Course Note on Organizational Behaviour Essay Example for Free

Course Note on Organizational Behaviour Essay DEFINITION OF ORGANISATION According to Gary Johns, Organisations are social inventions for accomplishing goals through group efforts. This definition covers wide variety-of groups such as businesses, schools, hospitals, fraternal groups, religious bodies, government agencies and so on. There are three significant aspects in the above definition, which require further analysis. They are as follows: Social Inventions: The word social as a derivative of society basically means gathering of people. It is the people that primarily make up an organisation. Accomplishing Goals: All organisations have reasons for their existence. These reasons are the goals towards which all organisational efforts are directed. While the primary goal .of any commercial organisation is to make money for its owners, this goal is inter-related with many other goals. Accordingly, any organisational goal must integrate in itself the personal goals of all individuals associated with the organisation. Group Effort: People, both as members of the society at large and as a part of an organisation interact with each other and are inter-dependent. Individuals in themselves have physical and intellectual limitations and these limitations can only be overcome by group efforts. MEANING AND DEFINITION OF ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR Organisational behaviour is concerned with peoples thoughts, feelings, emotions and actions in setting up a work. Understanding an individual behaviour is in itself a challenge, but understanding group behaviour in an organisational environment is a monumental managerial task. As Nadler and Tushman put it, Understanding one individuals behaviour is challenging in and of itself; understanding a group that is made up of different individuals and comprehending the many relationships among those individuals is even more complex. Ultimately, the organisations work gets done through people, individually or collectively, on their, own or in collaboration with technology. Therefore, the management of organisational behaviour is central to the management task—a task that involves the capacity to understand the behaviour patterns of individuals, groups and organisations, to predict' what behavioural responses will be elicited by  various managerial actions and finally to use this understanding and these predictions to achieve control. Organisational behaviour can then be defined as: The study of human behaviour in organisational settings, the interface between human behaviour and the organisational context, and the organisation itself. The above definition has three parts—the individual behaviour, the organisation and the (interface between the two. Each individual brings to an organisation a unique set of beliefs, values, attitudes and other personal characteristics and these characteristics of all individuals must interact with each other in order to create organisational settings. The organisational behaviour is specifically concerned with work-related behaviour, which takes place in organisations. In addition to understanding; the on-going behavioural processes involved, in their own jobs, managers must understand the basic human element of their work. Organisational behaviour offers three major ways of understanding this context; people as organisations, people as resources and people as people. Above all, organisations are people; and without people there would be no organisations. Thus, if managers are to understand the organisations in which they work, they must first understand the people who make up the organisations. As resources, people are one of the organisations most valuable assets. People create the organisation, guide and direct its course, and vitalise and revitalise it. People make the decisions, solve the problems, and answer the questions. As managers increasingly recognise the value of potential contributions by their employees, it will become more and more important for managers and employees to grasp the complexities of organisational behaviour. Finally, there is people as people an argument derived from the simple notion of humanistic management. People spend a large part of their lives in; organisational settings, mostly as employees. They have a right to  expect something in return beyond wages and benefits. They have a right to expect satisfaction and to learn new skills. An understanding of organisational behaviour can help the manager better appreciate the variety of individual needs and expectations. Organisational behaviour is concerned with the characteristics and behaviours of employees in isolation; the characteristics and processes that are part of the organisation itself; and the characteristics and behaviours directly resulting from people with their individual needs and motivations working within the structure of the organisation. One cannot understand an individual’s behaviour completely without learning something about that individuals organisation. Similarly, he cannot understand how the organisation operates without; studying the people who-make it up. Thus, the organisation influences and is influenced by individuals. ELEMENTS OF ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR The key elements in the organisational behaviour are people,, structure, technology and the environment in which the organisation operates. People: People make up the internal and social system of the organisation. They consist of individuals and groups. The groups may be big or small; formal or informal; official or unofficial. Groups are dynamic and they work in the organisation to achieve their objectives. Structure: Structure defines the formal relationships of the people in organisations. Different people in the organisation are performing different type of jobs and they need to be (elated in some structural way so that their work can be effectively co-ordinated. Technology: Technology such as machines and work processes provide the resources with which people work and affects the tasks that they perform. The technology used has a significant influence on working relationships. It allows people to do more and work better but it also restricts people in various ways. Environment: All organisations operate within an external environment. It is the part of a larger system that contains many other elements such as government, family and other organisations. All of these mutually influence each other in a complex system that creates a context for a group of people. NATURE OF ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR Each individual brings to an organisation a unique set of personal characteristics, experiences from other organisation, the environment surrounding the organisation and1 they also possess a personal background. In considering the people working in an organisation, organisational behaviour must look at the unique perspective that each individual brings to the work setting. But individuals do not work in isolation. They come in contact with other individuals and the organisation in a variety of ways. Points of contact include managers, co-workers, formal policies and procedures of the organisation, and various changes implemented by the organisation. Over time, the individual, too, changes, as a function of both the personal experiences and the organisation. The organisation is also affected by the presence and eventual absence of the individual. Clearly, the study of organisational behaviour must consider the ways in which the individual and the organisation interact. An organisation, characteristically, exists before a particular person joins it and continues to exist after he leaves it. Thus, the organisation itself represents a crucial third perspective from which to view organisational behaviour. NEED FOR STUDYING ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR The rules of work are different from the rules of play. The uniqueness of rules and the environment of organisations forces managers to study organisational behaviour in order to learn about normal and abnormal ranges of behaviour. More specifically, organisational behaviour serves three purposes: What causes behaviour? Why particular antecedents cause behaviour? Which antecedents of behaviour can be controlled directly and which are beyond control? A more specific and formal course in organisational behaviour helps an individual to develop more refined and workable sets of assumption that is directly relevant to his work interactions. Organisational behaviour helps in predicting human behaviour in the organisational setting by drawing a clear distinction between individual behaviour and group behaviour. Organisational behaviour does not provide solutions to all complex and different behaviour puzzles of organisations. It is only the intelligent judgement of the manager in dealing with a specific issue that can try to solve the problem. Organisational behaviour only assists in making judgements that are derived from tenable assumptions; judgement that takes into account the important variables underlying the situation; judgement that are assigned due recognition to the complexity of individual or group behaviour; judgement that explicitly takes into account the managers own goals, motives, hang-ups, blind spots and weaknesses. IMPORTANCE OF ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR Organisational behaviour offers several ideas to management as to how human factor should be properly emphasised to achieve organisational objectives. Barnard has observed that an organisation is a conscious interaction of two or more people. This suggests that since an organisation is Ihe interaction of persons, they should be given adequate importance in managing the organisation. Organisational behaviour provides opportunity to management to analyse human behaviour and prescribe means for shaping it to a particular direction. Understanding Human Behaviour Organisational behaviour provides under ­standing the human behaviour in all directions in which the human beings interact. Thus, organisational behaviour can be understood at the individual level, interpersonal level, group level and inter-group level. Organisational behaviour helps to analyse why and how an individual behaves in a particular way. Human behaviour is a complex phenomenon and is affected by a large number of factors including the psychological, social and cultural implications. Organisational behaviour integrates these factors  to provide* simplicity in understanding the human behaviour. Interpersonal Level: Human behaviour can be understood at the level of interpersonal interaction. Organisational behaviour provides †¢ means for understanding the interpersonal relationships in an organisation. Analysis of reciprocal relationships, role analysis and transactional analysis are some of the common methods, which provide such understanding. Group Level: Though people interpret anything at their individual level, they are often modified by group pressures, which then become a force in shaping human behaviour, Thus, individuals should be studied in groups also.. Research in group dynamics has contributed vitally to organisational behaviour and shows how a group behaves in its norms, cohesion, goals, procedures, communication pattern and leadership. These research results are advancing managerial knowledge of understanding group behaviour, which is very important for organisational morale and productivity. Inter-group Level: The organisation is made up of many groups that develop complex relationships to build their process and substance. Understanding the effect of group relationships is important for managers in todays organisation. Inter-group relationship may be in the form of co-operation or competition.

Sell Your Troubled Websites :: Sell Websites Buy Websites

Sell Your Troubled Websites Reprinted with permission of VotanWeb.com You awaken one morning to the realization that the website you've poured so much time, energy and thought into; the dream that was once the preoccupation of your every waking moment has turned sour - what do you do? Market forces, changing consumer tastes, cash flow problems, or some unforeseen outside factor has brought you to the point of not being able to keep things going much longer. Do you, shut the doors and call it a day or declare bankruptcy? These options are certainly worth considering but though you weren't able to make it happen, does not necessarily mean that your business isn't valuable. If your website is failing, tough decisions need to be made. At the best of times, making objective decisions about something so close to you, something that you've put so much thought, energy, planning and dreaming into, can be challenging. Conditions such as these make it all the more difficult. Despite how things may appear at such a bleak moment, oftentimes failing websites are able to find buyers. Though it may seem unlikely, there are people and companies out there looking for opportunities to acquire failing or troubled websites. Here are seven good reasons why a buyer may seriously consider purchasing your website: The buyer may already have an existing website like yours and, by combining the two, be able to operate at lower cost. The buyer may have expertise in restructuring or repositioning websites, and has a plan to make your website profitable. The buyer may decide that it is more feasible to acquire your website, to invest in it and make it successful, than it would be to build a comparable website from the ground up. The buyer may have sufficient finance sources to carry the loss until your website becomes profitable. The buyer may have lower financial expectations and feel that, by lowering expenses and perhaps making a small investment, modest profits are achievable. The opportunity of a sale may, however, give rise to tangential issues needing consideration. It's very likely that by this point, in an effort to keep things going as long as possible, that you've incurred some personal liability for your website debts. You may even have pledged some personal assets as security. If the proceeds of selling your website won't be enough to pay off all your creditors in full, then you'll still be personally liable for the previous arrangements that you made.

How to Write an Executive Memo

Writing an Executive Memo Your strategy professors have asked the English faculty to cover the executive memo, which you will use in your strategic management class, for two reasons: * The ability to write a short, informative, well-written memo like this will serve you well in your future careers. * Writing a good memo is difficult and requires practice. Students in past strategic management classes have had trouble with the guidelines you’ll see in the following paragraph. Please read this document carefully and be prepared to demonstrate your understanding during the next class session.An executive memo is a short (no more than 500 words) internal document whose purpose is to make strategic recommendations to a company. The executive memo has 4 parts: the issue, the recommendation, the action plan, and the discussion of alternatives, in that order. When you write your executive memo, there are several important guidelines to keep in mind: * The memo is short, so every word should count. Don’t waste time giving the company information it already has (i. e. , what the company does, how much it’s sold, etc. * It’s important that you present the material in the order given here. This is not creative writing! * Everything in the memo should be connected to the issue at hand: the recommendation, the action plan, and the alternatives should all serve to resolve the issue. * Since the memo focuses on the issue, it is crucial that you state the issue clearly. Starting your memo: the subject line Make sure your subject line encapsulates the main issue of your memo. Section 1: The Issue * The memo should begin with a statement of the strategy problem you will address (i. . , you are defining the problem). This definition is key because it determines the direction which the rest of the memo will take. * It is vital to distinguish between observational information and the problem you want to solve. Be crystal clear and specific about the issue you will address. Your issue section should do the following: * Identify the root problems associated with the issue. * Provide a measure of how significant the problem is. * Provide a sense of how urgent the problem is. * Identify the risk if the issue is not addressed.Section 2: Recommendation(s) This section comes early in the memo because it’s more important that the reader see it than the alternatives. Nevertheless, it’s best to write your alternatives first and choose from among them. * Your recommendation must be one of your alternatives and must relate back to the issue and causes you have defined initially. * State CLEARLY what solution you recommend and briefly why it represents the best alternative. * Normally, the recommendation will be one alternative; however, sometimes it may incorporate one aspect of a second option. Indicate briefly that you understand whatever drawbacks may exist to the solution you have chosen. * Make sure your recommendation is rea listic given physical and economic limitations. Section 3: Action plan This section should be a brief bullet list. The action plan is a schedule for the implementation of the recommendations you have made. * The goal of the action plan is to show the reader (your boss) the scope of the activity involved and demonstrate your understanding of what has to be done to complete it. * Since someone else will probably carry out the recommendations, your action plan gives that person a template to follow. Break it up into activity periods – Immediate, Short term, etc. , with days in brackets. This gives the reader a sense of the time period the program will be finished in. Section 4: Discussion of alternatives This section helps the reader understand how you came to your decision and demonstrates that you considered the issue thoroughly. Be sure to present three reasonable alternatives. * The section should begin with a brief introductory paragraph for background; this paragraph shoul d include the basic criteria which the alternatives are judged on. You should then move on to discuss THREE alternatives, which should all have a similar focus: 3 on a new target market, 3 on a marketing strategy, 3 on new distribution channels, etc. * For each alternative, you need to give factors in its favour and the reasons for your rejection, in other words, the pros and cons of each alternative. As you analyze each alternative, keep in mind the risk factor(s) you identified for the issue. * Remember that alternatives and the arguments you make for it must address the issue you have defined.

A New Approach to Portfolio Matrix Analysis for Strategic...

A NEW APPROACH TO PORTFOLIO MATRIX ANALYSIS FOR STRATEGIC MARKETING PLANNING 1 2 Vladimir Dobrić , Boris DelibaÃ… ¡ić Faculty of organizational science, vdobric@fon.rs 2 Faculty of organizational science, delibasic.boris@fon.rs 1 Abstract: Portfolio matrix is probably the most important tool for strategic marketing planning, especially in the strategy selection stage. Position of the organization in the portfolio matrix and it’s corresponding marketing strategy depends on the aggregation of values of relevant strategic factors. Traditional approach to portfolio matrix analysis uses averaging function as an aggregation operator. This approach is very limited in realistic business environment characterized by complex†¦show more content†¦It is clear that the use of weighted arithmetic mean as an aggregation operator can’t express all the possible interactions between strategic factors that exist in a realistic business environment. This explains why the traditional approach to portfolio matrix analysis is highly limited, with the inherited weaknesses that can’t be overcome without substantial modification. Therefore, under previous conditions, it is obvious that a new approach to p ortfolio matrix analysis is needed. This new approach must take in consideration all the possible forms of interactions between strategic factors that can occur in a realistic business environment. These interactions can be expressed with a logical aggregation operator, so a new approach to portfolio matrix analysis can be based on this operator. W eighted arithmetic mean and other known aggregation operators are just, as we will see in the following sections, special cases of logical aggregation operator. 2. 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