Organisational Behaviour and Its Relevance to Management - Coursework Example

Organisational Behaviour and its Relevance to Management Name: Course: Tutor: Date: Introduction Organisational behaviour relates to individuals or groups of people working together. In an organisational context, organisational behaviour refers to a study that is concerned with management, design and effectiveness, as well as the interactive and dynamic relationships that exist within an organisation. The concept of organisational behaviour has roots from the human relations school of thought that was based on the Hawthorne Studies in the 1920s (Martin, 2005, p. 4). Originally, the study of behaviour focused largely on the complexity of human behaviour in organisational settings. This led to recognition of the significance of social contexts in organisational working environments and the way group behaviours within organisations become influenced by the behaviours of individuals. However, more recent studies influenced by the earlier perceptions have demonstrated that organisational behaviour incorporates many more features in relation to human behaviour in an organisational context. Currently, organisational behaviour involves integration of studies from various academic disciplines such as sociology, psychology, economics, anthropology, political science and social psychology (Staw, 2010, p. 181). Thus, it is a comprehensive field of study that helps organisational management to apply the knowledge and skills about behaviour to investigate, identify and modify the behaviour of individuals and groups within the organisation. This paper explores the meaning of the concept of ‘organisational behaviour’ and discusses its importance to organisational management. Definition of organisational culture The term ‘organisational behaviour’ has multiple definitions advanced by different scholars. Before adopting one of the most appropriate definitions of the term in this context, it is essential to appreciate the meanings of the terms ‘organisation’ and ‘behaviour.’ According to Saiyadain, (2003, p. 13), the term organisation refers to the process of coordination of activities of a given number of individuals with an aim of achieving a common objective through accountability, division of labour and hierarchy of authority. Thus, organisations are rational entities and have well defined objectives and well defined economic means to achieve those objectives. An organisation is made up of a minimum of two persons and the objectives of the organisation are equally shared, understood and subscribed to by all individuals within the organisation. The term behaviour on the other hand denotes an action or a reaction by an individual or a group of people triggered by an internal or external stimulus, which could be visible or invisible. This means that an individual’s behaviour could originate from within the self or could be initiated by another person or thing. Thus, ‘organisational behaviour’, according to Saiyadain (2003, p. 14), refers to “a field of study that seeks to comprehend, predict and control human behaviour in organised settings through a scientific study of individuals, group processes and organisational structure and design for the purpose of applying such knowledge in improving organisational effectiveness.” This definition has three major elements. First, organisational behaviour involves investigative research on behaviours of individuals and groups within organisations. Second, organisational behaviour explores the impact that an organisational structure has on human behaviour and third, it involves the application of the knowledge gained to enhance efficiency within the organisation. The three elements are interactive in nature and they are applied to various systems of an organisation in order to assist the management in achieving some set goals. Thus, the field of organisational behaviour emphasises on understanding the behaviour of organisations and uses this as the basis for predicting how people will behave in the future. Therefore, knowledge about organisational behaviour is important as it helps in controlling behaviours that are not generally beneficial to an organisation and facilitates behaviour that enhances efficiency within an organisation. However, for people to have faith in the creation of organisational knowledge, it has to be derived using scientific methods such as through questionnaires, surveys, interviews and simulations (Nguyen & Mohamed, 2011, p. 206). Therefore, knowledge and skills about organisational behaviour assist in identification of action plans that can be used to reinforce positive behaviour and hence avoid disruptive behaviour. Relevance of organisational behaviour to management Organisational behaviour is very important to any organisation’s management, since it has both intended and unintended consequences. As Champoux (2010, p. 9) points out, the consequence of behaviour plays a crucial role in reinforcing certain behaviours and hence, affects the possibility of occurrence of behaviour. It affects productivity and can trigger occurrence of positive or negative reactions from individuals in the organisation. Thus, the study of organisational behaviour helps the managers to gain essential knowledge and skills about various components related to behaviour that lead to organisational success including people, job design, processes and the organisation’s external environment. According to Hashim, Wok and Ghazali (2008, p. 144), the study of organisational behaviour enables the management to investigate the behaviour of people and groups that relate to the organisation. Managers have an obligation to look at the indicators and effects of individual and group behaviours in the organisation. Usually, these indicators have a root cause. Thus, organisational behaviour assists the management in evaluating the symptoms and establishing the root cause of behaviour. If the behaviour is good and will lead to organisational efficiency, the management can establish the norms of behaviour. On the other hand, if the behaviour is not conducive in enabling the organisation to achieve the intended goals, then the management can apply alternative and suitable models to modify individual and group behaviours towards the appropriate value system for the organisation. According to Jeon, Kim and Koh (2011, p. 251), this strategy has been the base of success for most Korean firms. Besides the management of the workforce, knowledge about the behaviour of other stakeholders that determine an organisation’s success such as customers and suppliers help in shaping the organisation to cope with their requirements. Organisational knowledge helps to make adequate considerations when dealing with these stakeholders. Thus, in combination with the various concepts in the field of organisational management, managers apply the knowledge about behaviour to identify and to modify the attitudes of individuals and groups and to promote skills that will enhance effectiveness. Secondly, knowledge of organisational behaviour helps in enhancing an efficient organisational structure. Usually, informal organisations lack some specific structure but formal organisations have systems which are built based on the organisation’s goals (Jeon, Kim & Koh, 2011, p. 251). The structure of such organisations is hierarchical in nature with people at lower levels reporting to higher level managers. For such an organisation to be effective, it must have a suitable structure with a reporting system that is well explained and with an appropriate number of tiers. The efficiency of the organisation will be dependent on the presence of an efficient communication system, free flow of information, well defined authority and efficient discharge of responsibilities supported by the rules and regulations. Thus, knowledge and skills relating to organisational behaviour helps managers to keep an open mind while exercising full control over the various systems and while dealing with the subordinates and hence, it helps in achievement of high level of job satisfaction and ensures planned productivity. Organisational knowledge is also important in assisting managers in assignment of jobs and recruitment of workers. For instance, an organisation will require a person who is not shy to work at a credit collection desk. The management will need to recruit a confident person in such a position and place shy individuals in other department which have less direct contact with clients and less stress. Such knowledge therefore helps the management to organise various tasks so as to accomplish a particular job (Kumar & Sharma, 2001, p. 298). It ensures that the management makes adequate work delegation, application of various job techniques, as well as adequate supervision. Dhar and Dhar (2002, p. 9) note that in Indian firms, knowledge about behaviour helps the management to enhance processes that lead to interdependence among individuals within organisations. This is achieved through selection of appropriate subordinates to take up specific tasks based on personal traits, mental build up, aptitude and attitude as well as to leadership skills. This helps the management in developing and building an organisational culture that will build a common cultural bond among the employees. Finally, skills and knowledge about organisational behaviour helps in the proper management of an organisation’s external environment. Cultural, social, and legal changes in the society affect organisational performance through their influence on the individual behaviour of the workers and on the overall organisational culture (Gorelick, 2005, p. 385). It is of utmost important for the management to examine how an organisation and especially the subordinates are going to cope up with changes, both planned and unplanned. Cordeiro-Nilsson and Hawamdeh (2011, p. 89) note that management of knowledge about the external environment such as the culture of the society has enhanced success of the largest section of firms in Singapore and Sweden. Therefore, knowledge and skills about organisational behaviour helps the management in examining and predicting organisational behaviour, which helps in making the best work structure in order to cope with changes that affect organisational culture. Conclusion Organisational knowledge plays a very crucial role in determining the success of an organisation. This is a field of study that seeks to investigate the impact that the behaviour of individuals and groups as well as organisational structures have in the context of an organisation, for the purpose of using such knowledge in enhancing organisational effectiveness. Knowledge about behaviour helps the management to identify and to modify the attitudes of individuals and groups and to promote skills that will enhance effectiveness. Further, it helps the management in designing and redesigning jobs based on personal attributes of the workers as well as recruitment of the right individuals for specific tasks. In addition, knowledge of behaviour assists managers to develop an organisational culture that enhances job satisfaction and supports high levels of productivity. Thus, an organisation’s management should have adequate skills and knowledge about organisational behaviour in order to develop appropriate strategies that will enhance organisational effectiveness. References Champoux, J 2010, Organisational Behaviour: Integrating Individuals, Groups, and Organisations (4th edition), Taylor & Francis, New York. Cordeiro-Nilsson, C & Hawamdeh, S 2011 "Leveraging socio-culturally situated tacit knowledge", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 15, Issue 1, pp. 88 – 103. Dhar, U & Dhar, S 2002, “Study of Organisational Behaviour”, viewed 16 November, 2011 from < http://www.newagepublishers.com/samplechapter/001395.pdf> Gorelick, C 2005, “Organisational learning vs the learning organization: A conversation with a practitioner”, The Learning Organization, Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 383-388. Hashim, J, Wok, S & Ghazali, R 2008, “Organisational behaviour associated with emotional contagion among direct selling members”, Direct Marketing: An International Journal, Vol. 2, Iss: 3, pp. 144 – 158. Jeon, S, Kim, Y & Koh, J 2011, “An integrative model for knowledge sharing in communities-of-practice”, Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 15, Issue 2, pp. 251 – 269. Kumar, A & Sharma, R 2001, Personnel Management Theory and Practice, 3 Vols. Set, Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, New Delhi. Martin, J 2005, Organisational behaviour and management, Cengage Learning EMEA, London. Nguyen, H N & Mohamed, S 2011, “Leadership behaviours, organisational culture and knowledge management practices: An empirical investigation”, Journal of Management Development, Vol. 30, Issue: 2, pp. 206 – 221. Saiyadain, M S 2003, Organisational Behaviour, Tata McGraw-Hill Education, New Delhi. Staw, B M 2010, Research in Organisational Behaviour: An Annual Series of Analytical Essays and Critical Reviews, Elsevier, Amsterdam. Tosi, H L & Mero, N P 2003, The fundamentals of organisational behaviour: What managers need to know, Wiley-Blackwell, Berlin. Read More