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Organizational behavior

From Wikiversity

Organizational Behavior is a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals,groups and structure have on behavior within organizations, for the purpose of applying such knowledge toward improving an organization’s effectiveness.

An organization is a collection of people who work together to achieve a wide variety of goals, both goals of the various individuals in the organization and goals of the organization as a whole. Organizations exist to provide goods and services that people want. These goods and services are the products of the behaviors of workers.

Organizational behavior (OB) is defined as the systematic study and application of knowledge about how individuals and groups act within the organizations where they work. It is the study of human behavior in organizational settings, how human behavior interacts with the organization, and the organization itself. Organizational behavior theories inform real-world evaluation and management of groups of people.[1]

Organizational behavior is the study of the many factors that have an impact on how individuals and groups respond to and act in organizations and how organizations manage their environments. Although many people assume that understanding human behavior in organizations is intuitive, many commonly held beliefs about behavior in organizations, such as the idea that a “happy worker is a productive worker,” are either entirely false or true only in specific situations. The study of organizational behavior provides a set of tools—concepts and theories—that help people understand, analyze, and describe what goes on in organizations and why. How do the characteristics of individuals, groups, work situations, and the organization itself affect how members feel about their organization?

The ability to use the tools of organizational behavior to understand behavior in organizations is one reason for studying this subject. A second reason is to learn how to apply these concepts, theories, and techniques to improve behavior in organizations so that individuals, groups, and organizations can achieve their goals. Managers are challenged to find new ways to motivate and coordinate employees to ensure that their goals are aligned with organizational goals.

Organizational Behavior addresses following points:

  • Organizational behavior studies the factors that impact individual and group behavior in organizations and how organizations manage their environments. Organizational behavior

provides a set of tools—theories and concepts—to understand, analyze, describe, and manage attitudes and behavior in organizations.

  • The study of organizational behavior can improve and change individual, group, and organizational

behavior to attain individual, group, and organizational goals.

  • Organizational behavior can be analyzed at three levels: the individual, the group, and the

organization as a whole. A full understanding must include an examination of behavioral factors at each level.

  • A manager’s job is to use the tools of organizational behavior to increase effectiveness, an

organization’s ability to achieve its goal. Management is the process of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling an organization’s human, financial, material, and other resources to increase its effectiveness.

Part I: The Individual

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• Ability & Learning • Values, Attitudes and Job Satisfaction • Personality & Emotions • Perception & Individual Decision Making • Basic Motivation Concepts • Motivation and its Applications

Part-II The Group

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• Foundational of Group Behavior • Group and Team Work • Functions of Communication • Basic Approaches to Leadership • Contemporary Issues in Leadership • Power and Politics • Conflict and Negotiation process that includes defining goals, establishing strategy, and developing plans to coordinate activities.

Part-III The Organization System

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• Organizational Structure • Work design and Technology • HR Policies and Practices • Organizational Culture • Organizational Change • Stress Management

Macro-OB generally includes the study of organizations with a focus on structure, technology, organizational change, organizational learning, culture, decision-making, innovation and creativity, and so on.

Micro-OB on the other hand tends to focus more on inidividuals, groups/teams, and interpersonal issues such as motivation, personality, leadership, ethics, job design, power, politics, conflict, negotiations, etc.

Contributing disciplines to the OB field

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Organizational behavior is an applied behavioral science that is built upon contributions from a number of behavioral disciplines. The predominant areas are psychology, sociology, social psychology, anthropology, and political science

Psychology is the science that seeks to measure, explain, and sometimes change the behavior of humans and other animals. it may be;the mental and behavior characteristic of an individual or group; RELATONSHIP WITH OB If one want to improve the behaviour of an individual on group we have to look into the psychological needs of an individual and group.So the knowledge of psychology can realy help in improving and modifying the behaviour of individual and group.If the psychological needs are fulfilled ,it gives satisfaction to people and also give peace of mind, which can improve the ability of an organization.

Sociologists study the social system in which individuals fill their roles; that is, sociology studies people in relation to their fellow human beings. also according to the Waliam Marrian dictionary, sociology is "the science of society social instituton and social relationship." This study really provides helping hand in the improvement and modificaton of OB. Society provides the base for collective living and relationship while social institutes provide the base for better form and shape for society among its different organizations. Meanwhile, social behaviour moulds the behaviour and values of the society. So, knowledge of social norms and values not to forget the customs really help in shaping the society.

An area within psychology that blends concepts from psychology and sociology and that focuses on the influence of people on one another. it deal with the fulfilment of social needs in a phycological sense of interpretations.it cause different socio psycho conditions and affair for the modification of OB.it deal with the inner self of an individual itself . Esteem must be preserved and hounourd. social phycology is the main and principal organ of bringing together different organ in a better harmony and this improve the OB and modified it towards further improvement and achevement.



The study of societies to learn about human beings and their activities. we also define anthrapology as "science of human beings especialy of their environment and social relations and there culture" environment play a pivotal role in the iimprovment and modification of OB. environment like teacher and preacher determines the direction of OB. in our society colourful people are living ie from different religion,creeds,cast and culture. So for OB modificationand improvement,one must have the very trate and attitude of anthropology.


A manager’s job is to use the tools of organizational behavior to increase effectiveness, an organization’s ability to achieve its goal. Management is the process of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling an organization’s human, financial, material, and other resources to increase its effectiveness.

The study of the behavior of individuals and groups within a political environment. It also means "the act or science of guiding or influencing governmental policy"; the study of politics is helpful in the nourishment and development of the OB. Among different groups and individuals, if loyalty is not found,then OB does not flourish and rather becomes the victim of deadlock. Political science provides an insight for the improvement and modification of the OB. The OB involves the application of political science at all levels. It may be at the highest level, like country, and at the lowest level, like an institute or organization. It involves the study of behaviour in a political environment.


1 Organizational Behavior investigates the impact that ________, groups, and structure have on behavior within organizations.

individuals
companies
technologies
strategies

2 An organization is a collection of people who work together to achieve a wide variety of ________.

goals
products
strategies
tasks

3 Organizational behavior (OB) is the study of human behavior in ________ settings.

organizational
social
individual
community

4 Many people assume that a “happy worker is a ________ worker,” but this belief can be false or true only in specific situations.

productive
satisfied
motivated
efficient

5 Organizational behavior provides a set of tools to understand, analyze, describe, and manage ________ and behavior in organizations.

attitudes
products
strategies
tasks

6 Organizational behavior can be analyzed at three levels: the individual, the group, and the ________.

organization as a whole
community
team
society

7 A manager’s job is to use the tools of organizational behavior to increase ________, an organization’s ability to achieve its goal.

effectiveness
efficiency
productivity
profitability

  1. "What is Organizational Behavior". Geektonight. 2019-09-14. Retrieved 2019-10-15.