Research Paper Topics on Organizational Behavior

Organizational behavior refers to the study of how people act as individuals and as groups with small and large organizations. This theory or mode of thought generally falls within studies of human resources or business management. If you need to write a paper on this topic, consider a few traditional and extraordinary topics to help you garner a top grade from your professor.

Use micro-organizational behavior as a topic to discuss the finer points of behavior within a large organization. Talk about the process of decision-making and cooperation between small groups of people and how it affects the organization or company. Discuss the importance of delegation and responsibility and how they positively and negatively affect both the individual and a large group of individuals as a whole.

Four models of organization -- autocratic, custodial, supportive and collegial -- describe the framework that organized behavior commonly follows. The autocratic framework works based on a leader or team of leaders that instructs the rest of the people or employees to follow a specific set of rules. The employees follow the leader to survive within the framework. The custodial model operates on economic resources; managers employ a custodial model to motivate a group of workers to work toward financial security and benefits. The supportive model uses leadership in the form of friendship and support; managers use this model to encourage and support workers to strive for better work results. The collegial model employs a team-work approach to get work done. Use examples within the workplace to demonstrate these organized behavior models in action. Discuss in your paper what happens when two or more models are used within the workplace to motivate employees.

The role of gender and ethnicity can shed light on how individuals react within a group. Use the effects of gender or the effects of diversity in a workplace and discuss this aspect of organized behavior. Interview people who have suffered effects of a glass ceiling or racial discrimination and use it to support your paper. Study different job industries to determine if a specific gender or ethnicity dominates the workplace. Discuss your findings and compare how the presence of how a type of gender or ethnic background contributes and detracts from the work ethic in an organized structure such as a company.

Conduct research on a popular movie or television show to support your research paper. Julio de Rezende talks about the psychological management of people within an organization by comparing notes with the "Matrix" trilogy. His book "Transpersonal Management: Lessons from the Matrix Trilogy" interprets the allegorical notions mentioned in the movie trilogy and how it can affect organized behavior in present reality. Consider a television series such as "Lost" to talk about the behavior that occurs within the various groups of characters as they seek a common goal. Or use structured mentality of the movie "300" to discuss hierarchy and how it shapes behavior and responses of individuals who fall under someone with a position of power.