Discussion questions 1&2

Why is the organization behavior model important in management? Organization behavior (OB) is a critical success factor in the business world. Managers utilized the organizational behavior model in their dealings with employees. It helps managers determine the best way to motivate employees. One of the priorities of management is to develop an organization culture that adapts to the needs of the employees. A good business culture helps managers retain quality personnel. If the employees are happy it is more likely that they will perform at a higher level. Organizational behavior can be used to develop groups or teams in the workplace. Teamwork in the 21st century has become extremely important due to the fact that individualism is no longer a desired trait in the business world. OB can also help managers deal with diversity in the workplace. Diversity can help improve the problem solving abilities of organizations. Managers can use organizational behavior to implement change management techniques in order to adapt the business to the needs of the marketplace. If a manager has problems such as stress in the workplace managers can use organizational behavior in order to solve these types of problems. Managers can also use organizational behavior to implement innovation in the workplace. Power and politics are two topics associated with organizational behavior that managers must use in their dealings with stakeholder groups. For example a manager might negotiate labor agreements with unions or suppliers. The use of expert power can help managers control the behavior of others based on knowledge, experience, and judgment (Schermerhorn & Hunt & Osborn, 2003, p. 313). How are organizations similar to living things? Just like the cells in a body make up a living organism the group of people that work in a business make up the organization. Organizations have many similarities with living organisms. The most common organizational setup is the corporation. The corporation is considered a separate legal entity by itself. This implies that the name of the organization has similar rights and obligations as human beings. Organizations have to pay taxes the same way individuals do. Also as separate legal entity organizations can be liable in civil suits just as humans. Through our lives humans are constantly learning new things. Organizations go through similar learning process as they mature. Humans and organizations are subject to the learning curve. Organizations and humans have to adapt to survive. In their daily lives humans are subject to making decisions about different situations which is very similar to the decision process the managers of organizations go through. Humans are subject to universal laws of ethics. In the corporate world ethics are an important subject matter. Corporate social responsibility has become a critical success factor. Companies that are unethical are rejected by the consumer. Humans follow the same logic of rejecting the friendship of people when they meet an unethical person. Organizations and humans have to deal diversity in the world. Another similarity between people and organizations is that they both subject to the cultural factor. For people their nationality is the factor that influences its cultural behavior the most. An organizational culture is built through time. References Schermerhorn, J, Hunt, J., Osborn, R. (2003). Organizational Behavior (8th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Son.