Instructor Resources
Denhardt, Managing Human Behavior in Public and Nonprofit Organizations 4th edition
SAGE Publications 2016
Chapter 1 – Organizational Behavior as a Way of Thinking and Acting
Slide 1 – Opening
Slide 2 – Goals of the Text
•Course is about human behavior in public and nonprofit organizations.
•Managers must lead and motivate others, function effectively in groups, communicate clearly,
think creatively, navigate change successfully, and manage conflict.
•The course will address these goals.
Slide 3 – Chapter 1 Objectives
•OB is no just a field of study; a way of thinking and acting.
•Look at OB through many lenses.
–Individual behavior
–Group functioning
Slide 4 – Human Behavior
•Why should we be concerned with how public servants interact with others?
–They do important work.
Slide 5 – Serving the Public Interest
•Whether we are a city manager, fire chief, budget or policy analyst or street-level bureaucrat, we
must be effective by.
Slide 6 – View Through Multiple Lenses
•We must look at personnel, technical problems, budgetary issues.
•However, much of what happens in a public organization is a problem of human behavior.
•Multiple levels of analysis.
•For example, looking at individual behavior we see potential issues with.
Slide 7 – View Through Multiple Lenses
•At the group level, are the existing work groups functioning effectively?
Slide 8 – View Through Multiple Lenses
•Is the unit organized properly in order to accomplish tasks?
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Instructor Resources
Denhardt, Managing Human Behavior in Public and Nonprofit Organizations 4th edition
SAGE Publications 2016
Slide 9 – View Through Multiple Lenses
•At the system level, we take another view.
Slide 10 – Public Organization Concerns
•OB is the study of both individual and group behavior in organizational settings.
•Have perspective on motivation, leadership, groups, power and culture, organizational matters,
and community issues.
•And concerned with.
Slide 11 – Organization Behavior Is…
•OB provides the tools, skills, ideas, and strategies for managing human behavior
•People in public service are the key ingredient in determining how well (or poorly) government
serves its citizens).
•Is it different from organization theory?
•Understand that OB emphasizes human behavior and individual values rather than organizational
structures and organizational values – it deals with all aspects of organization and management
from the perspective of people.
Slide 12 – Level of Analysis
•OB is a product of the complex interactions among individuals, groups, organizational factors and
Slide 13 – The What of Management
•Study conducted by US Office of Personnel Management.
•Identified skills for managerial success.
•There are two categories of competencies.
•One focuses on management functions (what).
Slide 14 – The How of Management
•The other focuses on effectiveness (how).
•How many of these competencies require a working knowledge and skills in organizational
behavior?
Slide 15 – Framework
•Management competencies are required at all levels of the organization.
•Look at the Management Excellence Framework in you text.
•Do the skills at one level interface with those at the next?
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Instructor Resources
Denhardt, Managing Human Behavior in Public and Nonprofit Organizations 4th edition
SAGE Publications 2016
Slide 16 – Roots
•OB is a relatively young field.
•Initially focus on controlling workers or manipulating environment to maximize predictability and
productivity.
•Workers would do what they were told or face the consequence (punishment or fired).
Slide 17 – Roots
•Scientifically selected and trained workers could be induced to perform as expected by paying
Slide 18 – Roots
•Other, more humanistic pioneers.
•Work of these individuals was out of the mainstream for years.
Slide 19 – Roots
•Hawthorne studies published in the 1930s pointed the way toward a great acceptance of social
factors.
•Became a fundamental shift in how employee behavior was understood
•Later research confirmed much of the Hawthorne studies.
Slide 20 – Roots
•Barnard defined a formal organization as “a system of consciously coordinated activities or forces
of two or more persons.”
•Participation of the individual was necessary for cooperation.
•Herbert Simon was a pioneer in developing new approaches in public administration.
•Lewin’s principle: “We are likely to modify our own behavior when we participate in problem
analysis and solution, and [we are} more likely to carry out decisions we have helped make.”
Slide 21 – Roots
•McGregor argued that traditional command-and-control approaches, based on the assumption of
people as lazy, uninvolved, and motivated solely by money, caused people to behave in a manner
consisted with those expectations.
Slide 22 – Multidisciplinary Influences
•Influence is not singular; all provide different insights.
•Perspectives emphasize different aspects of the causes, sources, and our role in managing and
responding to conflict and power within organizations.
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Instructor Resources
Denhardt, Managing Human Behavior in Public and Nonprofit Organizations 4th edition
SAGE Publications 2016
Slide 23 – Good Management Difference
•Managers perform many different roles.
•Poor management a major factor in low productivity.
Slide 24 – Themes
•Three themes of this course.
•Key to success is the ability to understand and influence the behavior of individuals and groups;
To manage others, we must start with ourselves; Need to have good interpersonal skills; have
cultural awareness; capitalize on diverse approaches and talents.
•Public management is distinctive and must be understood in context of public values.
•Need to have a different style of learning and improve people’s capacity to act in pursuit of their
ideas.
Slide 25 – Values and Assumptions
•Human behavior is purposeful
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