: The World of Organizational Behavior
Chapter one: Organizational Behavior: The Quest for People-Centered Organizations and Ethical Conduct
Organizational behavior deals with how people react and act. Dedicated to better understanding and
managing people at work. Research and application oriented. Can teach something about avoiding
misbehavior. It has 3 levels:
• Individual
• Group
• Organizational
Organization: a system of consciously coordinated activities or forces of 2 or more persons. Social
invention helping to achieve things collectively that could otherwise not be reached→ extent our reach.
Also waste our resources (failed businesses).
Human relations movement (1930-1955)
• Collective management→ new ways handling employees
• More attention ‘human’ factor
Individual needs, supportive supervision and group dynamics had effect on job performance.
Help managers break negative tradition, theory y. Theory Y: McGregor’s modern and positive assumptions
about employees being responsible and creative.
Human relations movement opened the door to more progressive thinking about human nature. Managers
began to see employees as active social beings and took steps to create more humane work environments.
The quality movement (1980)
Total quality management: an organizational culture dedicated to training, continuous improvement and
customer satisfaction, employee-driven improvement. Also human side of quality improvement:
• Formal training in statistical process control techniques and teamwork
• Helpful leadership, rather than order giving
• Elimination of fear se employees will feel free to ask question
• Emphasis on continuous process improvement rather than on numerical quatos
• Teamwork
• Elimination of barriers to good workmanship
We see people as the key factor in organizational success.
The Internet and social media revolution (1990)
It has changed everything→ e-business: running the entire business via the Internet and managing virtual
teams→ lowers the costs of communication→ depends on flow of information.
Passive consumers of mass content have become creators and distributors if individualized content→
hugely empowering for the individual customer/ employee.
The need to build human and social capital
What you know and who you know increasingly are the keys to both personal and organizational success.
Human capital: the productive potential of one’s knowledge and actions→ individual.
Social capital: the productive potential of strong, trusting and cooperative relationships→ social units.
The managerial context: getting things done with and through others
Management: process of working with and through others to achieve organizational objectives, efficiently
,and ethically, in the face of constant change.
Best managers are team players empowered by the willing and active support of others.
Skills exhibited by an effective manager (Clark Wilson)
Growing of management tools and techniques→ accidental approach: using management techniques in a
situationally appropriate manner, avoiding the one-best-way mentality→ no hard-and-fast rules.
A lot of changes→ more flexible, innovative, collaborative and responsive organizations.
Evolution of the 21st-century manager Global corporate social responsibility pyramid (Caroll)
Ethics: study of moral issues and choices, right vs. wrong.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR): corporations are expected to go above and beyond following the law
and making a profit. Also serve the interests and needs of stakeholders (employees, customers).
• Ethics have to do with local norms.
• The place in an organization also has influence, senior executives have more positive perceptions of
ethics than lower-level employees.
• Besides, lower-level employees want to look good towards the boss, therefore they act unethically
in the face of perceived pressure for results. Especially when individuals are rewarded for
accomplishments.
• Ethics can enhance profitability.
• It can impact the quality of people who apply to work for the organization.
, The magnificent seven: general moral principles for managers (Kent Hodgson)
There are no absolute ethical answers for
decision makers. Managers should rely on
moral principles so the decisions are
principled, appropriate and defensible.
Improving on the-job-ethics for managers:
• Behave ethically yourself role models
• Screen potential employees (checking)
• Develop a meaningful code of ethics:
o Distributed to every employee
o Supported by top management
o Refer to specific practices and ethical dilemmas
o Enforced with rewards
• Provide ethics training
• Reinforce ethical behavior
• Create positions and mechanism to deal with ethics
• Create climate without whistle-blowing
Whistle-blowing: employee reports a perceived unethical and/or illegal activity to a third party
(government agencies).
Individuals must be morally attentive and must want to do the right thing and have the courage to act.
Morally attentive: faithfully considering the ethical implications of one’s actions.
Research methodologies:
• Meta-analysis: pools the results of many studies through statistical procedure. Behavioral scientists
draw general conclusions.
• Field study: examination of variables in real-life setting. Individual/ group. Has immediate and
practical relevance.
• Laboratory study: manipulation and measurement of variables in contrived situations. Mostly
college students. Precisions but generalizing requires caution.
• Sample survey: questionnaire responses from a sample of people. Generalization depends on
quality of sampling and questioning techniques.
• Case study: in-depth study of a single person, group or organization. Realistic, but not
generalizable.
Chapter two: Managing Diversity: Releasing Every Employee’s Potential
Sexual harassment: unwanted sexual attention that creates an adverse or hostile work environment.
Diversity is important because it affects employees’ satisfaction, productivity, turnover and safety.
Part one: The World of Organizational Behavior
Chapter one: Organizational Behavior: The Quest for People-Centered Organizations and Ethical Conduct
Organizational behavior deals with how people react and act. Dedicated to better understanding and
managing people at work. Research and application oriented. Can teach something about avoiding
misbehavior. It has 3 levels:
• Individual
• Group
• Organizational
Organization: a system of consciously coordinated activities or forces of 2 or more persons. Social
invention helping to achieve things collectively that could otherwise not be reached→ extent our reach.
Also waste our resources (failed businesses).
Human relations movement (1930-1955)
• Collective management→ new ways handling employees
• More attention ‘human’ factor
Individual needs, supportive supervision and group dynamics had effect on job performance.
Help managers break negative tradition, theory y. Theory Y: McGregor’s modern and positive assumptions
about employees being responsible and creative.
Human relations movement opened the door to more progressive thinking about human nature. Managers
began to see employees as active social beings and took steps to create more humane work environments.
The quality movement (1980)
Total quality management: an organizational culture dedicated to training, continuous improvement and
customer satisfaction, employee-driven improvement. Also human side of quality improvement:
• Formal training in statistical process control techniques and teamwork
• Helpful leadership, rather than order giving
• Elimination of fear se employees will feel free to ask question
• Emphasis on continuous process improvement rather than on numerical quatos
• Teamwork
• Elimination of barriers to good workmanship
We see people as the key factor in organizational success.
The Internet and social media revolution (1990)
It has changed everything→ e-business: running the entire business via the Internet and managing virtual
teams→ lowers the costs of communication→ depends on flow of information.
Passive consumers of mass content have become creators and distributors if individualized content→
hugely empowering for the individual customer/ employee.
The need to build human and social capital
What you know and who you know increasingly are the keys to both personal and organizational success.
Human capital: the productive potential of one’s knowledge and actions→ individual.
Social capital: the productive potential of strong, trusting and cooperative relationships→ social units.
The managerial context: getting things done with and through others
Management: process of working with and through others to achieve organizational objectives, efficiently
,and ethically, in the face of constant change.
Best managers are team players empowered by the willing and active support of others.
Skills exhibited by an effective manager (Clark Wilson)
Growing of management tools and techniques→ accidental approach: using management techniques in a
situationally appropriate manner, avoiding the one-best-way mentality→ no hard-and-fast rules.
A lot of changes→ more flexible, innovative, collaborative and responsive organizations.
Evolution of the 21st-century manager Global corporate social responsibility pyramid (Caroll)
Ethics: study of moral issues and choices, right vs. wrong.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR): corporations are expected to go above and beyond following the law
and making a profit. Also serve the interests and needs of stakeholders (employees, customers).
• Ethics have to do with local norms.
• The place in an organization also has influence, senior executives have more positive perceptions of
ethics than lower-level employees.
• Besides, lower-level employees want to look good towards the boss, therefore they act unethically
in the face of perceived pressure for results. Especially when individuals are rewarded for
accomplishments.
• Ethics can enhance profitability.
• It can impact the quality of people who apply to work for the organization.
, The magnificent seven: general moral principles for managers (Kent Hodgson)
There are no absolute ethical answers for
decision makers. Managers should rely on
moral principles so the decisions are
principled, appropriate and defensible.
Improving on the-job-ethics for managers:
• Behave ethically yourself role models
• Screen potential employees (checking)
• Develop a meaningful code of ethics:
o Distributed to every employee
o Supported by top management
o Refer to specific practices and ethical dilemmas
o Enforced with rewards
• Provide ethics training
• Reinforce ethical behavior
• Create positions and mechanism to deal with ethics
• Create climate without whistle-blowing
Whistle-blowing: employee reports a perceived unethical and/or illegal activity to a third party
(government agencies).
Individuals must be morally attentive and must want to do the right thing and have the courage to act.
Morally attentive: faithfully considering the ethical implications of one’s actions.
Research methodologies:
• Meta-analysis: pools the results of many studies through statistical procedure. Behavioral scientists
draw general conclusions.
• Field study: examination of variables in real-life setting. Individual/ group. Has immediate and
practical relevance.
• Laboratory study: manipulation and measurement of variables in contrived situations. Mostly
college students. Precisions but generalizing requires caution.
• Sample survey: questionnaire responses from a sample of people. Generalization depends on
quality of sampling and questioning techniques.
• Case study: in-depth study of a single person, group or organization. Realistic, but not
generalizable.
Chapter two: Managing Diversity: Releasing Every Employee’s Potential
Sexual harassment: unwanted sexual attention that creates an adverse or hostile work environment.
Diversity is important because it affects employees’ satisfaction, productivity, turnover and safety.
