1.1 Flashcards
Organisational behaviour
The study of a combination of ideas, theories and academic perspectives from a variety of subject areas relating to the behaviour of teams and individuals in organisations
The term organisational behaviour
Is a little misleading because it actually refers to the behaviour of people in organisations-organizations themselves do not behave
What are the Interrelated dimensions influencing behaviour of people:
The Individual ‐ working environment should satisfy individual needs as well as
attainment of organisational goals.
The Team/Group ‐ formal and informal. Understanding of teams/groups
complements a knowledge of individual behaviour.
The Organisation ‐ impact of organisation structure and design, and patterns of
management, on behaviour.
The Environment ‐ technological and scientific development, economic activity,
governmental actions, etc.
The process of management consists of
- processes and work tasks
- co-ordinating people
- motivation, job satisfaction and reward
- individual activity aligned to overall organisation activity
- developing the people -organisation relationship
Nadler and Tushman identify 4 distinctive forces in the organisation system
- Tasks
- Formal system
- Culture
- People
What is a metaphor?
A way of describing something that is representative but which cannot literally applied to that thing
Organisational Metaphors acronym
[FIPP COMB]
Name the 8 organisational metaphors by Morgan
The machine
The organism
The brain
The culture
The political system
The psychic prison
The flux and transformation
The instrument of domination
The machine
- The MACHINE – inputs/processes/outputs/rational/reward-based motivation: Taylor’s scientific management (aka machine theory), Weber’s Bureaucracy theories, Fayol’s 14 principles (all are prescriptive – one right way)
a. Taylor’s scientific management – rational, time and motion studies, monetary motivation
b. Weber’s bureaucracy theories – efficient if properly designed, removes favouritism and personal touch:
i. Hierarchical Management Structure
ii. Formal Written Communication
iii. Rigid Division of Labour
iv. Formal Rules and Regulations
v. Technical Qualification and Competence
vi. Impersonality
c. Fayol’s 14 principles of management – army-like: order, strict hierarchy, discipline, unity of command, spirit de corps et al
- The ORGANISM
The ORGANISM – organisation as a whole and an open system with symptoms, flows – Human Relations and Contingency theories
a. Socio-Technical system (prescriptive approach: one right way) – organisation as a combination of the social / people and technological aspects [L PATCH HER]
i. LEADER in ME – leaders of people, leaders of skills
ii. Organisational PURPOSE
iii. Creative ADAPTION – empowering people to solve problems
iv. TALENT within – invest in talent
v. Harmonious COMMUNITIES – inter-connected networks
vi. Organisational HABITAT – encourage co-operation within organisation
vii. Organisational HUSBANDRY – holistic framework to make decisions and arrive at solutions with an understanding of unintended consequences and commitment to environmental stewardship and citizenship
viii. ENERGY transformation – sustainable practices to ensure actors are held accountable for outcomes
ix. Organisational RECYCLING – continuous process of change and transformation within the organisation
b. Systems Theory (prescriptive) – organisation as a whole consisting of interconnected parts
c. Contingency Theory (depends / best fit to context) – STAR model (Strategy -> People + Structure -> Rewards + Procedures and Lateral Capabilities) + OOR (see above)
d. Postmodernist theories – no one absolute truth – truth is a construct of shared beliefs and assumptions, very context-driven, question biases
e. Human Relations theories:
i. Hawthorne Experiments by Mayo – productivity problems are solved better through people than structural and procedural means
ii. Follett’s Coactive Power – genuine empowerment of people
iii. McGregor’s Theory X (people are lazy) and Y (people take pride in work)
iv. Likert’s System IV Management Model
1. System I: EXPLOTATIVE / AUTHORITATIVE – threats and fear
2. System II: BENEVOLENT / AUTHORITATIVE – rewards / no bottom-up communication, little or no teamwork and communication
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3. System III: CONSULTATIVE – rewards and punishment, some cautious bottom-up communication
4. System IV: PARTICIPATIVE – shared responsibility, high levels of teamwork and communication
v. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
1. Biological and Physiological
2. Safety and Security
3. Belongingness and Love
4. Esteem
5. Self-Actualisation
- The BRAIN
The BRAIN – cognitive and learning / adaptive processes – Learning theories, Cybernetics (study of structure and limitation of communication and control systems in animals and machines)
The CULTURE
The CULTURE – stories, symbols, shared meaning and identity of the organisation – to understand the “what” and “why” of human activity
The POLITICAL SYSTEM
The POLITICAL SYSTEM – interest, conflict, power and their relationships – Stakeholder theories
The PSYCHIC PRISON
The PSYCHIC PRISON – imprisonment of people’s minds by organism, focuses on how to set people free to experiment, learn, and solve problems – Psychoanalytical theories
The FLUX AND TRANSFORMATION
The FLUX AND TRANSFORMATION – order out of chaos, how organisations self-produce to emerge from chaos and assert their identity in response to environmental forces
