Organizational Behavior in Business

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorUniversity, Master's February 2008

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In exploring Organizational Behavior (OB), certain aspects must be considered in areas of psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics and political science. What do these disciplines have in common? They deal with the inner workings of people. It is people who influence the performance of any organization. It is people who affect the attitudes and actions of the workplace. It is people who can make or break a business by their performance and effectiveness. The manager's role would be to increase productivity by keeping moral high and employees content in the position they are in.

In OB, one of the essential components is communication. Communication is the key to a successful organization and is used to operate effectively. One of the most popular in today's environment is the use of the electronic communication. In fact, it is estimated that over 4 trillion e-mails will be sent this year.1 With this kind of correspondence being sent, it is imperative that the sender and receiver are receiving the same message.

Consequently, mixed messages will result if the proper way to communicate is not achieved.

For instance, when giving feedback, is the individual on the receiving end deciphering the information in the same way as the giver? Many times, depending on whom, when and how it is given, the feedback is misunderstood. The provider must be careful to give the feedback constructively so the recipient can receive it and use it in the same manner.

In his book, The Corporate Culture Survival Guide, Edgar Schein simplifies culture by "the way we do things around here".2 (1999, p.15) In other words, culture can be described as attitudes, values, beliefs, norms and customs that shape an organization. Within this culture lies the story or history of the organization. Looking back on the history can delineate our thinking...