Page 158 - DMGT402_MANAGEMENT_PRACTICES_AND_ORGANIZATIONAL_BEHAVIOUR

Unit 8: Foundations of Organisational Behaviour

3. Sociology: Sociology, the science of society, has made important contributions to knowledge Notes
about group and inter group dynamics in the study of Organisational behaviour. Because
sociology takes the society rather than the individual as a point of departure, the sociologist
is concerned with the variety of roles within a society or culture, the norms and standards
of behaviour that emerge within societies and groups, and the examination of the
consequences of compliant and deviant behaviour within social groups.
Sociologists have made their greatest contributions to Organisational behaviour through
their study of group behaviour in Organisations, particularly formal and complex
Organisations. Some of the areas within Organisational behaviour that have received
inputs from sociologists are group dynamics, design of work teams, Organisational culture,
formal Organisations, theory and structure, Organisational technology, bureaucracy,
communications, power, conflict and inter group behaviour.
Figure 8.4: Towards an OB Discipline

Behavioural science Contribution Unit of Analysis Output
Learning
Motivation
Psychology Personality
Perception
Training
Leadership effectiveness
Job satisfaction
Individual decision making
Performance appraisal
Attitude measurement
Employee selection
Work design
Individual
Work stress
Group dynamics
Work teams
Communication
Power
Conflict
Sociology Inter-group behavior

Formal organization theory Study of
Bureaucracy Group Organisational
Organisation technology Behaviour
Organisation change
Organisation culture
Behavioural change
Social Attitude change
Psychology Communication
Group processes
Group decision making
Comparative values
Comparative attitudes
Cross-cultural analysis Organization
Anthropology
system
Organisation culture
Organisational environment

Conflict
Political Science Intra-organisational politics
Power
Source: Stephen Robbins P "Organisational Behaviour", 7th Edition, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs NJ
(1996) Page 22.

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