Organizational Behavior Terminology and Concepts

Every organization no matter what the purpose, must have some kind of organizational culture, organizational behavior, diversity and communication in order to be successful. In this paper the author will explain the following key concepts and terminology of; Organizational culture, Organizational behavior, Diversity and Communication. Also describe each concept’s observable aspects. And provide a brief analysis of the culture and behavior of an organization. Organizational Culture also called corporate culture can be defined as; The values and behaviors that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of an organization. Organizational culture is the sum total of an organization’s past and current assumptions, experiences, philosophy, and values that hold it together, and is expressed in its self-image, inner workings, interactions with the outside world, and future expectations. It is based on shared attitudes, beliefs, customs, express or implied contracts, and written and unwritten rules that the organization develops over time and that have worked well enough to be considered valid (“Business Dictionary”, n.d.).

Some of the observable aspects of organizational culture are how communication flows within an organization, The diversity within an organization, conflict management, dress and language along with the organizations policies. Organizational Behavior is the key aspect to maintain and enhance interaction levels amongst employees in the company. Other attributes like leadership, openness to discuss problems, challenge-initiative are all tied in to this base concept of Organizational Behavior to help the business achieve its strategic and in some cases business objectives (“Organizational Behavior”, 2007). There are a lot of different concepts that make up organizational behavior such as organizational design; this is the set up that shows the role and formal reporting relationships to employees of any organization. Next is organizational development, this is basically the mission statement of the organization; they will use all the resources in the organization to ensure they stand by the mission statement. Then there is organizational empowerment, this is the level of responsibility that the organization places on the employees.

And last is organizational engineering, this is basically the organization changing the roles of the employees to better suit the company’s needs. Basically organizational behavior is having the basic knowledge of how individuals and groups act within an organization. Diversity is generally defined as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistance status (“Merriam-Webster”, 2011). Now in the new world wide working environment it is just more than important for individuals to understand the point of diversity. With more and more jobs and companies either going overseas or coming from oversea, it is a fact of life that there is going to be more diversity in the workplace. For this reason companies and organizations must educate their people on the benefits of having diversity and ensure that they have at least the basic understanding of differences in cultures and traditions of others.

Without the understanding of diversity in the work place organizations cannot operate correctly. Communication can be defined as the process that involves the exchange of information, thoughts, ideas and emotions. The communication aspect can be broken down into the different types of communication methods such as verbal communication. Verbal communication is basically speaking; it can be done one on one, in groups, over the phone, letters and emails. The next method is non-verbal communication; this involves the use of body language, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact. The last method of communication is written communication; this is the most commonly used method when there are detailed instructions or information that needs to be documented. This is also the best way to communicate with other if they are perhaps too far away to easily speak with over the phone. Basically the communication aspect in the work environment is the most important part in a successful business.

Without clear communication, again organizations cannot function properly (“Different Types Of Communication”, n.d.). Throughout my time in the United States Marine Corps, every one of the concepts played a key role in the organization. Organizational culture, behavior, diversity and communication are what make the Marine Corps. In the Marine Corps there are no individuals in the work place. Everyone is seen as the same regardless of race, sex or religion, everyone one is just seen as green. Communication of course plays a role in any organization; the Marine Corps is no different. Organizational behavior could not be looked at any easier than in the military, it all starts from the beginning, you take a test and they place you in the position that best fit their needs with the opportunity for advancement. In this paper the author has gone over the key concepts and terminology of; Organizational culture, Organizational behavior, Diversity and Communication. Also described each concept’s observable aspects. And provided a brief analysis of the culture and behavior of the Marine Corps.

References

Business dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/organizational-culture.html Different types of communication. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/node/29122 Merriam-Webster. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diversity Organizational behavior. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.org-behavior.com/definition-of-organizational-behavior.php