Organizational Behavior Terminology and Concepts

Organizational Behavior Terminology and Concepts

Organizational culture

Organizational culture is the shared beliefs and values within the organization, organizations with a solid culture have a clear vision of what the organization will achieve, the culture is supported be well thought out beliefs and values that are communicated to new employees by the management. The environment within an organization with a positive culture is often associated with high performance and an emphasis on team work (Shermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2008).

The definition above coincides with the organizational culture at the Target retail stores. Theirs is a culture based on teamwork and what they term as a fast, fun, and friendly attitude. The management team in store stress teamwork and being more than just courteous to the customers on a twice daily basis.

Organizational behavior

Organizational behavior (OB) is the study of human behavior in an organizational setting. OB is a discipline dedicated to understanding individual and group behavior within an organization with the goal of improving the organization and the people in them. Organizational behavior is a body of knowledge with tie to the behavior sciences-psychology, sociology, and anthropology (Shemerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2008).

In the case of Target, in the retail stores it is the behavior of the organization that determines the behavior of the employees; Target has a clear and precise idea of how the employees should behave, especially toward the customers. The managers adhere to the philosophy that team work is best practice in every situation.

Diversity

In short, diversity describes the differences in people. Diversity in the workplace is fundamental in the success of a company looking for new ideas and strong growth, not to mention diversity will present a positive public image. A company succeeds by exploiting the combined knowledge of those in the organization, that knowledge is improved by people with different backgrounds and experiences (University of West Georgia, 2011).

From my experiences at Target, the company prides itself on its diversity. I have never worked with a more diverse group of individuals. Recruiting a diverse team is critical to becoming the best in the business.

Communication

For many people their job is a primary source of social interaction, communication is fundamental tool for social interaction. In the workplace it is a necessity, it provides incentive to employees by relaying to them how well they are performing. The creation of goals and feedback on the progress of the goals set require communication. Communication facilitates decision making, it provides the decision maker with the information required to make informed decisions (Robbins &