For a long time teachers of organisational behaviour in Indian B-Schools have used textbooks written by Western authors. While these books provide a very lucid and valuable account of theories and concepts of organisational behaviour, they have been found to be lacking in their application in Indian situations. The present book is an attempt to fill this gap. A large number of Indian case studies have been presented to explain, accept or refute and provide empirical support to various theories and concepts in the Indian context. As such, this book, besides being a textbook, is a good reference material for scholars and academicians who would like to pursue a particular topic for their research. I would like to particularly point that we have spent a lot of time and energy in searching for the Indian references, most of which are of recent origin.

My objective in writing this book has been to help readers to develop information processing, diagnostic, problem-solving and decision-making abilities. The following features of the book would help in achieving these objectives.

First, it is easy to write a theoretical book but more difficult to explain to others how such theories apply in the real world. The focus of the book is on applications. Short case-studies given within the chapters and longer cases at the end of the chapters will help the readers to develop diagnostic and problem-solving abilities, and see how concepts are translated into practice in the organisations.

Second, it also has exercises and questionnaires at the end of the chapters, which can help the readers examine and appreciate the organisational predispositions, which influence the process of decision making and information sharing.

Third, to master the feel of organisational behaviour and to learn how to apply these concepts on the job, an integrated and comprehensive package is required. The book has 14 chapters classified in three major clusters. It examines organisational behaviour at the level of the individual, a small group, and the total organisation. Such an approach provides a comprehensive treatment of all aspects of organisational behaviour and helps readers integrate issues in a total perspective.

Fourth, the book provides practical solutions to human problems in the organisations. It is a blueprint for action. Readers should be able to take viable and sustainable decisions based on their understanding of the material covered in this book.

Mirza S Saiyadain