10th Edition

Managing Organizational Behavior

Moorhead & Griffin

Chapter 1
Introduction to
Organizational
Behavior

2012 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning Prepared by Charlie Cook

All rights reserved. The University of West Alabama
Chapter Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter you should be able to:
1. Define organizational behavior.
2. Identify the functions that comprise the management process
and relate them to organizational behavior.
3. Relate organizational behavior to basic managerial roles and
skills.
4. Describe contemporary organizational behavior.
5. Discuss contextual perspectives on organizational behavior.
6. Describe the role of organizational behavior in managing for
effectiveness

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 What is Organizational Behavior?

Organizational behavior (OB) is the study of:

Human behavior in organizational settings
The interface between human behavior and the
organization
The organization itself

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 1.1 The Nature of Organizational Behavior

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 The Importance of Organizational Behavior

Organizations can have a powerful influence on

our lives:
Most people are born and educated in organizations
Most people acquire most of their material
possessions from organizations
Most people die as members of organizations
Many of our activities are regulated by governmental
organizations
Most people spend most of their lives in organizations

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 Why Study OB?

Studying organizational behavior can clarify

factors that affect how managers manage by:
Describing the complex human context of
organizations
Defining the associated opportunities, problems,
challenges, and issues
Isolating important aspects of the managers job
Offering specific perspectives on the human side of
management

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 Why Study OB? (contd)

Studying OB helps managers understand:

The behaviors of others in the organization
Personal needs, motives, behaviors, feelings and career
dynamics
Attitudinal processes, individual differences, group dynamics,
inter group dynamics, organization culture, power, and
political behavior

Interactions with people outside of the organization

and other organizations
The environment, technology, and global issues

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 Organizational Behavior and
the Management Process

Management Resources Used

Functions by Managers
Planning Human
Organizing Financial
Leading Physical
Controlling Information

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 Functions of Management
Planning Determining an organizations desired
future position and the best means of
getting there
Organizing Designing jobs, grouping jobs into units,
and establishing patterns of authority
between jobs and units
Leading Getting organizational members to work
together toward the organizations goals
Controlling Monitoring and correcting the actions of
the organization and its members to keep
them directed toward their goals

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 1.2 Basic Managerial Functions

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 Organizational Behavior and
the Managers Job

Basic
BasicManagerial
ManagerialRoles
Roles

Interpersonal
Interpersonal Informational
Informational Decision-Making
Decision-Making

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 1.1 Important Managerial Roles

Category Role Example

Interpersonal Figurehead Attend employee retirement ceremony
Leader Encourage workers to increase productivity
Liaison Coordinate activities of two committees

Informational Monitor Scan business publications for information

about competition
Disseminator Send out memos outlining new policies
Spokesperson Hold press conference to announce new plant

Decision Making Entrepreneur Develop idea for new product and convince
others of its merit
Disturbance handler Resolve dispute
Resource allocator Allocate budget requests
Negotiator Settle new labor contract

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 Critical Managerial Skills

Technical Skills necessary to accomplish

specific tasks within the organization
Interpersonal Skills used to communicate with,
understand, and motivate individuals
and groups
Conceptual Skills used in abstract thinking
Diagnostic Skills to understand cause-effect
relationships and to recognize optimal
solutions to problems

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 1.3 Managerial Skills at Different Organizational Levels

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 Contemporary Organizational Behavior

Characteristics of the Field

Interdisciplinary in focus
Descriptive in nature

Basic Concepts of the Field

1. Individual processes
2. Interpersonal processes
3. Organizational processes/characteristics

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 1.4
The Framework
for Understanding
Organizational
Behavior

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 Contemporary Organizational Behavior

Systems
SystemsPerspective
Perspective

Situational
SituationalPerspective
Perspective
Contextual
Contextual
Perspectives
Perspectivesonon
Contingency
Organizational
Organizational Contingency
Behavior
Behavior
Interactional
Interactional

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 The Systems Perspective

System
An interrelated set of elements that function as a
wholeinputs are combined/transformed by
managers into outputs from the system
Value of the Systems Perspective
Underscores the importance of an organizations
environment
Conceptualizes the flow and interaction of various
elements of the organization.

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 The Situational Perspective

The Situational Perspective

Recognizes that most organizational situations and
outcomes are influenced by other variables
The Universal Model
Presumes a direct cause-and-effect linkage between
variables
Complexities of human behavior and organizational
settings make universal conclusions virtually
impossible

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 1.5 The Systems Approach to Organizations

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 1.6 Universal Versus Situational Approach

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 Interactionalism: People and Situations

Interactionalist Perspective
Focuses on how individuals and situations interact
continuously to determine individuals behavior
Attempts to explain how people select, interpret, and
change various situations.

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 1.7 The Interactionalist Perspective on Behavior in Organizations

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 Managing for Effectiveness

Managers work toward accomplishing the

various goals (outcomes) that exist at
specific levels in an organization:
Individual-level outcomes
Group-level outcomes
Organizational-level outcomes

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 1.8 Managing for Effectiveness

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