BA 2700 Organizational Behavior
Instructor: Crystal Kenefic, MBA
February 8, 2011
Concepts of Organizational Behavior
Business is business, but how you operate your business is the key to success. There are many concepts to Organizational Behavior, but three key concepts must exist and continually be improved. Motivation, workplace stress and leadership exist and must continually be evaluated in every work environment. I chose these concepts because of their interaction with each other.
Businesses must know how to motivate their employees. Employees must know who to cope and overcome workplace stress. Leaders must be able to effectively lead their employees. Motivation, workplace stress and leadership are issues that when properly managed can lead to a wonderful work environment for all employees and lead to the success of any company. I am going to examine these key concepts and their interaction with one another in the work place.
Motivation
Motivation has taken on many forms over time and place. In china, motivation is driven by honor and pride. Historically, the Chinese were born into a class that they could not escape and honor meant more than money. In other countries, motivational techniques took on more of a brutal look. Even in the US, our history shows us that motivation could be boiled down to slavery and the will to survive. Although slavery is now history, motivation both positive and negative still exists. Late President John f. Kennedy once said, "If not us, who? If not now, when?" One could say that this could be the motivation behind the US people now. Atkinson’s Theory of Achievement Motivation states that, “the need to achieve is always tempered by another fundamental need, the need to avoid failure.” I believe that this is the foremost reason for motivation today. With social laws and human rights activism, negative motivation in the form of physical punishment, for the most part, has gone away.
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