Organizational Behaviour is concerned with the understanding, prediction and control of human behaviour in organizations. It focuses on the individuals, the groups and the organization and also on their interactional relationships. It is the study and application of knowledge about how people act with organizations.
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What is Organizational Behaviour ?
Organizational Behaviour is a human tool for human benefit. It applies broadly to the behaviour of people in all types of organizations. Wherever organizations are, there is a need to understand organizational behaviour.
Definitions on Organizational Behaviour
Organizational behavior can be defined as the understanding, prediction, and management of human behavior in organizations.
Fred Luthans, Organizational behavior. New Delhi; Mc Graw—Hill; 2002.p.23
Organizational behavior represents the human side of management, not the whole of management.‖
Fred Luthans, Organizational Behavior. P-24.
Organizational Behavior is the study and application of knowledge about how people act within organizations. It is a human tool for the human benefit. It applies broadly to the behavior of people in all types of organizations such as business, government, schools, etc. It helps people, structure, technology, and the external environment blend together into an effective operative system.
Keith Davis in Human Behavior at Work
Organizational behavior can be regarded as a systematic attempt to understand the behavior of people in organizations of which they are an integral part.
R.A. Sharma, Organizational Theory and behavior. New Delhi: Tata Mc Graw — Hill. P.9.
Features Of Organizational Behaviour
- OB is a part of general management and not the whole of management. It represents behavioural approach to management.
- OB is a human tool for human benefit. It helps in predicting the behaviour of individuals.
- OB is inter-disciplinary field of study. It tries to synthesize knowledge drawn from various behavioural and social sciences such as Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Political-science, Economics, etc. In fact, OB is an applied behavioural sciences.
- OB involves three levels of analysis of behaviour-individual behaviour, group behaviour and behaviour of the organization itself.
- OB is an action-oriented and goal-directed discipline. It provides a rational thinking about people and their behaviour
- OB is both a science and an art. The systematic knowledge about human behaviour is a science. The application of behvioural knowledge and skills clearly leans towards being an art.
- OB seeks to fulfil both employees’ needs and organizational objectives.
Scope Of Organizational Behaviour
The scope of OB may be summed up in the words of S.P.Robbins as follows:
OB is a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups, and structure have on behaviour within organizations, for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving an organisation’s effectiveness‖.
The scope of OB involves three levels of behaviour in organizations: Individuals, groups and structure.
- Individual Behaviour
- Personality
- Perception
- Values and Attitudes
- Learning
- Motivation
- Group Behaviour
- Work groups and group dynamics
- Dynamics of conflict
- Communication
- Leadership
- Morale
- Organization: Structure, Process and Application
- Organizational Climate
- Organizational Culture
- Organizational Change
- Organizational Effectiveness
- Organizational Development
