Organizational Behavior, 20th edition

Published by Pearson (April 27, 2026) © 2027
  • Stephen P. Robbins
  • Timothy A. Judge

Title overview

For undergraduate and graduate courses in organizational behavior.

The world’s most successful text on organizational behavior

Organizational Behavior has played a key role in shaping modern conversations around the key constructs of work culture: leadership, collaboration, communication and adaptation. Joining state-of-the-art theory and research, authors Stephen Robbins and Timothy Judge provide actionable practices that students can apply to both the world of work and their own work experiences.

The 20th Edition examines trends forecasting the future of work and careers. It evaluates sweeping changes impacting work environments and the people in them, from AI tools and data-driven decision-making to hybrid work environments and a renewed focus on team dynamics and psychological safety.

Hallmark features of this title

Real examples from the field

  • UPDATED: 800+ examples and references show concepts in action. More than half were updated for this edition.
  • Experiential Activities, Ethical Dilemmas and Cases at the end of each chapter provide chances for reflection and application. Five Comprehensive Cases tie concepts together at the end of the text.
  • Toward a Better World shows how real companies have handled social issues in the workplace, both successfully and unsuccessfully.

Novel issues confronting organizations

  • 5 NEW: Point/Counterpoint at the end of each chapter presents opposing positions on hot topics in OB.
  • 18 NEW: An OB Poll in each chapter highlights statistics that challenge common assumptions.
  • 1 NEW: Myth or Science? compares popular conjectures from the working world against empirical evidence.

New and updated features of this title

Current developments in OB

  • REVISED: The chapters on Decision Making, Motivation, Work Teams and Leadership were substantially revised to reflect emerging research and modern workplace realities.
  • EXPANDED: New and updated content in every chapter expands upon topics such as remote and hybrid work; virtual collaboration and leadership; GenAI, machine learning and data-driven decision-making; and psychological safety as a core component of group effectiveness and employee voice.

A focus on ethics

  • 2 NEW: An Ethical Choice presents fair approaches to common ethical dilemmas in the workforce.
  • 3 NEW: Ethical Dilemmas challenge students to consider how they might respond to ethical concerns.

Illustrative cases

  • REVISED: New opening vignettes in nearly every chapter bring current business trends and events to the forefront.
  • 9 NEW: Case Incidents prompt students to apply the theories they’re learning to real-world scenarios.

Key features

Features of MyLab Management for the 20th Edition

  • NEW: Interactive Reading Assignments engage students through an integrated blend of narrative, media and assessment, while holding them accountable for coming to class prepared.
  • NEW: AI Literacy Modules teach foundational AI concepts, while Using AI Assignments, catered to the OB course, build hands-on AI skills supporting research, prompt-writing and data analysis.
  • UPDATED: Mini Sims, Team Mini Sims and Capstone Mini Sims put students in professional roles and ask them to respond to real business challenges.
  • UPDATED: Personal Inventory Assessments help students build the self-awareness they need to thrive in the workplace.
  • NEW: New Video Assignments and Case Study Assignments connect course concepts to real-world business scenarios.
  • Dynamic Study Modules pose a handful of questions and then respond to each student’s progress in real time. Learners deepen their grasp of concepts as they go.

Features of Pearson eTextbook for the 20th Edition

  • NEW: AI-powered study tool gives students access to an expert chatbot for personalized support, simplified explanations and guided practice.

Table of contents

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

  1. What Is Organizational Behavior?

PART 2: THE INDIVIDUAL

  1. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Organizations
  2. Job Attitudes 
  3. Emotions and Moods
  4. Personality and Individual Differences
  5. Perception and Individual Decision Making
  6. Motivation Concepts
  7. Motivation: From Concepts to Applications

PART 3: THE GROUP

  1. Foundations of Group Behavior
  2. Understanding Work Teams
  3. Communication
  4. Leadership
  5. Power and Politics
  6. Conflict and Negotiation
  7. Foundations of Organization Structure

PART 4: THE ORGANIZATION SYSTEM

  1. Organizational Culture and Change
  2. Human Resource Systems and Practices
  3. Stress and Health in Organizations

Appendix: Research in Organizational Behavior

Comprehensive Cases

Author bios

About our authors

Stephen P. Robbins, PhD, received his PhD from the University of Arizona. He previously worked for the Shell Oil Company and Reynolds Metals Company and has taught at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Concordia University in Montreal, the University of Baltimore, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and San Diego State University. He is currently professor emeritus in management at San Diego State. A full bio is available at stephenprobbins.com.

Dr. Robbins’s research interests have focused on conflict, power and politics in organizations, behavioral decision-making and the development of effective interpersonal skills. His articles on these and other topics have appeared in such journals as Business Horizons, the California Management Review, Business and Economic Perspectives, International Management, Management Review, Canadian Personnel and Industrial Relations and Journal of Management Education.

Dr. Robbins is the world’s best-selling textbook author in the areas of management and organizational behavior. His books have sold more than 14 million copies and have been translated into 20 languages. His books are currently used at more than 1,500 US colleges and universities, as well as hundreds of schools throughout Canada, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Europe and the Arab World.

Dr. Robbins also participates in masters track competition. Since turning 50 in 1993, he’s won 23 national sprint championships and 14 world sprint titles. He was inducted into the U.S. Masters Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2005.

Timothy A. Judge, PhD, is the Joseph A. Alutto Chair in Leadership Effectiveness at the Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University. In the past, Dr. Judge has been a Fellow of the Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, and Visiting Professor, Division of Psychology & Language Sciences, University College London. He has held academic positions at the University of Notre Dame, University of Florida, University of Iowa, Cornell University and Charles University in the Czech Republic.

Dr. Judge’s primary research interests are in (1) personality, moods and emotions; (2) job attitudes; (3) leadership; and (4) careers. Dr. Judge has published more than 155 articles in these and other major topics in refereed journals. He is a fellow of several professional societies, including the American Psychological Association, the Academy of Management and the International Association of Applied Psychology. Among the many professional acknowledgments of his work, Dr. Judge has received the Heneman Career Achievement Award, the Mahoney Doctoral Mentoring Award and the Scholarly Achievement Award, all from the Human Resources Division of the Academy of Management. In addition, a 2017 study identified him as the most cited out of more than 8,000 scholars in applied psychology.

Dr. Judge is a co-author of Essentials of Organizational Behavior with Stephen P. Robbins and Staffing Organizations with John Kammeyer-Mueller. Judge’s primary nonwork passion revolves around rock climbing and mountaineering. He has climbed the three highest peaks in the United Kingdom and more than half of the highest peaks in the lower forty-eight states. He and his wife, Jill, are the parents of three children.

Loading...Loading...Loading...