Book Review: Debra L. Nelson,James Campbell Quick and Preetam Khandelwal,Organizational Behaviour: A South Asian Perspective

As per 2013 PwC projections, the Indian economy is expected to have the third highest growth rate between the years 2011 and 2050. India, as is common knowledge, is a delight in disorder. In such a heterogeneous market, a fair amount of effort needs to be extended towards tailoring products to suit local tastes. From the Mc Aloo tikki burger by McDonalds to the Ram Darbar statues launched by Lladro, there is an evident effort towards modification of existing products and even introduction of new product lines to befit the Indian social and cultural context. Credibly on the same lines is the customization of standard international textbooks, bringing out South Asian or Indian editions.

In this perspective, the author would like to review a recently published book on Organizational Behaviour, authored by Debra L. Nelson, James Campbell Quick and Preetam Khandelwal, and published by Cengage Learning, India.

For the last few decades, most textbooks being referred to and prescribed in the top business schools of the country have been those written in the western context. This was not only due to a paucity of suitable texts from Indian sources but also because of the importance of developing a strong cognizance of the global milieu, which emphasized the necessity of referring to overseas authors. But with India at the forefront of action internationally, a need has arisen for comprehensive business texts that also include relevant literature developed in Indian settings. One such effort in this direction is the aforementioned book by Nelson, Quick and Khandelwal.

Nelson and Quick’s older text has long been a preferred choice amongst the Organizational Behaviour (OB) books available in the market. However, the enhancement in the present book has been in the form of differentiated content from the South Asian business environment. The South Asian edition, additionally, has an author Dr Preetam Khandelwal, whose substantial contribution is evident in the plentiful Indian cases and examples.

In an environment where employers demand human capital that has a deep understanding of key markets, a major thrust area for academia is to ensure the right kind of insights for its learners. Management students being groomed for modern multinational workplaces can benefit from texts that address both global and local industry concerns. A textbook written purely for the Indian scenario, in fact, may not be relevant for such an audience that needs a comprehension of diverse cross-cultural issues. The text in question, therefore, provides a vital amalgam of both international and Indian contexts.

The authors present a concise and comprehensive exposition of the theory, practice and research related to organization behaviour. They take an in-depth look at the key organizational factors that determine managerial roles and responsibilities at the workplace and reflect the most recent research and developments in the area. This approach encourages active learning and helps develop faculties essential for becoming successful employees, managers and entrepreneurs.

Part-wise structured into four segments, the book comprises a total of 17 chapters. These chapters cover all the constituents of organizational behaviours such as individual, group and organizational processes. Each chapter begins by summarizing the learning agenda and then offers a short real-life case as a focal point for the application of the forthcoming/core theoretical contents. These short cases illustrations have been taken from organizations such as CarMax, RIM-Blackberry, Nordstrom, Ikea, Deloitte and Facebook.

The book features an impressive presentation, containing illustrative tables, figures and photographs. Different models and theories have been expounded effectively with an engrossing pictorial layout. Side text boxes placed throughout the book have been used to concisely elucidate important terms. The text is well designed, with adequate white space to not only lend an aesthetic feel but also serve well for note making.

With its new look, this adapted edition provides a fresh perspective for the reader into how organization theory has been applied by global as well as Indian business houses. The step-by-step analyses of the theoretical concepts have been taken a step further by the examples used. The text is packed with relevant Indian and international examples furnished in The RealWorld and Diversity Dialogue units, alongside updating the reader with latest research insights in defence of various theories in the Science units. The engaging You boxes facilitate the reader to know more about oneself.

The sixth edition has been updated to reflect the most recent trends in real-world managing techniques. Examples have been updated to provide vivid illustrations of such techniques in action. All chapters end with practical managerial implications, review and discussion questions, ethical dilemmas as well as experiential exercises. Take 2 offers interesting movie and video suggestions to visually reinforce the contents one has gone through. The text contains a multiplicity of case studies, also incorporating a cohesion case on Internet retailer Zappos that continues at the end of each part, to further strengthen the reader’s conceptual understanding.

Moreover, a major strength of the book lies in its Indian content, including seven Indian cases to assist classroom discussion, covering pertinent areas like organization building, turn-around, gender sensitivity, etc. Cases and snippets on companies such as Bajaj Auto, NTPC, Aravind Eye Care System, Delhi Metro Rail Corp. and even the Mumbai Dabbawalas are effectively placed. Small anecdotes related to leaders and incidents that have impacted public life enable readers to understand various concepts and models better. For instance, the chapter on conflict and negotiation encompasses different aspects of conflicts, at the same time touching upon conflicts in Indian family businesses, including the Ambani brothers’ feud as an example.

The book is exceptionally wide ranging in its coverage and would serve diverse categories of students and managers well. Its comprehensive attention to cutting-edge constructs like Core Self Evaluation, along with thorough referencing and guidance towards OB research also offers value to researchers.

Having evaluated the book from all angles, one feels that it is an outstanding offering due to its excellent content and engrossing format. It comes highly recommended to all management practitioners, BMS and MBA students as well as faculty members.