Organisational Behaviour -- Unit – I

Definition:

Organisational behaviour is the study and application of knowledge about how people as individuals and as group act with in organizations.

Goals:

It applies broadly to the behaviour of people in all types of organization, such as business, government schools and service organizations.  Wherever organisations are, there is a need to describe, understand, predict, and better manage human behaviour.

Elements:

The key elements in organizational behaviour are people, structure, technology and the environment in which the organisation operates.

People:

People make up the internal social system of the organisation.   They consist of individuals and groups, and large groups as well as small ones.  There are unofficial informal groups and more official, formal ones.  Groups are dynamics.  They form, change, and disband.

Structure:

Structure defines the formal relationship of people in organisation.  Different jobs are required to accomplish all of an organisation’s activities.

Technology:

Technology provides the resources with which people work and affects the tasks that they perform.   They cannot accomplish much with their bare hands, so they build buildings, design machines, create work processes and assemble resources.

Environment:

All organisations operate within an internal and an external environment.  A single organisation does not exist alone. It is part of a larger system that contains many other elements, such as government, the family, and other organisations.

       Key elements in organizational behaviour

Four models of organizational behavior:

	Autocratic	Custodial	Supportive	Collegial
Basis of model	Power	Economic resource	Leadership	Partnership
Managerial orientation	Authority	Money	Support	Teamwork
Employee orientation	Obedience	Security and benefits	Job performance	Responsible behaviors
Employee psychological result	Dependence on boss	Dependence on organisation	Participation	Self discipline
Employee reeds met	Subsistence	Security	Status and recognition	Self actualization
Performance result	Minimum	Passive co-operation	Awakened drives	Moderate enthusiasm

Group dynamics:

                                    The social process by which people interact face-to-face in small groups.  Group dynamics the word “Dynamics” comes from the Greek word meaning “force”; hence group dynamics refers to the study of forces operating with in a group. 

Four important alternative structures are:

Brainstorming:

                                    Brainstorming is a popular method for encouraging creative thinking in groups.  It is built around four basic guidelines for participants:

·  Generate as many ideas as possible

·  Be creative and imaginative

·  Build upon, extend, or combine earlier ideas

·  Withhold eroticism of other’s ideas

The success of brainstorming depends on each member’s capacity and willingness to listen to other’s thoughts, to use these thoughts as a stimulus to spark new ideas of their own, and then to feel free to express them.  When this happens, a large number of new and different ideas can emerge.

Nominal groups:

                        Nominal groups are another means that may be used for decision making.  Here individuals are presented with a problem, and they each develop solutions independently.  Then their ideas are shared with others in a structured format and their suggestions are discussed for clarification. Finally group members choose the best alternatives by secret ballot.  The process is called “Nominal”.

Delphi Decision Making:

                        In Delphi decision groups, a serious of questionnaires is distributed to the respondents, who do not need to meet face to face.  All communication typically is in writing.  Members are selected because they are expert or have relevant information to share.  They are asked to share their assessment of a problem or predict a future state of affairs.

The major merits of the process include:

-   Elimination of interpersonal problems

-   Efficient use of experts’ time

-   Adequate time for reflection and analysis

-   Diversity and quantity of ideas generated

-   Accuracy of predictions and forecasts made

Guidelines for effective groups:

                     Distribute the agenda and background material in advance

-     Clarify the objective

-    Compose the group appropriately

-     Encourage the expression of minority view points

-    Separate idea generation from evaluation

-    Make assumptions explicit

-    Legitimize questioning attitudes

-    Control irrelevant discussions

-    Test the level of support for a decision. 

-    Evaluate the group’s effectiveness

-    End on a positive note and assign responsibilities

Ingredients of effective teams:

Supportive Environment:

                     Team work is most likely to develop when management builds a supportive environment for it.  Supportive measures help the group take the necessary first steps towards team work.

Skill and role clarity:

                     Team members must each be reasonably qualified to perform their jobs, and have the desire to co operate.  Beyond this, they can work together as a team only after all the members of the group know the roles of all the others with whom they will be interacting, when this understanding exists, members can act immediately as a team based on the requirements of that situation, without waiting for someone to give an order.  In other words, team members respond voluntarily to the demands of the jobs and take appropriate actions to accomplish team goals.

Super ordinate Goals:

                     A major responsibility of managers is to try to keep the team members oriented towards their overall task.  Sometimes, unfortunately, an organization’s policies record-keeping requirements, and rewards systems may fragment individual efforts and discourage teamwork. A district supervisor for a petroleum company tells the following story of the effect on sales representatives.

                                             

The subordinate goal is a higher goal that integrates the efforts of two or more persons.  Super ordinate goals can be attained only if all parties carry their weight.  They serve to focus attention, unify efforts, and stimulate more cohesive teams.