Chapter 1
What Is Organizational Behavior?
Learning Objectives
1. Demonstrate the importance of interpersonal skills in the workplace.
2. Define organizational behavior (OB).
3. Show the value to OB of systematic study.
4. Identify the major behavioral science disciplines that contribute to OB.
5. Demonstrate why few absolutes apply to OB.
6. Identify managers’ challenges and opportunities in applying OB concepts.
7. Compare the three levels of analysis in this text’s OB model.
8. Describe the key employability skills gained from studying OB applicable to other
majors or future careers.
1. Demonstrate the Importance of Interpersonal Skills in the Workplace
Interpersonal skills are important because…
● ‘Good places to work’ have better financial performance.
● Better interpersonal skills result in lower turnover of quality employees and higher
quality applications for recruitment.
● There is a strong association between the quality of workplace relationships and
job satisfaction, stress, and turnover.
● It fosters social responsibility awareness.
Describe the Manager’s Functions, Roles, and Skills
• Manager: Someone who gets things done through other people in organizations.
• Organization: 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.
– Planning, organizing, leading, and controlling.
• Mintzberg concluded that managers perform ten different, highly interrelated roles or
sets of behaviors attributable to their jobs.
, Exhibit 1-1 Minztberg’s Managerial Roles
Role Description
Interpersonal
Figurehead Symbolic head; required to perform a number of routine duties of a legal or
social nature
Leader Responsible for the motivation and direction of employees
Liaison Maintains a network of outside contacts who provide favors and information
Informational
Monitor Receives a wide variety of information; serves as nerve center of internal
and external information of the organization
Disseminator Transmits information received from outsiders or from other employees to
members of the organization
Spokesperson Transmits information to outsiders on organization’s plans, policies, actions,
and results; serves as expert on organization’s industry
Decisional Searches organization and its environment for opportunities and initiates
projects to bring about change
Entrepreneur Responsible for corrective action when organization faces important,
unexpected disturbances
Resource allocator Makes or approves significant organizational decisions
Negotiator Responsible for representing the organization at major negotiations
• Management Skills
–Technical Skills – the ability to apply specialized knowledge or expertise. All jobs
require some specialized expertise, and many people develop their technical skills on
the job.
–Human Skills – the ability to work with, understand, and motivate other people.
–Conceptual Skills – the mental ability to analyze and diagnose complex situations.
What Is Organizational Behavior?
Learning Objectives
1. Demonstrate the importance of interpersonal skills in the workplace.
2. Define organizational behavior (OB).
3. Show the value to OB of systematic study.
4. Identify the major behavioral science disciplines that contribute to OB.
5. Demonstrate why few absolutes apply to OB.
6. Identify managers’ challenges and opportunities in applying OB concepts.
7. Compare the three levels of analysis in this text’s OB model.
8. Describe the key employability skills gained from studying OB applicable to other
majors or future careers.
1. Demonstrate the Importance of Interpersonal Skills in the Workplace
Interpersonal skills are important because…
● ‘Good places to work’ have better financial performance.
● Better interpersonal skills result in lower turnover of quality employees and higher
quality applications for recruitment.
● There is a strong association between the quality of workplace relationships and
job satisfaction, stress, and turnover.
● It fosters social responsibility awareness.
Describe the Manager’s Functions, Roles, and Skills
• Manager: Someone who gets things done through other people in organizations.
• Organization: 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.
– Planning, organizing, leading, and controlling.
• Mintzberg concluded that managers perform ten different, highly interrelated roles or
sets of behaviors attributable to their jobs.
, Exhibit 1-1 Minztberg’s Managerial Roles
Role Description
Interpersonal
Figurehead Symbolic head; required to perform a number of routine duties of a legal or
social nature
Leader Responsible for the motivation and direction of employees
Liaison Maintains a network of outside contacts who provide favors and information
Informational
Monitor Receives a wide variety of information; serves as nerve center of internal
and external information of the organization
Disseminator Transmits information received from outsiders or from other employees to
members of the organization
Spokesperson Transmits information to outsiders on organization’s plans, policies, actions,
and results; serves as expert on organization’s industry
Decisional Searches organization and its environment for opportunities and initiates
projects to bring about change
Entrepreneur Responsible for corrective action when organization faces important,
unexpected disturbances
Resource allocator Makes or approves significant organizational decisions
Negotiator Responsible for representing the organization at major negotiations
• Management Skills
–Technical Skills – the ability to apply specialized knowledge or expertise. All jobs
require some specialized expertise, and many people develop their technical skills on
the job.
–Human Skills – the ability to work with, understand, and motivate other people.
–Conceptual Skills – the mental ability to analyze and diagnose complex situations.
