Faculty Contact Information:
Instructor: Dr. Brett Hamilton
Email Address: bhamilto@faculty.ed.umuc.edu, Novantiq@aol.com
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Consultation:
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Tel and Fax: 06434-6222 (1100 hrs - 2100 hrs, 7 days)
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Required Texts and Readings:
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Text used exclusively in this course:
Cummings, T. G. & Worley, C. G. (2005). Organization development and change. (8th ed.). Mason, OH: Thomson-South Western.
Texts used in multiple courses:
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington DC: Author
Ott, J. S., Parkes, S. J. & Simpson, R. B. (2003). Classic readings in organizational behavior (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
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Supplementary Readings:
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All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library at www.ed.umuc.edu/library . The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students' research and writing skills.
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Recommended Journals:
A variety of full-text, online, free-of-charge and pay-per-view academic journals are listed on the UMUC online library. The Journal of Organizational Behavior is especially useful in this course.
Leadership Quarterly
Journal of Communication
Academy of Management Review
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
Management Review
Harvard Business Review
Journal of Organizational Behavior
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Course Description:
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Prerequisites: MGMT 511 and MGMT 571. This course is designed to provide an understanding of the underlying theory of organization change through planned intervention; to explore how various change strategies can be applied to problems involving people in open systems; and to analyze successful approaches and techniques in organization development, to include materials, techniques, designs, current issues, and practices. Other topics covered in the course will include the understanding of the organization as a system, functions of a professional OD practitioner, OD entry strategies, organization assessment and diagnosis, collecting and analyzing diagnostic information, designing OD interventions, leading and managing change, as well as ethical implications of OD and OD in global settings.
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Course Goals:
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As an advanced course in the Management Track of the MPA, this course builds on theories and concepts from earlier courses (MGMT511 and MGMT571)and provides the student with tools and strategies to deal with organizational change. The course emphasizes the need to use human resources in an effective manner to achieve organizational goals.
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Course Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to:
- Analyze and diagnose organizations in need of planned change using concepts from the literature on organization development (OD).
- Apply theoretical perspectives to practical problems in OD.
- Investigate current issues and best practices in OD.
- Utilize electronic resources to find primary source documents, data, statements on best practices, and research articles related to issues in OD.
- Develop and present viable intervention strategies and policy recommendations relating to OD issues.
- Recognize and be sensitive to ethical concerns in OD and OD in global settings.
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Grading Information:
Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:
A 92%
B 80 – 91%
C 70 – 79%
F Below 70%
Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade F is used to designate academic failure. F(n) is used to designate failure for non-completion. Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC-Europe policies. For further details, please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog. Hard copies of the catalog are available in your local Education Center.
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Course Requirements:
Graduate school at the masters level focuses on helping students obtain the education needed for success as professionals in their chosen fields. Thus, UMUC-Europe Graduate Programs and Bowie State University share the common goals of promoting excellence in academic scholarship through thoughtful inquiry and the skillful application of knowledge and theory for the betterment of society. In order to maximize your graduate educational experience in general and this course in particular, you are required to:
Participate in classroom discussions 15%
Write graduate level papers or case studies 30%
Orally/visually present prepared material 5%
Complete one or more written examination(s) 50%
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Description of Course Requirements:
Successful graduate students in American universities dedicate approximately three hours of preparation/study time for every hour spent in the face-to-face classroom. Thus, the following course requirements were developed on the assumption that students would be prepared to spend approximately 150 hours of their own time working on them. In an 8-week term, that is the equivalent of a half-time job. Most 14-week graduate distance education courses require at least 10 hours per week of dedicated time, plus time spent in the virtual classroom.
Participate in classroom discussions: You are expected to come to class prepared to engage in all discussions in a professional and informed manner.
Write graduate level papers or case studies: You are required to conduct professional-level research, including appropriately citing works of others and avoiding plagiarism. Resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC, UMUC-Europe or BSU), partially or in its entirety, is not acceptable in this course and will result in an automatic failure on the assignment. Moreover, all students are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with current UMUC-Europe/BSU standards regarding plagiarism, as all class papers are subject to being sent to turnitin.com for authentication.
Orally/visually present prepared material: You are required to present your research in a professional manner. In a face-to-face course, this typically means an oral presentation accompanied by appropriate visual material. In a DE class, this means creating a visual/textual presentation for your instructor and classmates.
Complete one or more written examination(s): The examination process in this class will assist you in developing the writing and critical thinking skills necessary to successfully passing the comprehensive exam required of all graduate students. The questions used for this course will either be taken directly from past comprehensive exams or written as though to be included on a comprehensive exam.
Term Project: A term project in the form of a term paper of 10-13 pages length should address an organizational problem and proposed intervention strategy. This "Proposal for an Intervention" to solve a real-world problem we can do even though the time is short. We will want to identify an appropriate organization development issue wherein an OD intervention could be usefully applied. Based on our work in class and our readings we will prepare a proposal for an intervention to be implemented by YOU as change agent.
Selected Case Studies and readings will be announced and processed in class and supported by a one page analysis for turn in (to be announced.)
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Course Schedule:
Term 3, 4 February-13 March 2008
NOTE: Weekly, Regular Conference Participation is Critical for a Successful Experience in This Class. I'm looking forward to "seeing" you in our virtual classroom!
WEEK 1: 4-10 February 2008
Readings: Cummings and Worley (hereafter C&W).
PART 1: OVERVIEW OF ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT-Chapters 1-3, pp. 1-70.
Readings: Ott. Overcoming Resistance to Change by Lester Coch and John R.P.French Jr. Pp.447-460.
WEEK 2: 11-17 February 2008
Readings: C&W. PART 2: THE PROCESS OF ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT - Chapters 4-6, pp. 71-113.
Readings: Ott.
Group Decision and Social Change by Kurt Lewin. Pp.461-465.
Intervention Theory and Methods by Chris Argyris, Pp. 466-470.
Begin consideration for term project topic.
Quiz on chapters 1-3.
WEEK 3: 18-24 February 2008
Readings: C&W. PART 2: THE PROCESS OF ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT (Continued) - Chapters 7,8, pp. 114-142.
Readings: Ott.
Change: The New Metaphysics by Warren Bennis. Pp.492-496.
Social Influences on Work Effectiveness. by Porter, Lawler and Hackman. Pp.345-357.
Begin to focus on topic for term project and presentation.
WEEK 4: 24 February-2 March 2008
Readings: C&W. PART 2: THE PROCESS OF ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT (Continued) - Chapters 9-11, pp. 143-200.
Readings: Ott.
Organization Theory and Structural Perspectives on Management. by Jeffrey Pfeffer. Pp. 358-366.
Quiz on chapter 4-6.
WEEK 5: 3-9 March 2008
Readings: C&W. PART 3: HUMAN PROCESS INTERVENTIONS - Chapters 12, 13, pp. 216-263.
Case Studies and readings to be announced.
Midterm Quiz over chapters 1-11.
WEEK 6: 10-16 March 2008
Readings: C&W. PART 4: TECHNOSTRUCTURAL INTERVENTIONS
Chapters 14-16, pp. 274-358.
Selection of Topic for Term Paper and Presentation
In-class Case Studies assigned (possible joint presentations) for class discussion and analysis.
WEEK 7: 17-23 March 2008
Readings: C&W. PART 5: HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT INTERVENTIONS
Chapters 17, 18, pp. 366-433.
Assigned case studies presented and discussed.
WEEK 8: 24-30 March 2008
Readings: C&W. PART 6: STRATEGIC CHANGE INTERVENTIONS - Readings: C&W. Chapters 19, 20, pp. 446-513.
WEEK 9: 31 March-6 April 2008
Readings: C&W. PART 7: SPECIAL APPLICATIONS OF ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT - Chapters 21-23, pp. 534-627.
WEEK 10: 7-13 April 2008
Term Project Presentations and Discussion
Final Exam
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Academic Policies:
The University has a license agreement with Turnitin.com, a service that helps prevent plagiarism from internet resources. I may be using this service in this class by either requiring students to submit their papers electronically to Turnitin.com or by submitting questionable text on behalf of a student. If you or I submit part or all of your paper, it will be stored by Turnitin.com in their database throughout the term of the University's contract with Turnitin.com. If you object to this temporary storage of your paper, you must let me know no later than two weeks after the start of this class. Please Note: If you object to the storage of your paper on Turnitin.com, I may utilize other services to check your work for plagiarism.
The official university policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty can be found at http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15025.shtml. Section I.C. states: "Faculty may determine if the resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC), partially or in its entirety, is acceptable when assigning a grade on that piece of course work. Faculty must provide this information in their written syllabi. If the resubmission of course work is deemed to be unacceptable, a charge may not be brought under this Policy and will be handled as indicated in the written syllabi."
Please refer to Description of Course Requirements for specific information on how resubmissions will be treated in this course and to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog for information on the following:
Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
Nondiscrimination
Students with Disabilities
Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center.
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Faculty Bio:
Dr. Hamilton has delivered training and development services to civilian, military and academic organizations in the United States, Europe and the Middle East.
He assisted in the design of training for aerospace flight and ground crews; developed and directed training programs; and conducted educational program assessments.
He has taught for the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Maryland University College, Boston University and the Army Management Staff College.
For the University of Maryland, University College he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in management theory, organizational behavior, research and evaluation methods, organization development (OD), communication, and conflict management.
His doctoral research at UCLA experimentally investigated key variables in the stage theory of Piaget which are normally used to assess cognitive development in children. While working at Mattel Toys, Inc., he created educational toys and products. At UCLA he conducted research into instructional programming variables in the construction and assessment of computer assisted learning programs.
His work history includes training research and development with Thiokol Chemical Corporation, McDonnell-Douglas Space Systems Center, Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools, Kettering Foundation, Mattel Toys, Inc., International Training Consultants, the American Postal Corporation, and FranklinCovey Europe.
Now living in Germany, Dr. Hamilton provides services in change management, professional skills development, and instructional system design. He completed both undergraduate work in Psychology and graduate work in Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology at UCLA.
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