Systematic Study

The systematic study of behavior is a means to making reasonably accurate predictions.

Evidence-based management (EBM) complements systematic study by basing managerial

decisions on the best available scientific evidence.

Disciplines That Contribute to the OB Field:

 Organizational behavior is an applied behavioral science built on contributions from a

number of behavioral disciplines, mainly psychology and social psychology, sociology, and
anthropology.

Contributions to the Study and Application of OB

Behavior science Topic, model, technique contributed Level of focus or analysis
Psychology  Perception
 Values
 Attitudes
 Learning
 Job design
 Individual difference analysis
 Recruitment Individual
 Selection
 Motivation
 Stress
 Reward systems
 Evaluation and feedback

 Organization theory
 Organization culture
 Group development
 Group characteristics
Sociology
 Intergroup analysis and conflict
 Power
 Work teams
 Self-managed teams
 Change
 Communication

 Behavioral change
 Attitude change
 Group processes
Social psychology  Group effectiveness
Group Field of
Organizatio
 Group decision making nal
 Groupthink behavior

 Influence tactics
 Power and ethics
 Political strategies
Political science  Empowerment
 Conflict resolution
 Illusion of power
Organization
 Cross-cultural communications
 Cross-cultural analysis
 Values and morals
Anthropology  Comparative
 Challenges and Opportunities for OB
Increased Foreign Assignments
Working with People from Different Cultures
Overseeing Movement of Jobs to Countries with Low-Cost Labor

Managing Workforce Diversity

One of the most important challenges for organizations is adapting to people who are different. We describe this
challenge as workforce diversity.

Workforce diversity acknowledges a workforce of women and men; many racial and ethnic groups; individuals
with a variety of physical or psychological abilities; and people who differ in age and sexual orientation. Managing
this diversity is a global concern.

A Basic OB Model

Inputs Processes Outcomes

Individual Level Individual Level Individual Level
• Diversity • Emotions and moods • Attitudes and stress
• Personality • Motivation • Task performance
• Values • Perception • Citizenship behavior
• Decision making • Withdrawal behavior
Group Level Group Level
• Group structure • Communication Group Level
• Group roles • Leadership • Group cohesion
• Team responsibilities • Power and politics • Group functioning
• Conflict and negotiation
Organizational Level Organizational Level Organizational Level
• Structure • Human resource • Productivity
• Culture management • Survival
• Change practices

Input Variables that lead to processes.

Processes Actions that individuals, groups, and organizations engage in as a result of inputs and that lead to certain
outcomes.
Outcomes Key factors that are affected by some other variables.

Attitudes and Stress Employee attitudes are the evaluations employees make, ranging from positive to negative,
about objects, people, or events.

Task Performance The combination of effectiveness and efficiency at doing your core job tasks is a reflection of
your level of task performance.

Citizenship behavior Discretionary behavior that contributes to the psychological and social environment of the
workplace.

Withdrawal behavior is the set of actions that employees take to separate themselves from the organization.

Group cohesion is the extent to which members of a group support and validate one another at work.

Group functioning refers to the quantity and quality of a group’s work output. In the same way that the
performance of a sports team is more than the sum of individual players’ performance, group functioning in work
organizations is more than the sum of individual task performances.

Productivity The highest level of analysis in organizational behavior is the organization as a whole. An organization
is productive if it achieves its goals by transforming inputs into outputs at the lowest cost. Thus productivity
requires both effectiveness and efficiency.