Debbie Bennett has been section head of the accounting group at Galaxy Scientific Corporation for fourteen years. Her boss, Kate Davis, feels than Debbie is about ready to be moved to the corporate finance staff, but it is company policy to send people like Debbie to a University Executive Development Program before such a promotion is made. Debbie has enrolled in the program; one of the first parts deals with organizational behavior. Debbie felt that after fourteen years of managing people, this would be a snap. However, during the introductory lecture on organizational behavior, the professor made some comments that really bothered Debbie. The professor said:
Most managers know their functional specialty but do a lousy job of managing their people. One of the problems is that just because managers have a lot of experience with people, they think they are experts. The fact is that behavioral scientists are just beginning to scratch the surface of understanding human behavior. In addition, to effectively manage people, we also have to somehow be able to better predict and control organizational behavior. Some models are just beginning to be developed that we hope will help the manager better understand, predict, and manage organizational behavior.
Debbie is upset by the fact that his professor apparently discounts the value of experience in managing people, and she cannot see how a conceptual framework that some professor dreamed up can help her manage people better.
Do you think Debbie is justified in her concerns after hearing the professor? Is organizational behavior just common sense with little relevance for managers today?