Organizational Behavior (Stephen Robbins)

OB IS FOR EVERYONE

Why do some people do well
in organizational settings
while others have difficulty?

Do you know what a

“typical” organization

looks like?

Does job satisfaction really

make a difference?

Are you ready to assume

more responsibility at

work?

1 What is organizational

behaviour?

innipeg-based Inner City

Renovation (ICR) does renova-

tion and construction work on

rundown inner city residential and com-

mercial buildings, with the aim of revital-

izing the area.^1 As part of its mission, the

company employs and trains low-income

residents of the inner city. ICR is a for-

profit company that was created by five

not-for-profit joint venture partners: North

End Housing Project (NEHP), Winnipeg

Partners in Housing (WPH), Spence

Neighbourhood Association (SNA), West

Broadway Development Corporation

(WBDC), and Community Ownership

Solutions (COS). ICR has completed over

50 residential and commercial projects

since opening its doors in August 2002.

Because ICR hires a number of employees who have

few skills and little job experience, managers must teach

the employees how to perform the role of employee.

Managers must also teach employees about teamwork

and leadership while working side by side with them on

construction projects. Can a company like ICR survive as

well as a company not as committed to social values?

The challenges that the managers at ICR face in

running a successful organization and getting people

to work well together illustrate several concepts you

will find as you study the field of organizational behav-

iour. Let’s take a look, then, at what organizational

behaviour is.

W

3

DEFINING ORGANIZATIONALBEHAVIOUR

Organizational behaviour(often abbreviated as OB) is a field of study that investi-
gates how individuals, groups, and structure affect and are affected by behaviour within
organizations. Behaviour refers to what people do in the organization, how they per-
form, and what their attitudes are. Because the organizations studied are often business
organizations, OB is frequently applied to address workplace issues such as absenteeism,
turnover, productivity, motivation, working in groups, and job satisfaction. Managers
often apply the knowledge gained from OB research to help them manage their organ-
izations more effectively.

organizational behaviourA field

of study that investigates the impact

of individuals, groups, and structure

on behaviour within organizations;

the aim is to apply such knowledge

toward improving organizational

effectiveness.

What people-related
challenges have you
noticed in the workplace?

Why should you care about

understanding other

people?