1 Module One Organizational Behavior and Sustainable Work Systems

1

Module One

Organizational Behavior and Sustainable Work Systems

2

Learning ObjectivesAfter completing this module, you should be able to• 1. Briefly describe what is meant by the terms

organization, sustainable work systems, and sustainable development

• 2. Define the field of organizational behavior.• 3. Identify and briefly describe the four evolutionary

clusters in the development of the organizational behavior field of study.

• 4. Briefly describe the systems approach to understanding and effectively managing people in organizations.

• 5. Explain the relationship between rationality and irrationality in management.

3

Today’s Agenda1. Overview of Organizational Behavior

An exercise What is organizational behavior (OB)? What is a sustainable work system? How can understanding OB aid my career?

2. Syllabus and Course Requirements

3. Administrative Issues (i.e., Good ol’ role call, student information sheets, name tags, picture taking)

* Plan to be here through the whole class session

4

Activity 1–1

Learning From Experience: Defining Organizational Behavior

5

DEFINING ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

1. CAPTURE AN EXPERIENCE THAT ILLUSTATES SOMETHING ABOUT HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATION

2. EXPERIENCE THAT ILLUSTRATES A DIFFICULT PROBLEM YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED WHILE WORKING

3. CAPTURE AN EXPERIENCE THAT ILLUSTRATES GOOD MANAGEMENT

6

Exercise 1 - 1

Student 1st Five Minutes 2nd Five Minutes 3rd Five MinutesStudent 1st Five Minutes 2nd Five Minutes 3rd Five Minutes

A Teller Observer Listener

B Listener Teller Observer

C Observer Listener Teller

7

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR: A WORKING DEFINITION

• ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR (OB), BROADLY DEFINED, IS THE UTILIZATION OF THEORY AND METHODS OF MULTIPLE ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES (SUCH AS ANTHROPOLOGY, BIOLOGY, ECONOMICS, POLITICAL SCIENCE, PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY) FOR UNDERSTANDING AND INFUENCING THE BEHAVIOR OF PEOPLE IN ORGANIZATIONS

• OB IS AN INTERDISCIPLINARY FIELD OF STUDY• OB FOCUSES ON THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR IN THE

CONTEXT OF WORK AND, AS SUCH, INCLUDES FOUR LEVELS OF BEHAVIOR, INDIVIDUAL, GROUP, INTERGROUP AND ORGANIZATIONAL FOR THE PURPOSE OF IMPROVING EFFECTIVENESS

8

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR: A WORKING DEFINITION Cont’d

• OB COVERS A LARGE VARIETY OF TOPICS, SUCH AS: EXPECTATIONS, PERSONALITY, MOTIVATION, PERCEPTION, COMMUNICATION, LEARNING LEADERSHIP, CONFLICT, CREATIVITY, GROUP PROBLEM SOLVING AND DECISION MAKING, GROUP DEVELOPMENT AND DYNAMICS, TEAM EFFECTIVENESS, WORK AND ORGANIZATION DESIGN, ORGANIZATION CULTURE, ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE,….,

9

What is Organizational Behavior?

• Organizational behavior is the study of individual and group dynamics in an organizational setting, as well as the nature of the organizations themselves. – Whenever people interact in an organized setting, many

factors come into play. Organizational behavior attempts to understand and model these factors.

• A key question in the field is: How do you get a group of people to work toward a common goal effectively?

• More generally, we ask what factors influence how people behave in organized settings?

10

What is Organizational Behavior?

• A class about people in the context of work within organizations

• An application of social sciences; mainly psychology and sociology

• Should provide you with perspectives that can help you be more effective when interacting with people in organizations

11

Welcome to Organizational Behavior

• One key recurring theme in this class is… The importance of being proactive—rather than

reactive—in shaping your team, your career, and, more generally, your life.

Often, we fail to be proactive and then blame our circumstances (e.g., other people) rather than attributing some responsibility for what happens to us on our own actions.

12

Organizational Behavior: Levels of Analysis

Individual

Team

Organization

Environment

13

The Study of Organizational Behavior: A Roadmap

(Option 1)

The Organizational

Behavior Context and

Learning Community

Managing Individual Processes

Managing Interpersonal

Processes

Managing Organizational

Processes

14


Processes

The OrganizationalBehavior Context

and Learning Community






Processes


Processes

1. Organizational Behavior:

An Overview

2. Expectations, Learning and Appreciative

Inquiry

3. Learning-in-Action


An Overview


Inquiry


4. A Psychodynamics

Perspective of Human Behavior

5. Motivation

6. Perception

7. Communication

17W. Stress andThe Management

of Stress

4. A Psychodynamics


5. Motivation

6. Perception

7. Communication

17W. Stress andThe Management

of Stress

8. Leaders and Leaderships

9. Mentoring

11. Work Teams And Effectiveness

12. Team Dynamics and Performance

10. Negotiation And Conflict Management


9. Mentoring




13.Work and Organization

Design

14. Creativity and Innovation

15. Organizational Culture

16. Organizational Change,

Development and Learning

13.Work and Organization

Design





15

The Study of Organizational Behavior: A Roadmap

(Option 2)

The Organizational Behavior Context and

Learning Community


Processes

Managing Individual

Processess


Processes

16

Understanding and Managing Individuals






Processes


ProcessesManaging

Organizational Processes


Processes


An Overview


Inquiry



An Overview


Inquiry



9. Mentoring





9. Mentoring




4. A Psychodynamics


5. Motivation

6. Perception

7. Communication

17W. Stress and the Management of Stress

4. A Psychodynamics


5. Motivation

6. Perception

7. Communication

17W. Stress and the Management of Stress

13.Organization and Work

Design





13.Organization and Work

Design





17

The Study of Organizational Behavior: A Roadmap (Option 3)

18

The world of rationalityThe world of rationality

The worldof less rationalityor irrationality

The worldof less rationalityor irrationality

LogicLogic

PurposePurposeObjectivityObjectivity

ReasonablenessReasonableness

“Good common sense”“Good common sense”PracticalityPracticality

EmotionsEmotions

Stress ReactionsStress Reactions

CreativityCreativity

FeelingsFeelings

NeedsNeeds

Conformityforces

Conformityforces

LoyaltiesLoyalties

ImpulsivenessImpulsiveness

EnergyEnergy

GroupthinkGroupthink

Rationality/Irrationality

19

Prescientific, pre-1880s Classical, 1880-1930s

• Scientific management• Administrative school• Structuralist school

• Basic principles of organizing and managing the most effective firm

• The basic functions of managers

• Characteristics of “the ideal type of an organization

• Taylor • Fayol• Gulick• Weber

• Basic principles for nature and society

• The position of authority and order in society

• Economic rationale• Division of labor (early

development)

• Jethro (Moses’s father-in-law)• Sun Tzu• Socrates, Aristotle• Xenophon• Machiavelli• Adam Smith

Period

Historical Evolution of Management Thought: A Brief Roadmap

Emerging schools of thought


Focus/emphasis

Focus/emphasis

ScholarsScholars

20

Neoclassical, 1930-1960s Modern, 1960-present• Systems school• Sociotechnical system school• Management science school• Contingency school• Self-Designing school

• Organization is a system composed of subsystems

• Organization is an open system composed of social, technological, and environmental subsystems

• Use of quantitative methods to solve organization and management issues

• Exploration of alternative org’l design configurations and mgr’l actions for changing situations

• Bertalanffy• Katz and Kahn• Emery and Trist• Thompson• Lorsch and Lawrence• Galbraith

• Human relations school• Behavior schools:

• Group dynamics• Leadership• Decision making

• Organizations are cooperative systems

• Informal roles and norms influence individual performance

• Work group dynamics influence individual and group performance

• Leadership styles affect individual and group behavior

• Decision making styles influence performance

• Berbard• Roethlisberger• Lewin• McGregor• Maslow

Period

Historical Evolution of Management Thought: A Brief Roadmap



Focus/emphasis

Focus/emphasis

ScholarsScholars

21

Alternative Course Designs for Using this Text

Plan AComplete the activities and readings with classroom discussion

Plan BComplete plan “A” and add One Major outside-of-class team task project.

Plan CComplete plan “A” and additional team activities/tasks outside-of-class.

22

SUSTAINABLE WORK SYSTEMS:Three Basic Questions

1. What do we want to sustain?

2. What do we mean by sustainability?

3. What do we mean by sustainable development?

23

SUSTAINABLE WORK – TOWARDS A DEFINITION (1)

• Sustainability is a complex subject• For many people sustainability translates into

being “environmentally friendly”• The term originally applied to natural resource

situations, where the long term was the focus. • Today, it applies to many disciplines, including

economic development, environment, food production, management, energy, and lifestyle.

• Basically, sustainability calls our attention to the fact that today's decisions are made with a consideration of sustaining our activities into the long term future.

24

SUSTAINABLE WORK – TOWARDS A DEFINITION (2)

A sustainable work system can be defined as a dynamic work system that enables all people to realize their potential and improve their quality of life while simultaneously regenerate human resources and protect/enhance the environment.

25

1. What do we want to sustain?

• This is a choice that organizations need to make...

• For example, we can decide to sustain the capability that will allow the organization to respond to challenges and opportunities in the context of its business environment…

26

2. What do we mean by sustainability?

• Following the decision of what to sustain, an articulation of what is meant by sustainability is needed..

• For example, if the objective is sustaining capability to respond to challenges and opportunities, sustainability will mean developing the mechanisms (structures, processes and resources) that center on adaptable capability..

27

3. What do we mean by sustainable development?

• This question focuses on two elements:– the change process, namely, how does

the organization becomes “a sustainable organization”?

– what are some of the mechanisms (structures and processes) that will facilitate continuous change

28

SUSTAINABILITY IN THE CONTEXT OF WORK AND ORGANIZATION

• Sustainability is an important concept at the individual, team, organizational and societal levels.– At the individual and team levels,

sustainability can mean possibilities for renewal, development, gaining new skills and knowledge and quality of working life

– At the organizational level, sustainability can mean potential for long-term economic success – sustaining competitive advantage, developing adaptive capacity for future challenges, sustaining innovation and creativity

29

The meaning (and nature) of sustainability at work (1)

• Sustainability can be designed and managed in many ways

• Sustainability is about choices in regards to degrees of collaboration

• Sustainability is about action-reflection cycles

30

The meaning (and nature) of sustainability at work (2)

• Sustainability requires – Developing an alternative way of thinking and

acting in the context of work (the development of new paradigm)

– Developing a clear Strategic Vision and alignment of the business strategy with the appropriate organizational design configurations

– Creating new spaces for dialogue and collaborative inquiry

– Focusing on the quality of relationships (partnership) between actors

– Balancing between• Conflicting demands, goals and visions• Economic performance, social well being,

organizational prosperity and environmental protection• Knowledge creation and problem solving

31

Sustainability at Work: Emerging Direction for Future Research

Emerging research directions connects sustainability at work to the following themes: – Developing new organizational capabilities

• i.e., Mohrman at el, 2006– Developing sustainable leaders

• i.e., Boyatzis at el, 2006– Developing continuous innovation– Developing learning mechanisms – Developing holistic and on going planned

change orientation• i.e., Beer at el, 2006; Stebbins at el

32

DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE LEADERS

• Leadership requires the exercise of influence or power

• Leaders are under a steady flow of stress related to the exercise of power and its responsibility

• For leaders to sustain themselves, the human response to stress must be ameliorated.

• To sustain their effectiveness leaders should emphasize coaching (with compassion) as a key part of their role and behavioral habits (Boyatzis et al, 2006)

Documents

1 Module One Organizational Behavior and Sustainable Work Systems