UNDERSTANDING BEHAVIOR

IN ORGANIZATIONS

Reporters: Velasquez, Efren John Vildosola, Mila

Villamor, Christine Villarubia, Marifel
´Understanding behavior in organizations involves analyzing
how individuals and groups act within the context of a work
environment.

´It includes the study of various factors such as motivation,

leadership, teamwork, communication, culture, and
decision-making.
What is Behavior?
´The way in which one acts or conducts
oneself, especially towards others.
´What they do?
´How they do?
 Factors Affecting Organizational Behavior
Ø People:
´ Individuals within the organization, including employees, managers, and
leaders.
´ Melting pot of diversity – talents, background and perspectives to their jobs.
´ Focus on understanding behavior, motivation and attitudes.

Ø Structure:
´ Organizational design, hierarchy and formal systems
´ Shapes communication patterns, decision-making process, and workflow.
 Factors Affecting Organizational Behavior
Ø Technology:
´ Tools, systems, and resources used in the organization.
´ Impacts work processes, efficiency, and collaboration.

Ø External Environment:
´ Factors outside the organization that influence its operations.
´ Includes market conditions, competitors, regulatory environment, and
societal trends.
Levels of Analysis in Organizational Behavior

ØMicro/ Individual Level

ØMeso/ Group Level

ØMacro/ Organizational level

Micro level: Individual behavior and attitudes

´Examines factors such as

personality, perception,
motivation and job
satisfaction, which influence
individual performance and
behavior in the workplace.
Employee Characteristics affecting Behavior

´Age ´Ability
´Gender ´Intellectual Abilities
´Marital Status ´Physical Abilities
´Tenure ´Ability-Job Fit
 Meso level: Group dynamics and team management
´Focuses on understanding
group behavior, dynamics,
leadership styles, and
communication patterns
within teams, essential for
effective teamwork and
collaboration
Macro level: Organizational culture, design, and change

´Analyzes broader
organizational factors such
as culture, structure, power
dynamics, and change
management processes,
which impact organizational
effectiveness and
adaptation.
Key Concepts in Managing People
 1. Motivation
• Theories of Motivation: Includes Maslow's
Hierarchy of Needs, Herzberg's Two-Factor
Theory, and McClelland's Need Theory.
• Incentives and Rewards: How intrinsic and
extrinsic rewards impact employee
motivation.
• Job Satisfaction and Engagement: Factors
that contribute to an employee’s
motivation and satisfaction at work.
 2. Leadership
• Leadership Styles: Includes autocratic,
democratic, transformational,
transactional, and servant leadership.
• Power and Influence: How leaders use
authority, persuasion, and influence to
guide teams.
• Emotional Intelligence: The role of
empathy, self-awareness, and
interpersonal skills in effective leadership.
 3. Group Dynamics and Teamwork
• Stages of Group Development: Forming,
Storming, Norming, Performing, and
Adjourning.
• Team Roles and Norms: How individuals’
roles and team norms shape group
behavior and outcomes.
• Conflict Management: Strategies for
managing and resolving conflicts within
teams.
 4. Communication
• Channels of Communication: Formal vs.
informal communication, verbal and non-
verbal communication.
• Barriers to Communication: Noise, language
differences, cultural misunderstandings, and
hierarchical barriers.
• Effective Communication: Techniques to
improve clarity, feedback loops, and active
listening.
 5. Organizational Culture
• Types of Cultures: Strong vs. weak cultures,
hierarchical vs. flat organizational cultures.
• Cultural Impact on Behavior: How an
organization’s culture influences employee
behavior, attitudes, and performance.
• Cultural Change: The process and challenges
involved in transforming organizational
culture.
 6. Decision-Making
• Individual vs. Group Decision-Making: How
decisions are made, including rational and
intuitive approaches.
• Cognitive Biases: How biases like confirmation
bias, anchoring, and overconfidence impact
decision-making.
• Ethical Decision-Making: The role of ethics
and social responsibility in organizational
decisions.
 7. Organizational Change
• Resistance to Change: Why individuals
resist organizational changes and how to
manage that resistance.
• Change Models: Lewin’s Change Model
(Unfreeze, Change, Refreeze), Kotter’s 8-
Step Change Model.
• Impact of Change: How structural,
technological, or cultural changes affect
individuals and teams.
 8. Personality and Attitudes
• Personality Traits: The Big Five Personality
Traits (Openness, Conscientiousness,
Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism)
and how they affect behavior at work.
• Attitudes and Job Performance: The
relationship between an employee’s attitudes
(job satisfaction, commitment) and their
performance.
 9. Stress and Well-being
• Sources of Stress: Job demands, role
ambiguity, work-life balance.
• Stress Management: Techniques like time
management, relaxation, and organizational
support for employee well-being.
• Burnout and Employee Assistance:
Understanding burnout and strategies to
promote mental health in the workplace.
 10. Diversity and Inclusion
• Diversity in Teams: How diversity (in terms of
gender, race, age, etc.) influences group
performance and innovation.
• Inclusion and Equity: Practices that ensure fair
treatment and opportunities for all employees.
• Challenges of Managing Diversity: Overcoming
biases, communication barriers, and fostering
an inclusive environment.
 11. Organizational Structure
• Hierarchical vs. Flat Organizations: The
impact of the organization's structure on
communication, decision-making, and
employee behavior.
• Centralization vs. Decentralization: How
authority and decision-making are distributed
within an organization.
• Matrix Organizations: A structure that
creates dual reporting lines, typically
combining functional and project-based
structures.
 12. Job Design and Work Specialization
• Job Enrichment and Job Enlargement:
Techniques to enhance the quality of work
life by increasing the range of tasks or
providing greater responsibility.
• Task Variety and Autonomy: How the
diversity of tasks and the level of control
over work impact motivation and
satisfaction.
• Work Specialization: The degree to which
tasks are divided into specific jobs or roles,
affecting efficiency and skill development.
 13. Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB)
• Altruism, Sportsmanship, and Courtesy:
Positive voluntary behaviors employees
engage in that are not part of their formal
job requirements but contribute to the
organization's overall functioning.
• Impact on Team Performance: How OCB
can enhance collaboration, trust, and
overall team effectiveness.
 14. Workplace Politics and Power
• Sources of Power: Legitimate power, expert
power, referent power, coercive power, and
reward power, and how they affect
influence within an organization.
• Political Behavior: How employees use
tactics like networking, coalitions, and
bargaining to influence outcomes in the
workplace.
• Managing Political Behavior: Approaches
to minimizing negative political behavior
and fostering a culture of transparency and
fairness.
 15. Employee Engagement and Organizational
Commitment

• Affective, Continuance, and Normative

Commitment: Different types of employee
commitment based on emotional
attachment, perceived costs of leaving, and
obligation to stay.
• Engagement Strategies: Programs and
practices such as employee recognition,
professional development, and feedback
mechanisms that enhance engagement.
 16. Learning and Development in Organizations
• Theories of Learning: Behaviorist, cognitive, and
social learning theories as they apply to
employee training and skill development.
• Continuous Learning Culture: How
organizations promote ongoing learning through
mentorship programs, workshops, and e-
learning platforms.
• Learning Styles: Understanding individual
preferences for learning, such as visual,
auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles, and
adapting training programs accordingly.
 17. Performance Management
• 360-Degree Feedback: A method of performance
evaluation that involves feedback from
supervisors, peers, subordinates, and sometimes
clients.
• Goal Setting and Performance Appraisals: The
role of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable,
Relevant, Time-bound) goals and regular
performance evaluations in driving employee
performance.
• Challenges in Performance Appraisal: Biases,
unclear criteria, and ineffective communication
can negatively impact performance reviews.
 18. Emotional Labor
• Managing Emotions at Work: How
employees manage their emotions to
meet the organizational expectations,
especially in customer-facing roles.
• Surface Acting vs. Deep Acting: The
difference between faking emotions to
display a positive demeanor and genuinely
modifying internal feelings to match
outward expressions.
• Consequences of Emotional Labor: Stress,
burnout, and job dissatisfaction that can
arise from managing emotions in high-
pressure environments.