University of Puget Sound
Organizational Behavior (BUS 451A)
Spring 2006
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
10:00 – 10:50 a.m.
McIntyre Hall, Classroom 103
Important Information
Professor:Dr. Susan M. Stewart
School of Business and Leadership (SBL)
Office:McIntyre Hall, Room 108-B
Numbers:My Office Direct253-879-3569 SBL Direct253-879-3153
General Information253-879-3100 SBL Fax253-879-3156
Office Hours:Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 3:00 – 4:00 pm
All other times by appointment
Email:
Website:
Prerequisite:BUS 305 or permission of professor; or Psychology major or Communication Studies major
Support Staff:Eva McLaughlin () or Tami Hulbert ()
Liaison Librarian:Donna Bachmann ()
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Course Materials
Textbook:Hunsaker, P. (2005) Management: A Skills Approach,2nd Edition,Pearson/Prentice Hall, ISBN: 0131441868.
Good resource: the companion website for this textbook. It contains quizzes and useful supplements to provide assistance for classroom and exam preparation.
Other Readings:Throughout the semester, additional readings may be assigned. These readings will be available on the Internet, provided by the professor, or will be on reserve at the library. See for the Business Source Premier database. Also, I recommend, but do not require, a subscription to the Wall Street Journal. We will be using the Wall Street Journal, Barrons, HR Magazine, etc. as sources of current topics that relate to the course material. As a student of business, you should be reading these publications on a regular basis.
Computer:Access to a computer is necessary for completing assignments and for checking email messages from the professor and classmates (please make sure that your email address is up-to-date in the Cascade system). Computer labs are available on campus - please contact computer labs directly for hours and locations.
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Organizational Behavior – Syllabus – Page 1
Course Description
Most of the students in this course have taken BUS 305 – Principles of Management. In that course you learned about key management issues and concepts at the individual, group, and organizational levels. In this course, you will learn how to apply that knowledge by improving your management skills, using those models of behavior that we know to be successful. Repeatedly, employer surveys indicate that personal, interpersonal, and group skills are critical to the success of individuals in business. These skills can only be learned through practice and assessed through demonstration. Hence, students in this course will focus time and effort on practicing skills and analyzingbehavior to better understand and perfect theirabilities.
This experiential course is designed to allow you ample opportunity to practice skill building in a safe learning environment. Oral communication skills are assessed through role-plays, participation,and observations;and written skills through comprehensive writing assignments (these assignments will be flexible and allow you to develop skills in those areas in which you need the most development). I have minimized the use of traditional business cases on purpose because analyzing cases requires conceptual and analytical skills and they remove students too much from action. Since I want you to learn specific behaviors, there’s no substitute to actually practicing those behaviors. Here are a few of the areas in which we will develop effective skills:self-awareness, oral and written communications, interviewing, creative problem-solving, running effective meetings, planning and goal setting, resolving conflicts, coaching and disciplining employees, negotiating, and giving and receiving feedback.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students will:
- Learn personal, interpersonal, and group skills required for managerial success and practice them in a safe learning environment
- Become familiar with various types of management/leadership skills assessments
- Increase self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses through self-assessment activities and feedback from peers and the professor
- Learn how to co-manage the teaching/learning process
- Develop action plans for using management skills in real life situations
- Understand how displaying effective management skills affect business outcomes such as productivity, motivation, leadership, problem solving, and career advancement
- Enhance written and oral communication skills
Instructional Philosophy and Course Design
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” This famous quote, attributed to Confucius, is used frequently to support the value of learning through experiences. The saying has some truth to it, but contemporary research on learning suggests a more acute rephrasing would be: “I understand best when I hear, see, and do!”
To become competent at any skill, a person needs to understand it both conceptually and behaviorally, have opportunities to practice it, get feedback on how well he or she is performing the skill and use the skill often enough so it become integrated into his or her behavioral repertoire. Hence, this course has been designed to incorporate all of these learning dimensions, and demands much from students.
I have high expectations as to your capabilities, professionalism, and commitment to self improvement! In order for you to maximize your learning experience, you will need to prepare. Your responsibilities take place before class, in class, and after class:
Before ClassIn ClassAfter Class
Self-Assessment ExerciseModeling ExerciseApplication Questions
Skill ConceptsGroup ExerciseReinforcement Exercises
Concept QuizObserver Rating SheetsAction Planning
Behavioral ChecklistSummary Checklist
I have designed the course to maximize your interest and am committed to creating a positive learning environment in the classroom. It is divided into 3 parts and topics are organized together to assist you in learning the material. A copy of the overheads that will be used by the professor throughout the semester and other course materials are available via the class website at The website is protected and the user ID and password will be given out in class. Please print and bring the overheads to each class. The purpose of these slides is to help you structure the material presented in class as well as to decrease your writing load so that you can listen and think as well as participate. Please be aware that the slides are not a substitute for attending class and studying these slides is not sufficient for performing well on exams. I will use these slides to cover the chapter very briefly, and the emphasis in class will be on the development and practice of skills. The exams, however, will require in-depth knowledge of the material in your textbook as well as understanding how to apply the information (which will be learned via class assignments and activities).
This course will make use of electronic mail and the worldwide web. I assume that you have an email account, web browsing capability, and a word processor. The computer labs on campus contain these resources if you do not have them. Please make sure your email address is up-to-date in the Cascade system. I send important email messages to the class via that system and you are responsible for obtaining all such messages.
Student Participation
I am depending on your involvement in all aspects of the class in order to enhance it for everyone. Participation is an important component of this class. Much of your learning will take place during class discussions and activities with the professor, guest speakers, and peers. Thus, it is very important that you prepare ahead of class and participate in the discussion and demonstration of the material. I expect everyone to contribute to the class (more about this later in the syllabus). One way to plan for making contributions is to prepare questions or comments about each chapter or assignment that you want to have addressed during the class period. Formulate questions for the guest speakers based on the materials as well. Also, be willing to respond to the questions and comments of your classmates and colleagues.
Furthermore, most of you have had some kind of work or school experiences, and I strongly encourage you to volunteer comments whenever you see a connection between course material and your own experience. Don’t worry if your example seems far-removed or somehow silly; the examples are important for getting you used to applying course material to concrete situations. Your willingness to share your experiences makes the course more interesting and enjoyable for everyone. I want all students to meet other class members and guests, and to be very comfortable and involved. We all have different knowledge, skills, and experiences and we can all learn from one another! What you get out of the course is, however, ultimately up to you. If we both do our parts, this course will be a positive learning experience for all of us. Together we can make this a very delightful experience!
Exams
AssessingYour Knowledge ofManagementSkills
There will be 3 in-class examinations that correspond to each part of the class, as well as a comprehensive behavioral exam. The first 3exams (each worth 50 points) will be composed of questions from your textbook, including some of the true/false questions from the Concept Quizzes and some of the Application Questions for short answer essays. These exams will be closed book with no notes allowed. The last exam (worth 100 points) will be a videotaped comprehensive “behavioral exam” to evaluate your ability to exhibit the behaviors presented throughout the term. For this exam, you will come to class during the designated Final Exam Period and will be given 5 minutes to read a brief scenario and 20 minutes to complete some task in a group. The professor will then grade these videotaped discussions using a standardized sheet of desired behaviors.
You will be asked to complete an assessment form after Exam 1 (located on the course website) to provide insights to the professor and to yourself about this exam as well as your specific methods of preparation. The form is meant to assist you in evaluating and identifying effective and ineffective study habits so that you can make any needed changes before future exams (the professor will provide assistance if necessary).
If, for a university approved reason, you cannot take an exam at the scheduled time you must give me written notice at least one week in advance so that we can make other arrangements. If the situation does not allow for advance notification (for example, emergency hospitalization), contact me as soon as possible after a missed exam. Make-up exams for non-university approved reasons are not guaranteed. Failure to take any exam at the scheduled time will result in a score of zero for that exam.
Exam 1: Communicating
Interpersonal Communication(Chapter 3 & Appendix C)
Creative Problem Solving (Chapter 9)
Creating High Performance Teams (Chapter 14)
Exam 2: Motivating
Planning and Goal Setting (Chapter 7)
Developing People (Chapter 13)
Motivating Others (Chapter 17)
Exam 3: Leading
Evaluating and Controlling Behavior (Chapter 8)
Managing Conflict & Negotiations (Chapter 10)
Building a Power Base (Chapter 15)
Exam 4: Videotaped Behavioral Exam
Comprehensive covering all course material
Personal Application Papers
Reinforcing YourManagementSkill Development
You will complete10Personal Application Papersto further develop your present and future capabilities as managers. These papers are a key learning device for this class. They allow for individualized learning and reflection that is otherwise not possible in a class with 20 or more students. By writing these papers, you should learn to understand human and organizational behavior, and be better prepared to succeed in life and in your work. You could also think of these papers as a take home exam for each chapter covered.Sometimes students use these papers to explore issues of real personal relevance – so please note that only your professor will read the papers. They should each include:
- A record of your Self-Assessment Exercise score, including an assessment of areas for development and improvement. Be sure to carefully examine your results and think about what they mean for you. If you do not understand the meaning of your results, be sure to ask your classmates and professor for clarification.
- A personal assessment of your performance during the role play, including the key learning points for you from the exercise and class experiences.
- The Observer’s assessment of your performance (if available), including a list of which of your behaviors need improvement (note if they match thosehighlighted in points 1 and 2 above).
- Results from practicing one of the Reinforcement Exercises, including an analysis of your feelings, reactions, and observations.
- Responses to the Action Plan questions, with a particular focus on tying them to personal and/or career goals. Focus on the approaches and/or means for developing those areas for improvement highlighted in points 1-4 above. Provide target dates for completion and/or acquisition of the skills, experiences, etc. and the resources required for your development.
- Critique of class sessions on the topic addressed.
Each paper should be four tosix pages in length (double-spaced, 12 point font, 1 inch margins) and are worth 25 points. Papers will be graded primarily based upon the content of what is written using the scoring method outlined below. However, issues of form, such as sentence structure and spelling, will also enter into the grading if there are multiple indicators of poor writing skills. Overall, you will be expected to turn in Personal Application Papers in a form that is professional and businesslike. This means that you need to write competently and thoroughly proofread your documents. Do not write in a conversational tone – writing is different than speaking! To promote effective writing techniques, I encourage you to visit the UPSWritingCenter for assistance.
The due dates for the papers are included in the Course Outline later in this syllabus. Late papers will not be accepted. Personal Application Papers must be turned in at class on the due date. If you are unable to attend class on the day a paper is due, it may be emailed to the professor prior to the start of class. Papers turned in after it is collected in class or emailed to the professor after the start of class will receive 0 points.
Papers will be scored on a Check Plus/Check/Check Minus System. Students will score their own papers before submitting them by noting a Check Plus/Check/Check Minus on the last page of their papers. The professor will collect the papers and review them to confirm appropriate assignment of points. The professor’s score is final. Scores will be assigned on a three-tier scale as follows:
+ (=25 points): Paper is complete and the student clearly demonstrates a grasp of the
key concepts and provided in-depth responses with little to no writing issues.
(=12 points): Paper is somewhat complete but indicates the student may not fully
grasp the key concepts, did not provide in-depth responses, or had moderate writing issues.
(=0 points): Did not turn it in, did not turn it in on time, or did not grasp the concepts at all.
Experts For The Day Team Presentation
Role Playing Management Skills
Your team assignment in this course is an Experts For The Day presentation worth 100 points (80 points for presentation and 20 points from peer evaluations). This assignment has three major purposes. The first is for you to gain experience applying management concepts and theories to specific content and situations. The second is for you to experience the group process firsthand as you work to achieve the outcomes assigned to your team. This will give you an arena or laboratory to extensively practice the skills that we will be studying in this class. Finally, you will gain experience being an “expert” while showing how to use a skill very effectively to an audience of peers. This demonstration should resemble a professional training session for employees in an organization.
Experts For The Day team presentations will be scheduled throughout the semester and will correspond to the topics that are being discussed during that time. It is expected that all presentations last for 50 minutes(allowing time to receive feedback) and that all team members are active participants. Please arrive early for class on the day of your presentation. If you have special technology needs (e.g., want to have internet access, sound, or need a zip drive, etc.), let the professor know well in advance. Each Expert For The Day team presentation will be graded in the order presented. Team members will evaluate all other members of their team using a Peer Evaluation Form (provided on course website) to have some control over individual’s grades on this project, so loafing and free riding will be “rewarded” appropriately! Each individual’s final grade on the presentation will be a combination of the team grade provided by the professor (who will utilize the Observer Rating Sheets completed by classmates as criteria),and the average score of thepeer evaluations provided by team members.