HUMAN

BEHAVIOR
BUSMAN 101- HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATION ( Organizational Behavior – OB)

Topics

1- Overview of Science and the Study of Human Behavior

2- Personality and Culture

3- Frustration, Stress and Burnout, Mental Health ;and Mental Hygiene
4- The Individual in Organization; and Work and Work Attitudes
5- Motivation in Life and Work
6- Human Relations and Morale in Business Organization
7- Perception and Communication in Business Organization; and
The Individual and Business Organization in a Changing
Society
 8 - Perception and Communication in Business Organization; and
The Individual and Business Organization in a Changing
Society
9 - Organization Leadership
Topic 1- Overview of Science and the Study of Human Behavior
Overview of Science
Science is popularly defined as an accumulation of systematic
knowledge based on facts.
Basic modern science is an intricate relation between theory and
facts.
A fact is regarded as an empirically verifiable observation.
Theory refers to either to the relationship between facts or the
ordering of terms in some meaningful way.
Nature of science – Theory is a tool of science, it offers conceptual
scheme by which the relevant phenomena are systematized,
classified and interrelated and summarized facts into :
 a) empirical generalization
b) system of gaps in our knowledge.
Facts are also productive of theory in three ways:
1) Facts help initiate theories
2) They lead to reformation of existing theory
3) They change the forms and orientation of theory and they
clarify and redefine theory
Why Study of Human Behavior?
Business organizations are made up of people interested in other people.
There is no phase in daily life of people associated with business and
industry that is not in some way related to behavior.
Management is constantly trying to understand and influence the mental
process of others and the only access we have on the mental process of
others is through a study of their behavior.
The study of OB gives insight on how employees behave and perform
in the workplace.
It helps us develop an understanding of the of the aspect than can
motivate employees , increase their performance and help
organizations establish a strong and relationship with their employees
trusting.
Finally, a knowledge of the principles of the human behavior will help
one to acquire understanding, skills and desires which will prepare
him to work with others with increasing cooperation, understanding
and effectiveness.
 An Overview of Human Behavior in Organizations
For so long, man made serious attempt to be productive, economic or
otherwise.
He either individually or in group.
In his quest for fulfilling his dreams, he is always confronted with the
risk of failure, and the risk is most often associated with the human
factor, i.e., him and the others.
It has become clear the quality and quantity of the output of the
individual, the group, or the organization depend heavily on the
actions of the person.
It follows that those who have knowledge of human behavior are
better equipped to interact with individuals, groups, or organizations.
What is Human Behavior?
Human behavior refers to the physical actions of a person that can be
seen or heard such as smiling or whistling.
With his thoughts, similar or different when he is in or out of
organizations.
Human behavior in organizations is more appropriately referred to as
organizational behavior (OB)
What is Organizational Behavior (OB)?
OB is the study of human behavior in organizational setting, of the
interface human behavior and of the organization, and the
organization itself.
OB is a field of study devoted to understanding, explaining and
ultimately improving the attitudes and behavior of individuals and
groups in organization.
OB is the study of what people think, feel, and do in and around
organizations.
It focuses is on employee behavior, decision, perceptions and
emotional responses.
OB is important because it helps to fulfill our need to understand and
predict the world in which we live.
OB is the study of both group and individual performance and
activity within an organization.
This area of study examines human behavior in a work environment
and determines its impact on job structure, performance,
communication, motivation, leadership, etc.
Organizational Behavior (OB) is a discipline of social science that
seeks explanations for human behavior in organizations.
OB draws on core disciplines such as psychology, sociology,
anthropology, economics, communication, and law to create and
investigate multilevel explanations of why people engage in
particular behaviors, and which behaviors under which
circumstances lead to better outcomes in organizations.
 Created using an applied or pragmatic lens and tested with a wide
range of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, most OB
theories and research have direct implications or managers and for
other organizational participants.
Not surprisingly, one focal area of OB research concerns safety in
organizations, and a growing body of safety-oriented literature in OB
is based on data collected during simulation training across a variety
of organizations such as hospitals, airlines, nuclear power plants, and
other high reliability organizations.
Organizational behavior has emerged as a separate field of study.
The nature it has acquired is identified as follows:
1. A Separate Field of Study and not a Discipline Only
By definition, a discipline is an accepted science that is based
on a theoretical foundation.
OB has multi-inter disciplinary orientation and is, thus, not
based on a specific theoretical background.
Therefore, it is better reasonable to call OB a separate field of
study rather than a discipline only.
 2. An Interdisciplinary Approach
OB is essentially an interdisciplinary approach to study human
behavior at work.
It tries to integrate the relevant knowledge drawn from related
discipline line psychology, sociology and anthropology
to make them applicable for studying and analyzing organizational
behavior.
3. An Applied Science
The very nature of OB is applied.
What OB basically does is the application of various researches to
solve the organization problems related to human behavior.
 The basic line of difference between pure science and OB is that the
latter concentrates on applied researches.
OB can be called science as well as art.
4. A Normative Science
OB is a normative science also.
While the positive science discusses only cause effect relationship,
OB prescribes how the findings of applied researches can be
applied to socially accepted organizational goals.
OB deals with what is accepted by individuals and society engage
in an organization.
OB is normative as well that is well underscored by the
proliferation of management theories.
5. A Humanistic and Optimistic Approach
OB applies humanistic approach towards people working in the
organization.
It, deals with the thinking and feeling of human beings.
OB is based on the belief that people have an innate desire to be
independent, creative and productive.
It also realizes that people working in the organization can and
will actualize these potentials if they are given proper conditions
and environment.
6. A Total System Approach
The system approach is one that integrates all the variables,
affecting organizational functioning.
The systems approach has been developed by the behavioral
scientist to analyses human behavior in view of his/her socio-
psychological frame work.
Man’s socio-psychological frame work makes man a complex
one and the systems approach tries to study his/her
complexity and find solution to it.
 The Goals of OB
Organizational behavior is an applied science that deals with
individual behavior as well as group behavior in an organization.
The three goals of OB are as flows:
1. to explain behavior;
2. to predict behavior; and
3. to control behavior.
In explaining behavior as a goal, OB needs to systematically describe
how people behave under a variety of conditions, and understand
why
people behave as they do.
 The first objective is to describe how people behave under various
conditions.
For example, as a manager, I have information about a particular
junior
officer that he comes office in late and leaves the office early.
The goal of organizational behavior is to understand why people
behave as they do.
Managers have to understand the reasons behind a particular action.
For example, as a manager, I must find out the reason why the junior
officer is coming late and going earlier.
OB must be used to predict behavior so support can be provided to
productive and dedicated employees, and measure could be instituted
to control the disruptive and less productive ones.
Predicting future behavior of employee is another goal of
organizational behavior.
Usually, managers would have the capacity to predict why the
employees are committed to the organization or not.
For instance, I have to realize why he wants to leave my
organization, how I can hold the officer in my organization, what
should be done by me in this situation or what my role is etc.
OB can offer some means for management to control the behavior of
employees.
As control is an important component of effective performance, the
usefulness of OB must not be overlooked.
The final goal of organizational behavior is to control and develop a
friendly atmosphere for the organization.
Since managers are responsible for the overall performance of an
organization, they must develop workers’ teamwork, skill and
commitment.
Managers should take necessary action for themselves.
In the above case, I can increase the financial benefits of the officer if it
is not satisfactory for him or I can help him to solve his personal problem,
or I can negotiate him to solve any organizational problem.
The goals of OB [organizational behavior] are to explain, predict,
and influence behavior.
Managers need to be able to explain why employees engage in some
behaviors rather than others, predict how employees will respond to
various actions and decisions, and influence how employees behave.
So, organizational behavior is a human tool for human benefit.
It is mainly used to analyze the human behavior in all types of
organizations, such as business, government, school and services
organizations.
So, in order to manage the human resources properly, we need
describe, understand, predict, and control human behavior.
The fundamental elements of organizational behavior are:
1. People/Employees – the employee is one of the very important
parts of an organization.
There is no any alternative in an organization without employee/
people.
Some party may be formal and some may be informal.
These parties are not stable rather than mobile.
Actually, today’s Human Organization is tomorrow's future.
Organization and employee are connected to each other and it will
remain forever.
2. Structure – this is the second steps of organizational behavior.
Actually, Structure means the formal relationship with on the job
employee of an organization.
There is created different types of position for doing work nicely
in the organization.
These position or designation are Managers, Accountant,
Administration and general staff.
These officer and staff have to connect structurally so that they
can work efficiently and can play an important role in
organizational development.
3. Technology – is a very important primary aspect of organization
structure in the modern age.
Technology supplies essential resource and equipment to the
employee for doing their work efficiently.
Thus technology effect on their activity.
Employees are not able to finish their work with the bare hand.
They build the buildings, prepare the design of the devices,
determine the working process, assemble the resources with the
help of technology.
Technology effects notably on the correlation of workers at the
workplace.
4. Social System- everything around us is society and everyone in
the social lives together.
The social system determines the organizational work
environment and from which the organization can operate.
As people cannot live alone just like organization cannot run
alone its job.
The organization has to do its activity with the help of the
employee.
5. Environment - there is no any organization where they can
survive alone.
Every organization has to work on the internal and external
environment.
Management has to come near to all the staff to maintain a good
working environment.
We know, a good working environment is helpful for good
production.
Finally, it can be said that Organizational Behavior and
Organizational Structure are deeply affected by the above
fundamental elements.
Actually, the main objectives of Organizational Behavior are to
develop the good working environment for the people, nation,
society and the country.
The Benefits of Studying Organizational Behavior (OB)
The study of OB offers certain benefits. They are as follows:
1. development of people skills;
2. personal growth
3. enhancement of organizational and individual effectiveness
4. sharpening and refinement of common sense
Development of People Skills
There are two types of skills that a person will need to succeed in his
chosen career:
1. the skills in doing work; and
Intelligent Quotient (I.Q)
2.the skills in relating with people
Emotional Quotient ( Emotional Intelligence)
 A person who is much adept in the performance of his work may
successful up to a certain extent, but he will require another skill to
make other people believe that he should be more successful that his
current achievement.
Ex. Is the group of highly productive employees who complain that
they are always bypassed in promotions.
Studying OB may help them find answers to their queries.
Personal Growth
Personal growth makes a person highly competitive in the work
place.
The chance to achieve personal growth is enhanced by knowledge of
For instance, knowledge of the behavior of others through the study
of OB will help the person understand his own behavior.
A person who strives to know himself better is entering the realm of
intrapersonal intelligence, which is very useful type of intelligence
for one who wants to achieve his personal goals.
Enhancement of Organizational and Individual Effectiveness
Effectiveness is a major attribute of successful organizations, as well
as individuals.
When the right decisions are made, effectiveness follows.
In decision making, knowledge of OB can be very useful.
For instance, there are persons who perform better when they work
in the afternoons.
It would be a mistake to make them work in the morning and expect
that they will perform better.
Such errors could be avoided if the one authorized to decide on work
assignments have knowledge of OB.
Sharpening and Refinement of Common Sense
People differ in the degree of common sense they possess.
Improvements in this type of ability, however, can still be made and
great benefits can be derived if this is done.
For instance common sense dictates that persons working in hot and
humid places cannot perform well.
Common sense , however, cannot easily provide information on the
exact temperature that will make them work at optimum levels.
In those types of concerns, knowledge of OB may be very useful.
A Brief History of Organizational Behavior (OB)
History tells us that behind every major accomplishment of man is
some sort of organization.
Thousands of years ago, the pyramids of Egypt and some temples in
Central and South America were built by workers recruited from
among the populace.
Whether or not there were attempts to make these types of workers
perform better can be the subject of inquiry.
We see in the movies is the whip, which as we understand was
designed to make workers do their assigned tasks.
It is modern history, however, that provide us with records of how
concerned scientists and experts made studies which have direct or
indirect bearing to OB.
The origins of OB can be traced to the following:
1. the human relations approach
a. the scientific management approach by Frederick W.
Taylor
b. The human relations approach by Elton Mayo and others
2. the personality theories
a. Freud’s model
b. the behaviorist approach by Watson and Skinner
c. the humanist approach by Carl Rogers, Fritz Perls, and
Frederick W. Taylor was the well-known disciple of the scientific
management movement.
The primary purpose of scientific management was the application
of scientific methods to increase the individual worker’s productivity.
Taylor used scientific analysis and experiment to increase worker
output.
He did it by regarding individuals as equivalents of machine parts
and assigned them specific repetitive tasks.
Elton Mayo and his research team conducted the Hawthorne studies
in 1920 to determine what effect hours of work, periods of rests and
lighting might have on workers fatigue and productivity.
It was discovered that the social environment have an equivalent if
not greater effect on productivity than the physical environment.
Mayo concluded that social interaction is a factor for increased
productivity.
A great contributor is the psychologist Sigmund Freud who brought
the idea that people are motivated by far more than conscious logical
reasoning.
Freud believed that irrational motives make up the hidden
subconscious mind, which determines the major part of people’s
Through an approach called behaviorism , another eminent
psychologist, J.B. Watson, formulated the theory about learned
behavior.
This theory indicates that a person can be trained to behave according
to the wish of the trainer.
B.F Skinner extended Watson’s theory with his own theory of
behavior modification.
Skinner concluded that when people receive a positive stimulus like
money or praise for what they have done, they will tend to repeat their
behavior.
When they are ignored and receive no response to the action, they will
not be inclined to repeat it.
The humanist movement is another important aspect in the
development of OB.
It is composed of a group of psychologists and three prominent
contribution – Carl Rogers, Fritz Perls and Abraham Maslow.
Rogers focused on the persons as an individual instead of adhering
to a rigid methodology.
He believes that a person should acquire their own values and attitudes
rather than be committed to a fixed set of prescribed goals.
The more self-directed and aware people are, better they are able their
own individual values and adapt to a changing environment.
Fritz Perls’ contribution is the Gestalt psychology wherein the person
is seen as being plagued by numerous split or conflicting desires and
needs, which dissipate energy and interfere with the person’s ability
to achieve his potential.
The object of Gestalt psychology is to integrate conflicting needs into
an organized whole, in which all parts of a person work together
towards growth and development.
For his part, Abraham Maslow forwarded his model which espouses
the idea of developing the personality toward the ultimate
achievement of human potential.
This process is referred to as self-actualization.
To achieve this objective, the person must work his way up the
Ethics and Organizational Behavior
May an organization used whatever means, fair or foul , to achieve its
objectives?
It is alright for a firm to ask employee to obtain confidential
information through espionage regarding the operations of a
competitor?
It is right for organizations to allow executives to play favorites in
the workplace ?
These and similar behaviors in the organization happen every now
and then.
If allowing such actions become the norm rather than the exception,
would it be to the best interest of everyone especially employers and
employee?
Answers to the foregoing questions permeate a body of principles that
modern man tries to consider in the pursuit of his goal.
Philosophers maintain the view that a society that has low regard to
morals will disintegrate after a period of time.
To avoid chaos and destruction, and to make life in society possible,
adherence to the practice of moral principles regulating human
relations become necessary.
The above concerns bring us to the topic or organizational ethics.
What is Ethics?
Ethics refers to the set of moral choices a person makes based on what
he or she ought to do.
Organization Ethics
These are moral principle that define right or wrong behavior in
organizations.
Organizational ethics are the principals and standards by which
businesses operate, according to Reference for Business.
They are best demonstrated through acts of fairness, compassion,
integrity, honor and responsibility.
Ethical Behavior
This refers to behavior that is accepted as morally good and right as
opposed to bad and wrong.
Ethical behavior is characterized by honesty, fairness and equity
in interpersonal, professional and academic relationships and in
research and scholarly activities.
Ethical behavior respects the dignity, diversity and rights of
individuals and groups of people.
What constitutes right and wrong behavior in organization is
determined by:
1. the public
2. interest groups
3. organizations
Ethical Issues
There are important ethical issues that confront organizations.
They consist of the following:
1. conflict of interest
2. fairness and honesty
3. communication
4. relationships within the organization
What is a Conflict of Interest?
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual's personal interests –
family, friendships, financial, or social factors – could compromise his
or her judgment, decisions, or actions in the workplace. Government
agencies take conflicts of interest so seriously that they are regulated.
 A conflict of interest exists when a person is in the position of having
to decide whether to advance the interests of the organization or to
operate in his or her own personal interest.
For instance, the purchasing officer of a university is in a situation
where there is conflict of interest when he owns the shop that sells
office supplies to the university.
In organization which practices ethical behavior, people do not
accept
bribes to influence the outcome of a decision.
People in organizations are expected to be fair and honest.
Ethical behavior demands that beyond obeying the law, they should
not knowingly harm customers, clients and competitors through
deception, coercion or misrepresentation.
For example, a certain agency of the government would not
normally release documents unless certain amount of money is
handed down to the releasing clerk.
People can become victims of organizations that provide false and
misleading information about their products and services,
For instance, a recruitment firm makes it appear that the
employment conditions they describe to the job applicants would be
identical to what the foreign employer would offer.
This practice is of course highly unethical.
Organizational relationships are formal in nature and serve to support
the operations of the organization.
They encompass your connections to people in other teams,
departments, or divisions. In other words, these relationships are
based on the structure of the organization.
Within the organization, people may still be performing unethical
acts.
For example, employee A developed an idea that will be very useful
to the organization.
Employee B steals the idea and presents it to the top executive before
employee A could present it himself.
This action is highly unethical and it is to the detriment of the
 SUMMARY
People exhibit certain behavior in and out of organizations.
The realization of individual, group, or organizational goals will
depend on the human factor, specifically human behavior.
The goal of OB are to explain, predict and control behavior, are
people, structure technology, social system and environment.
The benefits of studying OB are: the development of people skills,
personal growth, enhancement of organizational and individual
effectiveness and sharpening and refinement of common sense.
OB is not an instant invention of man.
Instead, it is a product of several stages of inquiry into how people
Personalities, great and small, contributed to the development of OB .
Taylor, Mayo ,Freud, Maslow, are only some of the more prominent
names in the field of OB.
The development of OB has not stopped, however, and the process is
still ongoing.
If the organization is expected to survive, its actions must be in
consonance with the ethical behavior.

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