Overview
This lecture introduces a model of organizational behavior and management, emphasizing the integration of behavioral sciences to understand, predict, and influence individual and group performance within organizations.
The Role of Behavioral Sciences in Management
- Managers are responsible for making organizations operate effectively through understanding and influencing human behavior.
- Organizational work is accomplished through people, either individually or collectively, often in collaboration with technology.
- Effective management requires understanding, predicting, and controlling behaviors at the individual, group, and organizational levels.
What Is Organizational Behavior?
- Organizational behavior is the study of how people act within organizations, applying insights from behavioral and social sciences.
- It covers individual, group, and organizational levels, aiming to explain and predict workplace behavior.
- Disciplines contributing to organizational behavior include psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, and political science.
- The field focuses specifically on organizational implications and improving workplace quality and performance.
Micro and Macro Organizational Behavior
- Micro-organizational behavior examines individuals and groups within organizations.
- Macro-organizational behavior (organization theory) focuses on organization-wide issues like structure and external relations.
- Integrating both perspectives enhances understanding and management of organizations.
Building Blocks of Organizations
- Organizations are made up of individuals and groups with diverse backgrounds, skills, motivations, and ambitions.
- Tasks and technology concern how work is accomplished, including job design and technological tools.
- Organization design addresses structuring the organization to coordinate and control behavior for optimal performance.
- Organizational processes include leadership, communication, decision-making, power, and politics, shaping relationships and performance.
- Management integrates all these parts, and effective management can determine organizational success or failure.
Leadership and Management
- Leadership and management are linked and complementary, both necessary for organizational effectiveness.
- The rise of "knowledge workers" shifts management from control to leading and maximizing individual strengths and knowledge.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Organizational Behavior — The study of individual and group behavior within organizational settings.
- Micro-organizational Behavior — Focuses on individuals and groups in organizations.
- Macro-organizational Behavior — Concerns organization-wide issues like structure and external relations.
- Organization Design — The process of structuring an organization to facilitate cooperation and performance.
- Organizational Processes — Activities like leadership, decision-making, and communication that affect workplace dynamics.
- Management — The act of coordinating and integrating organizational building blocks to achieve goals.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review and discuss the role of management in society and future challenges facing managers.
- Prepare for questions on the critical issues confronting contemporary management.