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Essentials of
Organizational Behavior, 11/e
Global Edition
Stephen P. Robbins & Timothy A. Judge

Chapter 1
Introduction to
Organizational Behavior
Copyright 2012 Pearson Education
 After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
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1. Define organizational behavior (OB).

2. Explain the value to OB of systematic study.
3. Identify the major behavioral science disciplines that
contribute to OB.
4. Demonstrate why few absolutes apply to OB.
5. Identify the challenges and opportunities managers have in
applying OB concepts.
6. Identify the three levels of analysis in OB.

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 The Field of Organizational Behavior
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Organizational Behavior studies the influence that

individuals, groups and structure have on behavior
within organizations.

Its chief goal is to apply that knowledge toward

improving an organizations effectiveness.

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 Focal Points of OB
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Jobs
Work
Absenteeism
Employment turnover
Productivity
Human performance
Management

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 Complementing Intuition with Systematic Study
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Intuition: your gut feeling explanation of

behavior.
Systematic study improves ability to accurately
predict behavior.
Assumes behavior is not random.
Fundamental consistencies underlie behavior.

These can be identified and modified to reflect

individual differences.

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 Systematic Study
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Examines relationships.
Attempts to attribute causes and effects.
Bases conclusions on scientific evidence:
On data gathered under controlled
conditions.
Data is measured and interpreted in a
reasonably rigorous manner.

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 Evidence-Based Management
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Complements systematic
study.
Bases decisions on the best
available scientific evidence.
Forces managers to become
more scientific in their
thinking.

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 Contributing Disciplines to the OB Field
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Micro:
The
Psychology
Individual
Social Psychology

Sociology
Macro:
Groups &
Organizations Anthropology

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 Few Absolutes in OB
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Impossible to
make simple
and accurate Contingency Independent Dependent
generalizations Variable (Z) Variable (X) Variable (Y)

Human beings
are complex In American Boss Gives Understood as
and diverse Culture
Thumbs Up
Sign Complimenting
OB concepts
must reflect In Iranian or Boss Gives Understood as
situational Australian Thumbs Up Insulting - Up
conditions: Cultures Sign Yours!
contingency
variables
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 Challenges and Opportunities for OB
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Responding to Economic Pressures

Responding to Globalization
Managing Workplace Diversity
Improving Customer Service
Improving People Skills
Stimulating Innovation and Change
Coping with Temporariness
Working in Networked Organizations
Helping Employees with Work-Life Conflicts
Improving Ethical Behavior
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 Responding to Economic Pressures
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Effective management is especially important

during tough economic times.
Employees look to their managers to provide
security during the instability of a recession.

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 Responding to Globalization
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Increased foreign assignments

Differing needs and aspirations in
workforce
Working with people from
different cultures
Domestic motivational techniques and
managerial styles may not work
Overseeing movement of jobs to
countries with low-cost labor

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 Managing Workforce Diversity
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Workforce diversity:
organizations are
becoming a more
heterogeneous mix of
people in terms of gender,
age, race, ethnicity, and
sexual orientation

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 Diversity Implications
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Managers have to shift their

philosophy from treating
everyone alike to recognizing
differences and responding to
those differences in ways that
ensure employee retention and
greater productivity while, at the
same time, not discriminating.

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 Improving Customer Service & People Skills
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The majority of
employees in
developed nations
work in service jobs
and they must know
how to please their
customers.
People skills are
essential to succeed
in todays
organizations.

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 Stimulating Innovation and Change
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Flexibility
Quality Improvement
Staying Competitive

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 Temporariness
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Jobs are constantly changing

Skills need to be updated for
workers to stay on target
Workers need to be able to
deal with change
Employees need to be able to
cope with flexibility,
spontaneity and
unpredictability

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 Working in Networked Organizations
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Managers must
adapt their skills
and communication
styles to succeed in
an online
environment

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 Helping Employees handle work-life conflict
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The line between work and

non work has blurred and
managers are increasingly
dealing with conflicts that
arise between work and life
away from work.

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 Thinking Positive
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Creating a positive work environment can be a

competitive advantage
Positive Organizational Scholarship (Positive OB):
Examines how organizations develop human strengths,
foster vitality and resilience, and unlock potential.
Focus is on employee strengths, not their weaknesses.

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 Improving Ethical Behavior
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Ethical dilemmas and ethical choices

Unethical practices take bribes

Code of ethics
Seminars, workshops and training programs

Fair treatment of employees

Ethically healthy climate
Promote a strong ethical mission
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 Three Levels of OB Analysis
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Chapters 14 - 16

Chapters 8 - 13

Chapters 2 - 7

Plan of the Book

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 Implications for Managers
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OB helps with:
Insights to improve people skills
Valuing of workforce diversity

Empowering people and creating a

positive work environment
Dealing with change in the workplace

Coping in a world of temporariness

Creating an ethically healthy work

environment

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 Keep in Mind
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OBs goal is to understand and predict human

behavior in organizations.
Fundamental consistencies underlie behavior.
It is more important than ever to learn OB concepts.
Both managers and employees must learn to cope
with temporariness.

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 Summary
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1. Defined Organizational Behavior (OB).

2. Show the value to OB of systematic study.
3. Identified the major behavioral science disciplines that
contribute to OB.
4. Demonstrated how few absolutes apply in OB.
5. Identified the major challenges and opportunities
managers have in applying OB concepts.
6. Identified the three levels of analysis in OB.

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education

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photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of the publisher. Printed in the
United States of America.

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education