1 - How Are Organizations Similar to Living Things? What Is Organizational Behavior? Why

1- How are organizations similar to living things? What is organizational behavior? Why is it important to understand organizational behavior?

According to Angwin, Cummings, and Smith (2007), organization are like living things because they are social and depend upon relationships for survival (p. 153). They are affected by external factors, the environment in which they operate, and cannot be separated. (p. 153). Accordingly, the individuals, groups, and teams that comprise them are interdependent and make organizations whole (p. 153). Moreover, these components and the organization are also part of the industrial sector and the society (p. 153). Additionally, organizations like living things have the capacity to learn. Because of all these aspects an organizations past , present and future are interrelated, all of the aforementioned aspects alternately influence the direction, relationships and characteristics an organization possesses (p. 153, 154).

As defined by Robbins and Langton (2003), organizational behavior is a discipline that explores how and why individuals, groups, and structure influence behavior within organizations (p. 4). By conducting such queries and investing these aspects, the knowledge gained can be applied to increase organizational efficacy (p. 4). Understandably the latter investigates how the organization functions, the processes it utilizes, the relationships within it that either promote or delimit growth and how it interacts with or reacts to its environment (p. 5).

2- How do individuals impact organizations? How do organizations impact individuals? What makes your organization unique from other organizations? What is organizational culture?

Because the organization is similar to a living organism, each part of it affects the other. Accordingly, employee talent, skill, knowledge combined with the relationships employees have with their team, department and/or branches influence and effect reactions and/or coauthor accommodations and change. For example, high absenteeism rates may indicate low job-satisfaction, non-productive or problems between the leaders and the workers, among team members and/or difficulties with company policies and procedures (Ashraf, p. 157, 158). While absenteeism is an outcome, it is also an agent of change for the company. After all, absenteeism, low job satisfaction, unsatisfactory power, role and status relations alternately affect the organization through decreased productivity, high turnover, and/or organizational maintenance instead of growth (p. 158).

Organizations differ from one another because of their characteristics, the ways in which their pasts, present and the environments in which they operate direct and inform steps and strategies. Additionally, the teams, individuals and leaders that comprise the organization will fundamentally differ. Therefore, the talents, skills and relationships with other individuals and organizations will distinguish one organization from another. Moreover, all of these characteristics, the reactions and interactions, the ways and means through which the organization sees its environment and its members, its norms and practices and knowledge give rise to its culture. After all organizational culture extends from its industry, aspirations, history and interactions, mission and beliefs. Encoded in language, codified behavior and associative ethics and reward systems, each company’s culture reflects all of the aforementioned aspects.

References

Angwin, D., Cummings, S., & Smith, C. (2007). The strategy pathfinder: Core concepts and

micro-cases. Malden, Mo: Blackwell Publishing

Ashraf, T. (2002). 14 Organizational behavior. UNESCO. Retrieved from

Robbins, S. and Langton, N. (2003). What is organizational behavior? Retrieved

from