Explore BrainMass

Explore BrainMass

    Organizational Behaviour

    Organizational behavior is an interdisciplinary field of study. The study focuses on the development of theories about how individuals behave within organizations. Business students are introduced to the study of organizational behavior so that, as business managers, these theories may be applied to improve an organization’s effectiveness. Organizational behavior models recognize that the behaviour of individuals within organizations is often different than the behaviour of the same individuals outside of a work environment.

    The contemporary study of organizational behaviour is considered to have begun by Max Weber, with his book The Theory of Social and Economic Organizations (originally published in German in 1920. Weber introduced ideas about rational organizations and charismatic leadership. His ideas were reinforced by the ideas of Frederick Winslow Taylor, who suggested in Principles of Scientific Management (1911) that goal setting and enforcing standards and cooperation were the responsibility of management alone.

    In the 1939 book Management and the Worker, Fritz J. Roethlisberger and William J. Dickson (with the assistance of Harold A. Wright) wrote an official account of the Hawthorne Studies conducted at the Western Electric Company. The discovery of the Hawthorne Effect became part of a movement towards understanding the human-relations aspect of management - a movement that focused on groups and motivation in organizations. Other contributions to the developing study of human-relations included those from Frederick Herzberg (Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory), Abraham Maslow (Maslow's hierarch of needs), Douglas M. McGregor (McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y), Geert Hofstede (Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory), Victor H. Vroom (Work and Motivation), David C. McClelland (The Achieving Society), and Chester I. Barnard (The Functions of the Executive - one of the most influential books on management discipline). This human relations movement persists with the contemporary study of organizational behaviour.

    Today, organizational behaviour incorporates ideas from industrial and organizational psychology, organizational theory (including organizational culture and organizational structure), business communications, and other business management fields. It is very similar to human resource management, although human resource management has a more applied focus than organizational behaviour.

     

    Photo by William Felker on Unsplash

    © BrainMass Inc. brainmass.com March 18, 2024, 6:08 pm ad1c9bdddf

    BrainMass Categories within Organizational Behaviour

    Building and Managing Teams

    Solutions: 148

    Teams are an important building block of today’s dynamic organizations, defined as: “a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, set of performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.”

    Stress and Emotions

    Solutions: 96

    The study of organizational behaviour includes the development of models for sources of stress and how individuals respond to stress in the workplace.

    Personality Traits

    Solutions: 46

    Organizational behaviour includes the study of how personality traits affect individual and organizational outcomes.

    Developing Relationships and Trust

    Solutions: 57

    Building relationships and trust is an important component of leadership and an integral component of being an effective manager.

    Influence and Authority

    Solutions: 41

    The science of power, influence, and authority are central concepts in applied organizational behaviour studies. They go hand in hand with leadership skills, communication skills, motivation, building relationships and trust, and building and managing teams.

    Change Management

    Solutions: 312

    Business managers are the number one change agents in an organization. The science behind change management is increasingly important in today’s complex, competitive and constantly changing business environment.

    Conflict Management

    Solutions: 303

    The teamwork focus of today’s organizations makes identifying and resolving conflict in the workplace increasingly important for managers to navigate successfully.

    BrainMass Solutions Available for Instant Download

    What is Motivation?

    Explain what approaches organizations can take to motivate their employees other than pay incentives. Explain the main reasons that these other incentives may motivate employees and justify your response.

    Improving a Company's Environmental Scanning Abilities

    Synthesize the literature into an analysis of the factors that inhibit and facilitate effective organizational scanning. Prepare an analysis and a question, which is designed to stimulate debate about the literature, and about the analysis presented by another student.

    Ethical Organizational Leadership

    Assess any ethical concerns for your topic (21st-century organizational leadership). What is The Role of Ethics for The 21st-Century Organizational Leadership?

    Ramifications of Toxic Leaders

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/dougguthrie/2014/01/16/whos-to-blame-for-creating-a-toxic-organizational-culture/#1afcbcf6335b In the article "Who's to Blame for Creating a Toxic Organizational Culture," Guthrie presents the position that as the leader, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was responsible for harboring an environm

    Self Esteem and Self Efficacy

    Explain the dynamics of how self esteem affects self efficacy. Provide an example of an internal or external force that impacts your self-efficacy.

    ERG Theory and Maslow's Hierarchy

    Describe the similarities and differences between the ERG Theory and Maslow's Hierarchy. How have you used either of the two theories in daily life?

    Description and Analysis of the Hawthorne Study

    Describe how the components of the Hawthorne study are incorporated in current human resource functions. What was the main idea behind this study? How have you been impacted by the components of this study in your current or past work setting?

    Environmental Philosophy of Patagonia

    Patagonia's Environmental philosophy Briefly summarize the philosophy for your classmates in your post. • Outline how this philosophy supports the values articulated by the author in the History section of the book. • What challenges do you expect that Patagonia is having, and/or will be having in the future, in maint

    International Entry Cycle

    Zara- Select an organization with which you are familiar (other than a firm that was "born global"). In what stage of the international entry cycle is the organization? Contrast the challenges of growing in the international market versus being born global. Next, describe at least four benefits your organization has gained or co

    Leaders & Leadership Theory

    Below are six video clips. I need help with: • What leadership model(s) best describe the approach to leadership exhibited in the video clips in a few sentences and why. All five of the below leadership styles must be used at least once. ◦Trait Model ◦Behavioral Model ◦Contingency Model (identify which one—Fied

    Organizational Structure and Culture

    Reading: http://managementhelp.org/organizations/culture.htm Assessment: See attached document The assessment has been completed and I have determined that the organization has an Urgent/Seat of the Pants type of culture. Based on the scores, I need help with: • Whether or not they fit any general expectations or consti

    Conflict-Management Style

    Please look at the attached survey and address the following questions: •What is the primary conflict management style? Explain. In what types of conflict is the primary style likely to be appropriate? In what types of conflict situations is it likely to be dysfunctional? •What is the least preferred style? What types

    Case Study - Organisational Behaviour (Leading)

    You are required to write case analysis using the Perceived Organisational Support theory. You will need to analyse the "What happened to my work-life balance?" case study (See attached case study 1), and use the above theory to explain how and why the theory has something to offer in terms of providing constructive advice

    Organizational Problem

    Request assistance with completing the following 2-3 paragraph assignment for Organization behavior class. SEE BELOW guideline. I have to identify a recent (or current) organizational problem/issue faced by a real-world organization within the past three years. Then explain why the problem/issue is problematic and how it

    MBTI Team Types

    Can someone please help me with this? Please look at PDF and help me answer the four questions on the word doc. Thank you. 1. What would the whole class do well? 2. What challenges might the whole class face? 3. What would the whole class need to do in order to be optimally effective? 4. How specifically can you ensure tha

    Leading Organizational Change Examined

    Think about the contradictory roles that differentiation and integration play in an organization's performance and its ability to innovate and operate efficiently. How may culture and/or geography influence an organization's ability to balance these opposing factors? Reference

    Leadership Development and DiSC Assessments

    Self-awareness is critical to effective leadership. You are on a committee for creating a leadership development program at a large corporate organization with 12 VPs, who provide oversight to over 4,000 employees. What processes would you introduce to help leaders who participate in the leadership development program to constru

    Catherine's Reaction After Joining Fenway Waste Management

    Read Case Study 3.2 on pp. 91-92 of your textbook. What was Catherine's reaction after joining Fenway Waste Management, and why was her level of social identification different from that of LJI? Discuss the social identity issues present in this case with classmates.

    Perception and Reality Discussed

    You may have heard the expression: "If it is your perception, it is your reality." Please discuss this issue, and comment on how easy/difficult it may be to change one's perception. Share a related personal experience. Your response should be at least 200 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as an i

    Personality Tests for Potential Employees

    Explain the reason why companies give potential employees personality tests. Also, explain the five-factor model of personality dimensions, and how they affect workplace behavior. Discuss the MBTI and its four personality types. Your response should be at least 200 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbo

    People-Centered Leadership

    In many organizations, being "people-centered" is considered soft, irrelevant, and unrelated to profitability. Using support from historical perspectives of organizational behavior, explain how you would rebut these arguments. Review the "Skills Exhibited by an Effective Manager" (Table 1-2 in Organizational Behavior). Identify

    Employee Behavior and Management Practices

    What is employee behavior? What are the key theories and findings of employee behavior research? What are the key implications for management practice? Why should we study employee behavior? Possible References: Ajzen, I. (1991). The Theory of Planned Behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50:

    Research Methods and Statistics

    1) Are the different forms of consumer instalment credit in the following table highly correlated? Create your table in Word. 2) A researcher is asked to determine whether or not a productivity objective (in dollars) of better than $75,000 per employee is possible. A productivity test is done involving 20 employees. What co

    Personalities and Organizational Performance

    What role does personality play in the workplace? How might the characteristics of individual employees have an impact on the organization as a whole? Can you think of an example (positive or negative) of personality influencing organizational performance? What happened?

    Variabilities In The Four Functions of Management

    How do managers apply the four functions of management (Planning, Organizing, Leading, and Controlling)? Is any one function more or less important than any other function? How might it depend on the type of organization or even the type of manager?

    Organizational Behavior: Mintzberg, Structure, and Design

    What are the five organizational forms of Mintzberg's framework? Provide examples of each. Define the term OD, and explain how its techniques are used to implement change. Describe three ways to structure an organization, and discuss the pros and cons of each. Explain what is meant by inter-organizational design, and