To understand the organizations behavior we must have clear what an organization is and it is a structured social system consisting of groups and individuals working together to meet some agreed-upon objectives.
Now we can say that organizational behavior is the study of individual behavior and group dynamics in organizations. There are some interdisciplinary influences on Organizational Behavior such as psychology, sociology, engineering and medicine.
There three different levels of analysis in Organizational Behavior: group, individual and organizational processes.
Another important aspect about Organizational Behavior is its context in which we can have opportunities, change and challenges.
Nowadays there is a competition in business and there are driving forces creating and shaping change at work: globalization, technology, diversity and ethics.
Customers are focused in products of High Quality and for that reason Organizations are taking strategies to obtain an advantage in the international competition and to save money, two examples of that strategies are: Total Quality Management (TQM), and Six Sigma (6σ).
To learn about Organizational Behavior requires a mastery of basic objective knowledge, development of specific skills and abilities, and the application of those skills and knowledge.
NATIONAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
National Culture is an important factor that influences the internal management systems of the organizations, for that reason managers should face some questions like: when in culture important and when not?; How much weight should be given to culture as against other factors?.
The factors that influence decision making are: internal (organizational strategy, resources, policies and systems, etc.); and external factors (technology, trade unions, labor markets, etc.).
Now we have to define the concept of culture for a better understanding of National Culture.
Hofstede (1984) define culture as: …the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another…
National Culture is an environmental factor. It characterizes the national group and influences the behavior of its individual members.
The organizational culture is a set of values or beliefs that is unique to any one organization, some positive aspects of this concept are that it guides decision making, provides identity for members and amplifies commitment.
There are different types of culture such as: The Clan Culture, The Hierarchy Culture, The Adhocracy Culture, and The Market Culture.
In different circumstances, managers perform a range of different roles and for that reason they have to develop the cross cultural manager skill to manage cultural diversity.
Why is managing organizational behavior in changing times challenging?
Managing organizational behavior in changing times is challenging because of the diversity of driving forces that are creating and shaping the organizational context, such as technology, globalization and ethics.
Nowadays, managers should develop different skills in order to be successful in the business competition and also they need to take into account the political, legal and cultural environment they are handling with.
Organizational change strategies, behavioral control systems and leadership must be developed because many traditional strategies are not adequate or don’t fit with the actual requirements and needs of organizations and they have to be implemented into the business.
Managers in the actual world need to be global managers because of the many challenges they have to face in the organizational context.
· Nelson, Debra L. and Quick, James Campbell. 2010. Organizational Behavior –Science, the Real World, and You. South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason, USA. Chapter 1 and 2.
· Cameron, K., & Quinn, R., (1999). Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture. New York: Addison-Wesley.
· Mead, Richard. 2004. International Management: Cross-Cultural Dimensions.London: Blackwell Publishing. Chapter 1.
· Schermerhorn, John R; Hunts, James and Osborn, Richard N. "Managing Organizational Behavior," 2nd edition.
· Tosi, Henry L., Rizzo, John R. and Carroll, Stephen J. Managing Organizational Behavior. Marshfield, MA: Pitman Publishing, 1986.
Image: http://natyrpo.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html, September 2010