Understanding and Implementing Organizational Behavior

Understanding and implementing Organizational Behavior

        A successful and dynamic organization within any group or company is critical to its long term success.  Whether that measure of success is in increased profits, team functionality, or job satisfaction, investing in tools and concepts that help to create and maintain a functional, engaged organization will need to be part of the formula for success.  Such concepts as how to find and recruit the right people, how to keep those individuals and teams engaged, and how to assess and maintain an organizational ‘fit’ will be discussed here, and I will provide some real world examples used within my organization.

        To be able to create a functional organization modeling the correct behaviors, one must first understand understand what Organizational Behavior is.  As defined in the material for this class, Organizational Behavior is “The systematic study and application of knowledge about how individuals and groups act within the organizations where thy work.” [1] Taking this a step further, there are three key levels of analysis; the individual, the group, and the organization. Each level is studied using a number of tools and concepts to determine holistically how an organization is functioning.

Based on my research and personal experience, creating the right climate within an organization starts with three key components. First, hire the right people to fit your roles. Ensue that everyone, from the highest level on down, models the core values of the organization. Finally, leadership monitors, listens, and reacts to the requests of the organization.  

Hiring the correct person to fill a role can be a challenging task.  During the interview process, there are two type of organizational fit to be concerned about. The more first, Person-job fit, is the “degree to which a person’s skill, knowledge, abilities, and other characteristics” align to the job role. [2] The second type, Person-organization fit, is the “degree to which a person’s values, personality, goals, and other characteristics” align to the organization they are attempting to join. [3] In many job interviews, the focus can be on the person-job fit.  While getting a person with the right job skills is an important part of the hiring process, understanding what drives the person and how they can become an active part of an organization’s culture is in many cases as just as important. Individuals come from diverse backgrounds with personal life experiences and individual core values that need to be considered and encouraged during the interview process. One study showed that person-organization fit directly correlated to lower employee turnover. [4] Together, these two concepts are the foundation for creating a balanced organization. But this is only the first step in the process.  Keeping the individual, group, and organization motivated and performing optimally is the next phase in the organizational behavior model.