Organisational behaviour

Organisational behaviour is the study of what people think, feel and do in and around organisations. It explores individual emotions and behavior, team dynamics and the systems and structures of organisations. Organisational behaviour seeks to provide an understanding of the factors necessary for managers to create an organisation that is more "effective" or "successful" than its competitors.

History

The Greek philosopher Plato wrote about the essence of leadership. Aristotle, another respected philosopher, addressed the topic of persuasive communication. The writings of 16th century Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli laid the foundation for contemporary work on organisational power and politics. In 1776, Adam Smith advocated a new form of organisational structure based on the division of labor. One hundred years later, German sociologist Max Weber wrote about rational organisations and initiated discussion of charismatic leadership. Soon after, Frederick Winslow Taylor introduced the systematic use of goal setting and rewards to motivate employees. In the 1920's, Australian-born Harvard professor Elton Mayo and his colleagues conducted productivity studies at Western Electric's Hawthorne plant in the United States.

Organisational behavior has existed for a long time, however it wasn't organised into a unified discipline until after World War II.