We see the subject matter every day, although we may not understand it completely. Organizational behaviour is interesting because it is about people and human nature.
Organizational Behaviour Is Important
Organizational behaviour is important to managers, employees, and consumers and understanding it can make us more effective managers, employees, or consumers and improve organizational effectiveness and efficiency.
Organizational Behaviour Makes a Difference
Effective management and organizational behaviour can provide an organization with a competitive advantage. Today, the main factor that differentiates organizations is their workforce or human capital and the most successful organizations are those that effectively manage their employees. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence that management practices and organizational behaviour not only influence employee attitudes and behaviour, but also have an effect on an organization’s effectiveness. The research described in the Research Focus feature shows that the best companies to work for are also among the best performing companies. Thus, organizational behaviour makes a difference in terms of good management and organizational performance and competitiveness.
Organizations are social inventions for accomplishing common goals through group effort. There are three important elements of this definition highlighted in the chapter.
Social inventions - There is a fundamental requirement for a coordinated presence of people which is the essential characteristic of organizations as social inventions. The field of organizational behaviour is about understanding people and managing them to work effectively.
Goal Accomplishment - The reason organizations exist is to achieve goals. Survival is the overriding goal of all organizations. The field of organizational behaviour is concerned with how organizations can survive and adapt to change.
Group Effort - Individuals who