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 Army The Church

The State 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

Economies Psychology
Culture (Marx)
(Hofstede)

Fashions

Machines
Religion
(Weber) Evolution
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?