8/4/2021
Organizational Behaviour: Fundamentals
Md. Rakibul Hassan, Associate Professor
Department of Marketing, Jahangirnagar University
rakibmktju@gmail.com
Learning Objectives
What is organizational behaviour?
How does knowing about organizational behaviour make work and
life more understandable?
Identify the forces of Organizational Behavior and its fundamental
concepts.
What do managers do and what are their roles in today?
Identify the contributions made by major behavioral science
disciplines to OB.
What challenges do managers and employees face in the
workplace of the twenty-first century?
Are there any limitations of OB field? What are these?
1
8/4/2021
What is organizational behaviour?
• Organizational behaviour is a field of study that investigates the impact of
individuals, groups, and structure on behaviour within organizations; the
aim is to apply such knowledge toward improving organizational
effectiveness.
• OB is frequently applied to address
workplace issues such as absenteeism,
turnover, productivity, motivation,
working in groups, and job
satisfaction. Managers often apply the
knowledge gained from OB research to
help them manage their organizations
more effectively.
Role of Organizational Behavior in Organization
1. Understanding Human Behavior
• Individual Behaviour
• Interpersonal Behaviour
• Group Behaviour
• Inter Group Behaviour
2. Influencing the Human Behavior
• Leadership
• Motivation
• Communication
• Organizational Change and Development
• Organizational Climate
2
8/4/2021
Forces of Organizational Behavior
What Do Managers Do?
Managers plan, organize, direct, and control resources to achieve specific goals with
the help of their technical, human and conceptual skills.
• Planning involves the setting of goals and then
determining the best way to achieve them.
• Organizing means allocating resources (people,
equipment, and money) to carry out the
company’s plans.
• Directing is the process of providing focus for
employees and motivating them to achieve
organizational goals.
• Controlling involves comparing actual to
expected performance and taking corrective
action when necessary.
3
8/4/2021
What are the Managerial Roles?
In 1973, Henry Mintzberg – a Canadian academic and author categorized all activities
of managers into ten managerial roles performed over the course of a day.
Mintzberg’s Managerial Roles (cont’d)
4
8/4/2021
Mintzberg’s Managerial Roles (cont’d)
Mintzberg’s Managerial Roles (cont’d)
5
8/4/2021
Now Your Turn…….
• Do you think all the skills and roles are similarly applicable
in your organization where you study or work? Why or why
not?
Contributing Disciplines to the OB Field
Psychology
The science that seeks to measure, explain, and sometimes change the
behavior of humans and other animals.
6
8/4/2021
Contributing Disciplines to the OB Field (cont’d)
Sociology
The study of people in relation to their fellow human beings.
Contributing Disciplines to the OB Field (cont’d)
Social Psychology
An area within psychology that blends concepts from psychology and
sociology and that focuses on the influence of people on one another.
7
8/4/2021
Contributing Disciplines to the OB Field (cont’d)
Anthropology
The study of societies to learn about human beings and their activities.
Contributing Disciplines to the OB Field (cont’d)
8
8/4/2021
Now it is time for you…….
• “OB is for everyone.” Build an argument to support this statement.
Challenges and Opportunities for OB
1. Responding to Globalization
• Increased foreign assignments
• Working with people from different cultures
• Coping with anti-capitalism backlash
• Overseeing movement of jobs to countries with low-cost labor
• Managing people during the war on terror.
2. Managing Workforce Diversity
• Embracing diversity
• Changing demographics
• Implications for managers (Recognizing and responding to differences)
9
8/4/2021
Challenges and Opportunities for OB (Contd.)
3. Improving Quality and Productivity
• Quality management (QM)
• Process reengineering
4. Responding to the Labor Shortage
• Changing work force demographics
• Fewer skilled laborers
• Early retirements and older workers
5. Improving Customer Service
• Increased expectation of service quality
• Customer-responsive cultures
Challenges and Opportunities for OB (Contd.)
6. Improving People Skills
7. Empowering People
8. Stimulating Innovation and Change
9. Coping with “Temporariness”
1.0 Working in Networked Organizations
11. Helping Employees Balance Work/Life Conflicts
12. Improving Ethical Behavior
13. Managing People during the War on Terrorism
10
8/4/2021
Now it is time for you…….
• Could you please separate or identify these challenges at different levels? Whether
these are at individual level, group level or organizational level.
Today’s Challenges in the Workplace
1. Challenges at the Individual Level
• Individual Differences
• Job Satisfaction
• Motivation
• Empowerment
• Behaving Ethically
2. Challenges at the Group Level
• Working With Others
• Workforce Diversity
3. Challenges at the Organizational Level
• Productivity
• Developing Effective Employees
• Putting People First
• Global Competition
• Managing and Working in a Multicultural World
11
8/4/2021
Limitations of OB
Organizational Behavior describes the research results identifying payoffs in
the areas of stress levels, employee turnover, absenteeism, and a decrease in
employee performance. It will not abolish conflict and frustration; it can only
reduce them. It suffers:
• Behavioral Bias.
• The Law of Diminishing Returns.
• Unethical Manipulation of People
12
8/4/2021
13
