Course:

Organizational Behavior and Leadership

Tutor:

Daniel Nicholes

Confirmed by:
Director of MPA______
Smith Alice, PhD

Astrakhan 2009

Organizational Behavior and Leadership  MPA 3120

Astrakhan, Summer 2009

9 – 31 May, 2009

Dr. Daniel Nicholes

Skype: Daniel.Nicholes2

Course Description

Organizational behavior is the study of people in the context of their organizations. People are intensely complex and the organizations they create are both a reflection of their individual members’ complexities and drivers of individual behavior. Their study must appreciate that complexity and the challenges of individual and organizational behavior.

Behavioral science gives us concepts relevant to the study of managerial behavior. This course seeks to examine organizational theory to aid the developing leader in explaining the behavior of his or her organization and to suggest tools that leaders can employ to manage their workforce to accomplish their organizational goals.

Themes of the course:

  • Theories of organizational behavior and leadership: How do we explain how people behave in social groups?
  • Theories of leadership: How do the leaders of organization seek to direct the behavior of their groups’ members to meet organizational goals?
  • Real world tools: What are the tools available to modern leaders to facilitate their leadership?
  • Personal application: Where are the opportunities to implement the scholarship of organizational behavior and the best practices of successful business leaders to personal leadership situations?

Course Goals

  • Develop an understanding of the theories of organizational behavior and leadership. Identify the assumptions about human actions that have influenced the ways that scholars and practitioners conceptualize organizational behavior and leadership.
  • Develop an appreciation of organizations as social entities that pursue objectives, coordinate activities and manage relations among their members.
  • Link the concepts, models and approaches (i.e., theory) of organizational behavior and leadership to the practice of management in organizations (i.e., real-world application).
  • Analyze the roles that leaders can and cannot assume in the social systems that comprise their organizations.
  • Understand the systemic factors that influence the behaviors of groups and individuals.
  • Utilize classroom interaction to explore and demonstrate individual and organizational interaction.
  • Develop the personal skills of analytic reasoning, oral and written communication, teamwork, leadership and decision making through learning groups and class participation.

Text

Debra L. Nelson and James Campbell Quick, UnderstandingOrganizational Behavior,Thompson South-Western, any edition

Additional learning resources listed in the syllabus assignments. Other resources and readings will be provided.

Methods of Instruction and Class Interaction

Learning will occur on three levels: individual study, classroom participation/interaction and learning group activity. Students will read assigned chapters in the text and additional reading to be assigned, and complete the assigned learning group activities for each evening before class. Class activity will consist of discussion of the topics assigned for each week’s class accompanied by presentations and reports of learning group work. Class time will not be devoted to review of readings except as requested by students for clarification.

Learning Group Project

Students will prepare and present a major project as part of his or her learning group activity. The purpose of the project is to apply the principles of organizational behavior and leadership scholarship to the students’ current organizational setting. Each learning group will define the organization that its members will study, prepare a proposal for the project, and conduct their investigation. The topics listed in the syllabus below will guide the areas of investigation. The description of learning group activities provides for formative feedback from each group over the course of the term. In the last two class meetings, each group will make a presentation describing their project and make recommendations to the leadership of the organization for interventions. Additional information will be provided in the first class.

Evaluation

Students will be evaluated on the basis of their contribution to class discussion, the quality of their scholarship on papers and the degree to which their presentations meet the assignments. As teamwork is critical to the success of a leader, learning group activity will be evaluated by the instructor and learning group peers. There will be no tests.

Grading Criteria

Class participation20%

Individual papers and written summaries40%

Learning group formative presentations and summaries20%

Learning group project presentation20%

The rules of Graduate Grading will apply:

A Outstanding (4.0)

B Good-performing at a graduate level (3.0)

C MarginalPass (2.0)

[The symbols + or – attached to letter grades increase or decrease the grade respectively by 0.3. There is no C- grade.]

F failing (0.0)

I Incomplete: An incomplete is given at the discretion of the instructor when circumstances beyond the student’s control prevent him or her from meeting specific out-of-class requirements after the last day to withdraw. Only the instructor of the course may assign an incomplete.

W Withdraw: Indicates that the student withdrew from the course. Withdrawal requests must be submitted in writing

The academic record for each student is reviewed every semester. Good standing indicates that a student’s cumulative grade point average is at least 3.0 (B). While the grade of C earned in a course is a passing grade, a cumulative average of B is required for graduation. A cumulative grade point average below 3.0 is considered inadequate academic performance. Students are placed on academic probation when their GPA is below 3.0 after completing four or more units. Students who remain on academic probation after two semesters may be dismissed from COPACE graduate programs.

Participation and Attendance

Students are expected to arrive at the designated class start time, attend all classes and participate actively in class discussion and learning group assignments. Missing classes will most likely reduce your grade due to the loss of participation and activity assignments. There will be no makeup or extra credit assignments.

Intellectual Integrity

All work must be original and specific to the course. Any paper or presentation suspected of being recycled or plagiarized will be rejected with serious implications.

Schedule

Date / Assignment / Discussion / Learning Group and Individual Activity
Week 1a
10/5/09 / Text Ch. 12
The Changing Nature of Leadership / The study of organizational behavior and its meaning for modern leadership
Leadership Challenges / Establishment of learning groups.
Discussion of Case #1
Week 1b
11/5/09 / Text Ch. 3
MBTI Type Assessment, text pp. 74-77 / Personality types and their impact on the organization / Discussion of personality types observed in students’ organizations.
Learning group discussion of projects.
Discussion of Case #3
Week 2a
16/5/09 / Text Ch. 4 & 5
Heinz Dilemma: Example of Moral Judgment Interview
The Business Executive as Facilitator of Moral Development / Attitudes, values and ethics: the individual and the organization Motivation / Learning groups will present their proposals.
Discussion of Case #5
Week 2b
17/5/09 / Text Ch. 6 & 7
Why Performance Reviews Don’t Work — and What You Can Do About It / The management of performance Communication: the most fundamental leadership tool. / Each student will prepare a 2-page paper on the management of performance in an organization in which he or she is a member.
Week 2c
18/5/09 / Text Ch. 8 / Work teams and groups / Discuss Case #8
Week 3a
23/5/09 / Text Ch. 9 & 10
What Is a Decision Support System?

Case Study as a Research Method / Alternative techniques of decision making
Power and political behavior / Each student will write a case study of decision making in his or her organization.
Learning groups will present an update on their projects.
Discuss Case #10
Week 3b
24/5/09 / Text Ch. 11 & 12
Leadership Assessments
Situational Leadership / Leadership
Theories of conflict and conflict management at work. / Each student will describe one example of functional conflict and one example of dysfunctional conflict in his or her organization.
Situational Leadership Activity
Week 4a
30/5/09 / Text Ch. 13, 14 & 15 / The realities of work and organizational design.
Organizational Culture / Each student will describe the organizational design of his or her organization using the concepts in Chapter 14.
Discussion of Case #13
Week 4b
31/5/09 / Text Ch. 16
Learning Group Presentations / Managing Change / Learning Group Presentations Learning group evaluation

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