[4] Miner (2006) mentioned that "there is a certain arbitrariness" in identifying a "point at which organizational behavior became established as a distinct discipline" (p. 56), suggesting that it could have emerged in the 1940s or 1950s.
[6][7] As a multi-disciplinary science, organizational behavior has been influenced by developments in a number of related disciplines, including sociology, industrial/organizational psychology, and economics.
The Industrial Revolution is a period from the 1760s where new technologies resulted in the adoption of new manufacturing techniques and increased mechanization.
In his famous iron cage metaphor, Max Weber raised concerns over the reduction in religious and vocational work experiences.
[8] The significant social and cultural changes caused by the Industrial Revolution also gave rise to new forms of organization.
All three of them drew from their experience to develop a model of effective organizational management, and each of their theories independently shared a focus on human behavior and motivation.
[12] The scientific method was further refined by Lillian and Frank Gilbreth, who utilized time and motion study to further improve worker efficiency.
Named after automobile mogul Henry Ford, the method relied on the standardization of production through the use of assembly lines.
These studies initially adhered to the traditional scientific method, but also investigated whether workers would be more productive with higher or lower lighting levels.
While classical economic theories assume that people are rational decision-makers, Simon argued a contrary point.
[18] Starting in the 1980s, cultural explanations of organizations and organizational change became areas of study, in concert with fields such as anthropology, psychology and sociology.
Research in and the teaching of Organizational behavior primarily takes place in university management departments in colleges of business.
[1] Leadership studies have also become part of Organizational behavior, although a single unifying theory remains elusive.
[22] Statistical methods used in OB research commonly include correlation, analysis of variance, meta-analysis, multilevel modeling, multiple regression, structural equation modeling, and time series analysis[23][24] Computer simulation is a prominent method in organizational behavior.
[27] Qualitative research[23] consists of several methods of inquiry that generally do not involve the quantification of variables.This procedure builds and structure patterns of individual behavior.
[citation needed] Companies that focus on diversity and inclusion are able to benefit from advantages such as better retention and less intention by staff to quit, increased job satisfaction, lower levels of stress and job withdrawal, higher levels of creativity and innovation, as well as less on-the-job conflict.
[31] There are several types of mistreatments that employees endure in organizations, including: Abusive supervision, bullying, incivility, and sexual harassment.
[33] Although definitions of workplace bullying vary, it involves a repeated pattern of harmful behaviors directed towards an individual.
[35] Sexual harassment is behavior that denigrates or mistreats an individual due to his or her gender, often creating an offensive workplace that interferes with job performance.
[45] Transformational leadership theory concerns the behaviors leaders engage in that inspire high levels of motivation and performance in followers.
Building great people relies on engagement through motivation and behavioral practices (O'Reilly, C., and Pfeffer, J., 2000).
[48] Baron and Greenberg (2008)[49] wrote that motivation involves "the set of processes that arouse, direct, and maintain human behavior toward attaining some goal."
Investigators who pursue this line of research assume that organizations can be characterized by cultural dimensions such as beliefs, values, rituals, symbols, and so forth.
He identified three levels of organizational culture: (a) artifacts and behaviors, (b) espoused values, and (c) shared basic assumptions.
[62] The study of personality in organizations has generally focused on the relation of specific traits to employee performance.
These rules reflect Weberian "ideal types," and how they are enacted in organizations varies according to local conditions.
Charles Perrow extended Weber's work, arguing that all organizations can be understood in terms of bureaucracy and that organizational failures are more often a result of insufficient application of bureaucratic principles.
Kurt Lewin, a social psychologist, was influential in developing a systems perspective with regard to organizations.
Organizational ecology models apply concepts from evolutionary theory to the study of populations of organizations, focusing on birth (founding), growth and change, and death (firm mortality).
[69] Adding to the IPO model, the IMOI framework emphasizes that outputs can also become subsequent inputs, creating a cyclical process.