Learning Objectives: Demonstrate the importance of interpersonal skills in the workplace;describe the manager's functions, roles, and skills; Show the value to OB of systematic study; Demonstrate why few absolutes apply to OB; Identify the challenges and opportunities managers have in applying OB concepts
Learning Outcomes: Define organizational behavior and identify the variables associated with its study; Describe the factors that influence the formation of individual attitudes and values; Apply the study of perception and attribution to the workplace; Define diversity and describe the effects of diversity in the workforce; Describe the nature of conflict and the negotiation process; Describe best practices for creating and sustaining organizational cultures; Describe the components of human resource practices
Written and oral communication; Ethical understanding and reasoning; Analyticalthinking; Information technology; Diverse and multicultural work environments; Reflective thinking
Using the Internet to locate information can be a useful tool to the student (or manager) interested in exploring topics in OB. For this first exercise, go to www.searchenginewatch.com to learn more about what Search engines and metacrawlers do and how they differ. Once you are on the Search Engine Watch home page, click on Search Engine Listings, then on Major Search Engines. This page presents an overview of the major engines and how best to use them. Do not forget to look at other topics on this website that are interesting to you.
Now perform a search on "Organizational Behavior" using three different search engines. Do the results differ or are they the same? If they differ, why do you think they are different? Write a paragraph or two answering these questions based on what you learned from researching search engines. Also, include another paragraph providing examples and/or reasons of when you would choose one search engine over another.
1. The text tells us that OB replaces intuition with systematic study. Where do scholars prepare for a career researching OB topics? Additionally, what if you decide at some point to pursue graduate study in OB? Where would you go? Perform a search to identify two to three graduate programs in OB and print out the home page with the descriptions of these programs and bring them to class. Note that different schools have programs in different departments and disciplines, which shows the diversity of thinking about OB in these programs. If you need ideas as to where to start, try:
a. Harvard:
b. Official website of the Organizational Behavior Division of the Academy of Management:
If time allows, discuss as a class the information you found on the general areas of study and the types of courses required in graduate work in OB.
2. One of the challenges facing managers is the fact that organizations are no longer constrained by national borders.
a. Go to the SHRM homepage and identify OB topics that relate to globalization. Try to find as many as possible. Compare your list with a classmate and note the ones you missed.
b. Choose one of the topics and, on a separate paper, write three questions you have on the topic. Click on the topics or links on the SHRM homepage and try to find the answers. If you find what you are looking for, write the answers next to your original questions. If you are unsuccessful in finding the answers, write a short paragraph describing what your strategy would be to find the answers you want.
3. Many organizations look for ways to promote diversity through family-friendly policies. Look for three companies that are incorporating family-friendly policies into their HRM strategy. On a separate paper, answer the following questions:
a. Who are the companies? (Be sure to list their websites, too.)
b. What are their policies?
c. How do these policies attract and keep people?
d. Do these policies interest you? Why?
e. How might they make their policies more attractive to workers?
f. If they make the changes you suggest, what results would you expect? (Is there evidence to back up your opinion? If it is just your opinion, say so, but later we will look for studies that back up or refute your opinion today.)
4. Find an organization that directly addresses the cost of absenteeism or turnover on its website. What, if anything, is that organization doing to reduce those costs? What did your search tell you in terms of the importance or unimportance of these costs to organizations? In class, meet in small groups to discuss the strategies organizations are using. Once you have found an organization, check with your instructor to make certain there are not too many students in the class researching the same company. Be prepared to talk about your organization's strategy to the group and possibly the class.