Organisational Behaviour

Organizational behavior is based on a few fundamental concepts which are relevant to the nature of people and organizations. There are some basic assumptions in organizational behavior such as, (1) difference between individuals; (2) a whole person; (3) behavior or an individual is caused; (4) an individual has dignity, (5) organizations are social systems; (6) mutuality of interest among organizational members; (7) holistic organizational behavior. 

Now let’s look at all assumptions in detail:

1. Individual differences idea comes from psychology. Every person is different from the day of birth, every person is unique and personal experiences make a person more different than the other. Every individual differs in many ways like intelligence, physique, personality, learning capability, communicative ability etc. Therefore only an individual can take responsibility and make decisions, whereas a group is powerless until all the individuals within the group act accordingly.
2. A whole person indicates that when an individual is appointed in an organization, he/she is not hired only on the basis of skills, but also on likes and dislikes, pride and prejudices. An individual’s way of living in a family cannot be separated from organizational life. This is why the organizations need to provide their employees with a proper work environment where they can work hard to progress and develop their abilities to become a better employee and also a better person in terms of growth and fulfillment.
3. Caused behavior indicates that when an individual behaves in an unmannerly fashion then there is a cause behind it. Anything could be the reason of this cause such as personal problems at home within the family, or problems with coming early to the office etc. If an individual starts reacting in an unmannerly fashion with other staff members then a manager should understand that there is definitely a cause behind it. Managers should investigate about the cause and tackle the issue at the root level.
4. Human dignity indicates that every individual needs to be treated differently. It shows human dignity because people at every level of professional ladder want to be treated with respect and dignity. Every job needs to be done with respect and recognition this helps every individuals aspirations and abilities to improve. The concept of human dignity rejects the idea of using employees as economic tools.
5. Organizations are social systems indicates that from sociology we know that organizations are social systems; therefore the activities within the organizations are governed by social and psychological laws. Organizations have formal and informal social systems. Social systems in an organization indicate that the company has dynamic change ability rather than static set of relations. Every part in the system is interdependent on each other.
6. Mutuality of interest indicates that both the organization and people need each other. Organizations are formed and maintained on the basis of some mutuality of interest among the participants. People require organizations to reach their goals, while organization needs people to reach organizational objectives. Lack of mutual interest causes disorientation among the participants and the group. Mutual interest provides a common goal for all the participants, which results in encouragement of the people to tackle problems of the organization instead of raising fingers at each other.
7. Holistic concept indicates that when all the above six concepts of organizational behavior are placed together a holistic concept arises. This concept interprets the relationship between people and organization in terms of the whole person, entire group, entire organization and the whole social system. Views of different people are taken into account in an organization to understand the factors that influence their behavior. Issues are analyzed in terms of the total situation affecting them rather than in terms of an event or problem.

There are many factors that affect an individual, a group and an organization. For example factors individual factors like personality, perception, learning, attitude, job satisfaction and motivation. Group factors like leadership, power and politics, communication and conflicts. Organization factors like human resource policies and practices, work stress, change and development.

 

Examples of Organizational Behavior

Findings from organizational behavior research are used by executives and human relations professionals to better understand a business’s culture, how that culture helps or hinders productivity and employee retention, and how to evaluate candidates' skills and personality during the hiring process.

Organizational behavior theories inform the real-world evaluation and management of groups of people. There are several components:

• Personality plays a large role in the way a person interacts with groups and produces work. Understanding a candidate's personality, either through tests or through conversation, helps determine whether they are a good fit for an organization.
• Leadership—what it looks like and where it comes from—is a rich topic of debate and study within the field of organizational behavior. Leadership can be broad, focused, centralized or de-centralized, decision-oriented, intrinsic in a person’s personality, or simply a result of a position of authority.
• Power, authority, and politics all operate inter-dependently in a workplace. Understanding the appropriate ways these elements are exhibited and used, as agreed upon by workplace rules and ethical guidelines, are key components to running a cohesive business.

Reference

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/organizational-behavior.asp

https://www.mbaknol.com/organizational-behavior/organizational-behavior-definition-and-concepts/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJAv6674_Sw