Tyrone Groce
University of Phoenix

Organizational Behavior Terminology and Concepts For a company to be successful in the highly competitive business world it is important that company leaders are aware of some key concepts to help to give the company an edge. These five concepts can make or break a company if not recognized or effectively used. The five concepts are: Organizational Culture and Behavior the study of behavior within a company environment, Diversity is the different individuals that work within and make up the company, Communication how well is the company message sent upward, downward and laterally, Business Ethics making the right and honest decision and lastly Change Management making change within the company mastering new challenges. Each concept has its place within a successful company and each is equally important for management, the employees, why? To provide the best possible product to the customer. It is important that everyone within the company has at least a general knowledge of these concepts. Each are unique factors which going into the makeup of a company.
The concept to understand is Organizational Culture and Behavior or OB as it is commonly known, it is best defined as [the study and application of knowledge about how people, individuals, and groups act in organizations. It does this by taking a system approach. That is, it interprets people-organization relationships in terms of the whole person, whole group, whole organization, and whole social system. Its purpose is to build better relationships by achieving human objectives, organizational objectives, and social objectives] (1998, para. 1). Understanding how OB operates in the work center will help to build better employee-manager relationships among managers, employees and the different groups within the company. This is equally important to foster the team building concept among the different groups or clichés that form with a company.
Team building become very important as you look at the next concept; Diversity. As with any company anywhere you go you will have different groups of people, black, white, Asian, male or female. Diversity when used properly is a strength, good managers see beyond the differences and tap into the hidden potential of talent; the different groups each bring different and new angles of thought to the table. This allows a company to think outside of the box. A truly successful company does not draw itself into a box by not using the mind power and new ideas created by the diversity of its workforce. Most companies will reach into this pool when the reach dead ends or the company direction begins to go off track. When put together and effectively communicated a company can create a new pool of ideas. The key to this is good communication between the groups, and the managers.
Communication is the third concept, a good company with have continuous communication upward, downward and laterally. The message has to be meaningful and concise it has to move effortlessly between departments, managers, employees and customers. It can be in a written or verbal form. It also has to cross cultural boundaries, according to Goman (n.d.), [The key to cross-cultural success is to develop an understanding of, and a deep respect for, the differences.] Once you are able to get past this obstacle, understanding the message is much easier. To make the communication effective, there has to be feedback. Feedback lets the communicator know that the message has been received and understood. This allows everyone to know what the company expects and where it stands when dealing with customers and other businesses.
When providing the message company has to show its and values. This is where the fourth concept of Business ethics comes into play. A company is only as good as its word, product or conduct. A company that conducts its business in a dishonest way loses profits and customers. An employee who shows or has a bad value system takes away for the company image or good name. [Too many people think a few lies here or a dishonest action there are simply the rules of business these days. They fail to realize that even the smallest breech of ethics can have dire consequences] (Zimmerman, n.d.). When you have an employee or manager with a bad value system it is time to let them go, but if your company has bad business ethics you move to the next and final concept Change Leadership.
A good company has to be ready for new challenges, with these new challenges come changes, either to way business is done or how the company is being run. Employees and managers have to be flexible and able to adapt to the new changes. This is done by everyone having confidence, competence and a dedication to take on the process of change. Managers have to be ready to “step up” and lead, tackle the challenge of the change head on. To make the change easier on the employees it has to be implemented slowly through a process. People are more ready to accept change when it moves at graspable pace. They are more willing to change, especially if it means improvement to salaries or the work environment.

References
(1998). Organizational Behavior. Retrieved from www.skagitwatershed.org.

Goman, Carol Kinsey. (n.d.). Communicating Across Cultures. Retrieved from /www.hodu.com.
Zimmerman, Alan Dr. (n.d.). Are Your Ethics Showing? Retrieved from www.hodu.com/ethics.