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PTU SYLLABUS
Organizational Behavior: Definition of OB, Contributing discipline to OB. Challenges and Opportunities for OB. Foundations of Individual Behavior: Biographical characteristics, Ability, and Learning. Values, Attitudes and Job Satisfaction Personality and Emotions Perception
Foundation
of
Individual
Individual Behavior Meaning of Individual Behavior Foundation of Individual Behavior Personal Factors/ Biographical Factors Environmental Factors Organizational Factors Psychological Factors Models of Individual Behavior Ability Types of Ability Learning Meaning and Definition of Learning Learning Process Theories of Learning
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CHAPTER 1.1
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Meaning and Definition of Organizational Behavior
Human behavior in organization is determined partly by the requirements of the formal organization and partly by the personal systems of the individuals forming the organization. The behavior that emerges from this interaction defines the field of the organizational behavior. Organizational behavior is the study and application of knowledge about how peopleas individuals and as groupsact within organizations. It strives to identify ways in which people can act more effectively. Organizational behavior is a scientific discipline in which a large number of research studies and conceptual developments are constantly adding to its knowledge base. It is also an applied science, in that information about effective practices in one organization is being extended to many others. According to Fred Luthans Organizational behavior is understanding, predicting and controlling human behavior at work. According to Stephen Robins OB is a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups and structure have on behavior in organizations for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving an organizations effectiveness. According to Callahan, Organizational behavior is subset of management activities concerned with understanding, predicting and influencing individual behavior in organizational setting.
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Some people may fear that the tools of organizational behavior will be used to limit their freedom and take away their rights. Although that scenario is possible, it is not likely, for the actions of most managers today are subject to intense scrutiny. Managers need to remember that organizational behavior is a human tool for human benefit. It applies broadly to the behavior of people in all types of organizations, such as businesses, government, schools, and service organizations. Wherever organizations are, there is a need to describe, understand, predict, and better manage human behavior.
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Organizational behavior
Technology Machinery Computer hardware and software Key Forces Affecting Organizational Behavior
1) People: People make up the internal social system of the organization. That system consists of individuals and groups, and large groups as well as small ones. There are unofficial, informal groups and more official, formal ones. Groups are dynamic. We must remember that organizations exist to serve people, rather than people existing to serve organizations. The human organization of today is not the same as it was yesterday, or the day before. In particular, the workforce has become richly diverse, which means that employees bring a wide array of educational backgrounds, talents, and perspectives to their jobs. Managers need to be tuned into these diverse patterns and trends, and to be prepared to adapt to them. 2) Structure: Structure defines the roles and relationships of people in an organization. Different people in the organization are given different roles and they have certain relationships with others. Organization structure leads to division of work so that people can perform their duties to accomplish the organizational goals. Under the structure, different duties are to be performed by different people. Some may be managers others may be supervisors, clerks, peons or workers. All are related to each other to accomplish the goals in a co-ordinated manner. The structure relates to authority-responsibility relationships.
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3) Technology: Technology provides the resources with which people work and affects the tasks that they perform. They cannot accomplish much with their bare hands, so they build buildings, design machines, create work processes, and assemble resources. The technology used has a significant influence on working relationships. The great benefit of technology is that it allows people to do more and better work, but it also restricts people in various ways. It has costs as well as benefits. 4) Environment: All organizations operate within an internal and an external environment. A single organization does not exist alone. It is part of a large system that contains many other elements, such as government, the family, and other organizations. Numerous changes in the environment create demands on organizations. Individual organizations, such as a factory or a school, cannot escape being influenced by this external environment. It influences the attitudes of people, affects working conditions, and provides competition for resources and power. It must be considered in the study of human behavior in organizations.
Foundation of OB The discipline of Organizational Behavior has fundamental concepts revolving round the (a) nature of people and (b) the nature of the organization. 1) The Nature of People With regard to people, there are six basic concepts: i) Individual Difference: People have much in common (they become excited by the arrival of a new child in the family or they are grieved by the loss of a loved one), but each person in the world is also individually different. Each person is different from all others, probably in millions of ways, just as each persons DNA profile is different, as far as we know. And these differences are usually substantial rather than meaningless. All people are different, and this diversity needs to be recognized and viewed as a valuable asset to organizations. Individual differences mean that management can motivate employees best by treating them differently. Individual differences require that a managers approach to employees be individual, not statistical. This belief that each person is different from all others is typically called the law of individual differences. ii) Perception: People look at the world and see things differently. Even when presented with the same object, two people may view it in two different ways. Their views of their objective environment is filtered by perception, which is the unique way in which each person sees, organizes, and interprets things. People use an organized framework that they have built out of lifetime experiences and accumulated values. They tend to act on the basis of their perceptions. Essentially each person seems to be saying, I react not to an objective world, but to a world judged in terms of my own beliefs, values, and expectations. This way of reacting leads to the process of selective perception, in which people tend to pay attention to those features of their work environment which are consistent with or which reinforce their own expectations. Selective perceptions can not only cause misinterpretations of single events at work, but also lead to future rigidity in the search for new experiences.
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iii) Whole Person: When an individual is appointed, his/her skill alone is not hired, his/her social background, likes and dislikes, pride and prejudices-are also hired. A persons family life cannot be separated from his or her work life. It is for this reason that managers should endeavor to make the workplace a home away from home. They not only strive hard to develop a better employee out of a worker, but also a better person in terms of growth and fulfillment. iv) Caused Behavior: From psychology we learn that normal behavior has certain causes. These may relate to a persons needs and/or the consequences that result from acts. In the case of needs, people are motivated not by what we think they ought to have but by what they, themselves want. To an outside observer, a persons needs may be unrealistic, but they are still controlling. This fact leaves management with two basic ways to motivate people. It can show them how certain actions will increase their need fulfillment, or it can threaten decreased need fulfillment if they follow an undesirable course of action. Clearly, a path toward increased need fulfillment is the better approach. Motivation is essential to the operation of organizational. v) Desire for Involvement: People wish to feel good about them. This desire is reflected in their drive for self-efficacy, or the belief that one has the necessary capabilities to perform a task, fulfill role expectations, make a meaningful contribution, or meet challenging situation successfully. They hunger for the chance to share what they know and to learn from the experience. Organizations need to provide opportunities for meaningful involvement, a practice which will result in mutual benefit for both parties. vi) Human Dignity: Because of a higher order, people want to be treated with respect and dignity. The concept tells that every person should be respected simply because he happens to be an employee just as the manager is. They refuse to accept the old idea that they are simply economic tools. They want to be valued for their skills and abilities and to be provided with opportunities to develop themselves. 2) The Nature of the Organization i) Organization is a Social System: An organization is a social system which co-ordinates the activities of its members for the achievement of common goals. It is a part of the society and consists of people who are social beings. People have many psychological needs and play different types of roles. Their behavior is influenced not only by their individual drives, but also by the groups of which they are members. That is why; organizational behavior is dynamic in nature. A change in the social system is reflected in the organizational behavior through the behavior of individuals and groups. ii) Mutuality of Interests: Organizations need people, and people need organizations. Organizations have a human purpose. They are formed and maintained on the basis of some mutuality of interests among the participants. Organizations help people achieve their own personal objectives at the same time people help organizations achieve its objectives. It is a symbiotic relation. Everybody must bear in mind that the organizational and employees interests are intertwined in such a way that if the interests of one suffer the interests of another do suffer. Both the employees and organization can prosper if they help each other to prosper. Mutual interest provides a super-ordinate goalone that can be attained only through the integrated efforts of individuals and their employers. iii) Ethics: In order to attract and retain valuable employees in an era in which good workers are constantly recruited away, ethical treatment is necessary. To succeed, organizations must treat employees in an ethical fashion. More and more firms are recognizing this need and are responding with a variety of programs to ensure a higher standard ethical performance by managers and employees alike. Companies have established codes of ethics publicized statements of ethical values, provided ethics training, rewarded employees for notable ethical behavior, publicized positive role models, and set up internal procedures to handle misconduct. They have began to recognize that since organizational behavior always involves people, ethical philosophy is involved in one way or another in each action they take. When the organizations goals and actions are ethical, mutuality creates a triple reward system in which individual, organizational, and social objectives are all met. People find more satisfaction in work when there is cooperation and teamwork. They are learning, growing, and contributing. The organization is also more successful, because it operates more effectively.
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ii)
Organizational Behavior is Situational: Psychologists and other behavioral scientists have emphasized for years that individual behavior is a function of the interaction between personal characteristics of the individual and environmental variables. In order to understand a persons behavior, the pressures placed upon him in a given situation must be understood. Aggressive behaviors, for example, surfaces when a normally calm individual is forced into constant and close physical proximity with other people.
iii) Organizational Behavior is Based on System Approach: System thinking is an integral part of modern organization theory. Organizations are viewed as complex systems consisting of inter-related and inter-locking sub-systems. Changes in any part of the system have both known and unknown consequences in other parts of the system. When modifications in the system lead to desired, positive consequences, they are called functions. Unintended consequences in response to modifications in the system are called dysfunctions. According to the systems point of view, every interaction has both functions and dysfunctions. iv) Organizational Behavior Represents a Constant Interaction between Structure and Process Variables: Structure refers to organizational design and positions. Process refers to what happens, with or without the structure. A retail store may use both formal advertising and public relations functions (structure) to help build its image in the community. However, most of the stores image is formed by words of mouth from satisfied and dissatisfied customers and employees (process variables). Processes emerging within a group or organization are often evident only after they are heading towards completion. It is almost structural requirement in any organization that managers deal with the discontents of their people, yet employees sometimes find other processes for handling them.
iii) Group Behavior: An individual behaves differently as an individual and as a member of the group as revealed by Hawthorne Studies. His behavior is often modified by group norms. Therefore, study of group dynamics has assumed greater importance in organizational behavior. It helps in knowing how groups are formed, why people join groups and how groups exert pressures on the individuals, groups and management. Management can use group dynamics for better communication, effective leadership and building high morale. 2) Motivation of Human Resources: The job of a manager in an organization is to get things done through others. He will be successful in his job when he can motivate his subordinates to work for organizational goals. Organizational behavior will help the manager understand the needs and desires of the subordinates and other forces, which affect their motivation. He can use suitable incentives to motivate the subordinates. 3) Effective Communication: Behavioral sciences help in improving communication in the organization. It is communication through which people come in contact with each other. To achieve organizational effectiveness, the communication must be effective. The communication process and how it works in interpersonal dynamics is evaluated by behavioral sciences. The analysis of factors that influence communication will suggest measures to make communication effective.
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4) Effective Organizational Climate: Behavioral sciences suggest the creation of organizational climate in totality rather than merely improving the physiological conditions or increasing employee satisfaction by changing isolated work-process. Satisfactory working conditions, adequate compensation, and better equipments for the job are viewed as only a small effort in creating a sound organization climate. Of greater importance are the creation of an atmosphere of participative leadership, two-way communication, the opportunities for the realization of personal goals, congenial relations with others at the work-place, and the like. 5) Good Human Relations: Organizational behavior can be useful to achieve and maintain cordial relations in the organization. If an employee is slow in his work, it is not always because of denial of promotion or poor work environment. Similarly, if the union gives a strike call, the basic issue may not be a demand for more wages, higher bonus, a better canteen or entertainment facilities. Reluctance of the management to talk to union leaders about workers problems might provoke them to give a strike call. In other words, relations between management and employees are quite often strained for reasons, which are psychological and not rational. Organizational behavior helps understand the causes of poor industrial relations in the organization and suggest suitable measures for their improvement. 6) Introduction of Change in the Organization: Change is the law of nature. Organizations have also to undergo changes as a result of technological, social, political and other environment. Changes are often resisted by the organizational members. This problem can be successfully handled by the use of behavioral science knowledge. Change can be introduced through group dynamics and by proper education of employees through effective communication. The benefits of change should be highlighted and information should be shared with all those likely to be affected by the change.
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Diminishing returns may not apply to every human situation, but the idea applies so widely that it is of general use. Furthermore, the exact point at which an application becomes excessive will vary with the circumstances, but an excess can be reached with nearly any practice. Why does the law of diminishing returns exist? Essentially, it is a system concept. It applies because of the complex system relationships of many variables in a situation. The facts state that when an excess of one variable develops, although that variable is desirable, it tends to restrict the operating benefits of other variables so substantially that net effectiveness declines. For example, too much security may lead to less employee initiative and growth. This relationship shows that organizational effectiveness is achieved not by maximizing one human variable but by combining all system variables together in a balanced way. 3) Unethical Manipulation of People A significant concern about organizational behavior is that its knowledge and techniques can be used to manipulate people unethically as well as to help them develop their potential. People who lack respect for the basic dignity of the human being could learn organizational behavior ideas and use them for selfish ends. They could use what they know about motivation or communication in the manipulation of people without regard for human welfare. People who lack ethical values could use people in unethical ways. The philosophy of organizational behavior is supportive and oriented toward human resources. It seeks to improve the human environment and help people grow toward their potential. However, the knowledge and techniques of this subject may be used for negative as well as positive consequences. This possibility is true of knowledge in almost any field, so it is no special limitation of organizational behavior. Nevertheless, we must be cautious so that what is known about people is not used to manipulate them. The possibility of manipulation means that people in power in organizations must maintain high ethical and moral integrity and not misuse their power. Without ethical leadership, the new knowledge that is learned about people becomes a dangerous instrument for possible misuse. Ethical leadership will recognize such principles as the following: i) Social Responsibility: Responsibility to others arises whenever people have power in an organization. ii) Open Communication: The organization will operate as a two-way, open system, with open receipt of inputs from people and open disclosure of its operations to them. iii) Cost-benefit Analysis: In addition to economic costs and benefits, human and social costs and benefits of an activity will be analyzed in determining whether to proceed with the activity. As the general population learns more about organizational behavior, it will be more difficult to manipulate people, but the possibility is always there. That is why society desperately needs ethical leaders.
Basic Approaches of OB
1) Human Resources (Supportive) Approach: The human resources approach is developmental. It is concerned with the growth and development of people toward higher levels of competency, creativity, and fulfillment, because people are the central resource in any organization and any society. The nature of the human resources approach can be understood by comparing it with the traditional management approach of the early 1900s. In the traditional approach, managers decided what should be done and then closely controlled employees to ensure task performance. Management was directive and controlling. The human resources approach, on the other hand, is supportive. It helps employees become better, more responsible people, and then it tries to create a climate in which they may contribute to the limits of their improved abilities. It assumes that expanded capabilities and opportunities for people will lead directly to improvements in operating effectiveness. Work satisfaction also will be a direct result when employees make fuller use of their abilities. Essentially, the human resources approach means that better people achieve better results. 2) Contingency Approach: The contingency approach also is more interdisciplinary, more system-oriented, and more research-oriented than the traditional approach. Thus it helps managers use in the most appropriate manner all the current knowledge about people in organizations. Traditional management searched for principles to provide one best way of managing. There was a correct way to organize, to delegate, and to divide work. The correct way applied regardless of the type of organization or situation involved. Management principles were considered to be universal. As the field of organizational behavior developed, many of its followers initially supported the concept of universality. Behavioral ideas were supposed to apply in any type of situation. One example was the belief that employee-oriented leadership should consistently be better than task-oriented leadership, whatever the circumstances. An occasional exception might be admitted, but in general early ideas were applied in a universal manner. The more accepted view in the twenty-first century is that few across-theboard concepts apply in all instances. Situations are much more complex than first perceived, and the different variables may require different behavioral approaches. The result is the contingency approach to organizational behavior, which means that different situations require different behavioral practices for greatest effectiveness.
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3) Results-Oriented Approach: All organizations need to achieve some relevant outcomes, or results. A dominant goal for many is to be productive, so this results orientation is a common thread woven through organizational behavior. Productivity, at its simplest, is a ratio that compares units of output with units of input, often against a predetermined standard. If more outputs can be produced from the same amount of inputs, productivity is improved. Or if fewer inputs can be used to produce the same amount of outputs, productivity has increased. Productivity often is measured in terms of economic inputs and outputs, but human and social inputs and outputs also are important. For Example: If better organizational behavior can improve job satisfaction, a human output or result occurs. In the same manner, when employee development programs lead to a by-product of better citizens in a community, a valuable social result occurs. 4) Systems Approach: Treating an organization as a system is critically important to its success. The fundamental elements of the systems approach include: i) There are many variables within a system. ii) The parts of a system are interdependent (one part affects many others parts and is affected by many in a complex way). iii) There are many subsystems contained within larger systems. iv) Systems generally require inputs, engage in some process, and produce outputs. v) The input-process-output mechanism is cyclical and self-sustaining (it is ongoing, repetitive, and uses feedback to adjust itself). vi) Systems produce both positive and negative results. vii) Systems produce both intended and unintended consequences. viii) The consequences of systems may be short-term, long-term, or both.
Basic OB Model
According to Greenberg and Baron, Organizational behavior is the field that seeks knowledge of behavior in organizational settings by systematically studying individual, group and organizational processes. Thus, organizational behavior focuses on three levels of analysis, viz., (i) individuals, (ii) groups, and (iii) organization. 1) Behavior at the Individual Level: Organizations are made up of their individual members. The individual is a central feature of organizational behavior and a necessary part of any behavioral situation, whether acting in isolation or as part of a group, in response to expectations of the organization, or as a result of influence of the external environment.
Organizational Behavior
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The behavior of individuals is a complex phenomenon and is affected by a large number of factors such as personality, attitudes, perception, learning and motivation, social, cultural and other factors. OB integrates these factors to provide simplicity in understanding human behavior. The study of behavior of an individual working in the organization is also known as micro organizational behavior. 2) Behavior at the Group Level: Though people interact with the outside world at their individual level, their behavior pattern is also influenced by the groups to which they belong. Several research studies have shown people behave differently in groups than as individuals. Several factors influence the behavior of groups such as group goals, norms, communication, leadership, cohesiveness, etc. Understanding of group dynamics is essential to reduce conflicts and improve morale and productivity. This is also known as meso organization behavior. 3) Behavior at the Organization Level: An organization is a system composed of several interdependent individuals and groups. Individuals and groups operate within the structure of formal organization. They participate in shaping the culture of the organization and also in organization development. At times, they may resist change, while they may fight for change in certain situations. Stress caused by the activities of individuals and groups has to be managed at the organizational, group and individual levels. The study of behavior from the perspective of the whole organization is also referred to as macro organizational behavior.
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work. This model has been found to be effective in affluent countries where workers are more concerned about their higher level needs affiliation and esteem. This model has limited application under Indian conditions because a vast majority of operative workers are still working for the satisfaction of their physiological and security needs. 4) Collegial Theory: A useful extension of the supportive model is the collegial model. The term collegial relates to a body of persons having a common purpose. The collegial model, which embodies a team concept, first achieved widespread applications in research laboratories and similar work environments. The collegial model traditionally was used less on assembly lines, because the rigid work environment made it difficult to develop there. The theory is based on the principle of mutual contribution by employer and employees. Each employee should develop a feeling that he is a part of the whole and contributing something to the whole and recognizes the others contribution. Management is supported to be joint contribution and not the boss. The managerial orientation is toward teamwork. Management is the coach that builds a better team. The employee response to this situation is responsibility. The collegial approach for the employee is selfdiscipline. In this kind of environment employees normally feel some degree of fulfillment, worthwhile contribution, and self-actualization, even though the amount may be modest in some situations. This selfactualization will lead to moderate enthusiasm in performance. Autocratic Custodial 1) Basis of Model Power Economic resources 2) Managerial Orientation Authority Money 3) Employee Orientation Obedience Security 4) Employee Dependence on Dependence on Psychological Result organization boss 5) Employee Needs Met Subsistence Maintenance 6) Performance Result Minimum Supportive Leadership Support Job performance Participation Collegial Partnership Teamwork Responsibility Self-discipline
Status and Self-actualization Recognition Passive cooperation Awakened drives Moderate enthusiasm
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3) Sociology: Sociology as an academic discipline utilizes scientific method in accumulating knowledge about the social behavior of groups. It specifically studies social groups, social behavior, society, customs, institutions, social classes, status, social mobility and prestige. Sociology addresses itself to the study of group behavior. It studies the behavior of people in relation to their fellow human beings. Sociologists have enriched organizational behavior through their contribution to the study of interpersonal dynamics like leadership, group dynamics, communication, formal and informal organization, and the like.
1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 1) 2) 3) 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Sociology 1) 2) 3) 4) Organizational Structures Formal and Informal Organizations Organizational Culture Organizational Change Personality Perception Attitude Learning Motivation Job Satisfaction Training Leadership Effectiveness Performance Appraisal Employee Selection Work Design Stress Tension Depression Group Dynamics Communication Leadership Power and Politics Conflict
Psychology
Individual
Medicine
Group
Study of OB
Social Psychology
1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 1) 2) 3) 1) 2) 3) 1) 2) 3) 4)
Behavioral Change Attitude Change Communication Group Processes Group decision - Making Individual Culture Organizational Culture Organizational Environment Organizational Power Politics Conflicts Work Measurement Productivity Measurement Workflow Analysis and Design Labor Relations
Anthropology
Political Science
Organizations
Industrial Engineering
Economics
1) 2)
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4) Social Psychology: Social psychology is an important branch of psychology, which blends concepts from both psychology and sociology. Its area of focus is on influence of group members on one another. The contribution of social psychology to OB lies in the study of overcoming resistance to change and introduction of change in organization. It also studies changes in attitude and behavior of groups, patterns of communication, group decision-making, etc. 5) Anthropology: Anthropology studies the origin and development of human cultures, how those cultures have functioned in the past, and how they continue to function in the present. This information is very useful in understanding the behavior of individuals and groups in organizations. Culture has significant influence on human behavior. It dictates what people learn and how they behave. Thus, Anthropology contributes a lot in understanding the cultural effect on OB. Value systems; norms, sentiments, interactions, group cohesiveness, etc. are the concern of anthropology. 6) Political Science: Political science has also contributed to the understanding of OB. The themes of interest to political scientists include how and why people acquire power and such topics as political behavior, group decision-making, conflict behavior of interest groups, formation of coalition, etc. 7) Engineering: This discipline, too, has influenced OB. Industrial engineering, in particular, has long been concerned with work measurement, productivity measurement, workflow analysis and design, and labor relations. Obviously, all these are important for OB. 8) Economics: Economics aids in the understanding of economic conditions at a given time, economic policies of the government, allocation of scarce resources to different competing alternatives, and all these factors affect the organizational climate. Organizational behavior has learned a great deal from such economic factors as labor market dynamics, cost-benefit analysis, marginal utility analysis, human resource planning and forecasting and decision making.
Psychological Contract
There are two types of contracts of an employee with the organization economic and psychological. Economic contract is related to salary and other monetary rewards and psychological contracts are related to the state of individuals psychology for the system. He works hard with loyalty and expects security, human treatment and support in addition, to economic reward. If employer, honors such psychological but unwritten contract, organization will be favored with higher productivity. The psychological contract is governed by exchange theory, which states that in order for people to join and remain with the organization, the benefits they receive must be more than their cost. If it is not so or they feel that the exchange relationship is not rewarding, they will like to withdraw from it. The more rewarding it is, other things being equal, the more money they will be attached to the organization and support it.
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Managers would be able to solve the problems they encounter based on the findings of published research studies. Through an understanding of the nature of scientific studies, they would be able to generalise the findings to their own setting. Recognition of the concept of multicausality opens their eyes to the innumerable factors they have to contend with, instead of taking a simplistic approach.
Future Prospect of OB
Based on the above trend analysis, the following future prospects of OB can be inferred: i) OB has reached the status of identifiable fields of study and applications respectively, with explicit implications for human resource management in complex organizations. This legitimate recognition as academic (OB) and applied (HR) fields is likely to be reinforced in future. ii) OB can clearly be distinguished from other areas, such as general management and personnel administration. There will be an increased interplay of macro-structural variables and the environment in these fields. iii) There will be a movement in the topical coverage of the fields (i.e., perception, personality and group dynamics, etc.) to those more specifically identified with OB per se (i.e., job design, OB Modification (OB Mod), job conflict and stress, organizational power and politics, management leadership, organizational development, etc.). iv) The trend of making OB more application oriented will continue. Conclusively, the study of OB and the application of HR in the identical areas covered by them produce more efficient human resource managers, especially needed for the 21st century. The effective management of human resources is really what HR & OB are all about.
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Workforce Diversity
OB Challenges
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3) Changed Employee Expectations With the changes in workforce demographics, employee expectations and attitudes have also changed. Traditional allurements such as job-security, attractive remuneration, housing, and the like do not attract, retain or motivate today's workforce. Employees today demand empowerment and expect quality of status with the management. Previous notions on managerial authority are giving way to employee influence and involvement along with mechanisms for upward communication. Empowerment results in redefining jobs, both on the shop floor as a well as in boardrooms. As workmen are given more control over their jobs, a whole class of supervisors may become redundant, not because they will do a bad job, but because there shall be no need for them. Empowerment also means that the worker can bring his or her children to the workplace, look around, and can even gain knowledge about work methods. This is a privilege enjoyed till now only by owners of enterprises whose children can access even vital documents. Expectations of equality are breaking up the traditional relationships between employees and owners. 4) Increasing Quality Consciousness Because of increased competition, both from indigenous as well as from foreign organizations, there is increased emphasis on quality of products and services, that too at competitive cost. Today, the buzz words in quality are total quality management, kaizen (improvement upon improvement), six sigma standard, and quality certification. Because of increased emphasis on quality, organizations have to change not only their technology but way of their working. Such a change results into behavioral problems in employees as they perceive that such a change would affect them adversely. Therefore, the managers have to adopt suitable practices to ensure that employees accept change willingly and become part of the mission of spreading quality consciousness throughout the organization. 5) Managing Change Nothing is permanent except change. In the contemporary environment, organizations must plan and implement change to survive and grow. As a result, demands and expectations placed on managers and their organizations are greater than ever before, as is the complexity of the environment within which they must operate. While in the past managers might have seen change as something that must be addressed periodically, it has now become a fact of everyday life for everyone in the business world. And human resources are keys to successful introduction of any change. The challenge before managers is to prepare organizational members for change. They must play the role of 'change, agents' or 'facilitators of change', to improve organizational effectiveness. 6) Ethics and Social Responsibility Although scams, scandals, and frauds, in business are not really new, media attention focused on them in recent years (e.g., Bofors gun deal, Bihar fodders scam, Tehlaka dot com, Bombay stock scam, etc.) has increased public sensitivity about them. Many organizations today are taking steps to enhance the ethical standards of their employees and to avoid legal and/or public opinion problems. There is also increased concern for carrying out social responsibility by the managements of business organizations. Ethics denote the socially accepted beliefs about what is right and wrong or good and bad. Social responsibility is the organizations obligation to protect and contribute to interests of various stakeholders such as investors and owners, employees, customers, suppliers, government, society, etc. Various trade associations and chambers of commerce and industry have developed codes of ethics for their member-organizations to increase the credibility of business. From the point of view of social responsibility, increasing attention has been focused in the recent years on business obligation to help avoid pollution, and contribute to social causes. However, clearly defining ethical behavior and social responsibility is a great challenge. Nevertheless it is expected of managers to create an ethically healthy climate for their subordinates where they can perform their duties efficiently and confront a minimal degree of ambiguity regarding what constitutes good and bad behavior.