Maryland in Europe Graduate Programs
Bowie State University

Organizational Behavior
MGMT511
Sect 5390 Sem 0209
Term 2 (Nov 4, 2002 - Mar 7, 2003)
Distance Education

 

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Brett B. Hamilton
Email: NOVANTIQ@aol.com
Phone: 0049-6434-6222

CONSULTATION:  I prefer to be contacted at my email address, NOVANTIQ@aol.com, but will attempt to return personal calls to my home at 0049-6434-6222 within 24 hours.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course introduces basic concepts of formal organizations. Students review current conceptual models of organizational behavior, examine methods used to study organizations and analyze research in the field. While we critically analyze literature which deals with "what is" in organizational life, we also focus on "what should be" in order for people to derive maximum satisfaction in meeting organizational and personal development goals. Students may not receive credit for both MGMT 511 and MGMT 501.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS

Robbins, S. P. (2001). Organizational behavior (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Ott, S. J. (1996). Classical readings in organizational behavior (2nd ed.). Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace.Ou
 

SUPPLEMENTARY READING:

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition. (2001). Washington DC: American Psychological Association.   -- Explanation:
The APA citation style, or variations on it, has become the standard for most professional journals, regardless of discipline. Maryland in Europe Graduate Programs
has adopted a policy to require this style guide for all student papers. For PA students, the book is now required reading in PUAD502 - Qualitative Research
Methods and supplementary reading for all other courses. This policy is meant to enhance student writing, encourage standard scholarly citations in all student
papers, and discourage plagiarism.

If you have already taken PUAD502, you have probably been introduced to the basic concepts of the style guide but you may not have bought the 5th Edition. If
you are nearly finished with your degree program, you might be able to "fake it" through your last few courses without the book. If you are relatively new to the
program, I recommend you buy the book and start using it for every class.

A working copy of a document titled "The APA Way: A tutorial for the Master of Arts in Administrative Management - Public Administration", dated April 2002 is
available at http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~kboyd/APA-PA.htm. The document is under revision and will be updated periodically.

FRAMEWORK OF THE COURSE

Our stylistic approach in this class will be to identify topics for discussion in our virtual classroom which arise from our readings, outside internet and library research and our class interaction. We shall learn from one another and have the flexibility to reorganize some of what we have planned depending on what emerges within our classroom. Participation in the classroom is critical to effective learning and enjoyment in a course like this. A fair amount of theory is reviewed and there is an academic requirement to understand the models we review so that we may apply these conceptual frameworks to real world issues. Three papers will be assigned (4-5 pages each) on topics supporting our study. Group work will be occasionally required for selected activities. A term project will target an actual challenge you select from your organizational environment, past or present, where you will serve as a management consultant or change manager serving an organization. You will analyze the issue and support your decisions and responsive interventions through application of theory and research findings. The 10-13 page report format will meet APA Publication Manual guidelines and would be appropriate for submission as a report to higher management.

The field of Organizational Behavior can be accessed from several points of view but we have selected our textbook and classic readings to support the idea that OB " .. is a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups, and structure have on behavior within organizations for the purpose of applying such knowledge toward improving an organization's effectiveness." (Robbins, 2001, p. 6).

We also realize there are two different and distinct meanings we should keep in mind. As Stephen Ott pointed out in his introduction:

"Organizational behavior is the actual behavior of individuals and groups in and around purposeful organization. It is the application of the theories, methods, and research findings of the behavioral sciences---particularly of psychology, social psychology, sociology, cultural anthropology, and to a lesser degree of economics and political science---to understanding the behavior of humans in organizations." (Ott, 1996, p.1)

On the other hand,

" ... organizational behavior is one of several frameworks or perspectives on what makes an organization work. A perspective defines the organizational variables that are important enough to warrant the attention of managers and students of organizations. Perspectives identify what a person sees when looking at an organization and, therefore, almost prescribes what levers to use when trying to change or stabilize an organization. But a perspective is more than a way of seeing and approaching an organization. It is also a set of bedrock beliefs and values about, for example, the basic purposes for organizations, their fundamental right to existence, the nature of their links to the surrounding environment, and---most important for organizational behavior---the whole of their relationships with the people who work in them. " (Ott, 1996, p.2)

One logical approach to our studies is to identify and study the unit elements and variables we are going to be working with and only then to proceed to their myriad interactions. We will first focus on the individual and the issues surrounding personal abilities, perception, motivation, attitudes and values. Second, we will move on to investigate group behavior and processes and third, we will look into ways of analyzing organizational systems and structures. Additionally, we will address structural alternatives, organizational change processes, organizational culture, and emerging issues of increasing diversity in the workplace.

Obviously, these conceptually neat areas are neat only in our heads. The focus areas interact with one another continually and at any given time a mitigating or contingency factor may, itself, become the unit of focus. So we will have to do a bit of adjusting and shifting back and forth in our perspectives. Our purpose here is to identify the elements at play in organizations and how they interact dynamically depending on a host of factors which, although they do interact, are to a large extent accessible through the tools developed in the participating disciplines of psychology, social psychology, sociology, cultural anthropology, economics and political science.

Throughout our tour of study here I intend to zero in to what I call the "so-what-factor" for the manager. This course takes us through considerable theory but I would like to target the constructs in an applied way. For example, after completing this course I would hope that, as a supervisor or manager of people, you could analyze your organizational challenges from a larger perspective, and make high quality (dare I suggest "career enhancing"..?) decisions. When you choose to DO something in a particular situation, it will be either to get desired behavior which has not been happening to start happening, or to stop unwanted behavior from continuing, or to prepare an organizational climate to adapt to planned change. Even though we will actively be reviewing the behavioral science research literature to understand the dynamics of organizational behavior, our ongoing concern in this course will be for developing our understanding and skills in managerial leadership.

We shall read the Robbins textbook chapters sequentially, but on a parallel track we will be reading the studies in the Ott collection out-of-sequence. We shall also visit web sites and view supplemental material which I will post.
 
 

GENERAL COURSE GOALS

To gain knowledge, integrate ideas, and master the principal theories of behavior in organizations through participation in discussion, reading of research and analysis of case studies.

To synthesize concepts from such diverse fields such as motivation, communication, conflict management, leadership, and organizational culture in framing organizational challenges.

To evaluate various leadership and behavioral styles for relevance to positions in management and administration, preparing a personal vision for implementation in our own leadership roles.
 

Upon Completion of the Course Students Should

1. Describe the manager's role as a change agent in dealing with organizational change, whether recommending, initiating or implementing change.

2. Utilize knowledge of the management literature in the analysis of case studies.

3. Describe how organizational behavior concepts help us to solve problems at the level of the organization, the group, and the individual.

4. Identify structural factors which tend to inhibit or facilitate organizational effectiveness depending upon the nature of the organizational culture, the product and environmental circumstances.

5. Suggest strategies to deal with resistance to change.

6. Identify managerial behaviors which facilitate effectiveness in decision making.

7. Explain what is meant by contingency theories of leadership and leadership style.

8. Describe several behavioral modification strategies.

9. Show an understanding of interpersonal issues by analyzing case studies and providing potential solutions to problem issues of motivation, attitudinal conflict, and skill development among culturally or ethnically diverse groups.

OK, that's the target. Now here's our strategy for getting us there. The concept flow of the course is provided here in Modules:
 
 

Module One -- Introduction to OB

Module Two -- Focus on the Individual

Sample Issues: perception, values, motivation, personality and job satisfaction

Module Three -- Focus on the Group

Sample Issues: group behavior, teams, leadership, power bases, conflict and negotiation

Module Four -- Focus on the Organizational System

Sample Issues: structure, work design , Human Resource Management practices, organizational culture

Module Five -- Focus on Organizational Dynamics

Sample Issues: Organizational change, stress management

SCHEDULE

NOTE: The syllabus and schedule/assignment breakdown shown here is our working assumption for the course but I reserve the right to change or modify it at any time during the course! Students are expected to check the schedule of assignments weekly in the Syllabus area of the virtual classroom. I will make every effort to alert students in the Announcement area for changes that I make, but students are responsible for staying abreast of possible changes
 
 
 

Course Week	Session Dates	Readings, Assignments, and Due Dates
1	4 Nov 02	Introductions and bios  Chapter 1 Robbins  Webtycho Tour  Library Tour (ongoing)
2	11 Nov 02	Chapters 2,3 Robbins  Appendix B (page 594)  Ott: "Introduction" and "The Hawthorne Experiments" Pp.1-56 Topic Choice for Paper #1 NLT 17 Nov Study Group Assignments
3	18 Nov 02	Chapters 4,5 Robbins  Ott: "Effects of Group Pressure Upon .." (Pp.312-319) and "Groupthink: .." Pp.344-351. Paper #1 due 24 NLT 24 Nov
4	25 Nov 02	Chapters 6,7 Robbins  Case Study #1 (to be announced) Topic Choice for Paper #2 NLT 1 Dec Ott: Pp.57-101.
5	2 Dec 02	Chapter 8 Robbins  Chapter II Ott Pp.111-161. Appendix A (Robbins)
6	9 Dec 02	Chapter 9 Robbins Study Group Presentations Paper #2 due NLT 8 Dec
7	16 Dec 02	Chapters 1-9 Robbins Review Appendix A, Robbins  Mid-term exam
Term Break	23 Dec - 17 Jan 03	Please use this time to rejuvenate and catch up!
		WELCOME BACK !! Shall we hit the ground running?
8	18 Jan 02	Chapters 10,11 Robbins  Ott: Chapter III, VI Topic Choice for Paper #3 NLT 26 Jan
9	27 Jan 02	Chapters 12,13 Robbins Ott: Chapter VII
10	3 Feb 02	Chapters 14,15 Robbins Paper #3 due NLT 9 Feb Case Study #2 Ott: Chapter IV
11	10 Feb 02	Chapter 16, 17 Robbins
12	17 Feb - 23 Feb 02	Chapter 18 Robbins
13-14	24 Mar - 7 Mar 02	Chapters 1-18 Robbins (Review) Final exam

 

EXAMINATIONS

Midterm and final examinations will be in essay and short answer format. Extensive support materials are available for this course and our textbook in particular so I will provide Self-Study and Extra-Credit options in our Content Area in the virtual classroom. This feature has proved quite popular in the past, because it addresses our text material explicitly in a structured way.
 
 

GRADING CRITERIA
 

Assignments 15% Reports and Case Analyses: (5 @ 15 pts each)	75 points
Study Questions 10% (14 @ 8 pts per week, 12 bonus)	50 points
Exams 35% (Midterm 15% .. 75 pts) (Final 20% .. 100 pts)	175 points
Term Project 20% Consulting Activity -- Analysis of Organizational Problem	100 points
Conference Participation 20% In-class topic/case discussions  (14 Weeks @ 8 points per week, 12 points bonus)	100 points
TOTAL	500 points

 

GRADING SCALE
 

90% or higher of points available	= A
80-89% of points available	= B
70-79% of points available	= C
Below 70% of points available	= D

 

Contact With Me

Our virtual week goes from Monday through Sunday. I am not usually available on Sundays. Occasionally, I'm required to be out of town and may be away from my computer, but when this happens I'll let you know my leaving and returning dates. I usually return email within 48 hours. Please, when you respond to me, use your email Reply option and include our last message exchange so I will know right away what we are talking about. I'll do the same for you. Please don't assume that I'll remember everything we said--you may have to remind me what we were discussing or what was said!

Participation

I would like everyone to participate regularly, at least 2 to 3 times a week. You should plan on participating just as though you are having an ongoing conversation. This means that you may want to check the conference a few times a week and respond to what you see there and engage others in a simulated dialogue. Use the Sort by Date and Author features as well as the "Read All Notes" button to help you speed through the new postings. Please "talk" to one another during the week as well as to me when you are addressing any topical discussions we have. It's impossible to have much of a thoughtful conversation if everyone saves participation in the discussion for late Sunday night.

Submitting Assignments

Please submit your assignments in HTML, RTF, or plain text when they are due. You may post them to the Assignment Area (or send them as attachments to email).

Please keep copies of all assignments that you send to me and all that I return to you with my comments. If you revise an assignment, please send your original with my comments, along with the revised assignment, in the same email. Note that you have revised the assignment and what you think you did to improve the original.

Keeping track of your returned assignments is your responsibility, as I don't keep copies. I ALWAYS try to respond to all assignments, so if you don't hear from me within 3 days, please send me an email to verify that I received it. Don't just resend or resubmit the assignment, inquire. Also, please don't wait too long.

What about late assignments?

Each assignment has an associated due date. Should a submission come in a day late, the grade will drop a half-point (for example, a B paper would move into B- territory). Each subsequent two-day late period drops the grade a full point before assessing the quality of the work itself. Thus, an A paper becomes an A- after one late day. Within three late days it becomes a B, within five late days it becomes a C, and so on. Special circumstances will be reviewed by me within the guidelines of established UMUC DE policies. To avoid all this heartburn please let me know before a due date about any special problems.

Why So Tough??

The late assignment penalties are tough because ...

• The quality of your own learning experience is usually endangered with late submissions
• The quality of your group's work is also usually adversely affected

The "real-world" is unforgiving of late work. Better said, it is downright punishing! So we might as well practice here.

Missing Students Policy .. No Shows?

If class members don't surface in the first few days, I must know if they have overslept big time or dropped out. Along with my shepherding responsibilities I must establish minimum requirements for class membership.

During the first two days of class I send an email to all members as a welcome greeting asking for RSVP within the first five days of class. If I don't receive a reply within the five days, I send a more pointed email to establish contact. Students who do not show within the first two weeks of class will be dropped from the course.

A Few Ground Rules

Let's try to find a quality of interaction in this course that models what you would expect in a professional working environment which has public and personal interchange of human information.

Some issues come quickly to mind:

• Professional courtesy at all times and at all levels of communication among and between all participants (including the instructor, of course!). Please refer to the guidelines for UMUC online conduct
• Timely participation in course assignments. "Timely" is an interesting notion in our asynchronous, virtual classroom, and it will no doubt mean different things to different students. My hope is that you will choose to stay abreast of assignments as much as possible, especially since the value of your contribution (and your developing grasp of the course material) will be greatly influenced by your presence in the flow of topical discussion.
• Spaced participation. Don't try to "get in under the deadline" date with an enormous surge of white-hot creativity and industry, which, under other circumstances would get you a medal, but under these circumstances leads to heartburn and (Lo!) an inevitably lower grade because part of your grade is determined by the degree and quality of participation and the group has lost the synergistic benefit resulting from your inputs! Try to keep up daily, but shoot for a minimum of 3 times a week.
• Be prepared to participate in small group processes. It's fun and it's what we are asked to do in our professional lives. More and more in our developing consciousness of our work demands, the "how" is becoming the "what".

I prefer to be contacted at my email address, NOVANTIQ@aol.com, but will attempt to return personal calls to my home at 0049-6434-6222 within 24 hours.