Levels of OB Analysis (Scope of OB)
Let’s now move towards the scope of OB or its level of analysis. OB analyses the behaviour of people at all three levels viz., individual, group/ team, and organizational levels. For OB individual-level analysis is the micro-level analysis. The group-level analysis is meso level analysis i.e., in between micro and macro-level analysis. The organizational level analysis is the macro-level analysis. OB analyzes the behaviour of people at three different levels because they behave differently when they work individually, work in a group and work with organizations.
1. Individual-Level Analysis: Individuals working in organizations are the building blocks (elements) for group formation. They are very different in nature. In reality, organizations are the purposeful association of individuals. The major contributing discipline at this level is psychology.
The individual-level analysis includes not only the characteristics and behaviours of employees but also the thought processes that are attributed to them, such as motivation, perceptions, personalities, attitudes, and values.
2. Group (Team) Level Analysis: Most of the individuals work in a group/ team.(A group is defined as two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives) The groups can be either formal or informal.
Major contributing disciplines at the group level are sociology, social psychology and anthropology. The group-level analysis focuses on the way people interact. This level includes group dynamics, decisions, power, organizational politics, conflict, leadership, communication and the like.
3. Organization System-Level Analysis: When groups are combined together, they constitute (create) an organization. The major contributing disciplines at this level are sociology, anthropology, and political science. And the focus of analysis at this level is on how people structure their working relationships. Furthermore, its focus is on how organizations interact with their external environmental forces. Major variables for the analysis are organizational structure, culture, power and politics, and change and development, etc.
There are three levels of analysis in OB. As we move from the individual level to the organization systems level, we add systematically to our understanding of behaviour in organizations. The three basic levels are analogous or similar to building blocks; each level is constructed upon the previous level.
