1.11 Summary

International organizational behavior (IOB) is the study of individual and group behavior, attitudes, social climate, and performance within organizational settings in multicultural multinational settings taking into account the differences across cultures, nations and regions around the globe. Both managers and employees can use their understanding of IOB to improve work performance and achieve organizational goals and be better global managers.

The impetus for the emergence and development of OB as a discipline can be traced to two industrial revolutions that have introduced profound changes to the structure and conditions of work. The first 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 in factories. Globalization, reduced job security, high-tech efficiency, and new styles of management are all characteristics of the present industrial revolution. The three main currents in the early history of OB were scientific management (or Taylorism), the Hawthorne studies, and leadership research.

Correlational research in OB allows the researcher to state how two variables are related. To infer causality, the researcher must turn to the experiment. The five most common research procedures adopted by organizations are sociometry, position analysis, communications analysis, discretionary analysis, and comparative analysis.