Management Notes

Management Notes

Reference Notes for Management
Basic Assumptions of Organizational Behavior

Basic Assumptions of Organizational Behavior – The Nature of People & The Nature of Organization | Organizational Behavior

by

Basic Assumptions of Organizational Behavior

➦ Every discipline has a philosophical foundation of some basic assumptions or fundamental concepts that guide its development.

➦ Those concepts and assumptions support the discipline to flourish and develop. The basic assumptions of organizational behavior are as follows:

Basic Assumptions of Organizational Behavior

A. The Nature of People

  1. Individual differences
  2. A whole person
  3. Caused behavior
  4. Value of the person

B. The Nature of Organization

  1. Social Systems
  2. Mutual interests

A. The Nature of People

The Nature of People

1. Individual differences:

➦ Every individual has different physical characteristics, priorities, perception and the way of expression. Each one possesses unique talents, intelligence, personality, and so on.

➦ From the very beginning of life, each person is unique and individual experiences after birth makes people even more different.

➦ Managers need to consider these differences because they affect the job behaviors of employees. Therefore, every person should be selected, trained, and treated on the basis of the kind of person he is.

2. A whole person :

➦ A person should be accepted as a whole person. That means when an employee comes to the workplace as a complete person, he/she has his/her background, sentiments, emotions, feelings, etc. which cannot be separated from the skills they are using on the job.

➦ Hence, OB assumes that a person a whole person and focuses on developing him/her in terms of growth and fulfillment.

3. Caused behavior :

➦ Human beings do not exhibit behavior randomly; rather the behavior is caused by some motive, need, want or any drive.

➦ Always employee behavior is directed towards the goal and it can be caused by some motives, belief systems, perception, understanding, education, experience, and environment.

➦ Managers need to motivate employees and determine what managerial actions satisfy human needs what actions threaten their need fulfillment.

4. Value of the person(Human dignity) :

➦ Human dignity appeals for fair treatment to people. This concept tells that people should be treated differently as compared to other resources in the organization.

➦ It calls for self-respect and the value of people. People should be properly treated and given the value and recognition for their valued contribution. Managers must recognize and exercise the value system.

B. The Nature of Organization

The Nature of Organization

1. Social Systems :

➦ The organization is a social system that is established by human association and governed by psychological laws or rules. Like in the social system, interrelation, interaction, and interdependency between people continue till an organization exists.

➦ People are involved in organizations to fulfill their psychological needs; they perform some definite roles and possess status.

➦ People’s behavior is influenced by their own needs as well as organizational goals. The idea of a social system provides a framework for analyzing organizational behavior issues. It helps to make organizational behavior problems understandable and manageable.

2. Mutual interests :

➦ The organization needs people and people also need organization. People need organization as a means to achieve their goals and organizations need people to achieve organizational goals.

➦ There is a clear give-and-take relationship between people and organizations. In simple words, organization and people are joined by mutual interests. The interest of Organization and their employees also have similar interests.

➦ The basic assumptions of organizational behavior lay the groundwork for understanding human behavior within the context of organizations.

➦ Firstly, regarding the nature of people, it is assumed that individuals differ in various aspects such as abilities, personalities, and motivations, necessitating personalized approaches to selection, training, and treatment.

➦ Moreover, individuals are seen as holistic beings, where personal backgrounds, emotions, and skills are interconnected and should be considered together.

➦ Behavior is believed to be purposeful and driven by various factors like needs, motives, and perceptions, emphasizing the importance of understanding and catering to individual motivations in management practices.

➦ Additionally, the concept of human dignity asserts that individuals deserve fair treatment and recognition for their contributions within organizations.

➦ Secondly, concerning the nature of organizations, it is viewed as a social system governed by psychological principles, where interactions and interdependencies between individuals shape organizational dynamics.

➦ This perspective emphasizes the mutual interests shared between organizations and their members, highlighting a symbiotic relationship where both parties rely on each other to achieve their respective goals.

➦ These assumptions provide a framework for analyzing and managing organizational behavior issues, emphasizing the importance of recognizing individual differences and fostering mutual interests within the organizational context.

References 

Related Posts

Smirti
Latest posts by Smirti (see all)

1 thought on “Basic Assumptions of Organizational Behavior – The Nature of People & The Nature of Organization | Organizational Behavior”

Leave a Comment