The study of how employees behave within an organization and how employees and the organization interact is known as organizational behavior. Organizational behavior programs are most likely to be found in business-focused educational institutions such as colleges and universities. Undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, doctorates, and certificates in organizational behavior are examples of such programs. Specific subsets of organizational behavior theory, such as globalization and diversity, motivational theory, performance management, group dynamics, leadership, and change management, may be the focus of each degree or certificate program.
The impact of globalization on businesses and employees is studied in some organizational behavior programs. Multicultural workforces have emerged as a result of the growth of international companies. Students learn how to work in a multicultural environment through diversity studies. Students who take classes on the behavior of global organizations gain a better understanding of how businesses operate in an international setting.
Motivational theory is another topic that students in organizational behavior programs investigate. Motivational theory students learn about the various ways that organizations can motivate their employees. Job satisfaction, employee performance, organizational support, intrinsic rewards, and extrinsic rewards are all elements of motivational theory. Students in this program may learn about scientific management, job enrichment, the job characteristics model, and social information processing because there are several different motivational theory ideologies.
Goal-setting and employee evaluation are at the heart of performance management. These activities are a core component of most organizational behavior programs and are an important part of business theory. Students may learn how to set goals for employees based on a combination of the employees’ abilities and the company’s objectives in these programs. Employee evaluation programs teach students about the various systems for evaluating employees as well as how to administer objective performance appraisals.
Because groups are defined as groups of two or more people who collaborate to achieve a common goal, all organizational behavior programs are actually group dynamics studies. Some programs, on the other hand, concentrate on how employees interact within work teams and with other organizational elements. Programs that focus on how groups form, choose leaders, and progress to become effective teams are examples of group dynamic programs.
Some organizational behavior programs are designed to help students become leaders in their organizations. Students learn leadership skills, how organizations and leaders interact, and theories about leadership traits in leadership programs. Energy, ambition, caring, trustworthiness, and the ability to empower others are common organizational leadership traits. Historical business leaders and difficult leadership situations such as change management, mergers, and new business launches may be highlighted in organizational leadership programs.