Organizational Behavior Terminology and Concepts

Organizational Behavior Terminology and Concepts

"An organization is defined as a collection of people working together in a division of labor to achieve a common purpose" (Schermerhorn, J., Jr., Hunt, J., & Osborn, R., 2005, p. 6). Any organization is only as good as the people that work in it, and the people in turn could be limited by the organizational environment. In this paper, the following key concepts and terminologies will be explained: organizational behavior, organizational culture, diversity, communication, organizational effectiveness and efficiency and organizational learning.

Organizational Behavior

"Organizational behavior is the study of individuals and groups in organizations" (Schermerhorn, J., Jr., Hunt, J., & Osborn, R., 2005, p. 3). Most organizations have a melting pot of employees from different backgrounds; race, religion, culture, language and experience are just a few. The effect that these differences have on the behavior of employees and the ability to co-exist in a work environment could be devastating in one organization but have a positive effect in another. Researchers have been studying this topic to find a trend in the behavior of employees, positive or negative, to develop new ideas in creating a stable environment and happy workers. If they can create this environment then productivity should increase and organizational goals should be accomplished. According to Steven P. Robbins (2005), the contributing disciplines in organizational behavior are psychology, sociology, social psychology, anthropology and political science. Researchers are using these disciplines as the foundation of their studies in determining what makes an employee think and work the way they do.

Organizational Culture

"Organizational culture is the shared beliefs and values that influence the behavior of organizational members" (Schermerhorn, J., Jr., Hunt, J., & Osborn, R., 2005, p. 9). Organizational culture is important because it defines the tone of the work environment. If the culture is not good, it is harder for employees to work together as a team and work towards a common goal. There are many different effects on organizational culture such as workload, goal accomplishment, organizational structure, attitudes of employees and what they wear and the personalities of each member. The culture of an organization could either make or break the success or the organization. A negative culture will make it more difficult to manage diversity among co-workers.

Workforce diversity

"Workforce diversity involves differences based on gender, race and ethnicity, age, able-bodiedness, and sexual orientation" (Schermerhorn, J., Jr., Hunt, J., & Osborn, R., 2005, p. 9). Diversity in an organization is just as important as is having a workforce. It adds a variety of skills, techniques, experience, attitudes, personalities and camaraderie and is key to developing the culture of the organization. Managing diversity will produce a broad workforce of people from different backgrounds, race, age and gender that work together as a cohesive unit and will streamline open communication in the organization.

Communication

"Communication is the process of sending and receiving symbols with attached meanings" (Schermerhorn, J., Jr., Hunt, J., & Osborn, R., 2005, p. 295). Communication consists of many different vehicles such as telephone, letter, e-mail and face to face conversations. No matter what vehicle is used, clear communication is vital in any organization. Perception is one "roadblock" in communication. The sender may be trying to give one message while the receiver perceives a different message. This type of ineffective communication could lead to disaster in an organization. The type of vehicle used in communication is very important for effective communication. For example, if someone sends an e-mail with an important announcement, it is possible that the e-mail server could be down or certain key personnel are not available to check the e-mail in a timely manner. Letters may not reach their intended recipient