Introduction

Kurt Lewin has postulated that human behavior is a function of the person and the environment: B = f (P, E). The SOBC model amplifies this simple idea and provides us with a mechanism for systematically considering human behavior in S-O-B-C Model (SOBC). SOBC is an acronym where S represents the stimulus situation which includes such things as light, sounds, job demands, supervisors, co-workers’ characteristics and equipment. O (organism) refers to the characteristics of the person including personality, needs, attitudes, values and intentions. B refers to the person’s behavioral responses or actions in the situation under consideration. Finally, C represents the consequences or outcomes associated with the behavioral responses. The action sequence is illustrated in Figure 2. The Organizational Behavior model based on the social learning approach is termed as the SOBC model, where S stands for stimulus, O for organism, B for behavior, and C for consequence. The S-O-B-C model gives the basic framework rather than a complete explanation of behavior in work place. 

Now we summarize SOBC model as :S-Stimulus is an environmental variable that depicts the environmental situation, both contextual and organizational. In work place behavior these include all features of the work environment which activate employee behavior. O-Organism is a cognitive variable that understands organizational participants which link the environmental situation and the resulting organizational behavior. The finite capacities are governed by heredity, maturity and biological needs of an individual. These capacities can be acquired knowledge, skills, attitudes, intentions, sentiments and values. B-Behavior, overt behaviors and actions like individual performance or emotional responses and conceptual activities. And C-Consequence is an environmental variable that depicts organizational and group dynamics and the consequences of previous interactions between environmental, personal and behavioral variables. The outcomes represent the activity triggered in the environment by the behaviors under study. The SOBC model is a ‘micro’ model in that it specifies a sequence for understanding the behavior of individuals. It does suggest that differences in performance are a function of numerous factors. Managers are concerned with an employee’s performance (behavior). They try to influence performance through direction and guidance. 

In a Nutshell, 

• S-O-B-C stands for Stimulus, Organism(a person), Behavior and Consequence.

• For the example we will define each part and give an example of it separately:

• Stimulus: is any event that happens in the environment, it can be a sound(like someone shouting) a scene(a car accident, a fight. etc...), events(like receiving a paycheck).

• Organism: is a person, nothing more can be said about this, so in OB you can consider that to be an employee or an employer.

• Behavior: the organism behavior and response in regards to the stimulus( for example a child(Organism) may hit(Behavior) his brother after seeing a violent movie(Stimulus).

• Consequence: is the the outcome that comes after the behavior, it either reinforces(thus repeated) the behavior or punished(thus not repeated). In the child example previously mentioned, his mother can reprimand(Consequence: punishment) him for doing what he did.