UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

Maryland in Europe Distance Education Programs

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Instructor: Dr. Kathy J Boyd

Consultation: As this course is taught entirely online, we will conduct all communication via email and WebTycho. My email address to use is kboyd@faculty.ed.umuc.edu. Between the middle of January and the middle of March, I will be working from my home in Lyon France. You may phone me at +33-478-93-97-47. I do not yet know where I will be physically located the last 7 weeks of class but I will keep you informed.

Course Description: This course is an advanced introduction to theory, research, and change of strategy of behavior in organizations. Among the most effective ways of learning about human behavior is through the application of theories through group work, discussion, exercises and case studies. Success is most likely in learning situations where there is collaboration, interaction, informality and mutual respect. Online courses can serve as an excellent medium for such learning situations.

Topics covered will include conflict and negotiation; global organizational behavior; group behavior and process; leadership, power and politics; managers and organizational behavior; motivation and reward systems; organizational communication; organizational culture; organizational development and change; and stress in the work place.

Objectives: This course enables students to analyze and understand:

1. The principle theories of behavior in organizations
2. The relationship between the theories of individual and group behavior to organizational performance
3. A working philosophy of organizational behavior which will enable the student to manage and lead more effectively
4. The importance of both written and oral skills

Participation: Any class in organizational behavior depends upon the active participation of everyone involved – an online class in org behavior is not different, unless maybe that it is even more important to be actively and continuously engaged in the class discussions, projects and activities.

Webliography: Increasingly, graduate students and practicing professionals are relying upon the World Wide Web to provide them with the data and resource materials for research projects, white papers, proposals, etc. However much of the material available on the Web is not considered as acceptable "academic quality" literature. As a class, we will construct a webliography of sites that can be used as the primary research documents for papers in Organizational Behavior.

Research Paper: Research and writing is the primary activity of an academic discipline and is central to the development of graduate level knowledge. Each of you will develop a major research major that draws primarily upon the materials available to you in the Ott reader and through the class Webliography project.

Exam: Finally, the class will culminate in a ‘take-home exam’ which requires you to develop answers to questions similar to those found on the MPA Comprehensive Exam.

Jan 22-Jan 28: Introduction to OB

• Make contact with the professor via WebTycho
• Introduce yourselves and welcome one another to the classroom
• Read and discuss Chapter One of Robbins

Jan 29-Feb 25: Module 1 – The Individual

• Begin Webliography project
• Discuss topics assigned in Chapters 2-7 of Robbins
• Identify Research paper topics

Feb 26-Mar 9: Module 2A – The Group (part A)

• Conclude Webliography project
• Discuss topics assigned in Chapters 8 & 9 of Robbins
• Begin study groups

Mar 10-Mar 23: Break

Mar 24-Apr 8: Module 2B – The Group (part B)

• Discuss topics assigned in Chapters 10-13 in Robbins
• Conclude study group project
• Submit drafts of research papers

Apr 9-May 6: Module 3 – The Organization System and Organizational Dynamics

• Discuss topics assigned in Chapters 14-18 in Robbins
• Finalize and submit research papers

May 7-May 11: Exam

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