Table of Contents
- Contributing Disciplines to Organizational Behavior
- Psychology
- Social psychology
- Sociology
- Anthropology
- Other social sciences
Contributing Disciplines to Organizational Behavior:Organization behavior is an applied science that is built up on contribution from a number of behavioral science.There are some important disciplines to the organizational behavior field which developed it extensively.Due to an increase in organizational complexity, various types of knowledge are required and help many ways.
Psychology
It is the science of human and animal behaviour including the application of science to human problems.This field is interested in a very broad range of human thought and behaviour. Its contributions have been mainly at micro or individual level of analysis.More recently, their contributions have been expanded to include learning, perception, personality, training, leadership effectiveness,needs and motivational forces,job satisfaction, decision-making processes, performance appraisals, attitude measurement, employee selection techniques, work design and job stress.
Social psychology
It is the scientific study of the ways in which interaction, interdependence, and influence among persons affect their behaviour. This field of study blends concepts from psychology and sociology. Social psychologists have provided an answer to why people behave as they do Social psychology analyses the behaviour at group level. It has made a remarkable contribution in the areas of measuring, understanding and group decision making changing attitudes, communication patterns, processes etc.
Sociology
It studies people in relation to their fellow human beings. It has made generalizations about human nature, social interaction,culture and social organizations. It is the second most important contributor to the field of Organizational Behavior. Its major contribution areas are group dynamics, communication, power, conflict, culture, norms, roles, status, socialization, organization theory, organizational change etc. It helps to analyze the behavior at both group and organization levels.
Anthropology
It examines all the behaviours of man which have be learned, including all the social, technical and family behaviours which are a part of the broad concept of culture. It analyses the behaviour of people at group and level. This study helps us in understanding the cultural factors on organizational behaviour, value system, comparative norms, values and attitudes, organizational culture and environment and so on.
Other social sciences
It studies individual and group behavior in relationship to a political environment and thereby helps to analyze the behavior of people at the organizational level. Popular topics derived from political science are power, political authority, conflict etc. They help to understand the influence process in Organizational Behavior. Nowadays organizations are also regarded as political systems. So, managers need to understand organizational power and political dynamics inside the organization.
References
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Acharya, Bhawani shanker [2006].“Technology Impact on cultural Values and Innovation”. Annamalai University Women’s Training Centre in ICT, Tamilnadu, India, December,19-20.[A Conference paper].
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Organizational behavior is an applied behavioral science built on contributions from a number of behavioral disciplines, mainly psychology and social psychology, sociology, and anthropology. Psychology’s contributions have been mainly at the individual or micro level of analysis, while the other disciplines have contributed to our understanding of macro concepts such as group processes and organization. Above is an overview of the major contributions to the study of organizational behavior.
Psychology
Psychology seeks to measure, explain, and sometimes change the behavior of humans and other animals. Those who have contributed and continue to add to the knowledge of OB are learning theorists, personality theorists, counseling psychologists, and, most important, industrial and organizational psychologists.
Early industrial/organizational psychologists studied the problems of
fatigue, boredom, and other working conditions that could impede efficient work performance. More recently, their contributions have expanded to include learning, perception, personality, emotions, training, leadership
effectiveness, needs and motivational forces, job satisfaction, decision-making processes, performance appraisals, attitude measurement, employee-selection techniques, work design, and job stress.
Social Psychology
Social psychology, generally considered a branch of psychology, blends concepts from both psychology and sociology to focus on peoples’ influence on one another. One major study area is change —how to implement it and how to reduce barriers to its acceptance. Social psychologists also contribute to measuring, understanding, and changing attitudes; identifying communication patterns; and building trust. Finally, they have made important contributions to our study of group behavior, power, and conflict.
Sociology
While psychology focuses on the individual, sociology studies people in relation to their social environment or culture. Sociologists have contributed to OB through their study of group behavior in organizations, particularly formal and complex organizations. Perhaps most important, sociologists have studied organizational culture, formal organization theory and structure, organizational technology, communications, power, and conflict.
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of societies to learn about human beings and their activities. Anthropologists’ work on cultures and environments has helped us understand differences in fundamental values, attitudes, and behavior between people in different countries and within different organizations. Much of our current understanding of organizational culture, organizational environments, and differences among national cultures is a result of the work of anthropologists or those using their methods.