Social Psychology and Organizations
Speakers
Abstract
| This KTAG conference at Kellogg will bring together outstanding scholars whose research touches the interfaces of social psychology and organizational behavior. Social psychology deals with social interactions between individuals and groups: it can be defined as the scientific study of thought, influence, and relational processes. As individuals populate, run, and confuse (!) organizations, analyzing individual behavior and interpersonal interactions is critical for understanding organizational effectiveness and success, as well as individual satisfaction and well-being. |
| Social psychology and organizational behavior have a long history of theoretical and research connections, using many similar models for individuals, groups, organizations, and even societies and cultures. |
| Theories of individuals such as attribution theory, cognitive dissonance, psychological reactance, and theories of attitudes and persuasion can help explain individual behavior in organizations and guide our understanding of individual’s work motivation, perceptions, and attributions – concepts that are immediately relevant for situations like job interviews or performance evaluations. Social psychological theories also address cooperation, aggression, justice and fairness, and affiliation, i.e., how we inter-relate. Theories of group interactions address, among other issues, social influence, social identity, and intergroup behavior, also extremely relevant for organizational behavior. Social psychology’s conceptual analyses open a window into leadership effectiveness as well as cooperation and conflict in and between groups. When entire organizations act as groups, for instance, during mergers and acquisitions, their interactions have a huge impact on all of the organizations’ individual members. Finally, social psychology contributes to our understanding societal and cultural influences on individuals’ everyday attitudes and behavior, as well as their cross-cultural interactions. |
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One of the key products of the conference will be the publication of a KTAG-sponsored book, which will provide an overview of recent developments in social psychological theory with a particular focus on their application to organizational issues. |
| For more information, please contact: |
| Dr. Keith Murnighan |
