Unit 1
16 Marks Questions and answers hints.
1. List the contributing disciplines of ‘Organizational Behaviour’.
Organizational Behaviour is a unique combination of different disciplines
Psychology
Psychology is the science that seeks of measure, explain individual behavior.
Sociology
Sociologists, studying the structure and function of small groups within a society have contributed greatly to a more complete understanding of behavior within organizations.
Social psychology
Social psychology is an area within psychology, but blends concepts from both psychology and sociology.
Anthropology
Anthropology is a science of man. Anthropologists study societies to learn about human beings and their activities.
Political science
Political Science as a subject has many ingredients, which directly affect human behaviour in organizations since politics dominates every organisation to some extent.
Economics
Economic environment influences organisational climate. OB has learned a great deal from such economic factors as labour market dynamics, cost-benefit analysis, marginal utility analysis, human resource planning, forecasting, and decision making.
Engineering
Industrial Engineering area has contributed a great deal in the area of man-machine relationship through time and motion study, work measurement, work flow analysis, job design, and compensation management. Each of these areas has some impact on OB.
Medicines:
Medicines is one of the newest fields which is now being related to the field of OB. Issues like work related stress, tension and depression are common to both: the area of medicine, and OB.
Semantics:
Semantics helps in the study of communications within the organisation. Misunderstood communication and lack of communication lead to many behaviour related problems in the organisation.
2. What is the need for study of organisational behavior?
A study of OB is beneficial in many ways. Some of the benefits of studying OB are following:
1. It helps an individual understand oneself. It is a systematic study of the actions and attitudes that people exhibit within organisation.
2. It helps managers in getting the work done through effective ways.
3. It emphasizes the interaction and relations between the organisation and individual behaviour.
4. It helps to develop work-related behaviour and job satisfaction.
5. It helps in building motivating climate.
6. It helps in building cordial industrial relations
7. It helps in the field of marketing through deeper insight of consumer behaviour, and managing and motivating field employees.
8. It helps in predicting behaviour and applying it in some meaningful way to make organisation more effective.
9. It implies effective management of human resources.
10. It helps to improve functional behaviour leading to productivity, effectiveness, efficiency, organizational citizenship, and also helps to reduce dysfunctional behaviour at work place like absenteeism, employee turnover, dissatisfaction, tardiness etc.
3. Explain the Nature and Scope of OB.
1. Interdisciplinary Approach:
Organisational Behaviour integrates knowledge from various relevant disciplines for specific purpose. OB draws heavily from psychology, sociology, and anthropology etc.
2. An Applied Science:
The basic objective of OB is to make application of various researches to solve organizational problems, particularly related to human behaviour aspect.
3. Behavioural Approach to Management:
Organisational Behaviour is directly connected with the human side of management, but it is not the whole of management.
4. Concern with Environment:
Organisational Behaviour is concerned with issues like compatibility with environment e.g. person-culture fit, cross-cultural management etc.
5. Scientific Method:
Organisational Behaviour follows the scientific method and makes use of logical theory in its investigation and in answering the research questions. It is empirical, interpretive, critical and creative science.
6. Contingency Approach:
There are very few absolutes in Organisational Behaviour. The approach is directed towards developing managerial actions that are most appropriate for a specific situation.
7. A Systems Approach:
Organisational Behaviour is a systematic vision as it takes into account all the variables affecting organisational functioning.
8. Value Centered :
Organisational Behaviour is a value-centered science. Research results can be applied to get organizational results which are acceptable by the society.
9. Utilizes two Kinds of Logic:
It utilizes both objective and subjective logic.
4. Trace out history of OB.
Scientific management
The Industrial Revolution that began from the development of steam power and the founding of big factories in the late Eighteenth Century result in great alterations in the production of fabrics and other products. The factories that developed created great difficulties to organization that had not existed before. Governing these new factories and then new entities like railways with the requirement of governing large flows of material, staff, and information over great distances caused the need for some ways of dealing with the recent management problems.
The most significant of those who began to found a science of management was Frederic Taylor. He was one of the first who tried to analyze human behavior at a work place systematically. The outcomes were serious. Efficiency under Taylorism went up greatly. New departments appeared such as personnel, industrial engineering, and quality check.
While many people consider bureaucracy in negative notions, this sample in its pure type was a dramatic improvement over the last sample of organization which was a feudal sample based on arranged status and position by birth, not disadvantage and unquestioned authority.
The Human Relations Movement.
In spite the economic development brought about in part by scientific management, critics were calling attention to the "obscure side of progress," which consisted of severe labour conflict, apathy, weariness, and spent in vain human resources. These notions made a number of researchers to study the discrepancy between how an organization was expected to work against how the workers actually conducted.
The Hawthorne Studies.
The Hawthorne Studies made us see that an organization is much more than a formal order of functions but is also a social structure.
Traditional statements:
1. People attempt to content one class of need at workplace - economic need;
2. There is no conflict between person and organizational purposes;
3. People act reasonably to maximize bonuses;
4. People act individually to content individual requirements.
Human relations statements:
1. Organizations are social structures, not simply technical economic structures;
2. People are motivated by many requirements;
3. People do not always think logically
4. People are interdependent; our conduct is often formed by the social basis; informal work group is the main factor in defining attitudes and achievement of individual employees;
5. Management is just one factor that influences conduct; the informal group often has a stronger influence;
6. Work roles are more difficult than work descriptions usually suggest; people conduct in different ways not covered by work descriptions;
7. There is no automatic proportion between personal and organizational requirements; communication sources cover both economic elements of an organization and personal feelings;
8. Teamwork is basis for collaboration and sound technical solutions;
9. Leadership should be changed to include basis notions of human relations;
10. Job content leads to higher work efficiency;
11. Management needs efficient social skills, not just technical practice;
Outcomes of the Hawthorne Studies.
The Human Relationships Movement jogged managers toward achieving participative backing of lower levels of the organization in a solution of organization needs. The movement also encouraged a more open and trusting milieu and a greater stress on groups rather than simply separate persons.This gives rise to the importance of OB
5. Write about Hawthorne experiments.
The Human Relations Movement began with the Hawthorne Experiments. They were conducted at Western Electrical Works in USA, b/w 1924-1932.
Four Parts of Hawthorne Studies / Experiments
Part I - Illumination Experiments (1924-27)]
These experiments were performed to find out the effect of different levels of illumination (lighting) on productivity of labor.
Part II - Relay Assembly Test Room Study (1927-1929)
Under these test two small groups of six female telephone relay assemblers were selected. Each group was kept in separate rooms. It was concluded that social relationship among workers, participation in decision-making, etc. had a greater effect on productivity than working conditions.
Part III - Mass Interviewing Programme (1928-1930)
21,000 employees were interviewed over a period of three years to find out reasons for increased productivity. It was concluded that productivity can be increased if workers are allowed to talk freely about matters that are important to them.
Part IV - Bank Wiring Observation Room Experiment (1932)
A group of 14 male workers in the bank wiring room were placed under observation for six months. A worker's pay depended on the performance of the group as a whole.
Conclusions of Hawthorne Studies / Experiments
The conclusions derived from the Hawthorne Studies were as follows:-
1. The social and psychological factors are responsible for workers' productivity and job satisfaction.
2. The informal relations among workers influence the workers' behavior and performance more than the formal relations in the organization.
3. Employees will perform better if they are allowed to participate in decision-making affecting their interests.
4. Employees will also work more efficiently, when they believe that the management is interested in their welfare.
5. When employees are treated with respect and dignity, their performance will improve.
6. Financial incentives alone cannot increase the performance. Social and Psychological needs must also be satisfied in order to increase productivity.
7. Good communication between the superiors and subordinates can improve the relations.
8. Special attention and freedom to express their views will improve the performance of the workers.
Criticism of Hawthorne Studies / Experiments
The Hawthorne Experiments are mainly criticized on the following grounds:-
1. Lacks Validity
2. More Importance to Human Aspects
3. More Emphasis on Group Decision-making
4. over Importance to Freedom of Workers
6. Write about the Models of OB.
Models deals with real world phenomenon. Focusing on three level i.e individual, group and organization it is built by considering the two variables dependent and independent variables. Dependent variables are productivity, absenteeism, turnover, job satisfaction. Independent variables are individual, group and organization variables.
Keith Davis recognizes four different models of OB. These models show evolution of the thinking and behaviour on the part of management and managers alike. The four major models or frameworks that organizations operate out of:
Autocratic / Custodial / Supportive / CollegialModel depends upon / Power / Economic resources / Leadership / Partnership
Managerial orientation / Authority / Money / Support / Teamwork
Employee orientation / Obedience / Security / Job / responsibility
Employee psychological result / Dependence on boss / Dependence on organization / Participation / Self-discipline
Employees needs met / Subsistence / Maintenance / Higher-order / Self-actualisation
Performance result / Minimum / Passive cooperation / Awakened drives / Moderate enthusiasm
7. What are the challenges and opportunities for OB managers?
Some of the issues which need support from behavioral science and other interdisciplinary fields to offer creditable solutions are:
a. Improving People Skills
The employees and executives are really in need of a boost up to be equipped with the required skills relevant to the technological changes, structural changes, environmental changes which are accelerated at a fast pace.
Main skills on focus aremanagerial skills and technical skills.
b. Improving Quality and Productivity
Quality is a parameter which makes a product or service best or worst for the customers and users. It is a measure of expectation.
c. Total Quality Management (TQM):
It is a philosophy of management driven by attainment of customer satisfaction through continuous improvement of all organizational process.
d. Re-engineering:
This refers to discrete initiatives that are intended to achieve radically redesigned and improved work process in a bounded time frame
e. Managing Workforce Diversity
A manager needs to accommodate heterogeneous categories of employees in a workforce from different gender, race, relation, community etc.
f. Responding to Globalization
Making maximum use of mass communication, internet, faster transportation, products and services are spreading across nations.
Globalization affects a manager in,
v A manager has to manage a diversified workforce
v Understanding culture of local people
g. Empowering People
The main concern is to delegate power and responsibility to lower level workforce and assigning more freedom to make choices about their schedules, operations, procedures and method of solving their work related problems.
h. Coping with 'Temporariness'
The product life cycles are slimming up and thus the methods of operations are improving and fashions are changing very fast. This rapid changing era brings a temporariness feel among the organization's environment.
i. Stimulating Innovation and Change
Today's successful organizations must foster innovation and be proficient in the art of change; else they will become extinct in due course of time and vanish from business.
j. Emergence of E-Organization
Some important aspects that need to be discussed here are
Ø E-Commerce
Ø E-Business
Ø Growth rate of e-business
k. Improving Ethicalbehavior
The managers must evolve code of ethics to guide employees through ethical dilemmas. Organizing workshops, seminars, training programs help improvingbehaviorof employees. It is the duty of every individual to keep the climate within an organization healthy in terms of ethics and principals and maintain minimal degree of ambiguity.
8. What roles does OB play in today’s business organisations?
OB offers several ideas to management as to how human factor should be properly emphasized to achieve organisational objectives. Organisational behaviour helps the managers in the following areas:-
(1) Understanding Human Behaviour
For shaping human behaviour in definite direction for achieving certain predetermined objectives, managers must know how the people in the organisation behave.
(1) Individual Level
The behaviour of human beings as a social man is the first issue in behavioural science. It provides for analysing why and how an individual behaves in a particular way
(2) Interpersonal Level
Human behaviour can be understood at the level of interpersonal interaction. Such interpersonal interaction is normally in paired relationship which represents man’s most natural attempt at socialization.
(3) Group Level
Individuals should be studied in group also. Research in group dynamics has contributed vitally to OB and shows how a group behaves in terms of its norms, cohesion, goals, procedures, communication pattern, leadership and membership.