Organizational Behaviour Summary Chapter 1
Introducing Organizational Behaviour (OB)
organizations can be difficult, because they involve people: they can be complex,
often act irrational
to manage people, you need to be able to understand how they think, what
motivates them and what increases their commitment & how to ensure they act in
an ethical and sustainable way
OB is about how organizations are structured and run through systems and
procedures, as well as how they relate to the globalized world.
OB is about society
What is organizational behaviour?
1. The rational organization
managers create bureaucratic procedures and policies (Ch 2), to create
standardized, predictable and efficient organizations (=maximum control over and
efficiency from workers)
Taylorism=through scientific analysis finding the one best way of performing a
task in a more efficient, productive and rational way
McDonaldization (of society)=the principles of efficiency, calculability,
predictability, and control by which fast-food restaurants are managed and
organized (Ch 4)
2. The social organization
Hawthorne studies= (1924-late 1930s) people are social beings who are
influenced by the social norms of their peer group (Ch 5)
Groups vs teams
o Important way of managing people and increase productivity
o Teamwork can be challenging and often fails to work effectively
3. Managing the individual
Motivation=a very complex phenomenon
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs = tool for analysing human motivation (Ch 9)
Introducing Organizational Behaviour (OB)
organizations can be difficult, because they involve people: they can be complex,
often act irrational
to manage people, you need to be able to understand how they think, what
motivates them and what increases their commitment & how to ensure they act in
an ethical and sustainable way
OB is about how organizations are structured and run through systems and
procedures, as well as how they relate to the globalized world.
OB is about society
What is organizational behaviour?
1. The rational organization
managers create bureaucratic procedures and policies (Ch 2), to create
standardized, predictable and efficient organizations (=maximum control over and
efficiency from workers)
Taylorism=through scientific analysis finding the one best way of performing a
task in a more efficient, productive and rational way
McDonaldization (of society)=the principles of efficiency, calculability,
predictability, and control by which fast-food restaurants are managed and
organized (Ch 4)
2. The social organization
Hawthorne studies= (1924-late 1930s) people are social beings who are
influenced by the social norms of their peer group (Ch 5)
Groups vs teams
o Important way of managing people and increase productivity
o Teamwork can be challenging and often fails to work effectively
3. Managing the individual
Motivation=a very complex phenomenon
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs = tool for analysing human motivation (Ch 9)
