What is Organizational Behavior?
Organizational behavior is a field of study that examines how people behave within organizations including the following areas:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Anthropology
- Economics.
Research Aims
The main aim of research into organizational behavior is to:
- Improve organizational performance
- Identify factors that influence organizational behavior
- Develop strategies to manage and improve the factors that influence organizational behavior.
Individual behavior in organizations.
This area examines how individual characteristics such as personality, motivation, perception, and attitudes influence behavior in the workplace. Researchers study how employees cope with job demands, navigate workplace relationships, and respond to work stress.
Organizational behavior or group behavior in organizations.
This area examines how group dynamics, communication, and leadership affect behavior and influence decision making. Researchers investigate topics such as:
- Team formation
- Conflict resolution
- Decision-making processes
- The role of leadership in shaping organizational culture.
Organizational structure and design.
Researchers in this area focus on how organizational culture, power and politics, and organizational change impact behavior in the workplace. They also study how organizations can be structured and designed to improve performance through:
- Job design
- Work processes an work flow.
Human resource management.
This area focuses on the practices and processes used to manage people within an organization. Researchers investigate topics such as:
- Employee selection
- Training
- Performance appraisal
- Compensation.
Strategic management.
This area focuses on how organizations can develop and implement strategies to achieve their goals. Researchers explore topics such as:
- Strategic planning
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Corporate governance.
International and cultural diversity.
This is an important area of research in organizational behavior, as more organizations operate globally and employ a diverse workforce. Researchers investigate topics such as:
- Cross-cultural communication
- Diversity management
- Expatriate management.
Organizational behavior research provides insights into how organizations can improve their performance by understanding and managing the factors that influence behavior in the workplace.
Through a better understanding of this area organizations can create a more productive and positive workplace environment for employees.
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