1.9 Summary

Organizational behavior (OB) is the study of individual and group behavior in organizational settings. OB looks at organizations as entities, the forces that shape them, and their impact on members of the firm. International organizational behavior (IOB) is the study of individual and group behaviors, attitudes, and performances within organizational environments in multicultural settings. Both managers and employees can use organizational behavior to improve work performance and achieve organizational goals.

The impetus for the emergence and development of organizational behavior as a discipline can be traced to the industrial revolution and later drastic changes that have profoundly altered the structure and conditions of work. The industrial revolution, which reached its peak in the late 18th century, was marked by a shift from the work of skilled artisans to mass production. Globalization, reduced job security, high-tech efficiency, and new styles of management are all characteristics of the current work environment.

In this topic, we have discussed important milestones in organizational behavior research. Current OB research is built upon the foundations of scientific management theory, the Hawthorne effect, and other key research studies. Today, the five most common research procedures adopted by individual organizations include sociometry, position analysis, communication analysis, discretionary analysis, and comparative analysis.