The study of organizational behavior helps an organization assess its workforce by focusing on employee performance, behaviors and the leadership decisions made throughout the company. The study focuses primarily on ways to improve organizational effectiveness and employee potential. Organizational development professionals often work within the company, where they evaluate its strategic vision, mission and focus.

Definition

Organizational behavior, defined as the study of an organization’s efficiency, outlines the strengths and weaknesses within a company. Organizational behavior professionals study the performance of an organization by evaluating the behaviors and attitudes of the employees. To conduct this type of assessment, these professionals use different management development methods, such as process consultation.

Training and Development

Training and development helps employees learn job skills and improve their effectiveness. By focusing on professional development, an organization can empower its employees. This empowerment can further influence workers' job performance as they take ownership of their potential. Training and development also help an organization become aware of behavioral hindrances to empowering employees.

Employee Engagement

Organizational behavior studies access employee engagement. An organization may deploy different methods, such as employee surveys and multi-rater feedback, to measure the level of an employee’s engagement. To improve, an organization measures the outcome of the assessments and implements programs or new management processes within the company.

Job Performance

Organizational behavior studies look at an employee’s job performance to identify issues within the organization and with the individual. By encouraging employees to be more accountable for their performance, a company can improve overall organizational behavior and effectiveness. Organizational behavior professionals motivate employees to take ownership of their job performance by communicating organizational expectations and specifics of the employee’s job responsibilities.

Employee Commitment

By working to improve overall behavior, an organization can enhance employee commitment. Employee job satisfaction improves based on the level of commitment to the organization and job responsibilities. Through communication, an employee can become more aware of the organizational strategy. This allows the employee to feel empowered to act on behalf of the company. As employees become more empowered, the behavior of the organization improves.