Introduction to OB

Organisational Behaviour

Dr. Joe O’Mahoney 2007

Challenge your assumptions…..

• Should your personal life be irrelevant to your employer?• Should anyone be able to employ another person?• Should private company ownership be abolished?• Should you own what you produce? • Should you have to pay for lighting, fresh air and water at work?• Should you have to say prayers before and after work? • Should you have to bow to your employer?• Should you be forced to live in your workplace?• Should your employer be allowed to beat you or kill you?• Should work be done only by slaves?

1. What is OB?

What is Organisational Behaviour?

Why do people act the way they do in organisations?

I was obeying orders?

I wanted to?

I am programmed to?

Differences and Commonalities

The Church

The State

The Army

Businesses

Commonalities

• They all have:– Aims (money, victory, control) = power

– Rules

– People

– Decision makers

• They seek to control people– Rules

– Ideology

– Incentives

• ..but people also resist– Trade unions

– Democracy?

– Conscientious objectors

Theories of Why People Do Stuff

Fashions

Culture (Hofstede)

Religion (Weber)

Economies (Marx)

Evolution

Machines

Psychology

Critique: The need for control

• Individuals vs. organisations

• Leaders vs. Environments

• Management vs. Unions

• Governments vs. Citizens                                                                                          

The Role of the Corporation

• Markets - e.g. Microsoft

• Investors - e.g. Enron, Andersen,

• Law – e.g. Limited Liability

• Governments - Iraq, Chile, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Haiti

• Politics – e.g. Clinton, Mozambique and Enron

How will we study it?

• Not trying to make you better managers

• Understanding people, society and life

• Critically: not accepting without question

• Psychology, philosophy, politics, sociology

Topics

• Humans– Machines?

– Hearts?

– Resistance?

• Organisations - Control & Conflict

- Motivation vs. Stress - Perception vs. culture• Management - Leadership - Decision Making

Assignments and Support

• One 2,500 word assignment to be submitted at the end of the Autumn Semester

• All lecture notes, readings, advice and assessment details to be put on Blackboard (use BB to ask questions)

• Tutorials start in week 5: groups announced in week 4

• Issues regarding the course & tutorials: contact Annette

• Issues regarding first term lectures: contact Joe

Interested?

• Read– John Pilger

– Naomi Klein

– Joseph Stiglitz

• Watch– The Yes Men

– The Corporation

– The Smartest Guys in the Room

• Visit– www.corpwatch.org

– www.reclaimthemedia.org

– www.amnesty.org

Questions?