History Of Organizational BehaviorThe initial studies on the complexities of organizational behaviour began in the early 20th century. Initially most studies were more mechanical than anything else. Human beings were studied as if they were machines, with simplified behaviourial patterns, and standardized actions and reactions. Another stream of thought studied organizations and divided them according to their bureaucratic set-ups, and the various levels of authority within organizations on the whole. Both were limited in their scope, since they looked at two inter-connected streams separately and did not take into account the interplay between both of them. As part of an academic course, some parts of organizational behaviour studies can be seen in the 1890s when scientific management was seen as the best way to run an organization. Proponents of this system believed a rationally run organization, following some set rules and systems and time and motion studies would lead to greater productivity.
However, as psychology and analysis as a means of understanding human behaviour became more sophisticated, it became clear that organizations were centered around interactive groups of their members, and a more humanistic view needed to be formulated. As these studies became more sophisticated, it was realized that better understanding of psychology could lead to greater productivity. The Human Relations Movement as it was termed in the early 20th century, began to focus on team work, motivation and the role of individuals in realizing the goals of the organization. By the Second World War, there was another paradigm shift in the study of organizational behaviour. Operations research became the buzzword, there was a renewed interest in the sciences and in the systems theories, the complexity theories and strategies. The leading exponents in this field during those days were James March and Herbert Alexander Simon. By the seventies more and more theories were being presented. These were often based on quantitative research and on various interconnected fields of psychology. By the eighties the importance of the cultures of organizations was being emphasized, and rather than quantitative, qualitative research was gaining acceptance. Fields such as anthropology were being incorporated into organizational behaviour studies. Presently organizational behaviour studies are an integral part of any managerial course. Business schools have included this along with interrelated courses such as industrial psychology as part of their curriculum.
Patricia Stevens owns and operates Organizational Behaviours Organizational Behavior Website organizationalbehaviours.com. Learn more about Organizational Behaviors. This article may only be used if the author bio and links are included with the article.
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