Organizational Behavior: a discipline for discovery Essay

Ask a passenger vehicle of 35, 25 or horizontal 15 years ago what their organisations Behavioral patterns were or how their employees matt-up about current issues and you would probably be met with blank st ars. organisational Behavior (OB) was non a part of the handicraft military personnel in those days. The idea that a bonkr withdraw only deal with the technical skills of its employees while disregarding their stimulate listening skills, communication skills and interaction skills was the uncouth mode of thought. A recent determine on employee burnout by Northwestern field Life Insurance shows that at to the lowest degree mavin out of every iv employees views their job as the biggest vehemenceor in their lives (Work, stress and health conference, 1999).Clearly it is magazine to appraise our animadverting on the agate line concepts of the by(a) and focus our attention on our validation with a much humanistic approach. What mildewed in the past is not nece ssarily way out to flex instanter. As the world miscellaneas so too does our environment change. We engage to change with it or be left behind. Organizational Behavior is one of those vehicles organism apply for change. The past 10-15 years has shown an increase in Organizational Behavior studies. OB has beseem an important tool for businesses striving to acquire the aims of its employees while understanding the seismic disturbance of the individual on an organizations behaviour.HistoryThe generational gap amid people is app arnt. The value, thoughts and dreams of our p atomic number 18nts be probably much(prenominal) different than ours of today just uniform their determine were differed from your grandparents. The attitudes and beliefs of a generation are a big part of the ready of a persons disposition and work ethic. Stephen P. Robbins notes in his text that the precedent 3 generations, while similar in some respects, held distinct differences in their value s (p.130-2). Organizational behavior is a spin-off of the times. The workers adapted to their organization and grew with it (1940s and 50s). As time went on a shift towards quality of life, non-conforming, autonomy and the true to ones own values became prevalent (1960s and 70s). some other shift occurred in the mid 70s.The value system moved towards ambition, devotion to career, hard work, and the desire for advantage and achievement. This period lasted till about the mid 80s when another shift moved us towards the value system commonly held today of flexibility, value to relationships, desire for leisure time and overall job satisfaction. Robbins classified these four-spot stages as follows Protestant work ethic, Existential, Pragmatic, and genesis X (p.131). We can see that what worked in the 50s in call of how an organization operated is probably not handout to be as effective in todays organizations. Whether its the Protestant work ethic of the 1940s and 50s or it s extension X of today, the picture should be clear. We compulsion to know what our workers value, how they feel and change with them so as to keep our organization on the cutting edge of productivity and profitability. lookIn order to highlight the need for OB studies we need to know what OB gives us, how it relates to our employees and what that overall impact is on the organization. OB is a field of study that investigates the impacts that individuals, groups, and complex body part have on behavior at heart organizations for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards up(a) an organizations effectiveness (Robbins, 2001, p.16). just put, OB allows us the chance to disclose what individuals are thinking, how their though processes work, what motivates them to do certain things, and how their choices relate to an organization. What do workers want? What are their concerns? The answers are not always the homogeneous and the methods of discovery are varied as well but some describe responses that seem to be constantly mentioned are job security, a balanced work and family life, and a competitive salary (Cohen, 2002, para.5).another(prenominal) observe, from Watson Wyatt Worldwide, showed that employees listed the desire for trust in their senior(a) leaders as their number one want when considering what would make them committed to their employers (Johnson, 2001, para.10). some half (45%) of the 7500 people in that survey said they were not committed to their employers. other interesting note from one master copy is that managers too often try to manage the stress in employees lives rather than seek to avoid it (Johnson, 2001, para.11). wherefore should we be refer with these surveys and studies? Quite simply, because other companies are use this information and if we dont we provide flattually be left behind.Scott Gellar, a psychologist, noted a list of companies/organizations that are investing considercapable time, money and work for ce into addressing the broad cultural issues of their organizations. Fortunes 100 Best Companies to work for in America topped the list of those being proactive (Johnson, 2001, para.19). In 1984 only one of the top 100 companies offered onsite daycare. In 2000, 24 offered it. More than 50 offered onsite university courses and more than 90 offered tuition reimbursement (Johnson, 2001, para.21). The signs are there. We just need to be watching for them and always property abreast of the situation.DiscussionSo now that we have some ideas about what OB studies can provide for us the abutting question is why do we command to investigate it further? Is it of that vital magnificence that we should alter the way we have been doing things for so long? Procedures have worked in the past why wont they work in the future? I think it is important to say that just because something has worked in the past does not guarantee you success in the future. As the research supra shows, the top compan ies are adapting and doing what it takes to gain an edge. It is working for them. You may stay in business doing what you have always done, you may even have a modicum of success, but wouldnt it be nice to be able to get the most out of your business? Let your business maximize its potential. deathIt was once said that a in force(p) company researches what it is selling and is always learning. Why should we treat our employees any differently than we do our product or our target consumers? Employees evidence us what we need to know. We just need to listen and be able to go out the results. We need to become proactive and not reactive in the future. The study of OB is vehicle we can use to sympathise what we learn from individuals. The method is there. Why not use it to instigate change in our organizations? The results of our studies will become more and more useful as time goes on. We are always changing, learning and adapting to different situations. OB will allow our orga nizations to change correctly along with the people that make it up. whole caboodle CitedCohen, A. (2002). Survey says workers want balance. Sales and merchandising Management, 154(9), 13. Retrieved December 9, 2002 from EBSC Ohost database.Johnson, D. (2001). Climate control. Industrial gum elastic and Hygiene News, 35(9), 1-4. Retrieved December 9, 2002 from EBSC Ohost database.Robbins, S.P. (2001). Organizational behavior (Custom electronic text, University of Phoenix). Boston Pearson Custom Publishing.