Organizational behaviour
Organizational behavior (OB) is "the study of human behavior in organizational settings, the interface between human behavior and the organization, and the organization itself." (p.4) [1] OB can be divided into three levels: the study of (a) individuals in organizations (micro-level), (b) work groups (meso-level), and (c) how organizations behave (macro-level).
[2]
Overview
Chester Barnard recognized that individuals behave differently when acting in their organizational role than when acting separately from the organization.[3] OB researchers study the behavior of individuals primarily in their organizational roles. One of the main goals of organizational theorists in OB is "to revitalize organizational theory and develop a better conceptualization of organizational life"[4]
Relation to industrial and organizational psychology
Miner (2006) pointed out that "there is a certain arbitrarinesss" in identifying "a point at which organizational behavior became established as a distinct discipline" (p. 56), suggesting that it could have emerged in the 1940s or 1950s.[5] He also underlined the fact that the industrial psychology division of the American Psychological Association did not add "organizational" to its name until 1970, "long after organizational behavior had clearly come into existence" (p. 56), noting that a similar situation arose in sociology. Although there are similarities and differences between the two disciplines, there is still much confusion as to the nature of differences between organizational History
The Hawthorne studies stimulated OB researchers to study the impact of psychological factors on organizations.[citation needed] In his 1931 book,
Human Problems of an Industrial Civilization, Elton Mayo advised managers to deal with emotional needs of employees. The human relations movement, an outgrowth of the Hawthorne studies, influenced OB researchers to focus on teams, motivation, and the actualization of individuals' goals within
[2]
Overview
Chester Barnard recognized that individuals behave differently when acting in their organizational role than when acting separately from the organization.[3] OB researchers study the behavior of individuals primarily in their organizational roles. One of the main goals of organizational theorists in OB is "to revitalize organizational theory and develop a better conceptualization of organizational life"[4]
Relation to industrial and organizational psychology
Miner (2006) pointed out that "there is a certain arbitrarinesss" in identifying "a point at which organizational behavior became established as a distinct discipline" (p. 56), suggesting that it could have emerged in the 1940s or 1950s.[5] He also underlined the fact that the industrial psychology division of the American Psychological Association did not add "organizational" to its name until 1970, "long after organizational behavior had clearly come into existence" (p. 56), noting that a similar situation arose in sociology. Although there are similarities and differences between the two disciplines, there is still much confusion as to the nature of differences between organizational History
The Hawthorne studies stimulated OB researchers to study the impact of psychological factors on organizations.[citation needed] In his 1931 book,
Human Problems of an Industrial Civilization, Elton Mayo advised managers to deal with emotional needs of employees. The human relations movement, an outgrowth of the Hawthorne studies, influenced OB researchers to focus on teams, motivation, and the actualization of individuals' goals within