Organizational Behaviour

Dr. Fred Mugambi MwirigiJKUAT

Introduction

Field of study that investigates the impact of individuals, groups, and structure on behaviour within organizations for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving an organization’s effectiveness.

It is concerned with what people do in organizations and how that behaviour affects organizational performance.

Introduction Contd.

OB incorporates subjects such as employee motivation, interpersonal communication, learning and perception, leadership and power and organizational change and conflict management, among others.

Behaviour

Behaviour is the sum total of people’s responses to stimuli or a combination of people’s actions and reactions.

Behaviour is not random. It is caused and directed towards toward some end that the individual believes, rightly or wrongly, to be in his or her interest.

Behaviour may or may not be predictable or rational

Predicting Behaviour

Predicting behaviour and the motivation behind it is a major challenge for most managers

Unless we can predict behaviour we cannot affect it positively

To accurately predict human behaviour managers must continuously conduct a systematic study of their employees.

This involves attempting to study relationships within the firm, attempting to attribute causes and effects, and drawing conclusions based on scientific evidence.

Causes of Behaviour

Age Gender Marital status No of dependants

and the nature of dependence

Intellectual levels

Physical abilities Income levels Educational

backgrounds Religion Culture Etc

Human foundations lead to behavior

Behavior is a manifestation of personality

Personality is the sum total of all the variables that make us social beings

It is the sum total of ways in which individuals react and interact with others

Personalities

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Determinants of Personality

Personality- the sum total of ways in which individuals react and interact with others.

It is defined in terms of measurable traits. Traits are the enduring characteristics that

describe an individual’s behaviour. Personality is influenced by the following:

Hereditary factors Social interactions Situational factors (what is happening at that

point in time)

Theories of Personality

The Freudian theory Neo-Freudian theory Trait theory

Freudian Theory Advanced by Sigmund Freud, a Psychologist. His psychoanalytic theory of personality is

the cornerstone of modern psychology. It is based on biological needs and drives. Freud proposes that the human personality

consists of three interactive systems. the id the superego the ego

The id

The id is a store of primitive and impulsive biological drives such as hunger, sex, thirst, etc.

In many cases humans seek immediate satisfaction for these drives without concern for the specific means of satisfaction.

The superego

The superego is the individual’s internal expression of society’s moral and ethical codes of conduct.

Its role is to balance out the id by ensuring that the person’s biological needs are satisfied in a socially acceptable way.

The superego restrains the impulsive demands of the id.

The ego

The ego is the individual’s conscious control. It is an internal monitor that restrains the

impulsive demands of the id and at the same time balances the social cultural constraints of the superego.

Neo-Freudian Personality Theory

Several of Freud’s contemporaries disagreed with Freud’s assertion that personality is primarily instinctual and sexual in nature.

They argued that social relationships play a major role in the development of personality.

Many argued that people attempt to establish significant and rewarding relationships with others and so adopt personalities that are acceptable to those around them.

 

Trait Theory

Focuses on the measurement of personality in terms of specific psychological traits.

A trait is a characteristic that distinguishes one individual from another.

For example, one person may be more flexible to change than the other when faced with a situation that demands change.

Traits include need for uniqueness, high sociability, critical, etc.

Foundations of Behavior

1. Biographical characteristics (e.g. age, marital status, family background, gender, etc.)

2. Ability (intellectual and physical abilities)

3. Learning (any relatively permanent change in behaviour that occurs as a result of experience). Theories of learning include operant and classical conditioning and social learning theories

4. Attitudes

5. Conflict

Attitudes and behavior

Attitudes are evaluative statements or judgments concerning objects, people or events. They come from belief systems. They influence behavior

Attitudes have the following components:

1.Cognitive Component- The opinion or belief segment of an attitude

2.Affective Component- The emotional or feeling segment of an attitude

3.Behavioural Component- An intention to behave in a certain way toward someone or something

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Attitudes contd.

The components of attitudes are closely related and the cognition and affective components are inseparable. E.g. if an employee didn’t get a promotion that she thought she deserved (cognition), the employee strongly dislikes her supervisor (affective), and the employee seriously looks for another job (behaviour).

If we affect attitudes we influence behaviour

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Conflict and Behaviour

A process that begins when one party perceives that another party has negatively affected, or is about to negatively affect, something that the first party cares about

Encompasses a wide range of conflicts that people experience in organisations

Incompatibility of goalsDifferences over interpretations of factsDisagreements based on behavioural

expectations

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Transitions in Conflict Thought

Traditional View of Conflict The belief that all conflict is harmful and must be

avoided Human Relations View of Conflict

The belief that conflict is a natural and inevitable outcome in any group

Interactionist View of Conflict The belief that conflict is not only a positive force in

a group but that it is absolutely necessary for a group to perform effectively

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Functional Versus Dysfunctional Conflict

Conflict Resolution Techniques

Problem solving (structured) Expansion of resources Avoidance of conflict Compromise Authoritative command

Perception and Behavior

Perception

A process by which individuals organise and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment.

People’s behaviour is based on their perception of what reality is, not on reality itself.

The world as it is perceived is the world that is behaviourally important.

People’s behaviour is based on their perception of what reality is, not on reality itself.

The world as it is perceived is the world that is behaviourally important.

Friday, April 21, 202331 compiled by Fred Mugambi

Friday, April 21, 202332 compiled by Fred Mugambi

What Influences Perception?

Methods of shaping behavior

Positive reinforcement- following a response with something pleasant

Negative reinforcement- following a response by the termination or withdrawal of something unpleasant

Contd.

Punishment- causing an unpleasant condition in an attempt to eliminate an undesirable behaviour

Extinction- eliminating any reinforcement that is maintaining a behaviour. When the behaviour is not reinforced, it tends to gradually be extinguished.

Schedules of Reinforcement

Fixed-interval reinforcement schedule- rewards are spaced at uniform time intervals; the critical variable is time, and it is held constant. Some examples

Variable-interval reinforcements- rewards are distributed in time so that reinforcements are unpredictable

Contd.

Fixed-ratio schedule- after a fixed or constant number of responses are given, a reward is initiated.

Variable-ratio schedule- the reward varies relative to the behaviour of the individual

Recap

Foundations Belief

Systems Personality Behavior

Incorporating controls

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Thank you