A BRIEF HISTORY

OF
ORGANIZATIONAL
BEHAVIOR (OB)
 History tells us that behind every major accomplishments of man is
some sort of organization. Thousands of years ago, the pyramids of
Egypt and the temples in Central and South America were built by
workers recruited from among the populace. Whether or not there
were attempts to make these types of workers perform better can be
the subject of inquiry. What we see in the movies is the whip, which
as we understand was designed to make the workers do their
assigned tasks.
It is modern history, however, that provide us with records of how concerned
scientist and experts made studies which have direct or indirect bearing to OB.
The origins of OB can be traced to the following:
1. The human relations approach
a. the scientific management approach by Frederick W. Taylor
b. the human relations approach by Elton Mayo and others

2. The personality theories

a. Freud’s model
b. the behaviorist approach by Watson and Skinner
c. the humanist approach by Carl Rogers, Fritz Perls, and Abraham Maslow
 Scientific Management
Approach
Frederick W. Taylor was the well-
known disciple of the scientific
management movement. The primary
purpose of scientific management
was the application of scientific
methods to increase the individual
worker’s productivity. Taylor used
scientific analysis and experiment to
increase worker output. He did it by
regarding individuals as equivalents
of machine parts and assigned them
specific repetitive tasks.
The Human Relations
Approach
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Elton Mayo and his research
team conducted the Hawthorne
studies in 1920 to determine what
effect hours of work, periods of
rests and lighting might have on
worker fatigue and productivity.
It was discovered that the social
environment have an equivalent
if not greater effect on
productivity than the physical
environment. Mayo concluded
that social interaction is a factor
for increased productivity.
Freud’s Model
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A great contributor is the
psychologist SIGMUND
FREUD who brought the idea
that people are motivated by far
more than conscious logical
reasoning. Freud believed that
irrational motives make up the
hidden subconscious mind,
which determines the major part
of people’s behavior.
 The Behaviorist Approach
Through an approach called
behaviorism, another eminent
psychologist, J.B. WATSON,
formulated the theory about learned
behavior. This theory indicates that a
person can be trained to behave
according to the wish of the trainer.
B.F. SKINNER extended Watson’s
theory with his own theory of
BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. Skinner
concluded that when people receive a
positive stimulus like money or praise
for what they have done, they will
tend to repeat their behavior. When
they are ignored and receive no
response to the action, they will not
be inclined to repeat it.
The Humanist Approach

The humanist movement is another important aspect in the

development of O.B. It is composed of a group of psychologist
and three prominent contributors --- CARL ROGERS, FRITZ
PERLS, AND ABRAHAM MASLOW.
 The Humanist Approach
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CARL ROGERS on the person
as an individual instead of
adhering to a rigid methodology.
He believes that people should
acquire their own values and
attitudes rather than be
committed to a fixed set of
prescribed goals. The more self –
directed and aware people are,
the better they can develop their
own individual values and adapt
to a changing environment.
 The Humanist Approach
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FRITZ PERLS’ contribution is
the gestalt psychology wherein
the person is seen as being
plagued by numerous split, or
conflicting desires and needs,
which dissipate energy and
interfere with that person’s
ability to achieve his potential.
The object of Gestalt psychology
is to integrate conflicting needs
into an organized whole, in
which all parts of a person work
together towards growth and
development.
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES, MENTAL ABILITY, AND
PERSONALITY

 Workers in most factories produce standardized materials that will make the
final product easier to manufacture. If this process of handling materials can be
applied to the management of people, achieving the objectives of the
organization will be a much easier task. This cannot happen because of the big
difference between materials and people. Materials do not complain even if
they are cut into standardized pieces or stored in a warehouse. People cannot
be subjected to such treatment if they are to be useful to the organization. If
one contemplates on the difficulty of the job of the person who must relate
with people, he will conclude that the job is more complicated.
 Individual differences refer to the variation in how people
respond to the same situation based on personal characteristics.
The idea is that each person is different from all others and that
these differences are usually substantial rather than
meaningless.
 Consequences of individual differences
 individual differences become serious concerns when
people are situated in the workplace.
 These pertain to the following:
 1. people differ in productivity
 2. people differ in the quality of their work
 3. people react differently to empowerment
 4. people react differently to any style of leadership
 5. people differ in terms of need for contact with other
people
 6. people differ in terms of commitment to the organization
 7. people differ in terms of level of self esteem
 Productivity refers to the rate of output per worker. It differs
from person to person.
 Empowerment means giving someone the power to do
something. If all subordinates in a given unit will respond well
to a single style of leadership, managing them or simply relating
with them would be a much easier task. Regarding the need for
social contact, people are also different from one another.
 Commitment to the organization varies among individuals.
Some are so committed and loyal to the organization that they
work the whole day without noticing that they are putting in
more than the required working hours.
 people also differ in terms of self-esteem. Those with low self esteem tend to be less
productive. They also avoid accepting more responsibilities.
What makes people different from each other
a. demographics
b. aptitude and ability
c. personality
Demographic diversity – performance in the workplace and the behavior of workers are
sometimes affected by differences between the demographic characteristics of individual
workers.
a. gender
b. generational differences and age
c. culture
Gender differences – the differences in the perception of male and female roles
are referred to as gender differences. Specifically, men and women are not
different along the following concerns:
a. problem solving abilities
b. analytical skills
c. competitive drive
d. motivation
e. learning ability
f. sociability
 VALUES, ATTITUDES, AND JOB SATISFACTION
 Values generally influence attitudes and behavior. In turn, attitudes form
the basis for determining how satisfied people are with their jobs.
 HOW ATTITUDES ARE FORMED
 Attitudes are formed through learning.
 MOST IMPORTANT ATTITUDES IN THE WORKPLACE
 Work behavior is of utmost importance to managers and superiors. The
most important attitudes in the workplace are:
 a. job satisfaction
 b. job involvement
 c. organizational commitment
 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
 Refers to the procedures and systems designed to improve employee
outputs and performance, often through the use economic incentive
systems. The other means used to improve employee performance are:
 a. goal setting
 b. streamlined organizational structure
 c. better technology
 d. new arrangements of working schedules
 e. high involvement of employees
 f. Better motivation of employees
 FOUNDATIONS OF ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
 Organizations are the means by which societies achieve their goals. This is so,
even if organizations are different from each other.
 Organizational structure - refers to the formal pattern of how people and jobs are
grouped in an organization. It is often illustrated by an organizational chart,
specifying who reports to whom.
 Basic elements of organizational structure
 a. work specialization
 b. departmentation
 c. pattern of authority
 d. span of control
 e. coordination of activities
 CONFLICT AND NEGOTIATION
 Conflict in the workplace is inevitable, and when it happens, there is
always that great tendency for it to disrupt the flow of productive
activities in the organization.
 CONSTRUCTIVE CONFLICT
 It can benefit the organization by means of the following:
 1. the production of new ideas, learning, and growth among individuals
 2. people engaged in constructive conflict develop a better awareness of
themselves and others
 3. working relationships are improved when two parties work through
their disagreement
 4. morale is improved when tensions are released, and problems solved in
working together
 5. constructive conflict can lead to innovation and positive change for the
organization
 6. increased productivity may be expected
 DESTRUCTIVE CONFLICT – is an unhealthy, destructive disagreement
between two or more people. It can decrease work productivity and job
satisfaction and contribute to absenteeism and job turnover.
Thank you!