Organizational Behavior the Content of Organizational Behavior

Organizational Behavior

The content of organizational behavior studies is expanding to include matters of personal ethics, values, and experiences. For example, interoffice friendships and romantic relationships are becoming increasingly important with regards to the functioning of groups. Group dynamics change dramatically when friendship and/or romance are added to the multitude of variables that impact organizational behavior. In some cases, camaraderie results in increased on-the-job morale and could therefore influence measurable traits like productivity. However, intimacy outside of the workplace can also be problematic, especially when personal affairs seep into the workplace, when emotions become intertwined with job performance, and when friendships or romances change. Inevitably, addressing personal issues such as friendship and romance will bring up values related to human sexuality and personal morality, topics that are challenging and difficult to incorporate into organizational codes. The challenge is to create cohesive organizational cultures that reflect the collective values of the group, even in the midst of diverse opinions and personal experiences. In addition to the efficacy of friendship and romance in organizational behavior, other matters otherwise considered deeply personal can be brought to the surface for discussion. Such personal matters can range from spirituality to taste in music to political viewpoints.

2. Diversity is not a new topic of relevance to the study of organizational behavior, but the definition of diversity is changing. As workplace cultures become increasingly diverse, a whole host of issues will confront organizations. When more persons of color and more women assume positions of power in organizations, will they influence organizational behavior in a clear, measurable way? What changes will diversity bring to organizational behavior, to workplace productivity, to organizational culture? Does diversity necessarily entail tolerance, or does tolerance have to be an enforceable value in the workplace?

3. The environment is a major by-product of organizational behavior. The policies and values that an organization adopts and puts into practice has a huge impact on its local environment, on its ability to obey local, state, and federal regulations, on the health and well-being of its employees, and on the reactions of shareholders, potential investors, and existing personnel. Therefore, the relationship between organizational behavior and environmental policy should be examined more in detail, which specific attention being paid to measurable outcomes of changes in organizational policy. The impact of organizational behavior on variables such as employee morale should be examined more in detail, as should the impact of employee values on organizational policies related to the environment.

4. The news and popular media impacts organizational behavior. When issues pertaining to ethnicity, gender, or the environment are raised in popular culture, inevitably organizations must respond. In some cases, organizational behavior changes in response to popular culture. However, in other cases the exact reverse occurs: the media and forms of entertainment start to mimic organizational behavior and value systems. What is the nature of the relationship between the media and organizational behavior and how can this relationship be better controlled?