Evolution of Organizational Behaviour (OB) [14 Marks]

Introduction:
Organizational Behaviour is the systematic study of how individuals and groups act within organizations. Its evolution reflects shifts from focus on machine efficiency to human, behavioural and contingency approaches.

1. Early / Classical Era (Pre-1900 to 1930s)

• Scientific Management - F.W. Taylor (1911): Time-and-motion studies, standardization, incentive wage - focus on efficiency but ignored human/social factors.
• Administrative Theory - Henri Fayol: 14 principles of management, functions (Planning, Organizing, Commanding, Coordinating, Controlling).
• Bureaucracy - Max Weber: Ideal rational organisation with hierarchy, rules, impersonality - efficiency through structure.
• Limitation: Treated worker as economic man / machine.

2. Neo-Classical / Human Relations Era (1930s-1950s)

• Hawthorne Studies - Elton Mayo (1924-32, Western Electric): Discovered importance of social factors, informal groups, lighting experiments showed productivity linked to attention and group norms - birth of Human Relations movement.
• Contributors: Mary Parker Follett (conflict integration), Chester Barnard (cooperative systems, acceptance theory of authority).

3. Behavioural Science Era (1950s-1970s)

• Interdisciplinary integration of Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology.
• Key contributors: Maslow (Need Hierarchy, 1943), Herzberg (Two-Factor Theory), McGregor (Theory X & Y, 1960), Likert (Management Systems), Argyris (Maturity-Immaturity), Vroom (Expectancy Theory).
• Focus on motivation, leadership, perception, personality, group dynamics, attitude.

4. Modern Era (1970s onwards)

• Systems Approach: Organization as open system interacting with environment (Katz & Kahn).
• Contingency Approach: No one best way - behaviour depends on situation (Lorsch & Lawrence).
• Organizational Development (OD), TQM, Learning Organization (Senge) and contemporary focus on Culture, Change Management, Empowerment, Emotional Intelligence, Globalization, Diversity, Ethics, Technology & Virtual Teams.

5. Current Trends

OB today emphasizes OB at three levels: Individual (personality, learning, motivation), Group (team, communication, conflict, leadership), Organizational System (structure, culture, change) - with focus on job satisfaction, work-life balance and evidence-based management.

Conclusion: Evolution shows paradigm shift from task-oriented to people-oriented to system-contingency view - making OB a practical, applied behavioural science for enhancing both human well-being and organizational effectiveness.