Organizational Behavior Introduction Organization Behavior example essay topic

Abstract Studies on the affect of workers in the workplace have been conducted over nearly the past 100 years. Speculation over what constitutes job satisfaction still continues to be debated. Studies have been conducted to determine the primary reasons why employees leave their jobs. Recent efforts have been made to define what it is that companies, executives, managers and even supervisors should focus on in order to keep the workforce productive. In order to put a term to the overall atmosphere of what a company should be, the term given is Organizational Behavior.

Although many researchers have composed their own unique definitions of what the definition of Organizational Behavior should be, all agree that the focus is on the individual employee and their actions or reactions to the company environment. Organizational Behavior Introduction Organization behavior focuses on the individual employee, groups of employees, and the organization. How all three work together, or the atmosphere of the organization, are what create and mold the behaviors of the organization and it's employees. Adapting to diversity in the work force as it relates to sex, age, ethnicity and ideas are also necessary in establishing the organizational behavior.

Discussion There are numerous definitions of Organizational Behavior, Robbins quick definition is to describe "Organizational Behavior" as fancy words for "people skills" (2001). Not only is Organizational Behavior about people skills, but it also encompasses a lot more. Organizational behavior has been defined as an "area of inquiry concerned with both sorts of influence: work organizations on people and people on work organizations" (Brief & Weiss, 2002). Schermerhorn et. al. limit the definition of Organization Behavior to the study of individuals and groups in organizations (2000).

However, Robbins takes a more comprehensive approach to his definition of Organizational Behavior as the study of the impact of the behavior of individuals, groups and the structure, and how these behaviors affect performance within the organization, and with this, information changes can be made that improve the organization's effectiveness (2001). When looking at Organizational Behavior as the actions of management and their effectiveness as it relates to their overall management skills, human resource management, communication and networking, it is important to note that changes have taken place in the past several years and there has been a demise in the "command and control" form of management. As well, there is an increasing need for individuals and organizations to value the differences of their workforce, and to place an emphasis on teamwork and work-life balance (Schermerhorn, et. al., 2000). Business is no longer only about the business of the "bottom line", but also, the behavior of the organization which draws on the disciplines of psychology, social psychology, sociology, political science and cultural anthropology (Williams, 2001). With the business world encompassing such disciplines and focusing more on the people, Brief and Weiss expanded on that to include a focus on the "feelings" of workers and how the organizations affect them and how they affect the organizations (2002).

Conclusion There is not one single right or wrong definition of Organizational Behavior, open ten books or articles and one is likely to find ten different definitions. However, the main underlying theme of all definitions of Organizational Behavior has to do with people and their actions or reactions. Many books have been written with an emphasis on the organization and either how the work force must adapt to the changes or atmosphere of the organization, or how the organization must adapt to diversity in the work place. It is the recommendation of this writer that the definition of Organizational Behavior should be comprised of, studying the company and employee relationship as it relates to how the goals or mission of the company are being embraced and applied, and how the organization and employees interact.

Ground rules and expectations need to be established, the rewards and punishments should be known, guidance and training should be provided, and follow up efforts need to be made on management's end.

Bibliography

Brief A. & Weiss, H. (2002).
Organizational Behavior: Affect in the Workplace. Annual Review of Psychology. 53: 279-307. Kreitner, R & Kenichi A. (2001).
Organizational Behavior (7th ed. ). McGraw-Hill, New York. Robbins, S. (2001).
Organizational Behavior (9nd ed. ). Pearson Custom Publishing. Schermerhorn, J. et. al. (2000).
John Wiley & Sons, New York. Williams, E. (2001).