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Essentials of
Organizational Behavior
Stephen P. Robbins & Timothy A. Judge
17th Edition.

Chapter 1
Introduction to
Organizational Behavior

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 After reading this chapter, you should be able
to:
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1. Define organizational behavior (OB).

2. Explain the value to OB of systematic study.
3. Identify the major behavioral science disciplines that
contribute to OB.
4. Demonstrate why few absolutes apply to OB.
5. Identify the challenges and opportunities managers
have in applying OB concepts.
6. Identify the three levels of analysis in OB.

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 The Field of Organizational Behavior
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Organizational Behavior studies the influence that

individuals, groups and structure have on behavior
within organizations.

Its chief goal is to apply that knowledge toward

improving an organization’s effectiveness.

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 Focal Points of OB

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Jobs
Work
Absenteeism
Employment turnover
Productivity
Human performance
Management

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 Complementing Intuition with Systematic
Study
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 Intuition: your “gut feeling” explanation of behavior.

 Systematic study improves ability to accurately
predict behavior.
 Assumes behavior is not random.
 Fundamental consistencies underlie behavior.
 These can be identified and modified to reflect
individual differences.

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 Systematic Study

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Examines relationships.
Attempts to attribute causes and effects.
Bases conclusions on scientific evidence:
On data gathered under controlled
conditions.
Data is measured and interpreted in a
reasonably rigorous manner.

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 Evidence-Based Management

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Complements systematic study.

Bases decisions on the best
available scientific evidence.
Forces managers to become more
scientific in their thinking.

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 Contributing Disciplines to the OB
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Field
Micro:
The Psychology
Individua
l Social
Psychology

Macro: Sociology
Groups &
Organization Anthropology
s

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 Few Absolutes in OB

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 Impossible to
make simple Continge
ncy Independe
and accurate nt Variable
Dependent
generalizations Variable Variable (Y)
(X)
 Human beings (Z)
are complex In Boss Gives
Understood
as
and diverse American “Thumbs
Complimen
 OB concepts Up” Sign
Culture ting
must reflect In Iranian
situational or Boss Gives
Understood
as Insulting
conditions: Australia “Thumbs
- “Up
Up” Sign
contingency n Yours!”

variables Cultures
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 Challenges and Opportunities for OB

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Responding to Economic Pressures

Responding to Globalization
Managing Workplace Diversity
Improving Customer Service
Improving People Skills
Stimulating Innovation and Change
Coping with “Temporariness”
Working in Networked Organizations
Helping Employees with Work-Life Conflicts
Improving Ethical Behavior
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 Responding to Economic Pressures

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Effective management is especially important during tough

economic times.
Employees look to their managers to provide security
during the instability of a recession.

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 Responding to Globalization

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Increased foreign assignments

Differing needs and aspirations in
workforce
Working with people from
different cultures
Domestic motivational techniques
and managerial styles may not work
Overseeing movement of jobs
to countries with low-cost labor

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 Managing Workforce Diversity

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Workforce diversity:
organizations are
becoming a more
heterogeneous mix of
people in terms of
gender, age, race,
ethnicity, and sexual
orientation

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 Diversity Implications

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“Managers have to shift their

philosophy from treating
everyone alike to recognizing
differences and responding to
those differences in ways that
ensure employee retention and
greater productivity while, at the
same time, not discriminating.”

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 Improving Customer Service & People Skills

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 The majority of
employees in
developed nations
work in service jobs
and they must know
how to please their
customers.
 People skills are
essential to succeed
in today’s
organizations.

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 Stimulating Innovation and Change

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 Flexibility
 Quality Improvement
 Staying Competitive

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 Temporariness

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 Jobs are constantly changing

 Skills need to be updated for
workers to stay on target
 Workers need to be able to
deal with change
 Employees need to be able to
cope with flexibility,
spontaneity and
unpredictability

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 Working in Networked Organizations

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 Managers must
adapt their skills and
communication styles
to succeed in an
online environment

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 Helping Employees handle work-life conflict
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The line between work and

non work has blurred and
managers are increasingly
dealing with conflicts that
arise between work and life
away from work.

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 Thinking Positive

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Creating a positive work environment can be a competitive

advantage
Positive Organizational Scholarship (Positive OB):
Examines how organizations develop human strengths,
foster vitality and resilience, and unlock potential.
Focus is on employee strengths, not their weaknesses.

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 Improving Ethical Behavior

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Ethical dilemmas and ethical choices

Unethical practices – take bribes…

Code of ethics
Seminars, workshops and training programs

Fair treatment of employees

Ethically healthy climate
Promote a strong ethical mission

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 Three Levels of OB Analysis

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Chapters 14 - 16

Chapters 8 - 13

Chapters 2 - 7

Plan
Plan of
of the
the Book
Book

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 Implications for Managers

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OB helps with:
Insights to improve people skills
Valuing of workforce diversity
Empowering people and creating a
positive work environment
Dealing with change in the workplace
Coping in a world of temporariness
Creating an ethically healthy work
environment

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 Keep in Mind…

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OB’s goal is to understand and predict human behavior in

organizations.
Fundamental consistencies underlie behavior.
It is more important than ever to learn OB concepts.
Both managers and employees must learn to cope with
temporariness.

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 Summary

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1. Defined Organizational Behavior (OB).

2. Show the value to OB of systematic study.
3. Identified the major behavioral science disciplines
that contribute to OB.
4. Demonstrated how few absolutes apply in OB.
5. Identified the major challenges and opportunities
managers have in applying OB concepts.
6. Identified the three levels of analysis in OB.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of the publisher. Printed in the
United States of America.

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