Organisational Mangement
ORGANIZATIONAL
BEHAVIOR AND
EFFECTIVE
MANAGEMENT
Organizational behavior is the study of how people act, think, and feel in organized settings. The roots of the
field go back thousands of years. Since the 1900s, major perspectives on organizational behavior have
included scientific management, the human relations approach, and the contingency approach.
Adopting a contingency orientation means recognizing that organizational behavior is complex and driven by a
variety of factors. Consequently, pat (or “cookbook”) answers are elusive. Managers must develop their own
answers, at least to an extent.
Outstanding managers possess four sets of skills that allow them to effectively navigate the process of managing
behavior. That process involves (1) identifying the behavioral challenge; (2) identifying the causes of
current behavior; (3) choosing a strategy for attaining behavioral goals; and (4) implementing and adjusting the
chosen strategy as needed.
The behavioral challenges managers face today are exacerbated by the increasing complexity of the work environment
and the fast pace of demographic and technological changes.
The work force is becoming increasingly diverse. Most of the growth in the work force is being driven by
women and various racial or ethnic minorities. Increasing internationalization is also bringing people from a
variety of cultural backgrounds together in the workplace.
Being able to manage diversity well is more important than ever because decisions are increasingly made in
cross-functional teams and task forces. But most corporations still have a long way to go to create a work environment
in which diversity is embraced.
Likewise, managers need to understand that people who traditionally have been discriminated against (e.g.,
gays, people with disabilities) represent valuable pools of employee talent.
Business practices, cultural values, and market structures usually vary—sometimes dramatically—from
country to country....
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