Understanding Organizational Behavior

Understanding Organizational Behavior represents the solid scholarly foundations on which the science of organizational behavior was built, the realities of contemporary life in organizations, and the challenges that constantly present themselves. Our overarching theme of change is accompanied by four supporting subthemes: globalization, diversity, technology, and ethics. Each theme presents its own challenges and presents demands on individuals to learn, grow, and adjust. This text presents the opportunity to learn concepts, ideas, and theories that help enhance the management of human behavior at work.

This text provides information suitable for both, classic organizational behaviour courses and for management courses. Topics covered include: ethics, sexual harassment, cross cultural communication, and negotiation.

A less-expensive grayscale paperback version is available. Search for ISBN 9781680922875. The field of management and organizational behavior exists today in a constant state of evolution and change. Casual readers of publications like the New York Times, The Economist and the Wall Street Journal will learn about the dynamic nature of organizations in today's ever-changing business environment. Organizational Behavior is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of the introductory course on Organizational Behavior. This is a traditional approach to organizational behavior. The table of contents of this book was designed to address two main themes. What are the variables that affect how, when, where, and why managers perform their jobs? What theories and techniques are used by successful managers at a variety of organizational levels to achieve and exceed objectives effectively and efficiently throughout their careers? Management is a broad business discipline, and the Organizational Behavior course covers many areas such as individual and group behavior at work, as well as organizational processes such as communication in the workplace and managing conflict and negotiation. No one individual can be an expert in all areas of management, so an additional benefit of this text is that specialists in a variety of areas have authored individual chapters. Finally, we all made an effort to present a balanced approach to gender and diversity throughout the text in the examples used, the photographs selected, and the use of both male and female in alternating chapters when referring to generic managers or employees.

Organizations are complex entities that must adapt the practices of their employees and management to meet the demands of a dynamic environment. Organizations are behavioral systems that coordinate interactions among its members and environment. Changing practices in one area of an organization can generate a reaction throughout the entire system, thus affecting the behaviors of those working within other areas, the experience of customers, and important organizational results. Behavioral Systems Analysis (BSA) focuses on these complex contingencies from the macro system all the way down to individual behavior. This book contains articles by internationally recognized experts in Behavioral Systems Analysis who discuss the role of organizational practices in their study of performance improvement and cultural change from both practical and conceptual perspectives. Business and non-profit managers will find tools and case studies to help understand and diagnose their organization’s dynamics. Scholars will appreciate articles’ theory and real-world descriptions when considering their own research direction. Finally, all students of management theory, behavior analysis, and human resources will find this collection a thought-provoking tool for their understanding of behavioral systems and their application in organizations. This book was published as a special issue in the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management.

This textbook presents a comprehensive analysis of organizational behavior in sport organizations from a practitioner's perspective. It covers issues related to managing employees and work teams as well as organizational structure and culture in sport. The book has four sections: Organizational Behavior in the Sports Industry, Getting to Know Employees and Volunteers of Sport Organizations, Work Groups and Teams, and Understanding the Organization. Each chapter begins with a practitioner interview describing a challenge that was overcome by their organization. That example is used to highlight applicable theories and interventions used in the industry. Additional examples or theories are discussed to provide students a broad picture of managerial issues in the sports industry and provide alternative approaches to intervention illustrated in the practitioner interview. The case studies offer the opportunity to practice and apply the ideas to real-world scenarios in the sports industry. Students using this book will gain an understanding of how managers and leaders apply theory to communicate with and engage employees to foster desired organizational cultures while being challenged to address common issues using cases and hypothetical situations.