MGMT20001 · Organisational Behaviour
Introduction to OB
Organisational behaviour (OB) is the systematic study of how people think, feel and act in and around organisations — and MGMT20001 sorts the whole field along one spine. A micro half studies individuals and groups (perception, values, motivation, teams, conflict); a macro half studies the organisation as a whole and its environment (ethics, change, culture, communication, power). The same split maps onto the three classic levels of analysis — individual, group, organisation. The unit’s founding claim is that systematic evidence beats ‘common sense’: OB borrows from psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science and economics, takes a contingency (‘it depends’) stance, and learns by the case method. Get the micro/macro split straight and the entire syllabus has a shape.
What this chapter covers
- 01What OB is — the systematic study of people in organisations
- 02The micro vs macro lens (the unit's organising spine)
- 03Three levels of analysis: individual / group / organisation
- 04Where management knowledge comes from — the multidisciplinary roots
- 05Evidence-based management & 'is management still a science?' (Freedman 1992)
- 06The myths-vs-evidence diagnostic & the case-method answer spine
Worked example: place the scenario — which lens, which level?
- +1Problem 1 — classify: one person misreading another is a perception/attribution issue — micro lens, individual level.
- +1Problem 2 — classify: a team stalling and arguing over roles is team dynamics / conflict — micro lens, group level (a process, not personality, problem).
- +1Declare the lens, then the level: opening an OB answer by naming lens + level signals you know the field's structure and frames the rest of the answer.
- +1Why not common sense: the evidence-based stance replaces intuition with systematic findings — e.g. the storming/role conflict is normal team development, not a sign the team is broken.
Key terms
- Organisational behaviour (OB)
- The systematic study of how people think, feel and act in and around organisations, at the individual, group and organisational levels, in order to improve organisational effectiveness.
- Micro vs macro
- The unit's organising spine: micro OB studies individuals and groups (Modules 1–7); macro OB studies the organisation as a whole and its environment (Modules 8–12).
- Levels of analysis
- The three lenses OB problems sit at — individual, group, and organisation — mapping almost exactly onto the micro/macro split.
- Evidence-based management
- Replacing gut feel and 'common sense' with systematic study, while accepting the social world is messier than physics. Freedman (1992) frames the question 'is management still a science?'
- Contingency ('it depends')
- Because OB borrows from many disciplines that disagree, there is rarely one best answer — the right move usually depends on the situation.
Introduction to OB FAQ
What does 'micro vs macro' mean in MGMT20001?
Micro OB studies the processes affecting individuals and groups — perception, values, motivation, teams, conflict (Modules 1–7). Macro OB zooms out to the organisation as a whole and its environment — ethics, change, culture, communication, power (Modules 8–12). The split maps onto the three levels of analysis: individual, group, organisation.
Why does OB insist on 'evidence over common sense'?
Because much of what we 'know' about managing people is folk wisdom the evidence overturns — e.g. a bonus reliably lifts productivity, job satisfaction strongly drives performance, all conflict hurts a team. The Week-1 myths-vs-evidence quiz plants exactly these so later modules can bust them.
What are the multidisciplinary roots of OB?
OB is a borrowing field: psychology (the individual), social psychology (influence, attitudes), sociology (groups, structure, culture, power), anthropology (shared meaning), political science (power, politics) and economics (incentives). Because the sources disagree, the unit takes a contingency stance.
How does the unit teach — and how should I answer?
By the case method: every module pairs theory with a real case (Theranos, Boost Juice, CBA, Uber, Musk). The answer spine the unit rewards is define + link to theory → apply with case evidence → recommend.
Exam move
Make the micro/macro map the first thing you can draw from memory — it gives the whole syllabus a shape and lets you place any topic instantly. Practise the opening move on every OB question: declare the lens (micro/macro) and the level (individual/group/organisation) before you answer. Keep a running list of the Week-1 'common-sense' myths and the evidence that overturns each — the exam loves a stem that sounds obviously true. And rehearse the define → apply → recommend spine here, because every later case answer reuses it.
