Introduction
In today’s business world, the most important asset in any business is its people –businesses need to know how to best manage, motivate, retain and get the very best from their staff in these turbulent times. Without people, a company ceases to exist completely, but without the ‘right’ people in the right positions, a company can cease to function properly as staff performance is critical to the on-going success of any business. While poor employee performance can have a significant impact on a business, poor people management can cost the business in terms of low morale, low productivity and high staff turnover. Companies must understand people's basic needs and behaviour in the workplace, which should enable them to get the best out of the people that work for them. Gaining commitment and ensuring that people are motivated and productive requires open communication and trust between managers and staff. This is why ‘Organisational Behaviour’ has become such an important element within the modern workplace.
Organisational Behaviour (OB) is defined quite simply as “the study of human behaviour in the work-place” Ellis et al (2003, p4). It is the study of individuals, groups or ‘people’ and organisations and the impact they can have, both on human behaviour and on the organisation achieving its objectives. Organisations can vary greatly, from hospitals to rail companies, for example. All organisations have some kind of structure, defined by Child (1984, p4) as “all the tangible and regularly occurring features which help to shape their members’ behaviour.” All businesses or organisations have an effect on the people that work there as working gives the employee a sense of identity and purpose as well as a wage packet. In return, their employee’s beliefs and attitudes – or behaviour – also affects the organisation. Companies study OB in order to improve