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The structure of the book

Work and Organizational Behaviour is divided into five major parts, based on the traditional division of behavioural studies. These parts are, of course, interconnected – but we believe the division provides a convenient heuristic (teaching) device to guide the reader through the learning material.

• Part 1 explains the meaning of organizational behaviour, the psychological and sociological perspectives, developments in the design of paid work, and the classical and contemporary approaches to studying work.
• Part 2 focuses on the context of organizational behaviour, including the role of management and the nature of managerial leadership.
• Part 3 explores how various individual differences affect employee behaviour. The study of personality and perception, and learning and motivation, helps us understand how differences between individuals (for example in their personality), and processes within individuals (such as learning), are made manifest in workplace behaviour. We also consider the enduring social phenomenon of inequality, and the role of gender, race, disability and class in employment.
• Part 4 examines the social processes that take place in the context of work groups and teams. Group dynamics, face-to-face communications, decision making in groups, and power relations and confl ict are of special interest to us.
• Part 5 shifts the focus to developed accounts of the functioning of modern large-scale work organizations in a global economy, how organizations are designed, the motive and affects of technological change, and how human resources are managed to improve organizational performance.