Social inventions for accomplishing goals

  Organisations: social inventions for accomplishing goals through a group Organisational behaviour: studying attitudes and behaviours of individuals and groups in the organisation, how to better structure organisations, how external events affect them Goals of organisational behaviour - Predicting (analysis) - Explaining (analysis) - Managing (action) Managing: the art of getting things done in organisations through people. Effective management is evidence based. Using science and numbers instead of personal preference. Old Management View: high degree of specialization, intensive coordination, centralized decisions. Rules, regulations, strict chain of command, power at the top. Cons of the old view - Employee alienation - Limited innovation - Resistant to change - Pushes for the minimum level of performance - Employees ignore overall company goal The New Human Relations View: more people oriented and participation styles of management. Cater to the social and psychological needs of employees. Open communication, employee participation, decentralized control (no big top guy) Contingency approach: recognizing that both the old and new ways are essential to management depending on the situation. 4 issues management faces today - Diversity - Positive work environment - Talent management and employee engagement - Corporate social responsibility Personality: relatively stable set of psychological characteristics that influences the way we interact with our environment and how we feel, think and act. Combination of genes and learning history A person will act a certain way depending on three approaches - Dispositional Approach: our genetic traits that affect how we act (get nervous when we see a mess)