The Biological Foundations of Organizational Behavior

“This book fills a giant gap in the study of organizational behavior, and it brings readers up to speed on current thinking about evolution and genetics.” — Jonathan Haidt, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Anxious Generation

In recent years, evolutionary psychology and behavioral genetics have emerged as prominent theoretical perspectives within the social sciences. Yet despite broad levels of commonality between the disciplines—including an emphasis on adaptation, evolved mechanisms that guide behavior, and consequences of mismatch between these mechanisms and novel environments—studies that apply these perspectives on social behavior to organizations remain relatively rare.

The Biological Foundations of Organizational Behavior brings together contributors who shed light on the potential that behavioral genetics and evolutionary psychology offer for studies of organizational behavior. In addition to examining the extant literature integrating these disciplines and organizational behavior, the book reconsiders a wide range of topics through the lens of biology within organizational behavior, including decision making, leadership and hierarchy, goals and collective action, and individual difference. Contributions also explore new areas of potential application and provide a critical assessment of the challenges that lie ahead.

With accessible insights for scholars and practitioners, The Biological Foundations of Organizational Behavior marks a promising step forward in an underdeveloped area of organizational behavior.

“This impressive volume showcases the best of cutting-edge science for how biology informs organizational behavior.” — Vladas Griskevicius, University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management, author of The Rational Animal