Organisational behaviour: significance and theories

Organisational behaviour (OB) studies how individuals, groups and structures affect behaviour inside organisations, so that managers can predict, explain and influence it. It borrows from psychology (individual behaviour), sociology (groups and culture), social psychology (interaction), anthropology (culture) and political science (power). Worked example: two teams get the same bonus scheme, but one team's output rises and the other's does not. OB asks why — differences in leadership, group norms, trust or perceived fairness — instead of assuming money alone explains behaviour. That is its significance: it replaces guesswork about people with tested explanations.