1. 1
Introduction to
Organizational Behaviour
1.

2. 2
Four Seasons and OB
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts has
leveraged the power of organizational
behaviour to become one of the world’s
top luxury hotels as well as one of the best
places to work.

3. 3
What are Organizations?
Groups of people who work
interdependently toward some purpose
– Structured patterns of interaction
– Coordinated tasks
– Work toward some purpose
M. Tama, National Post

4. 4
OrganizationalOrganizational
BehaviourBehaviour
ResearchResearch
UnderstandUnderstand
organizationalorganizational
eventsevents
InfluenceInfluence
organizationalorganizational
eventsevents
Why Study Organizational
Behaviour?
PredictPredict
organizationalorganizational
eventsevents

5. 5
What is Organizational Behavior?
• Organizing (verb) – create order for some
purpose
– Establish a purpose or goal
– Separate things into categories
– Break down processes
– Example: build a wall
• Organize people and materials
• Input -> throughput-> Output

6. 6
What is Organizational Behavior?
• Organization (noun)
– In the process of organizing, you create an
organization.
– Collectivity of people organized (ordered) to
accomplish something, achieve a purpose
– Organizations look “solid” but are “fluid”,
changing

7. 7
What is Organizational Behavior?
• Organizational Behavior is the study of
– how people behave in organizations (descriptive)
– how to improve behavior to accomplish
organizational goals (normative)
• OB draws on many disciplines - sociology,
psychology, anthropology, political science

8. 8
Why study Organizational Behavior?
• We spend most of our waking life in
organizations.
• We need to understand
– how and why organizations function, and
– how and why we personally act in organizations

9. Why study Organizational
Behavior?
9

10. 10
Trends: Globalization
• Economic, social, and cultural
connectivity with people in other parts
of the world
• Globalization effects on organizations:
– New organizational structures
– Different forms of communication
– Greater workforce diversity
– More competitive pressures and demands
on employees

11. 11
Trends: Information Technology
• Re-designs jobs
• Knowledge management
• Telework
• Virtual Teams

12. 12
Trends: Workplace Diversity
• Primary and secondary diversity
• More women in workforce and
professions
• Different needs of Gen-X/ Gen-Y
and baby-boomers
• Diversity has advantages, but firms
need to adjust

13. 13
Trends: Employment Relationship
• Employability
– “New deal” employment relationship
– Continuously learn new skills
• Contingent work
– No contract for long-term employment
– Minimum hours of work vary

14. 14
Employability vs. Job Security
Job SecurityJob Security
• Lifetime job securityLifetime job security
• Job are permanentJob are permanent
• Company managesCompany manages
careercareer
• Low emphasis on skillLow emphasis on skill
developmentdevelopment
EmployabilityEmployability
• Limited job securityLimited job security
• Jobs are temporaryJobs are temporary
• Career self-Career self-
managementmanagement
• High emphasis onHigh emphasis on
skill developmentskill development

15. 15
Trends: Workplace Values &
Ethics
• Values
– Guide our decisions and actions
• Ethics
– The study of moral principles or values
that determine whether actions are
right or wrong and outcomes are good
or bad