UNIT-IV

LESSON
11
ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
CONTENTS
11.0 Aims and Objectives
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Meaning & Definition of Organisational Behaviour
11.3 History and Evolution of OB
11.3.1 Historical Perspective of Organisational Behaviour
11.3.2 Various Historical Concepts
11.4 Challenges and Opportunities of Organisational Behaviour
11.5 The Nature of Organisational Behaviour
11.6 Interdisciplinary Contributions to the Study of Organisational Behaviour
11.6.1 Psychology
11.6.2 Medicine
11.6.3 Sociology
11.6.4 Social Psychology
11.6.5 Engineering
11.6.6 Management
11.6.7 Anthropology
11.6.8 Political Science
11.6.9 The Organisational Context
11.7 Let us Sum up
11.8 Lesson-end Activity
11.9 Keywords
11.10 Questions for Discussion
11.11 Suggested Readings
11.0 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this lesson is to note the origins and bases of modern organisational
thinking. After studying this lesson you will be able to:
(i) understand meaning and nature of organisational behaviour.
(i) describe the challenges and opportunities of organisational behaviour.
(i) discuss the emerging thoughts in organisational behaviour.
(i) describe interdisciplinary influences on organisational behaviour.
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11.1 INTRODUCTION
Why do people behave the way they do? What causes different people to react differently
to the same situation? Why are some Organisations more successful than others, even
though they appear to be managed in the same manner? All of these questions and
more are the substance of what organisational behaviour is all about.
11.2 MEANING & DEFINITION OF ORGANISATIONAL
BEHAVIOUR
Organisational behaviour (OB) is the systematic study of the actions and attitudes that
people exhibit within organisations. It is individual behaviour and group dynamics in
organisations. The study of organisational behaviour is primarily concerned with the
psychosocial, interpersonal and behavioural dynamics in orgnanisations. However,
organisational variables that affect human behaviour at work are also relevant to the
study of organisational behaviour. These organisational variable include jobs, the design
and organisational structure. Therefore, although individual behaviour and group dynamics
are the primary concerns in the study of organisational behaviour, organisational variables
are important as the context in which human behaviour occurs.
The term organisational behaviour is defined by Stephen P Robbins as "a field of study
that investigates the impact of individuals, groups and structures on behaviour within
organisations for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving an
organisation's effectiveness". According to this definition, organisational behaviour
Is a field of study with a common body of knowledge.
It studies three determinants of behaviour in organisations. They are individuals,
groups and structures.
It applies the knowledge gained about individuals, groups and the effect of structure
on behaviour in order to make organisations work more effectively.
11.3 HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF OB
11.3.1 Historical Perspective of Organisational Behaviour
In 1776, Adam Smith advocated a new form of organisational structure based on the
division of labour. One hundred years later, German Sociologist Max Weber introduced the
concept about rational organisations and initiated the concept of charismatic leadership.
Though the origin to the study of Organisational Behaviour can trace its roots back to Max
Weber and earlier organisational studies, it is generally considered to have begun as an
academic discipline with the advent of scientific management in the 1890's, with Taylorism
representing the peak of the movement. Thus, it was Fredrick Winslow Taylor who introduced
the systematic use of goal setting and rewards to motivate employees that could be considered
as the starting of the academic discipline of Organisational Behaviour. Proponents of
scientific management held that rationalising the organisation with precise sets of instructions
and time-motion studies would lead to increased productivity. Studies of different
compensation systems were also carried out to motivate workers.
In 1920's Elton Mayo an Australian born Harvard Professor and his colleagues conducted
productivity studies at Western Electric's Hawthorne Plant. With this epoch making
study the focus of organisational studies shifted to analysis of how human factors and
psychology affected organisations. This shift of focus in the study of organisations was
called the Hawthorne Effect. The Human Relations Movement focused on teams,
motivation, and the actualisation of goals of individuals within organisations. Studies
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conducted by prominent scholars like Chester Barnard, Henri Fayol, Mary Parker Follett,
Frederick Herzberg, Abraham Maslow, David McCellan and Victor Vroom contributed
to the growth of Organisational Behaviour as a discipline.
In the 1960's and 1970's, the field was strongly influenced by social psychology and the
emphasis in academic study was quantitative research. An explosion of theorising, bounded
rationality, informal organisation, contingency theory, resource dependence, institution theory
and population ecology theories have contributed to the study of organisational behaviour.
11.3.2 Various Historical Concepts
1. Industrial Revolution: It has only been since the Industrial Revolution of the
nineteenth century that relatively large number of individuals have been required to
work together in manager-subordinate relationships. Prior to this many of the large
organisations that did exist, were military ones in which the authority of the leader
was supreme and practically unquestioned, since membership was not voluntary.
Behavioural problems were relatively easy to deal with under these conditions. It is
certainly no accident that much of our current knowledge about human behaviour
has been derived from organisations in which influencing behaviour consists of
more than just giving orders.
Famous industrialist like William C Durant, Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, and
John D Rockfeller were men of brilliant managerial qualities. They possessed the
managerial qualities necessary for the initial stages if industrialization. However,
when the industrial revolution began to mature and become stabilized, this approach
was no longer appropriate.
2. Scientific Management: The great industrialist was primarily concerned with
overall managerial organisation in order for their companies to survive and prosper.
The scientific management movement around the turn of the century took a
narrower, operations perspective. Yet, the two approaches were certainly not
contradictory. The managers in both cases applied the scientific method to their
problems and they thought that effective management at all levels was the key to
organisational success.
Fredrick W Taylor (1856 - 1915) is the recognized father of scientific management.
Taylor started scientific management in his time-and-motion studies at the Midvale Steel
Company in the early 1900's. As an industrial engineer, he was concerned with
inefficiencies in manual labour jobs and believed that by scientifically studying the specific
motions that made up the total job, a more rational, objective and effective method of
performing the job could be determined. In his early years as a foreman in the steel
industry, he saw different workers doing the same job in different ways. It was his
opinion that each man could not be doing his job in the optimal way, and he set out to find
the "one best way" to perform the job efficiently. His argument proved to be correct and
in some instances "taylorism" resulted in productivity increases of 400 percent. In almost
all cases, his methods improved productivity over existing levels.
Is Taylorism Really Dead?
Fred Taylor took a lot of flack during his heyday. Unions were suspicious of him, employers
were skeptical of his claims and the government thought he needed to be investigated.
Taylor's philosophy permeated his whole life. Sudhin Kakar, in his study, Frederick Taylor:
A Study in Personality and Innovation (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1970), notes that he did
such strange things as experiment with his legs on cross-country walks to discover the
step that would cover the greatest distance with the least expenditure of energy; as a
young man, before going to a dance, he would conscientiously and systematically list the
attractive and unattractive girls with the object of dividing his time equally between them;
and he often incurred the wrath of his playmates when he was more concerned that the
Contd...
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playing field for sports be scientifically measured than he was with actually playing the
game.
Taylor's "one best way" philosophy has often been misunderstood; though he believed
that in terms of physical motions there should be "one best way", he also recognized that
the equipment needed to perform the "one best way" would vary from person to person.
His famous example of equipping a large man and a small man with shovels of different sizes
to match the equipment with the person.
While it is fashionable today to blast Taylor as being insensitive to human needs and
treating people like machines, it is painfully obvious that his influence is probably as great
now as it ever was. Though Taylor is criticized for treating people only as economic beings,
surveys show that dollar motivation is still strong, particularly in manufacturing organisations.
If one includes managerial personnel who are on some type of bonus or profit-sharing
scheme, then we probably have more people today on economic incentive systems than
ever before.
Source: ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOR - concepts and applications, Jerry L Gray and Frederick A Starke - Charles E Merrill
Publishing Company Columbus (Third Edition) Page 9
Taylor had actually shop and engineering experience and therefore was intimately involved
with tools, products and various machining and manufacturing operations. His well-known
metal-cutting experiments demonstrated the scientific management approach. Over a
period of twenty-six years, Taylor tested every conceivable variation in speed, feed,
depth of cut, and kind of cutting tool. The outcome of this experimentation was high-
speed steel, considered one of the most significant contributions to the development of
large-scale production.
Coupled with Taylor's logical, rational, engineering-like approach to management was a
simple theory of human behaviour: people are primarily motivated by economic rewards
and well take direction if offered the opportunity to better their economic positions. Put
simply, taylor's theory stated that:
Physical work could be scientifically studied to determine the optimal method of
performing a job.
Workers could thereafter be made more efficient by being given prescriptions for
how they were to do their jobs.
Workers would be willing to adhere to these prescriptions if paid on "differential
piecework" basis.
In addition to advocating the use of scientific means to develop the best way to do a task,
Taylor argued that several other principles were important.
1. Workers with appropriate abilities had to be selected and trained in the appropriate
task method.
2. Supervisors needed to build cooperation among the workers to ensure that they
followed the designated method of work. Building such cooperation included soliciting
workers' suggestions and being willing to discuss ideas for improved work methods.
3. There needed to be a clear division of work responsibilities. Previously, the workers
planned how to approach a task, and then they executed it. Under the Taylor
scheme, it was management's job to do the task planning, using scientific methods.
Taylor's four principles of scientific management are summarized here: -
Scientifically study each part of a task and develop the best method for performing
the task.
Carefully select workers and train them to perform the task by using the scientifically
developed method.
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Cooperate fully with workers to ensure that they use the proper method.
Divide work and responsibility so that management is responsible for planning work
methods using scientific principles and workers are responsible for executing the
work accordingly.
Many have criticized Taylor's work for dehumanizing the work place and treating workers
like machines, but his overall contribution to management was significant. Although others
were studying similar methods at the same general time, Taylor was one of the first to
take the theory and practice of management out of the realm of intuitive judgment and
into the realm of scientific inquiry and reasoning.
Taylor's ideas on time study, standardization of work practices, goal setting, money as a
motivator, scientific selection of workers and rest pauses have all proved to be successful
techniques of management today.
Taylor was by no means the only noteworthy scientific manager. Others in the movement,
such as Frank and Lillian Gilberth and Henry L Gantt made especially significant contributions.
The Gilbreths: Other major advocates of scientific management were the husband and
wife team of Frank Gilbreth (1868 - 1924) and Lillian Moller Gilberth (1878 - 1972). As
Frank become involved in training young bricklayers, he noticed the inefficiencies that
were handed down from experienced workers. To remedy the situation he proposed
using motion studies to streamline the bricklaying process. Frank also designed special
scaffolding for different types of jobs and devised precise directions for mortar consistency.
On the basis of these and other ideas, Frank was able to reduce the motions involved in
bricklaying from 18 to 4. Using his approach, workers increased the number of bricks
laid per day from 1000 to 2700 with no increase in physical exertion.
Frank married Lillian Moller, who began working with him on projects while she completed
her doctorate in psychology. The two continued their studies aimed at eliminating
unnecessary motions and expanded their interests to exploring ways of reducing task
fatigue. Part of their work involved the isolation of 17 basic motions, each called a
therblig ("Gilbreth" spelled backward, with the "t" and "h" reversed). Therbligs included
such motions as select, position, and hold - motions that were used to study tasks in a
number of industries. The Gilbreths used the therblig concept to study tasks in a number
of industries. The Gilbreths used the therblig concept to study jobs and also pioneered
the use of motion picture technology in studying jobs.
Lillian's doctoral thesis was published as a book, The Psychology of Management, making
it one of the early works applying the findings of psychology to the workplace. At the
insistence of the publisher, the author was lilted as L.M. Gilbreth to disguise the fact that
the book was written by a woman.
Lillian helped define scientific management by arguing that scientific studies of
management must focus on both analysis and synthesis. With analysis, a task is broken
down into its essential parts or elements. With synthesis, the task is reconstituted to
include only those elements necessary for efficient work. She also had a particular
interest in the human implications of scientific management, arguing that the purpose of
scientific management is to help people reach their maximum potential by developing
their skills and abilities. Lillian Gilbreth ranks as the first woman to gain prominence as a
major contributor to the development of management as a science.
Henry L Gantt (1861-1919): One of Taylor's closest associates, Henry Gantt latter
become an independent consultant and made several contributions of his own. The most
well-known is the Gantt Chart, a graphic aid to planning, scheduling and control that is
still in use today. He also devised a unique pay incentive system that not only paid
workers extra for reaching standard in the allotted time but also awarded bonuses to
supervisors when workers reached standard. He wanted to encourage supervisors to
coach workers who were having difficulties.
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The scientific managers like Taylor, Frank and Lillian Gilberth and Henry Gantt were not
the first or only group that recognized the importance of the operating functions. A
hundred years earlier, Adam Smith had carefully pointed out the advantages of division
of labour and in 1832, Charles Babbage, a British mathematician with some astounding
managerial insights, discussed transference of skill in his book Economy of Machinery
and Manufacture.
3. The Human Relations Movement: The second major step on the way to current
organisational behaviour theory was the Human Relations Movement that began in
the 1930's and continued in various forms until the 1950's. The practice of
management, which places heavy emphasis on employee cooperation and morale,
might be classified as human relations. Raymond Mills states that the human relation
approach was simply to "treat people as human beings (instead of machines in
the productive process), acknowledge their needs to belong and to feel
important by listening to and heeding their complaints where possible and by
involving them in certain decisions concerning working conditions and other
matters, then morale would surely improve and workers would cooperate with
management in achieving good production".
The Human Relations Movement, popularized by Elton Mayo and his famous
Hawthorne studies conducted at the Hawthorne Plant of the Western Electric
Company, in many ways it remained the foundation of much of our management
thinking today. Before the Hawthorne studies officially started, Elton Mayo headed
a research team, which was investigating the causes of very high turnover in the
mule-spinning department of a Philadelphia textile mill in 1923 and 1924. After
interviewing and consulting the workers, the team set up a series of rest pauses,
which resulted in greatly reduced turnover and more positive worker attitudes and
morale.
Illumination Experiments: The initial experiments reflected strongly the physical
orientation of scientific management, since they were designed to explore the relationship
between lighting and productivity. The rational approach of scientific management
predicted a positive relationship i.e., as lighting increased, productivity would increase up
to a point of course. Logically, at some (high) level of illumination productivity should
begin to decline, so the original experiment was designed to determine the optimal level
of illumination.
The light experiments were conducted on female workers, who were divided into two
groups. One group was placed in a test room where the intensity of illumination was
varied, and the other group worked in a control room with supposedly constant conditions.
The results were baffling to the researchers. The researchers found no predictable
relationship between lighting and output and, because the research results could not be
explained by existing knowledge, the researchers were forced to find new explanation.
Further research indicated that the lack of a predictable relationship between lighting
and output was related to the mental and emotional side of organisations rather than the
physical, mechanistic side recognized by scientific management. Additional studies showed
that economic factors, such as incentive systems, were equally poor in predicting
behaviour.
Relay Room Experiments: Intrigued with positive changes in productivity some of the
engineers and company officials decided to attempt to determine the causes through
further studies. Accordingly, a second set of experiments took place between 1927 and
1933 known as the Relay Room experiments.
The most famous study involved five girls assembling electrical relays in the Relay
Assembly Test Room, a special room away from other workers where the researchers
could alter work conditions and evaluate the results. During the experiment, the girls
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were often consulted and sometimes allowed to express themselves about the changes
that took place in the experiment. Apparently, the researchers were concerned about
possible negative reactions and resistance from the workers who would be included in
the experiment. To lessen potential resistance, the researchers changed the usual
supervisory arrangement so that there would be no official supervisor; rather, the workers
would operate under the general direction of the experimenter. The workers also were
given special privileges such as being able to leave their workstation without permission,
and they received considerable attention from the experimenters and company officials.
In total, they were treated and recognized as individuals with something to contribute.
The study was aimed at exploring the best combination of work and rest periods, but a
number of other factors were also varied, such as pay, length of the workday, and provisions
for free lunches. Generally, productivity increased over the period of the study, regardless
of how the factors under consideration were manipulated.
The results in the relay room were practically identical with those in the illumination
experiment. Each test period yielded higher productivity than the previous one had done.
Even when the girls were subjected to the original conditions of the experiment, productivity
increased. The conclusion was that the independent variables (rest pauses and so forth)
were not by themselves causing the change in the dependent variable (output).
One outcome of the studies was the identification of a famous concept that ultimately
came to be known as the Hawthorne effect. The Hawthorne effect refers to the possibility
that individuals singled out for a study may improve their performance simply because of
the added attention they receive from the researchers, rather than because of any specific
factors being tested in the study. More contemporary investigations now suggest that the
Hawthorne effect concept is too simplistic to explain what happened during the Hawthorne
studies and that the Hawthorne effect concept itself is defective. In the Hawthorne
situation, the workers likely viewed the altered supervision as an important positive change
in their work environment, even though that was not what the researchers intended.
Bank Wiring Room Study
The final phase of the research programme was the bank wiring study, which started in
November 1931 and lasted until May 1932. Its primary purpose was to make observational
analysis of the informal work group. A group of male workers in the study provided
knowledge about informal social relations within groups and about group norms that
restrict output when such steps sum advantageous to the group. It also included a massive
interviewing programme (1928 - 1931) that was initially aimed at improving supervision
but evolved into a means of learning what workers had on their minds and allowing them
to let of steam.
The results in the bank wiring room were essentially opposite to those in the relay room.
The output was actually restricted by the bank wirers. By scientific management analysis,
a standard of 7312 terminal connections per day had been arrived at. This represented
2 equipments. The workers had a different brand of rationality. They decided that
2 equipments was a "proper" days work.
The researchers determined that the informal group norm of 2 equipments represented
restriction of output rather than a lack of ability to produce 2 equipments. The following
evidence supports this contention:
1. The observer noted that all the men stopped before quitting time.
2. Most of the men admitted to the interviewer they could easily turn out more work.
3. Tests of dexterity and intelligence indicated no relationship between capacity to
perform and actual performance.
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Assessing the Hawthorne Studies: The Hawthorne studies have been severely criticized
mainly because the studies often had major flaws (such as changing several factors at
the same time) and because important data were sometimes ignored in drawing conclusions
(especially in discounting the potential importance of pay).
The Human Relations Movement, like Scientific Management, is not without its
shortcomings. Because of the nature of its findings and the resulting lessons for managers,
it has been criticised as "cow Sociology"(so called because happy cows presumably give
more milk). This simplistic view of the relationship between morale and productivity is
something that existing research has not been able to verify.
Yet, despite their shortcomings, the effects of these pioneering studies were far-reaching.
In strong contrast to the impersonality that characterized the classical approach, the
Hawthorne studies pointed to the impact that social aspects of the job had on productivity,
particularly the effect of personal attention from supervisors and relationship among
group members. As a result, the focus of the field of management was drastically altered.
A common interpretation of the Human Relations Movement is that managers need only
treat their employees well to generate maximum productivity. This conclusion is unfortunate
for two reasons.
1. It is oversimplified and therefore often inaccurate.
2. Those who do not agree with this conclusion might be labeled advocates of poor
treatment of employees - which, of course, is also false.
Do Happy Cows Give More Milk?
The Human Relations School of thought has been accused of advocating "cow sociology"
as a method of managing people, i.e., since happy cows can give more milk, it follows that
happy people will produce more. But do happy cows give more milk? Or, perhaps more
importantly, how can you tell if cows are happy? In our quest for an answer to these
important questions we asked farmers, dairies, and professors of agriculture; we read journals
(Journal of Dairy Science), textbooks on dairy management, and popular farm publications.
We even assigned a graduate student to research the question. But alas, we could not
uncover any scientific evidence proving it to be true (although everyone we spoke to
believed it to be true). In one study, we found, an author noted the importance of
"psychological and stress" factors which affected milk production, but declined to study
them because "they were too difficult to measure". So at least for the present, we must
scientifically conclude that the question is yet unanswered. Nevertheless, we were impressed
by one textbook in dairy science in which the author prescribes several techniques to
maximize milk production:
1. Cows become accustomed to a regular routine; disturbing this routine disturbs them
and causes a decrease in milk production.
2. Attendants should come into close contact with the cows, and it is important that the
best of relations exist between the cows and keepers.
3. The cows should not be afraid of the attendants.
4. Cows should never be hurried.
5. Chasing cows with dogs or driving them on the run should never be allowed.
6. In the barn, attendants must work quietly; loud shouting or quick movements upset
cows and cause them to restrict production
Quite possibly the positive but simplistic philosophy of human relations has actually
hindered needed research into organisational behaviour. This does not necessarily mean
that an understanding of human relations is not useful; it may have a payoff in areas
other than performance, such as absenteeism, turnover etc. The influence of the human
relations philosophy can be seen in many management training programmes today. Topics
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such as communication, counselling, understanding people, and leadership are common
ingredients in many training programmes and reflect the findings of the original Hawthorne
studies. Often participants are taught that improved communications, etc., will increase
morale. Unfortunately, these topics can erroneously be seen as the totality of the manager's
job, thereby increasing the probability that employee morale may increase and productivity
may decrease.
Conclusion
The Human Relations Movement is sometimes referred to as a backlash to the economic
and rational approach of Scientific Management movement, but this point of view tends
to cast Scientific Management in an unfair light. Because of his shop-floor experience,
Taylor realized before Mayo and his colleagues did that there were "goldbrickers" that
group norms might restrict output, and that workers generally preferred their own ways
of doing things. Perhaps the major shortcoming of Taylor's philosophy was his
underestimation of the magnitude of these feelings in relation to his economic man concept.
Taylor believed that in the final analysis, workers are rational, logical people who would
change their behaviour in the interest of their economic well-being. Mayo, on the other
hand, attempted to show that man is also an emotional, non-logical being who often
reacts unpredictably to the work environment.
Today it is common to picture modern management theory as a blend of the extremes of
the principles contained in scientific management and human relations, with each
contributing valuable insights for managing organisations. We now recognize that the
subject involving combinations of the rational and the emotional, the physical and the
mental, and the logical and non-logical. Regardless of one's interpretation of the Hawthorne
experiments, or perceptions of their social significance, that series of investigations stand
as a monumental research study in the field of organisational behaviour. Elton Mayo and
his associates should be considered as the founding fathers of modern organisational
behaviour concepts.
Check Your Progress
1. Trace the History of Organisation Behaviour.
2. Explain the stages in the Human Relations Movement.
11.4 CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF
ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
The challenges and opportunities of organisational behaviour could be understood through
the following areas:
1. Understanding Global Organisational Behaviour: Globalisation reflects a
business orientation based on the belief that the world is becoming more
homogeneous and that distinctions between national markets are not only fading,
but, for some products will eventually disappear. International firms have found it
necessary to institute formal global strategic planning to provide a means for top
management to identify opportunities and threats from all over the world, formulate
strategies to handle them and stipulate how to finance the strategies of these
implementation. Keeping these changes in mind the challenges are to understand
global organisational behaviour. The issues include:
The creation of a global village
Work force diversity
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Improving quality and productivity to match global standards
Improving people skills
Moving towards employee empowerment
Improving ethical behaviour
Multiculturalism and diversity.
2. Working with people from different cultures: To work effectively with people
from different cultures, you need to understand how their culture and religion have
shaped them and how they will respond to particular styles in management. What
motivates people from one culture may not be appealing for people form another
culture and this makes the work of a manager more challenging.
3. Movement of jobs to countries with low cost labour: In a global economy, jobs
tend to flow to places where lower costs of labour provide business firms with a
comparative advantage. Jobs are moving from U.S.A and U.K and other developed
countries to developing countries like India and China. This is a threat to managers
from developed counties while it is an opportunity for developing countries especially
like India for we have a talented people with good knowledge of the English language.
4. Workforce Diversity: While globalisation focuses on differences between people
form different countries, workforce diversity addresses differences among people
within a given country. Workforce diversity means that organisations are becoming
more heterogeneous in terms of gender, age race etc.
11.5 THE NATURE OF ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
Organisational behaviour is not a discipline in the usual sense of the term, but rather an
eclectic field of study that integrates the behaviour sciences into the study of human
behaviour within organisations. Organisational behaviour is a young field of inquiry, in
terms of the use of scientific techniques. To learn that human behaviour in organisations
is not an exact science is in itself a significant realization. One of the failings of the
scientific management movement was it belief that human behaviour was easily predicted.
So while the field of organisational behaviour may be inexact, it is realistic.
Organisational behaviour is neither a purely scientific area of inquiry nor a strictly
intellectual endeavour. It involves the study of abstract ideas, such as valance and
expectancy in motivation, as well as the study of concrete matters, such as observable
behaviours and physiological symptoms of distress at work. Therefore, learning about
organisational behaviour is a multidimensional activity as shown in Figure 11.1 below.
Figure 11.1: Learning about organisational behaviour
Mastery of basic objective knowledge: Objective knowledge, in any field of study, is
developed through basic and applied research. Acquiring objective knowledge requires
the cognitive mastery of theories, conceptual models, and research findings.
Mastery of basic
objective knowledge
Development of special
skills and abilities
Application of
knowledge and skills
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Skill Development: The study of organisational behaviour requires skill development
and the mastery of abilities essential to successful functioning in organisations. The
essential skills identified by the U.S Department of labour are:
a. Resource management skills, such as time management
b. Information management skills, such as data interpretation
c. Personal interaction skills such as team work
d. Systems behaviour and performance skills, such as cause-effect relations
e. Technology utilization skills, such as troubleshooting.
Many of these skills, such as decision-making and information management, are directly
related to the study of organisation behaviour. Developing skills is different from acquiring
objective knowledge in that it requires structured practice and feedback.
Application of Knowledge and Skills: It requires the integration of objective knowledge
and skill development in order to apply both appropriately in specific organisational settings.
Goals of Organisational Behaviour
The goals of organisational behaviour are to:
1. Explain individual and group behaviour: We are pursuing the explanation
objective, when we want to know why individuals or groups behaved the way they
did. For example, if the turnover rate in an organisation is very high, we want to
know the reason so that action can be taken to correct the situation in the future.
2. Predict certain behavioural response to change: Prediction seeks to determined
what outcomes will result from a given action. Having a sound knowledge of OB
will help the manager predict certain behavioural responses to change. In this way,
the manager can anticipate which approaches will generate the least degree of
employee resistance and use that information in making decision.
3. Control behaviour: The knowledge of OB can be used by managers to control
behaviour. Managers frequently see the control objective as the most valuable
contribution that OB makes toward their effectiveness on the job.
11.6 INTERDISCIPLINARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE
STUDY OF ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
Organisational behaviour is a blended discipline that has grown out of contributions from
numerous earlier fields of study. These interdisciplinary influences are the root for what is
increasingly recognized as the independent discipline of organisational behaviour.
Organisational behaviour is an applied behavioural science that is built on contributions
from a number of behavioural disciplines. The sciences of psychology, sociology, anthropology,
political science, engineering, management and medicine are the primary fields of study out
of which organisational behaviour has grown. Each of these sciences has had its own
importance and unique influence on the discipline of organisational behaviour.
11.6.1 Psychology
Psychology is the science of human behaviour and dates back to the closing decades of
the nineteenth century. Psychology traces its origins to philosophy and the science of
physiology. Psychology is the science that seeks to measure, explain and sometimes
change the behaviour of humans. Psychologists concern themselves with studying and
attempting to understand individual behaviour.
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Since its origin, psychology has itself become differentiated into a number of specialized
fields, such as clinical, experimental, military, organisational and Psychology. The topics
in organisational psychology, which include work teams, work motivation, training and
development, power and leadership, human resource planning and workplace wellness,
are very similar to the topics covered by organisational behaviour.
Those who have contributed and continue to add to the knowledge of OB are learning
theorist, personality theorists, counseling psychologists and most important, industrial and
organisational psychologists. Industrial and organisational psychologists concern themselves
with problems of fatigue, boredom, perception, learning motivation, job satisfaction,
personality, performance appraisals, employee selection, job designing, work stress etc.
11.6.2 Medicine
It is the applied science of healing or treatment of diseases to enhance an individual's
health and well-being. Medicine embraces concern for both physical and psychological
health with the concern for the concern mental health dating back at least sixty years.
More recently, as the war against acute diseases is being won, medical attention has
shifted from the acute diseases such as influenza to the more chronic, such as
hypertension. Individual behaviour and lifestyle patterns play a more important role in
treating chronic diseases than in treating acute diseases. These trends have contributed
to the growth of wellness programmes in the context of corporate medicine. These
programmes have led to the increasing attention to medicine in organisational behaviour.
11.6.3 Sociology
Sociology, the science of society, has made important contributions to knowledge about
group and inter group dynamics in the study of organisational behaviour. Because sociology
takes the society rather than the individual as a point of departure, the sociologist is
concerned with the variety of roles within a society or culture, the norms and standards
of behaviour that emerge within societies and groups, and the examination of the
consequences of compliant and deviant behaviour within social group.
Sociologists have made their greatest contributions to organisational behaviour through
their study of group behaviour in organisations, particularly formal and complex
organisations. Some of the areas within organisational behaviour that have received
inputs from sociologist are group dynamics, design of work teams, organisational culture,
formal organisations theory and structure, organisational culture, formal organisation
theory and structure, organisational technology, bureaucracy, communications, power,
conflict and inter group behaviour.
11.6.4 Social Psychology
Social psychology is a branch of psychology which borrows concepts from psychology
and sociology. Social psychology focuses on the influence of people on one another.
Social psychologists have made significant contributions in the area of measuring,
understanding and changing attitudes; communication patterns; the way in which group
activities can satisfy individual needs, and group decision-making processes.
11.6.5 Engineering
Engineering has made important contributions to our understanding of the design of
work. By taking basic engineering ideas and applying them to human behaviour in work
organisations, Fredrick Taylor had a profound influence on the early years of the study
of organisational behaviour. Taylor's engineering background led him to place special
emphasis of human productivity and efficiency in work behaviour. His notions of
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performance standards and differential piece- rate system have contributed to the growth
of organisational behaviour.
11.6.6 Management
Originally called administrative science, is a discipline concerned with the study of
overseeing activities and supervising people in organisations. It emphasizes the design,
implementation, and management of various administrative and organisational systems.
Management is the first discipline to take the modern corporation as the unit of analysis,
and this viewpoint distinguishes the discipline's contribution to the study of organisational
behaviour.
11.6.7 Anthropology
It is the science of human learned behaviour and is especially important to understand
organisational culture. Anthropologists study societies to learn about human beings and
their activities. Their work on cultures and environments has helped us understand
differences in fundamental values, attitudes, and behaviour between people in different
countries and within different organisations.
Cultural anthropology focuses on the origins of culture and the patterns of behaviour as
culture is communicated symbolically. Current research in this tradition has examined
the effects of efficient cultures on organisation performance and how pathological
personalities may lead to dysfunctional organisational cultures. Much of our current
understanding of organisational culture, organisational environments, and differences
between national cultures is the result of anthropologists.
11.6.8 Political Science
Political scientists study the behaviour of individual and groups within a political
environment. Political scientists have become increasingly aware that organisations are
political entities and if we are able to accurately explain and predict the behaviour of
people in organisations, we need to bring a political perspective to our analysis. The
contributions of political scientists are significant to the understanding of behaviour in
organisations.
11.6.9 The Organisational context
A complete understanding of organisational behaviour requires both an understanding of
human behaviour and an understanding of the organisational context within which human
behaviour is acted out. The organisational context is the specific setting within which
organisational behaviour is enacted. The organisational context includes:
1. Organisations as systems: Organisations are systems of interacting components,
which are people, tasks, technology and structure. These internal components also
interact with components in the organisation's task environment. Organisations as
open systems have people, technology, structure and purpose, which interact with
elements in the organisation's environment.
2. The Formal and Informal Organisation: The formal organisation is the part of
the system that has legitimacy and official recognition. The informal organisation is
the unofficial part of the organisation. The informal organisation was first fully
appreciated as a result of the Hawthorne studies conducted during the 1920's and
1930's. It was during the interview study, the third of the four Hawthorne studies,
that the researchers began to develop a fuller appreciation for the informal elements
of the Hawthorne works as an organisation.
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Organisational Behaviour
11.7 LET US SUM UP
Organisational behaviour (OB) is the systematic study of the actions and attitudes that
people exhibit within organisations. It is individual behaviour and group dynamics in
organisations. It has only been since the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century
that relatively large number of individuals have been required to work together in manager-
subordinate relationships. The major step on the way to current organisational behaviour
theory was the Human Relations Movement that began in the 1930's and continued in
various forms until the 1950's. The Human Relations Movement, popularized by Elton
Mayo and his famous Hawthorne studies conducted at the Hawthorne Plant of the
Western Electric Company, in many ways it remained the foundation of much of our
management thinking today. Today it is common to picture modern management theory
as a blend of the extremes of the principles contained in scientific management and
human relations, with each contributing valuable insights for managing organisations.
Regardless of one's interpretation of the Hawthorne experiments, or perceptions of their
social significance, that series of investigations stand as a monumental research study in
the field of organisational behaviour. Elton Mayo and his associates should be considered
as the founding fathers of modern organisational behaviour concepts. Organisational
behaviour is a blended discipline that has grown out of contributions from numerous
earlier fields of study. These interdisciplinary influences are the root for what is
increasingly recognized as the independent discipline of organisational behaviour.
11.8 LESSON END ACTIVITY
Why do you feel the Hawthorne studies make such an important historical contribution
to the study of organisational behaviour?
11.9 KEYWORDS
Organisational Behaviour
Scientific Management
Hawthorne Experiments
11.10 QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Define Organisational Behaviour.
2. Identify and briefly summarize the major historical contributions to the human
relations movement.
3. How did Scientific Management Contribute to the development of Organisational
Behaviour theory?
4. How did the Human Relations Movement contribute to the development of
organisational behaviour theory?
5. Identify how eight disciplines have contributed to the development of organizational
behaviour.
11.11 SUGGESTED READINGS
Ahmed Abad, "Management and Organisation Development", Rachna Prakashan,
New Delhi (1972).
Arnold and Feidman, "Organisational Behaviour", McGraw Hill International,
New York.
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Apple White, Phillip B, "Organisational Behaviour", Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliff
(1965)
Davis Keith and Scott William G, "Human Relations and Organisational Behaviour:
Readings and Comments", McGraw Hill, New York (1969).
Fred Luthans, "Organisational Behaviour", (7th Ed) McGrawHill, New York (1995)
John W Newstorm, Keith Davis, "Organisational Behaviour a - Human Behaviour
at Work", (9th Edition) McGraw Hill, New York (1989)
Whyte W.F., "Organisational Behaviour", Irwin/ Dorsey Homewood III (1969)
Woodward J (Ed), "Industrial Organisations: Behaviour and Control", Oxford
University Press, Oxford (1970)
P.G. Aquinas, Organisational Behaviour, Excel Books, New Delhi.