MAN336: Organizational Behavior
Course Syllabus
Fall 2013 #04590
TTH 2:00- 3:30, UTC 1.118
McCombs School of Business
Professor Cindi Baldi
Office: CBA 1.310H
Office Hours: Tuesday 12 pm – 2 pm
Mailbox: Mailbox inside CBA 4.202
E-mail:
(Email is the most reliable contact method)
Course Description
While many of the courses in the business school teach you how to manage money, information and other material resources, this course is unique (and invaluable) in that you will learn how to manage your own performance and career by learning how to work with and through other people-- even when you don’t want to. This is an advanced survey course in organizational behavior designed to expose you to essential theories and concepts for analyzing, understanding, and managing human behavior in organizations. In this course we will apply concrete organizational situations from case studies, current events, and projects to essential theories and effective management practices. In this class you will learn how to thrive at work by managing your relationships. Specifically, we will investigate:
· Individual behavior in organizations, including personality, decision-making, personal networks, and ethics
· Interpersonal behavior, including teamwork, conflict, leadership, and power and influence
· Organizational factors affecting behavior, including reward systems, culture, and organizational design
Required Reading
Online at the library in Business Source Complete (L): Available online
Textbook (OB): Bauer, T. and Erdogan, B. Organizational Behavior, Flat Wold Knowledge, v 1.0, eISBN:978-1-4533-2687-9
· This book is available in many different formats, including an online version for approximately $20
· One possible source: https://students.flatworldknowledge.com/course/book/28776
Course Packet (CP): Available at Jenn’s Copy and Binding, 2200 Guadalupe St, (512) 482-0779
Handouts (H): Readings available through class
Course Requirements and Grading
Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
Class Participation 100
Volunteer Project 75
Video Project 75
Final Exam 250
500
Plus/Minus grades will be assigned for the final grade.
Assessment
Grading is based strictly on mastery of course material. Your final grade in the course will be based on the total number of points earned on the assignments.
Description of Course Requirements and Deliverables
Class Participation (100 Points)
Class contributions will be measured on three dimensions.
· Contributions to in-class discussion: Relevant comments incorporate both reading materials and class discussion. How well you listen and integrate comments and thoughts from other classmates to build upon them in classroom discussion versus merely reciting known facts or minor elaborations on the ideas of others.
· Team participation: Teams will work together both in class on case analysis projects and outside class in the volunteer project. At the end of the semester, each student will need to submit an evaluation of each of their teammates for both case and volunteer activities. The evaluation can be found on Blackboard. This portion of your class participation grade will be determined by your participation in thoughtfully evaluating others (in other words, I want to see more than a rating) and by your teammates evaluations of your effort.
· Attendance at the guest lecture and at least one other, relevant special event hosted at UT
· Blog Posts: 5 blog posts throughout the semester indicating what you have learned from the assigned reading. This is not an assignment where you summarize portions of the text, but requires a transformation of information in knowledge. Things you might consider when posting are: What surprised you in the reading? What concept made you finally understand something that you didn’t beforehand? How and why has a concept changed your behavior? How has a concept changed your relationship with others? These are just examples. The posts cannot be longer than 200 words and you can only post once. Each post will be scored on a scale of 10 points. Originality of thought matters. I recommend coming up with your own idea and then skimming through the other people’s posts to make certain that you have a unique idea.
of 10 points / Evaluation Criteria0 / No responses = No credit
6 / Responses do not directly address a particular concept. Instead, they touch peripherally and wander off track. Usually less than 60 words, or drags on beyond 120 words without making a substantial point.
7 / Response consists of rehashing the book or class materials.
8 / Concise responses (60 – 120 words, unless otherwise indicated) that directly address a particular concept but explain it in vague terms or regurgitate others’ responses on the same board. The same concept used in different contexts does not constitute originality.
9 / Concise responses (60 – 120 words, unless otherwise indicated) that directly address a particular concept with unique and original application based on personal experiences or publicly known events.
10 / Original, concise responses (60 – 120 words, unless otherwise indicated) that directly address a particular concept by making relevant connections to other principles/ theories covered in the readings and lectures, demonstrating mastery of concepts that apply to a wide range of real life cases. If citing/ quoting from course readings or any other reference in print, please specify source and page number in your responses. If referencing a website, please include the URL).
Postings are due by midnight the night BEFORE class. Late postings are not accepted.
Format for the post:
1. State the concept that is going to be the central basis of your post. This will allow everyone to skim effectively to determine whether their idea is unique.
2. What did you learn from this concept (Not what is it, but how does the knowledge that it exist change how you think or act. You can use the ideas above to generate ideas, but you are not constrained by these questions. Best of class responses may be discussed during class.
Volunteer Project (Due Nov 21 by 11:59 pm) (75 Points)
The purpose of the project is to give your team an opportunity to apply what has been learned in the course (through course lectures, readings, and discussions) to problems in a non-profit of your team's choice. Class members will work in teams of three people. Your team should identify a non-profit organization to study (Please, no student groups). The UT Volunteer and Service Learning Center
http://www.volunteersolutions.org/ut/volunteer/ maintains a list of non-profit organizations that would
benefit from student volunteers.
Your team is to volunteer at the organization on two separate occasions (include documentation from the non-profit verifying your activities) and gather information from people in the organization (and repeat volunteers) through direct contact. You may supplement this information with data from the media, the organization's literature, other secondary sources, and your own personal experiences. You need to identify a current problem to analyze. You should focus your analysis by applying the concepts from the course. While it is acceptable to incorporate several concepts from the course, please aim for depth rather than breadth regarding the use of course concepts. Your goal is to diagnose the mechanisms that are causing the problem or issue of concern in the organization. Initially, you may notice many symptoms (for instance, high turnover, seemingly low morale, low commitment, motivation etc.), but your task is to get to the underlying reason for these symptoms. And beware, sometimes the initial symptoms we think we see are not what they appear to be.
There are two broad goals for this assignment:
1. One goal of this assignment is obviously to take the initiative to make a positive contribution to an organization.
2. Another major goal is to provide an opportunity for you to learn more about organizational behavior first hand and to use your critical thinking and reflection skills to link your experience with this organization to your learning in relation to organizational behavior theory.
To meet these broad goals, your team should answer the following questions in the assignments detailed below.
a) What are the issues or problems facing the organization?
b) What course concepts can be applied to understand why this problem is occurring?
c) What recommendations can you offer to help improve organizational functioning?
Deliverables:
1. The project proposal e-mail is due on Sept 26 at 11:59 pm. It should include:
a) The names of your group members
b) Your team name
c) The name of the organization
d) The name, contact information and level of your contact person
3. Your written project is due Nov 21st 11:59 pm. It should contain a maximum of nine double spaced pages (1 inch margins, 12 point font). The limit does not include appendices, which you are free to use to provide charts, figures, or other background material not necessary in the main body of your analysis. However, appendices that are not directly referenced in the main text will not be read. The limit also does not include the documentation from the non-profit confirming you volunteer activities. You should cite sources and interviews. Please use MLA formatting.
Grading:
Your group project will be evaluated on the following criteria:
a) Problem definition: How well (i.e., thoroughly and concisely) do you describe the organizational context, the relevant parties, and the factors that are important to the problem?
b) Accurate and thorough use of course concepts.
c) Integration of course concepts with information about the company and problem, i.e., how well do you integrate course concepts with information about the problem to illuminate the problem in a way that leads to solutions?
d) Extent to which recommendations are consistent with analysis and feasible (not expensive)
e) Quality of written analysis.
Video Project (Due Oct 31st by 11:59 pm) (75 points)
This is a team project. This project involves finding an interesting organizational phenomenon occurring in the real world and then finding out why it is occurring and tying it back to course concepts. You can either find something good (How does Buccee’s motivate their employees to clean the bathrooms? In my experience, it has been downright impossible to get an employee to clean a bathroom if the manager isn’t sitting on top of them. Yet, every time I am in Buccee’s there is an employee cleaning the bathroom.) Or find something that an organization is doing that is terrible but they are succeeding anyway (Why does everyone love a particular food trailer? (I’m making this up) Hasn’t anyone noticed that their stand doesn’t have running water?) Use the video to capture examples of the phenomenon and then video a couple of interviews that you think best capture why the phenomenon is occurring from a participants perspective. Remember to be respectful. Do not post these on social media. This is for class only. We are not trying to humiliate anyone. Finally, you should video a conversation or presentation by team members discussing which course concept best explains the phenomenon, why it works in this particular organization but might be problematic for other organizations, and what could change to either undo the phenomenon (good phenomenon) or improve the situation (bad phenomenon). You should clearly explain course concepts in their own right (so even your six year old sister could understand the concept) and then explain how the concept applies to this situation. The entire video should be no longer than 10 minutes.
Final Exam (250 points)
Your final will be a mix of case analysis and multiple choice. The exam will be emailed to you at the beginning of the exam time and is due at the end. Work alone. Your grade will be partly based on originality. In the case analysis, make sure to use course concepts, thoroughly define them, explain how they work and then how they apply to the situation. General questions will be included with the case material.
Disputing a Grade
Grades must be disputed in writing by presenting a clear argument for why your answer was correct based on course content. Cite course content in your argument with page numbers. All disputes must be submitted within 7 class days from the date upon which the grade was posted.
Administrative Policies
Classroom Professionalism Policy
The highest professional standards are expected of all members of the University community.
Faculty are expected to be professional and prepared to deliver value for each and every class session.
Students are expected to be professional in all respects.
Classroom expectations of students include:
· Students will arrive on time.
· Students will minimize unscheduled personal breaks.
· Students will be fully prepared for each class.
· Students will respect the views and opinions of their colleagues. Disagreement and debate are encouraged. Intolerance for the views of others is unacceptable.
· Plagiarism will not be tolerated and will be dealt with severely.
· Phones and wireless devices are turned off.
Students with Disabilities
Upon request, the University of Texas at Austin provides appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) is housed in the Office of the Dean of Students, located on the fourth floor of the Student Services Building. Information on how to register, downloadable forms, including guidelines for documentation, accommodation request letters, and releases of information are available online at http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/ssd/index.php. Please do not hesitate to contact SSD at (512) 471-6259, VP: (512) 232-2937 or via e-mail if you have any questions.
Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL)
If students are worried about someone who is acting differently, they may use the Behavior Concerns Advice Line to discuss by phone their concerns about another individual’s behavior. This service is provided through a partnership among the Office of the Dean of Students, the Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC), the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and The University of Texas Police Department (UTPD). Call 512-232-5050 or visit http://www.utexas.edu/safety/bcal.
The Honor Pledge: The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business requires each enrolled student to adopt the Honor System. The Honor Pledge best describes the conduct promoted by the Honor System. It is as follows:
"I affirm that I belong to the honorable community of The University of Texas at Austin Graduate School of Business. I will not lie, cheat or steal, nor will I tolerate those who do."