Organizational Behavior & National and Organizational Culture

We defined an organization as a group of individuals with a same goal in which, each individual has responsabilities in order to reach the goal.
There are two different types of organization:

1.  Formal: Those organizations that have different set of rules and a defined authority structure. for example companies, intergovernmental organizations such as the UN, etc.
2. Informal: Those organizations in which individuals share common values and beliefs and set social norms. for example: Family, group of friends, etc.

So, Organizational Behavior is defined as:

"The study of individual behavior and group dynamics in organizations" Nelson, Debra L. and Quick, James Campbell. 2010. Organisational Behavior –Science, the Real World, and You. South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason, USA. Chapter 1 and 2.

And it has influences from different diciplines such as sociology and anthropology. And it is very important because in this globalized world we depend on each other, and in order for individuals to cooperate within an organization this subject is vital for example analyzing the internal and external factors influencing people. As it was explained in class,  in the 3 different levels: Individual, Group, and Orgtanizational.


National & Organizational Culture is very important in business because people from other countries do not see life as we do, and so business and we can see that differences not just in countries but between companies, families, and all kind of organizations. We must be aware of the others customs, beliefs, traditions, values and everything that shapes an organization or a person.