Steven Fenton HROB101 (10) Writing Assignment #1
Since the publishing of the Journal of Applied Psychology in 1917, organizational behavior has ascended
from a mere concept in a few scholars’ minds, to being a fundamental business school requirement. Why has this
field of study become so highly esteemed in the business world? Organizational behavior looks at diversity in the
workplace as a key asset, seeking to capitalize on each individual’s unique ability to contribute to a company.
Furthermore, organization behavior leads to more effective management, delving into the intricacies of leadership,
communication, and employee well-being. Therefore, in this report, I assert that the implementation of
organizational behavior into business school programs is the result of two main reasons: its vital role in the strategic
utilization of workplace diversity and its contributions to the study of management.
Organizational behavior plays a huge role in combating workplace discrimination and embracing diversity.
This is significant because human diversity has become an important aspect of the modern business world. Many
laws, rules, and business strategies have been implemented to promote diversity and eliminate discrimination.
However, organizational behavior does not merely stop with a physical and superficial diversity. According to the
Essentials of Organizational Behavior, diversity takes on two levels: “surface–level” diversity and “deep–level”
diversity (Robbins & Judge, 2018). Instead of getting caught up in surface-level diversity, organizational behavior
zeros in on the internal strengths of workers and how to optimize those strengths to the company’s benefit. In
discussing the rise of organizational behavior, the Journal of Applied Psychology states: “the common denominator
across all of these efforts [of organization behavior] has been recognizing the existence of cultural diversity and the
desire to understand people’s values, norms, and behaviors across cultures. As the world is becoming increasingly
more global, understanding cross-cultural similarities and differences will enable us to harness the cultural diversity
across dispersed geographical zones and enhance people’s quality of life around the globe” (Gelfand, Aycan, Erez,
& Leung, 2017). This quote essentially states that organizational behavior’s promotion of workplace diversity has
and will result in a positive global impact through understanding and capitalizing on cross-cultural differences.
