Organizational Behavior - Essay Example

? Organizational Behavior Inserts His/her Organizational Behavior Introduction This essay discusses about the introduction of the organizational behavior subject. There are different theories involved in organizational behavior that have been discussed in the essay along with the different disciplines of science that contribute towards the organizational behavior of employees. The study of organizational behavior is extremely important as it plays a major role in determining the efficiency and effectiveness level of employees. Interpersonal skills for managers For managers in organizations, it is extremely vital that they develop strong interpersonal skills. Good interpersonal skills of managers may allow them to lead their employees in a better way and also effectively deal with the organizational related matters. Managers are to make decisions effectively and also have to assign the right task to the right employee. The work to be handled properly in an organization is the responsibility of the manager (Robbins and Judge, 2009). Managers need to develop good communication skills so that they can clearly get their message across the entire organization and all the subordinates that are working under the organization. Management Functions The management functions in an organization are planning, controlling, leading and organizing. The managers have to plan the work activities and set goals for each task so that the employees perform the work accordingly. While planning, managers have to ensure all activities are coordinated. The planning stage of the organization is one of the most critical stages as managers need to understand the entire situation and then plan the schedule of the work processes accordingly. In the leading function, managers have to direct the employees towards the right path of performing work and also work on resolving conflicts for the employees. The leading stage for managers is highly important as well as employees need to be guided towards the right direction at all times without any problems so that they perform their work accordingly. The controlling function focuses on comparing the set goals with those that have been achieved and monitor constantly that all tasks are being completed on time (Robbins and Judge, 2009). Controlling of employees is needed by managers at all times. s Henry Mintzberg’s Managerial Roles There are many theorists that have suggested theories related to organizational behavior. Henry Mintzberg has defined the managerial roles in an organization that is categorized under three headings. They are the interpersonal roles, the informational roles and the decisional roles. Under the Interpersonal roles category, the managers have to possess the figurehead, leader and liaison characteristics to successfully perform this role. Managers need to possess all the skills to deal with unexpected situations and also with difficult employees (Robbins and Judge, 2009). In the informational roles category, the manager performs the activities of monitor, disseminator, and spokesperson. Managers need to ensure that they are in total control of the activities that are under their supervision. They need to have complete knowledge about the work and be in a strong position to guide their employees accordingly as and when required. In the decisional roles category, the manager has to perform the roles of entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, and negotiator. Managers need to possess conflict handling abilities as conflicts and stress related situations tend to be a common issue in all organizations. Employees may lose their patience at times and may spoil the work processes. Managers need to be good negotiators and strong leaders to handle all types of behavior and attitudes of employees (Robbins and Judge, 2009). Katz’s Essential Management Skills Katz essential management skills state that managers should have the technical skills, the human skills and the conceptual skills. In technical skills, the managers should know how to deal with specific knowledge in the skill area. Managers need to have awareness of how different tasks should be carried out and also have the knowledge of the various technical skills required to complete the tasks so that they can assist the employees whenever required. In human skills, managers should know how to handle the employees and motivate them accordingly to work well. In the conceptual skills, managers should know how to deal with complex situations and determine the best solution to complex problems (Robbins and Judge, 2009). Luthan’s Managerial Activities Luthan’s study of managerial activities focuses on the aspect of the difference in frequency of managerial activity between successful and affective managers. The results were that successful manager got their promotions faster than effective managers. Successful managers performed various activities that effective managers did not and therefore got promoted faster (Robbins and Judge, 2009). Defining Organizational Behavior Organizational Behavior is defined as the study that deals with the individuals of the organization, the groups and structure that are involved in the organization activities and the behavior of the employees within the organization. This type of knowledge is applied so that the effective work processes can take place in the organization. The behavior of the employees tends to affect the work processes of the organization immensely and therefore the subject of organizational behavior deals with understanding the different types of behaviors of employees at work. Behavior of employees such as employment turnover, the absenteeism rate at work, the human performance and other such types of behavior are discussed under this subject matter. The main topics that are usually covered under the heading of organizational behavior are the leadership power in organizations, perceptions, change processes, motivation level of employees, conflict at work, stress and other issues related to work are the main core topics of this subject matter (Robbins and Judge, 2009). Intuition and Systematic Study The complementary means of predicting the behavior of employees are firstly the study of intuition and secondly through the systematic study the behavior of employees are predicted. Evidence based management is an extended study of the systematic study element. This management practice is quite feasible for managers as it does not take up much time and is concentrating basically on evidences. Evidences are searched for and then accordingly solutions are determined. Intuition can usually be based on information that is not accurate, systematic study can take up a lot of time; therefore evidence based management should be mostly applied by managers (Robbins and Judge, 2009). Contributing Disciplines The disciplines that have played their roles in the contributing towards organizational development are psychology, sociology, anthropology, and social psychology. Psychology has contributed in organizational behavior in the areas of training of employees, recruitment processes of employees, motivation and stress level of employees, leadership and effectiveness level of employees. Social Psychology discipline is concerned with areas of attitude and behavioral change of employees, group processes and communication that takes place at work, and group decision making in organizations. The discipline of sociology contributes in the areas of conflict management at work, the team work, group dynamics, and communication of employees. The discipline of anthropology deals with the organizational culture and organizational environment. Values of attitudes at group work are analyzed in this discipline. Organizational culture may guide the employees at the first step of how to perform their work in the organization (Robbins and Judge, 2009). Healthy and positive attitude of employees is extremely important to demonstrate at work place so that tasks are conducted with proper cooperation and coordination. Challenges of Organizational Behavior The challenges and opportunities for organizational behavior are to respond to globalization, to manage the workforce diversity, to work towards improvement of quality and productivity of work, to improve the level of customer service, to work towards assisting employees in managing the work-life balance effectively, focusing on ethical behavior at organizations, work upon improving the skills of human resources that are present in the organization, coping up with the innovation and change processes that are taking place in organizations, work upon developing the career path of the employees of the organization and other such challenges prevail in the study of organizational behavior at organizations (Robbins and Judge, 2009). Dependent and Independent Variables in Organizational Behavior The dependent variables in organizational behavior are the productivity, absenteeism, turnover, organizational citizenship behavior, job satisfaction and deviant workplace behavior variables. The independent variables are individual employees, employees at group, and the organization system variables. The organizational behavior model is based on three levels that are first levels is the individual level, the second level is the group level, and the third level is the organization system level (Robbins and Judge, 2009). Conclusion The discussion above depicts that organizational behavior caters to all areas of attitude and behavior of employees at work. It focuses on how to develop employees at work and deal with all their issues in an effective manner so that the outcomes of work can be positive both for the employee and the organization. The organizational behavior theories discussed are contingent theories. The cause and effect relationship of the dependent and independent variables allow the relationship of the employee with the organization to be studied at a comprehensive level. The study of organizational behavior focuses on working upon factors so that organizations become effective and competitive in its area of operation. References Robbins, Stephen P. and Judge, Timothy A. (2009). Organizational Behavior. United States: Prentice Hall. Read More