Understanding organizational behavior is important for everyone involved in an organization, not just leadership and management teams. By gaining and understanding this knowledge, every employee should be able to realize how their individual actions contribute to the company's big picture. To understand this there are some key concepts and terminology that need to be explained to make the learning process more manageable. Organizational BehaviorWhat is organizational behavior? According to Schermerhorn, Hunt, and Osborn (2005, p. 3) “it is the study of individuals and groups in organizations.” OB, as organizational behavior is called for short, is multidisciplinary. This means that it not only includes individuals and groups in an organization, but also how interpersonal processes and dynamics relate to organizational behavior. OB has four fundamental keys of scientific basis. First, it is an “interdisciplinary body of knowledge” (2005, p.4), meaning it encompasses both the behavioral and social sciences. Second, it uses scientific methods such as field studies, meta-analyses, survey studies, case studies, and laboratory studies. Third, it focuses on applications that can produce measurable improvements in the organization and performance of the people working in the company. The fourth is contingent thinking, which means there is more than one “best” way to achieve a specific, desired outcome. Organizational Culture and Diversity The culture of an organization along with the diversity within it can say a lot about how a company operates, not how it operates. mention the level of satisfaction possessed by the company's employees. As stated by Schermerhorn, Hunt and Osborn (2005, p. 9), "Organs...... middle of paper ......s. By learning the terminology and concepts outlined here you will have the tools to therefore be in able to understand organizational behavior. Understanding OB is vital for everyone within the company to become informed and productive employees because, by grasping the concept of organizational behavior, an employee will be able to see exactly how individual contributions fit into the grand scheme of things. within the organization. Retrieved: November 12, 2006, from http ://www.jobjournal. .comSchermerhorn, Jr., JR, Hunt, JG, and Osborn, RN Organizational Behavior, (9th edition) Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Retrieved November 10, 2006, from University of Phoenix, Resource, MGT-331-Organizational Behavior.