1.A Primer on Organizational Behavior-James A.Bowditch/Anthony F.Buono/Marcus M.

Stewart97/BOW/76133
2. Organizational Behavior-Stephen O.Robbins-97/ROB/72122
INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY & ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Industrial/Organizational Psychology (I/O Psychology)
Closely concerned with Human Resources Management (HRM)
Organization-an amalgamation of different people with different skill-sets weaved together to
achieve organizational goals
A scientific study of employees, workplaces & organizations-investigates the impact that
individuals, groups & organizational structure on human behavior within the organizationscontributes to the organization's success by improving performance, satisfaction, safety, health &
wellbeing of employees-takes into account the employee behavior & attitude & their improvement
thru training programmes, feedback & management systems
The chief goal-application of the knowledge to improve organization's effectiveness-concerns
specifically with employee related situations-to understand & predict certain fundamental
consistencies of the human behavior
Objectives

Selection of proper human work force-academics, experience, temperament, attitude,

capabilities, interpersonal relationship, etc.
Proper distribution of work-as per the aptitude, attitude & expertise of an individual/groupjob satisfaction to an individual or a team & desired or higher output at minimum cost
Minimizing the wastage of human force-may be due to fatigue, illness, absenteeism,
employee turnover, productivity, etc.-to improve personal motivation & morale
Promoting labor welfare-thru job satisfaction, increase in labor efficiency, health &
incentive provisions
Improvement in human relations-leadership, supervision, communication, employee
participation
Improvement in industrial relations
Maximum production

I/O psychology-involves two major sides

Individual side-involves looking at how to best match individuals to specific job roles-referred to as
personal psychology
Organizational side-involves organizational structure, social norms, management styles & role
expectations-focus on its influence on individual behavior-study improves individual performance
Organizational Behavior
-helps an individual understand himself & others better
-considerably improves interpersonal relations
-changes the style of dealing & functioning of an individual
-useful to maintain cordial industrial relations
-useful in marketing

awareness of nature of individual & social processes

consumer choice behavior, nature of influence involved

creativity, learning of responses

OB-focuses on three determinants of behavior analysis, viz., individuals, groups & organizational
structure-(IP-OB-2)-upward movement, the understanding of behavior in organization increases in
an additive fashion- involves following core topics

Motivation
Leader behavior & power
Interpersonal relations & communication
Group structure & processes
Perceptions & attitudes
Personality, emotions & values
Change processes
Conflicts & negotiations
Work design

OB-an applied behavioral science-developed by using general concepts & altering their applications
for a particular situation (participative vs. autocratic style)- built on contributions from a number of
behavioral disciplines (as shown in IP-OB-3)

Psychology-analysis at the individual level-a science that measures, explains & changes
the behavior as influenced by factors shown
Social psychology-blend of psychology & sociology-focuses on peoples' influences on each
other-the major area of influences on the behavioral change of an individual-how to
implement, how to reduce barriers to its acceptance, group activities to satisfy individual
needs, etc.
Sociology-study of people in relation to their social environment &/or culture
Anthropology-study of societies for the purpose of learning about human beings & their
activities in different cultures & environments-helps to understand differences in
fundamental values, attitudes & behavior among people in different countries & within
different organizations-may also be applicable to employees working in different
departments of same organization

Foundations of Individual Behavior

Environmental Factors-related to mental stability
-Economic/Cultural/Political
Personal Factors-related to performance
-Age/Gender/Education/Abilities/Marital status/Number of dependents
Organization Systems & Resources-related to individual development
-Physical facilities/Organizational design & structure/Leadership/
Reward system
Psychological Factors-related to unpredictable approach of an individual
-Personality/Perception/Attitude/Values/Learning
Environmental Factors
- surrounding political climate influences individual behavior-(un)stability of government affects
employment opportunities, both in quality & quantity-politically unstable scenario experience
difficulty in attracting industries-results in unsteady level of employment-job quality affected thru
low capital investment (eg. agricultural jobs, labor intensive jobs)-large segment of population on
temporary employment-results in satisfying only basic needs-economic impact

-political ideology-affects individual behavior thru relative freedom available-in controlled

environment less educational & career opportunities-affects career choice, job design , motivation
methods, & hence individual performance-management structures & philosophies affect
significantly on decision strategies & methods of implementation-both economic & cultural impact
Personal Factors
Biographical Factors
Age-relationship between age & job performance-an issue of importance
Positive qualities of older workers-experience, judgment, strong work ethics & commitment to
quality
-impact on performance, turnover, absenteeism, productivity & satisfaction
-advanced age, declined performance due to reduced physical ability
-less manpower turnover as older generation less likely to quit the job due to few alternative
opportunities-long tenure provide higher salaries, longer paid vacations, more attractive pension
benefits-high rates of absenteeism on health grounds-results in poor productivity due to declined
individual skills-particularly speed, agility, strength, coordination, prolonged job boredom & lack of
intellectual stimulation
-technological changes not easily adaptable by older generation-lack in flexibility with little to
moderate rigidity-dramatic changes in skills required resulting into obsolescence-rising conflicts
among seniors & juniors-may become stumbling blocks in improvements & innovations-directly
affects industrial growth
Gender-no significant differences in both the genders in job productivity, problem solving abilities,
analytical skills, competitive drive, motivation, leadership, sociability, learning ability, etc.
-in case of female employees, impact on performance, absenteeism, productivity in historically
placed home & family responsibilities-further preference towards part time jobs, flexible work
schedules to accommodate responsibilities
-in male dominated environment, female employees least appreciated & encouraged
Education-increased levels of education-increased expectations-more satisfying jobs-higher
income-greater occupational choice-disillusion if outcomes defy expectations
Type of education-affects individual behavior
-general education (arts, science, commerce, etc.) enhances overall understanding of concepts &
issues-may have ample opportunities with low to moderate levels of income
-specialized & higher education (medicine, information technology, engineering, etc.) relatively
widens horizon of opportunities & so also higher levels of income-however may further create a
problem of over qualification in job requirement-may result into frustration, job dissatisfaction &
stubbornness
Marital Status
-married employees exhibit less absenteeism, less turnover & are more satisfied than unmarried
colleagues
-marriage imposes increased responsibilities-the need for steady job & steady income
Tenure
-directly proportional seniority/productivity relationship

-inversely proportional seniority/absenteeism relationship

-inversely proportional tenure/turnover relationship
-tenure & satisfaction are positively related