Organizational Behavior: A Manager's Guide

Acronyms

• OB: Organizational Behavior - The study of how people impact behavior within organizations.
• EBM: Evidence-Based Management - Using scientific evidence for managerial decisions.
• GMA: General Mental Ability - An overall factor of intelligence.
• ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act - Prohibits discrimination based on disability.
• POS: Perceived Organizational Support - How much employees believe an organization values them.
• AET: Affective Events Theory - Workplace events cause emotional reactions that influence behavior.
• EI: Emotional Intelligence - The ability to understand others' emotions.
• MBTI: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator - A personality test classifying people into 16 types.

Chapter 1: Introduction to Organizational Behavior

Key Concepts

• Manager: Achieves goals through others.
• Organization: Coordinated social unit working towards a common goal.
• Planning: Defines goals and develops plans.
• Organizing: Determines tasks to be done.
• Leading: Directs others and resolves conflict.
• Controlling: Monitors and corrects deviations.

Managerial Skills

• Technical Skills: Ability to apply expertise.
• Human Skills: Ability to understand and motivate people.
• Conceptual Skills: Ability to analyze complex situations.

Organizational Behavior (OB)

OB studies the impact of people on behavior within organizations.

• Systematic Study: Drawing conclusions based on scientific evidence.
• Evidence-Based Management (EBM): Basing decisions on scientific evidence.
• Intuition: A gut feeling.

Contributing Disciplines

• Psychology: Explains human behavior.
• Social Psychology: Blend of psychology and sociology.
• Sociology: Studies people in their environment.
• Anthropology: Studies societies.

Key Variables and Concepts

• Contingency Variables: Moderate the relationship between variables.
• Workforce Diversity: Inclusion of diverse groups in organizations.
• Positive Organizational Scholarship: Research on how organizations unlock employee potential.
• Ethical Dilemma: Situations where individuals define right and wrong.

OB Model

Input → Process → Outcome

• Input: Leads to processes.
• Processes: Actions resulting from inputs, leading to outcomes.
• Outcomes: Factors affected by other variables.

Key Outcomes

• Task Performance: Effectiveness at job tasks.
• Citizenship Behaviors: Contributes to the workplace environment.
• Withdrawal Behavior: Separating from the organization.
• Group Cohesion: Members' support for each other.
• Group Functioning: Quality of a group's output.
• Productivity: Combination of effectiveness and efficiency.
  • Effectiveness: Meeting customer needs.
  • Efficiency: Achieving outcomes at low cost.
• Organizational Survival: Ability to exist and grow over time.