Organizational Behavior Glossary

The habitual pattern of absence from work or duty, often used as an indicator of employee dissatisfaction or disengagement.

Herbert Simon's concept that decision-makers operate within the limits of available information, cognitive capacity, and time, leading to satisficing rather than optimizing.

A leadership style in which the leader inspires devotion and enthusiasm through personal charm, vision, and extraordinary qualities.

The mental discomfort experienced when holding contradictory beliefs, values, or attitudes simultaneously, often motivating individuals to change one element to reduce the inconsistency.

The practice of identifying and handling disputes in a rational, balanced, and effective way. Common strategies include competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, and accommodating.

The perceived fairness of the outcomes or allocations that individuals receive in an organization, such as pay, promotions, and assignments.

The capacity to recognize, understand, manage, and effectively use one's own and others' emotions in interpersonal interactions.

The degree of enthusiasm, dedication, and absorption an employee feels toward their work and organization, associated with higher productivity and retention.

The degree to which members of a group are attracted to one another and motivated to stay in the group, influencing communication, conformity, and performance.

In Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory, workplace conditions (salary, supervision, policy) whose absence causes dissatisfaction but whose presence does not motivate beyond a neutral state.

The redesign of jobs to increase task variety, autonomy, responsibility, and feedback, aimed at enhancing intrinsic motivation and satisfaction.

A theory describing the quality of the dyadic relationship between a leader and each follower. High-quality exchanges involve trust, respect, and mutual obligation.

The degree to which individuals believe they control events in their lives. Internal locus: believe they control outcomes. External locus: believe outside forces determine outcomes.

The set of forces that initiate, direct, and sustain behavior toward a goal. In OB, major theories include Maslow's hierarchy, Herzberg's two-factor theory, and expectancy theory.

Voluntary, discretionary behaviors by employees that go beyond formal job requirements and contribute positively to organizational functioning.

The psychological attachment an employee feels toward the organization. Allen and Meyer identified three components: affective (emotional), continuance (cost-based), and normative (obligation-based).

The process by which individuals organize and interpret sensory information to give meaning to their environment. In OB, perception shapes attitudes, attributions, and interpersonal judgments.

The study and application of positively oriented human resource strengths and psychological capacities that can be measured, developed, and managed for performance improvement.

The perceived fairness of the processes and procedures used to make decisions in organizations, including consistency, lack of bias, and opportunity for voice.

Based on B.F. Skinner's operant conditioning, it explains behavior as a function of its consequences: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, and extinction.

The stress experienced when an individual faces incompatible expectations from different roles or from multiple demands within a single role.

An individual's belief in their capacity to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific outcomes. Albert Bandura identified it as a key driver of motivation and performance.

The number of subordinates a manager directly supervises. A wide span means more direct reports; a narrow span means fewer, with more layers of management.

A leadership approach that creates positive change by inspiring followers through vision, intellectual challenge, and personal attention, going beyond transactional exchanges.

The rate at which employees leave an organization and are replaced. It can be voluntary (resignations) or involuntary (terminations) and carries significant costs for organizations.