Week 1 - introduction

Question 1

Define organisational behaviour

Answer 1

The study of what people think, feel, and do in and around organisations.

Question 2

Define Organisations

Answer 2

Groups of people who work interdependently toward some purpose.

Question 3

Why is organisational behaviour important?

Answer 3

Applies to everyone, assists the bottom line:

• Makes sense of and predict our workplace / world.
• Helps orgs get things done.
• Provides knowledge & tools to interact more effectively
• Leverages people, knowledge & creativity

Question 4

Organisational effectiveness is considered the “ultimate dependent variable” in organisational behaviour. OB considers effectiveness a composite of what 4 perspectives?

Answer 4

1. open systems,
2. organisational learning,
3. high-performance work practices,
4. stakeholders.

Question 5

Define open systems

Answer 5

Holds that organisations depend on the external environment for resources, affect that environment through their output, and consist of internal subsystems that transform inputs to outputs.

2 perspectives:

Organisation – environment fit
• adapt and align to external environment.
• anticipate change and fluidly reconfigure
• Move into different environments

Internal Subsystems effectiveness
• outputs relative to inputs
• innovative transformation processes
• Co-ordination relationships

Question 6

Define Organisational learning perspective (aka knowledge management)

Answer 6

Holds that organisational effectiveness depends on the organisation’s capacity to acquire, share, use, and store valuable knowledge. 3 aspects:

Intellectual capital - contains knowledge of the org. 3 types, human capital / structural capital / relationship capital.

Org learning processes - intellectual capital result of knowledge acquisition, sharing, use storage. (Note the need for absorptive capacity)

Org memory - storage & retention of intellectual capital. Develop by retaining e’ees, transfer to others, transfer to structural.

Question 7

Define high performance work practices (HPWP) perspective.

Answer 7

Effective organisations incorporate several workplace practices that leverage the potential of human capital.

Examples: employee involvement & autonomy, high fit employees, performance linked to valued rewards.

Question 8

Define Stakeholder perspective

Answer 8

Considers that organisations are more effective when they consider the needs and expectations of any individual group (stakeholders) affected by the organisation’s objectives and actions.

Key strengths of the stakeholder perspective - values, ethics, csr, .

Question 9

Define the now discredited Goal attainment perspective of organisational effectiveness

Answer 9

States that organisations are effective if they achieve their stated objectives. No longer accepted because:

(a) the goals set may be too easy,
(b) goals may be too abstract to determine their accomplishment, and
(c) achievement of some goals may threaten the company’s survival.

Question 10

Discuss opportunities and challenges facing orgs today

Answer 10

GLOBALIZATION
Economic, social, and cultural connectivity with people in other parts of the world.

Pros: Larger markets, lower costs, more knowledge and innovation

Cons: Disadvantages developing nations, work, intensification, reduced job security and WLB.

 
INCREASING WORKFORCE DIVERSITY
Surface-level diversity - The observable differences
Deep-level diversity - psychological differences
 
Pros: Broader knowledge, complex problems, Improves customer service and creativity.

Cons: Longer to perform, Communication problems, Conflict, moral, turnover
 

EMERGING EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIPS
Globalisation + recent developments in information technology = changes in employment relationships. eg Teleworking.

Pros: Environmental benefits, Productivity

Cons: Family relations, Social isolation Reduced promotion

Question 11

Discuss the anchors on which organizational behavior knowledge is based.

Answer 11

THE SYSTEMATIC RESEARCH ANCHOR
OB knowledge should be based on systematic research. Eg: Survey Research, Experimental Research, Naturalistic Observation and Case Study

THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY ANCHOR
OB should welcome theories and knowledge in other disciplines, not just from its own isolated research base.

THE CONTINGENCY ANCHOR
Recognises that there is no one best method or one type of organisation. Use the most appropriate strategy considering conditions.

THE MULTIPLE LEVELS OF ANALYSIS ANCHOR 
OB has 3 levels of analysis:
*Individual 
*Team 
*organisation.