HRM Assignment - 1) Discuss the definition of OB. 2) Discuss the SOBC model and other models PDF

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1) Discuss the definition of OB. 2) Discuss the SOBC model and other models of OB. 3) Explain the evolution of the OB & HR school of thought by the early advocates....

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1) Discuss the definition of OB.

Definition in simple language

 Organizational

Behaviour

(OB)

can

be

defined

as

the

understanding, prediction and management of human behaviour both individually or in a group that occur within an organization.  It is defined as the systematic study and application of knowledge about how individuals and groups act within the organizations where they work.  As a discipline, OB is ultimately concerned with using this information to promote certain desirable employee attitudes and behaviours, as well as the effectiveness of the organisation more broadly.  OB is a social science that advances knowledge about the behaviour of people at work. It studies the relationship between operational effectiveness and employee needs. All aspects of organisation performance relate to the former; work attitudes such as job satisfaction, organisational commitment and job involvement relate to the latter.  The field of OB is really about understanding how people think, act and react in the workplace, and the influence of many factors on their behaviour.  These factors include issues around individuals, their relationships with others such as their co-workers and boss,

the group or department they are in, and the structure and culture of the organisations they work in.  Because these factors around people, their relationships, and the broader organisational context all affect how they act in the workplace, the field, then, is inherently multilevel.  By multi-level we mean that individuals operate within groups, and groups operate within organisations, and likewise organisations operate within a larger environmental context.  We cannot understand one employee in isolation. Individuals are part of a team and the team influences that individual.

Definition by authors  Organizational Behaviour is the study of human behaviour in the workplace, the interaction between people and the organization, and the organization itself. 

Stephen P. Robbins: “Organisation Behaviour is a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups and structure have on behaviour within organisations, for the purpose of applying such knowledge toward improving an organisation’s effectiveness.”



Moorhead/Griffin: “Organisation behaviour is the study of human behaviour in organisational settings that interface

between human behaviour and the organisation and the organisation itself.” 

Ramon J Aldag and Arthur P Brief: “Organisation behaviour is a branch of the social science that seek to build theories that ca be applied to predicting, understanding and controlling behaviour in work organisations.”

 Keith Davis and John Newstrom (1985) has defined O.B. as "the study and application of knowledge how people act or behave within organization. It is a human tool for human benefit. It applies broadly to the behaviour of people in all types of organizations such as business, government, schools and service organizations."  The above definitions are comprehensive ones as these contain all characteristics of O.B. In brief, what O.B. studies are three determinants of behaviour in organizations individuals, groups and structure.  Organizational behaviour in the words of Keith Davis may be defined as - "Organizational behaviour is the study and application of knowledge about human behaviour in organizations as it relates to other system elements, such as structure, technology and the external social system. To sum up, O.B. is concerned with the study of how and what people act in organizations and also how their acts affect the performance of the organization. It also applies the knowledge gained about individuals, groups and the effect of structure on human behaviour in order to make organizations work more effectively. Organizational behaviour is a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups and structure have on

behaviour within organizations, for the purpose of applying such knowledge toward improving an organization's effectiveness.

Detail Definition  OB studies the behaviour, attitudes and performance of people in organisations.  This field puts the lens of analysis on how employees’ work contributes to or detracts from the effectiveness and productivity of the organisation.  The field has three units of analysis: the individual, the group and the organisation (competitive advantage once again).  A ‘micro’ – individual-employee level – aspect of OB emphasises the first two units of analysis and stresses topics such as personality traits (individual differences), employee attitudes and motivation to work, leadership, group formation and group decision making.  The ‘macro’ or big-picture approach addresses the organisation as the primary unit of analysis. This is called organisational theory, and its focus is on the topics of organisational structure and organisational design.  OB draws support from the fields of individual psychology (personality and cognition), social psychology (people interacting), industrial psychology (people at work), political science (power and influence), anthropology (cultural systems) and economics (incentives and transactions).  Organizational theory is directly related to OB and draws concepts and research from anthropology, sociology (nature and behaviour of human

groups) and theories of complex organisations (how they form, grow, compete and collaborate).

2) Discuss the SOBC model and other models of OB.

SOBC model  Kurt Lewin (1939) has postulated that human behaviour is a function of the person and the environment: B = f(P, E).  The SOBC model in amplifies this simple idea and provides us with a mechanism for systematically considering human behaviour in organisations.  SOBC is an acronym in which I.

S represents the stimulus situation (such things as light, sounds,

job

demands,

supervisors,

co-workers’

characteristics and equipment); II.

O (organism) refers to the characteristics of the person, including

personality,

needs,

attitudes,

values

and

intentions; III.

B refers to the person’s behavioural responses or actions in the situation under consideration; and, finally,

IV.

C represents the consequences or outcomes associated with the behavioural responses.

 The SOBC model is a ‘micro’ model in that it specifies a sequence for understanding the behaviour of individuals (the O in SOBC). 

For instance, differences in employee performance (B for behaviour) are a function of numerous controllable factors.

 Naturally, managers are concerned with this, and they can boost it through changing stimuli (S), such as creating new goals, setting up new incentive schemes and identifying employees who need training.  Frequently, managers ask an employee (O) to perform a trial run (S) before the actual task is attempted.  In SOBC model, emotion is part of O, and it triggers B, or a certain behaviour. Your emotions make up your temperament and are a key part of your personality.

 Additionally, after a task is completed (B), the manager will review the employee’s performance (C). For every employee action (B), there are reactions at the managerial and environmental levels (C). 

To

fully understand

the

interplay between managers,

organisations and employees, it is necessary to characterise the difference

between

employee

needs

and

organisational

productivity (operational effectiveness).

Other models of organizational behaviour The following four models of organisational behaviour are: 1. Autocratic model 2. Custodial model 3. Supportive model 4. Collegial model Autocratic Model: In the autocratic model, the manager must have the power to command the workers to do a specific job. Management believes that it knows what is best and the employee’s obligation is to follow/obey orders. The psychological result for employees is dependence on their boss. It does get results, but usually only moderate results. Its main weakness is its high human cost. Custodial Model: This model focuses better employee satisfaction and security. The organisations satisfy the security and welfare needs of employees. Hence it is known as custodian model. This model leads to employee dependence on the organisation rather than the boss. As a result of economic

rewards and benefits, employees are happy and contented but they are not strongly motivated. Supportive Model: The supportive model depends on ‘leadership’ instead of power or money. Through leadership, management provides a climate to help employees grow and accomplish in the interests of the organisation. This model assumes that employees will take responsibility, develop a drive to contribute and improve themselves if management will give them a chance. Management orientation, therefore is, to ‘support’ the employee’s job performance rather than simply supporting employee benefit payments as in the custodial approach. Since management supports employees in their work, the psychological result is a feeling of participation and task involvement in the organisation. Collegial Model: The term ‘collegial’ relates to a body of persons having a common purpose. It is a team concept. Management is the coach that builds a better team. The management is seen as joint contributor rather than as boss. The employee response to this situation is responsibility. The psychological result of the collegial approach for the employee is ‘self-discipline’. In this kind of environment employees normally feel some degree of fullfillment, worthwhile contribution and self-actualisation. This self-actualisation will lead to moderate enthusiasm in performance.

It is wrong to assume that one particular model is the best model because what is best is contingent on what is known about human behaviour in a particular environment. The primary challenge for management is to identify the model it is actually using and then assess its current effectiveness. The selection of model by a manager is determined by a number of factors. The prevailing philosophy, vision and goals of manager affect their organisational behaviour model. In addition, environmental conditions help determine which model will be most effective. The current turbulent conditions in some industries, for example, may drive firms toward the more collegial models,

since rapid decision-making and flexibility are needed. This suggests that one’s model should not be static and changing, but adapted across time. 3) Explain the evolution of OB & HR school of thought by the early advocates.

Evolution of organizational behaviour 

As a multi-disciplinary, organizational behaviour has been influenced by developments

in

a

number

of

including: Sociology, industrial/organizational

related

disciplines psychology,

and economics. 

The Industrial Revolution is a period from the 1760s where new technologies resulted in the adoption of new manufacturing techniques and increased mechanization.



In his famous iron cage metaphor, Max Weber raised concerns over the reduction in religious and vocational work experiences. Weber claimed that the Industrial Revolution's focus on efficiency constrained the worker to a kind of "prison" and "stripped a worker of their individuality".



The significant social and cultural changes caused by the Industrial Revolution also gave rise to new forms of organization. Weber analysed one of these organizations and came to the conclusion that bureaucracy was "an organization that rested on rational-legal principles and maximized technical efficiency."



The best known theories today originate from Henri Fayol, Chester Barnard, and Mary Parker Follet. All three of them drew from their

experience to develop a model of effective organizational management, and each of their theories independently shared a focus on human behavior and motivation. 

One of the first management consultants, Frederick Taylor, was a 19thcentury engineer who applied an approach known as the scientific management. Taylor advocated for maximizing task efficiency through the scientific method.



The scientific method was further refined by Lillian and Frank Gilbreth, who utilized time and motion study to further improve worker efficiency.



In the early 20th century, the idea of Fordism emerged. Named after automobile mogul Henry Ford, the method relied on the standardization of production through the use of assembly lines. This allowed unskilled workers to produce complex products efficiently.



In the 1920s, Hawthorne Studies, Elton Mayo concluded that job performance and the so-called Hawthorne Effect was strongly correlated to social relationships and job content. Following the Hawthorne Studies motivation became a focal point in the OB community.



A range of theories emerged in the 1950s and 1960s and include theories

from

Herzberg, Abraham and Douglas

notable

OB

researchers

Maslow, David

McGregor.

These

such

as: Frederick

McClelland, Victor

theories

underline

Vroom , employee

motivation, work performance, and job satisfaction. 

Herbert Simon's Administrative Behaviour introduced a number of important OB concepts, most notably decision-making. Simon, along with Chester Barnard, argued that people make decisions differently

inside an organization when compared to their decisions outside of an organization. 

While classical economic theories assume that people are rational decision-makers, Simon argued a contrary point. He argued that cognition is limited because of bounded rationality. For example, decision-makers often employ satisficing, the process of utilizing the first marginally acceptable solution rather than the most optimal solution.



Simon was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for his work on organizational decision-making.



In

the

1960s

and

1970s,

the

field

started

to

become

more quantitative and resource dependent. 

This

gave

rise

to contingency

theory, institutional

theory ,

and organizational ecology. 

Starting in the 1980s, cultural explanations of organizations and organizational change became areas of study, in concert with fields such as anthropology, psychology and sociology.

Evolution of Human Resource Management 

Human resource management used to be referred to as "personnel administration."



In the 1920s, personnel administration focused mostly on the aspects of hiring, evaluating, and compensating employees. However, they did not focus on any employment relationships at an organizational performance level or on the systematic relationships in any parties. This led to a lacked unifying paradigm in the field during this period.



According to an HR Magazine article, the first personnel management department started at the National Cash Register Co. in 1900. The owner, John Henry Patterson, organized a personnel department to deal with grievances, discharges and safety, and information for supervisors on new laws and practices after several strikes and employee lockouts.

 This action was followed by other companies; for example, Ford had high turnover ratios of 380 percent in 1913, but just one year later, the line workers of the company had doubled their daily salaries from $2.50 to $5, even though $2.50 was a fair wage at that time. This example clearly shows the importance of effective management which leads to a greater outcome of employee satisfaction as well as encouraging employees to work together in order to achieve better business objectives. 

During the 1970s, American businesses began experiencing challenges due to the substantial increase in competitive pressures. Companies experienced globalization, deregulation, and rapid technological change which caused the major companies to enhance their strategic planning a process of predicting future changes in a particular environment and focus on ways to promote organizational effectiveness.

 This resulted in developing more jobs and opportunities for people to show their skills which were directed to effectively applying employees toward the fulfilment of individual, group, and organizational goals. 

Many years later the major/minor of human resource management was created

at

universities and

colleges

also

known

as business

administration. It consists of all the activities that companies used to ensure the more effective utilization of employees.

 Now, human resources focus on the people side of management.  There are two real definitions of HRM (Human Resource Management); I. It is the process of managing people in organizations in a structured and thorough manner. This means that it covers the hiring, firing, pay and perks, and performance management. This first definition is the modern and traditional version more like what a personnel manager would have done back in the 1920s. II.

The second definition is that HRM circles the ideas of management

of

people

in

organizations

from

a macro

management perspective like customers and competitors in a marketplace. This involves the focus on making the "employment relationship" fulfilling for both management and employees.  Some research showed that employees can perform at a much higher rate of productivity when their supervisors and managers paid more attention to them. 

The Father of Human relations, Elton Mayo, was the first person to reinforce the importance of employee communications, cooperation, and involvement. His studies concluded that sometimes the human factors are more important than physical factors, such as quality of lighting and physical workplace conditions. As a result, individuals often place value more on how they feel. For example, a rewarding system in Human resource management, applied effectively, can further encourage employees to achieve their best performance....