Organizational Behavior: A Skill-Building Approach

Why does organizational behavior matter―isn’t it just common sense?  

Organizational Behavior: A Skill-Building Approach helps students answer this question by providing insight into OB concepts and processes through an interactive skill-building approach. Translating the latest research into practical applications, authors Christopher P. Neck, Jeffery D. Houghton, and Emma L. Murray unpack how managers can develop essential skills to unleash the potential of their employees. The text examines how individual characteristics, group dynamics, and organizational factors affect performance, motivation, and job satisfaction, providing students with a holistic understanding of OB. Packed with critical thinking opportunities, experiential exercises, and self-assessments, the new Second Edition provides students with a fun, hands-on introduction to the fascinating world of OB.   

This title is accompanied by a complete teaching and learning package.

Dr. Christopher P. Neck, PhD, is currently a Professor of management at Arizona State University, where he held the title “University Master Teacher.” From 1994 to 2009, he was part of the Pamplin College of Business faculty at Virginia Tech. He received his PhD in management from Arizona State University and his MBA from Louisiana State University. Neck is author and/ or coauthor of 30 books including Self-Leadership: The Definitive Guide to Personal Excellence (2017, Sage; 2nd ed., 2019; 3^rd ed., 2024); Get a Kick Out of Life: Expect the Best of Your Body, Mind, and Soul at Any Age (2017, Clovercroft Publishing); Fit to Lead: The Proven 8-Week Solution for Shaping Up Your Body, Your Mind, and Your Career (2004, St. Martin’s Press; 2012, Carpenter’s Sons Publishing); Mastering Self-Leadership: Empowering Yourself for Personal Excellence (6th ed., Pearson, 2013); The Wisdom of Solomon at Work (2001, Berrett-Koehler); For Team Members Only: Making Your Workplace Team Productive and Hassle-Free (1997, Amacom Books); and Medicine for the Mind: Healing Words to Help You Soar, (4th ed., Wiley, 2012). Neck is also the coauthor of the principles of management textbook Management: A Balanced Approach to the 21st Century (2013, Wiley; 2nd ed., 2017, Sage; 2021, 3rd ed., Sage); an introductory to entrepreneurship textbook, Entrepreneurship, (2017, Sage; 2nd ed., 2020); and an introductory to organizational behavior textbook, Organizational Behavior (2017, Sage; 2nd ed., 2019).

Dr. Neck’s research specialties include employee/executive fitness, self-leadership, leadership, group decision-making processes, and self-managing teams. He has over 200 publications in the form of books, chapters, and articles in various journals. Some of the outlets in which Neck’s work has appeared include Journal of Applied Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, The Journal of Organizational Behavior, The Academy of Management Executive, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, The Journal of Managerial Psychology, Executive Excellence, Human Relations, Human Resource Development Quarterly, Journal of Leadership Studies, Educational Leadership, and The Commercial Law Journal.

Neck is the editor of the journal, Administrative Sciences and the former deputy editor of the Journal of Leadership and Management. Due to Neck’s expertise in management, he has been cited in numerous national publications including The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Houston Chronicle, and the Chicago Tribune.

Dr. Neck was voted as a semifinalist (out of 140 nominations) for the prestigious international 2020 Baylor University Cherry Award for Great Teaching. He finished in the top six of all nominations. Neck was also the recipient of the 2007 Business Week “Favorite Professor Award.” He is featured on Business Week as one of the approximately 20 professors from across the world receiving this award.

Dr. Neck has taught over 80,000 students during his career in higher education. He currently teaches a mega section of management principles to approximately 1,000 students at Arizona State University.

Neck was the recipient of the 2024 and 2020 John W. Teets Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award (voted by W. P. Carey students). Neck also received the 2024 W. P. Carey Huizingh Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher Award as well as the Order of Omega Outstanding Teaching Award for 2012. This award is granted to one professor at Arizona State by the Alpha Lamda Chapter of this leadership fraternity. His class sizes at Virginia Tech filled rooms of up to 2,500 students. He received numerous teaching awards during his tenure at Virginia Tech, including the 2002 Wine Award for Teaching Excellence. Also, Neck was the 10-time winner (1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009) of the “Students’ Choice Teacher of the Year Award” (voted by the students for the best teacher of the year within the entire university). Also, some of the organizations that have participated in Neck’s management development training include GE/Toshiba, Busch Gardens, Clark Construction, the United States Army, Crestar, American Family Insurance, Sales and Marketing Executives International, American Airlines, American Electric Power, W. L. Gore & Associates, Dillard’s Department Stores, and Prudential Life Insurance. Neck is also an avid runner. He has run the marathon distance over 100 times including the Boston Marathon, New York City Marathon, and the San Diego Marathon. In fact, his personal record for a single long-distance run is a 48-mile run.

Dr. Jeffery D. Houghton completed his PhD in management at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) and is currently a professor of management at West Virginia University. Dr. Houghton has taught college-level business courses at Virginia Tech, Abilene Christian University (TX), Lipscomb University (TN), The International University (Vienna, Austria), and the U.S. Justice Department Federal Bureau of Prisons. Prior to pursuing a full-time career in academics, he worked in the banking industry as a loan officer and branch manager.

A member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, Dr. Houghton’s research specialties include human behavior, motivation, personality, leadership, and self-leadership. Dr. Houghton has published more than 80 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and books, and his work has been cited more than 9,000 times in academic journals. He currently teaches undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level courses in management, OB, and leadership. Dr. Houghton was named the 2013 Beta Gamma Sigma Professor of the Year for the John Chambers College of Business and Economics, awarded annually to one faculty member within the college as selected by a vote of the student members of Beta Gamma Sigma, and he received the 2008 Outstanding Teaching Award for the John Chambers College of Business and Economics, awarded annually to one faculty member for outstanding teaching.

In addition to his research and teaching activities, Dr. Houghton has done consulting and conducted training seminars for companies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, and the Bruce hardwood flooring company. In his spare time, Dr. Houghton enjoys traveling, classic mystery novels, racquetball, and snow skiing. Finally, Dr. Houghton has completed two marathons, the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC, and the Dallas White Rock Marathon.

Emma L. Murray, BA, Hdip, completed a bachelor of arts degree in English and Spanish at University College Dublin (UCD) in County Dublin, Ireland, followed by a higher diploma (Hdip) in business studies and information technology at the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business in County Dublin, Ireland. Following her studies, Murray spent nearly a decade in investment banking before becoming a full-time writer and author.

Murray has worked on numerous texts, including business and economics, self-help, and psychology. She is the coauthor of the principles of management textbook Management: A Balanced Approach to the 21st Century (2013, Wiley; 2nd ed., 2017, Sage; 3rd ed., 2021, 4^th ed., 2026); the introductory to entrepreneurship textbook, Entrepreneurship (2017, Sage; 2nd ed., 2020), 4^th ed., 2025; and an introductory to organizational behavior textbook, Organizational Behavior (2017, Sage; 2nd ed., 2019; 3^rd ed. 2024). She lives in London, UK, with her husband and two children.