Part One: Introduction

Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behavior

A. The Field of Organizational Behavior

Organizational behavior (OB) is the study of what people think, feel, and do in and around
organizations. OB researchers systematically study individual, team, and organizational-level
characteristics that influence behavior within work settings. By saying that organizational
behavior is a field of study, we mean that OB experts have been accumulating a distinct
knowledge about behavior within organizations—a knowledge base that is the foundation of
this book.
B. Organizational Behavior Trends
There has never been a better time to learn about organizational behavior. The pace of
change is accelerating, and most of the transformation is occurring in the workplace. Let’s
take a brief tour through five trends in the workplace: globalization, workforce diversity,
evolving employment relationships, virtual work, and workplace values and ethics.
C. The Five Anchors of Organizational Behavior
Globalization, workforce diversity, evolving employment relationships, virtual work, and
workplace values and ethics are just a few of the trends that we will explore in this textbook.
To understand these and other topics, the field of organizational behavior relies on a set of
basic beliefs or knowledge structures (see Exhibit 1.3 ). These conceptual anchors represent
the way that OB researchers think about organizations and how they should be studied. Let’s
look at each of these five beliefs that anchor the study of organizational behavior.
D. Knowledge Management
In the opening story to this chapter, Google’s chief financial officer George Reyes said that his
company “is truly a learning organization.” This perspective of organizations, called
knowledge management , includes any structured activity that improves an organization’s
capacity to acquire, share, and use knowledge in ways that improve its survival and success.
61 Knowledge management is an offshoot of the open systems view because it presumes
that organizations need to interact with their environment.

Part Two

Individual Behavior and Processes

Why do individuals behave the way they do and perform well or poorly in the workplace? This
question has been the center of much research in organizational behavior, and it is the focus of this
chapter and the next five chapters in this book. We begin to answer this question by presenting a
basic model of individual behavior and results (called the MARS model) and outlining the main types
of behavior in organizational settings. Then we set out to examine the main individual difference
topics underlying the MARS model, beginning with two of the most stable influences: values and
personality.

Individual Behavior, Values, and Personality

People engage in many different types of behavior in organizational settings. Exhibit 2.2 highlights
the five types of behavior discussed most often in the organizational behavior literature: task
performance, organizational citizenship, counterproductive work behaviors, joining and staying with
the organization, and work attendance.

Perception and Learning in Organizations

Workplace Emotions and Attitudes

Motivation in the Workplace

Applied Performance Practices

Work-Related Stress and Stress Management