Organizational Behavior & Leadership

Organizational behavior is the study and application of knowledge by taking a system approach of how individuals and groups behave in organizations. Leadership and organizational behavior combined, play a very vital role in the development and productivity of any successful organization such as Whole Foods. Leaders have a responsibility to reshape their organization and overcome challenges to benefit their organization’s success in the future. Dynamic leaders in the business environment are seen as being inspirational. They not only make a mark in the world’s business environment, but they also inspire and influence the behaviors in which people work within their organization (Davis, 2012).

Being a leader of an organization comes with a lot of responsibilities. Leaders of organizations behave ethically, have a positive attitude, are confident and inspire others. Outside of just managing, they have a clear vision for their company and work hard to execute their vision every day (Prive, 2012). They also run their businesses ethnically, built on strong morals and ethics. They refer back to their business objective, mission and goals to insure their business is on the right track (Prive, 2012). They understand their power and influence and strive towards putting people first.  They also effectively influence and change behavior in an organization. People in leadership positions can ruin or diminish either reputation or the reputation of their company by making mistakes. Leaders can make mistakes by over leading, either not setting goals or not following them, or are not committed (”10 Common Leadership and Management Mistakes,” n.d).

Leadership can be best represented by Theory Y (Friesen, 2012). Theory Y is a set of assumptions about individuals. It states that managers are able to accomplish more through others by viewing them as committed, self-energized, self-actualized, responsible, creative and intellectual (Friesen, 2012). In others words, managers view their employees as “assets” to the company rather than “costs”. Theory Y managers participate in decision making processes and value relationships and results (Friesen, 2012). These managers empower others, develop positive work environments, provide rewards for efforts and trust and believe in others (Friesen, 2012). The individuals who work for these managers feel worthy, motivated, develop a good work ethic and feel appreciated (Friesen, 2012).

Other theories about leadership include the “Great Man” theory, “Implicit Leadership” theory, and “Emotional Intelligence” theory (Stippler, Moore, Rosenthal & Doerffer, n.d). The great man theory makes assumptions that leaders are born and possess a set of traits that were inherited. It also assumes that great leaders arise to the occasion when there is an abundant need (Stippler et al., n.d). The implicit leadership theory states that each individual holds its own beliefs system regarding features that distinguish leaders (Stippler et al., n.d). Emotional intelligence is defined as having the ability to assert, evaluate and control not only their own emotions but also the emotions of others (Stippler et al., n.d).  These traits are not innate, but rather learned talents that can be developed with lots of work (Stippler et al., n.d).