Course Syllabus

Course Title

Organizational Behavior

Course Number

MGT140

Term

0217

Instructor Contact

Course Description

An overview of group dynamics, organizational leadership, teamwork, motivation, and conflict resolution. The managerial functions of planning, organizing, controlling, and motivating employees are examined.

Prerequisite(s)

None

Corequisite(s)

None

Credit Hours

4 credits

Clock Hours/Quarter

Lecture: 40 hours     Lab: 0 hours     Total Clock Hours: 40

Out of Class: 80 hours

Delivery Method

Distance Learning

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Explain the role that leadership plays in group dynamics
• Describe the development of organizational leadership theories and the major theoretical approaches to leadership
• Discuss approaches for stimulating employee motivation
• Explain how leadership and delegation are important to accomplishing organizational goals
• Discuss approaches for building teamwork and community among employees
• Demonstrate an understanding of successful methods for conflict resolution
• Explain the role of diversity within an organization and the challenges and opportunities it presents 

Instructional Materials and References

Nelson, D. L. & Quick, J. C. (2015). ORGB. (4th ed.). Stamford: CT: Cengage.

Recommended Texts & Readings

Library Resources: The College online database, LIRN (http://www.lirn.net/), is available on campus or off-site to students and faculty. This resource tool provides current, scholarly articles and information in all academic subject areas. Visit the Library for more information. Computers are available in the College Library as well as other references and periodicals.

Out of Class Learning Activities & Assignments

At least two hours of outside reading and/or preparation are required for each classroom lecture period of not less than 50 minutes. At least one hour of outside reading and/or preparation is required for each classroom lab period of not less than 50 minutes. Specific learning activities and assignments are provided by the instruction.

Instructional Methods

• The following methods may be utilized to facilitate learning:  Threaded discussions, lessons, quizzes, and assignments.
• Although every attempt will be made by the instructor to cover assigned material in class, the student is responsible for all materials listed in the syllabus.

General Course Policies

1. Student conduct: All persons associated with the College are expected to abide by a school-wide honor system which is based on high standards of academic, personal, and ethical conduct. Such conduct extends to language, behavior, and overall demeanor inside the facilities, on the campus grounds, and in off-campus learning settings, be they professional or academic. Students can expect to be treated in a professional manner by fellow students, faculty and staff. Students are also expected to treat fellow students, faculty and staff in the same professional manner.

Additional information on the Student Conduct policy can be found in the College Catalog.

2. Academic Integrity: The College enforces the highest standards of academic integrity, both to preserve the value of the education offered and to prepare students to become productive members of the workforce.

It is considered a breach of the Academic Integrity policy for students to employ any form of deception in the completion of academic work, including but not limited to:

• Copying or attempting to copy work, ideas, or projects from any other person or media
• Allowing another person to copy or borrow original work in any form
• Allowing another person to copy answers on a quiz or test or to communicate with another person during a quiz or a test
• Providing answers for a quiz or test to others after having taken said quiz or test
• Representing the work of another team member as one's own
• Committing plagiarism in any form, including failing to give credit to the source of   thoughts, words, ideas, or work from any other person, printed material, or web site

When a violation of the Academic Integrity policy occurs, disciplinary action will be taken. Students found in violation of the Academic Integrity policy may be required to meet with the Academic Dean. Depending on the severity of the violation or repeated occurrences, violations may result in an "F" grade for an assignment, project, assessment, or the course itself, or may result in dismissal from the College. Violations of the Academic Integrity Policy are documented and made a permanent part of a student's record. Students should see the Academic Dean with questions about the Academic Integrity policy.

All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review through Gramarly.com for the detection of plagiarism.

3. Attendance and Participation: Attendance and participation is essential to academic success. In online courses attendance is defined as participation in the class or otherwise engaging in academically-related activity, such as contributing to online discussion; submitting an assignment; or taking a quiz or exam. In online courses, attendance is reported semi-weekly for each class.  Once for participation Monday through Wednesday, and once for participation Thursday through Sunday.

4. Late work: It is important that students maintain the proper pace in this course. For that reason, assignments and other coursework are expected to be submitted on time.

Official Policy Regarding Discussion Questions:

     A.  Students are expected to post a minimum of 3 times in each graded threaded topic.  

1. Students shall post their initial response for each discussion thread no later than Wednesday at 11:59pm each week. Initial discussion posts should be approximately 70-100 words. Initial posts for discussions submitted after the due date and before the end date of the week will be graded according to the Discussion Post Rubric. 
2. Students are expected to respond to a minimum of two other students in each discussion with two to three substantially meaningful sentences. Posts such as "wow, that's a great post", "excellent post, thank you", will be given zero credit. Students' reply posts to other students' or instructor’s threads are due Sunday at 11:59pm.  During week five, all posts will be due by Friday at 11:59pm

     B. Late posts will not be accepted after the week they were assigned.

Official Policy for Assignments, Quizzes, and Exams”

     A.  All assignments, quizzes, and exams in each module are due the last day of the module at 11:59pm.

     B.  Late work will receive a 20 percent late penalty.

     C.  Late work will not be accepted after 11:59pm on the last day of the course.

5. Civility/Incivility: Students are expected to conduct themselves in a civil manner that contributes to a positive learning environment for all. Civility in education is vital to creating a sustainable community of learning and caring.  Civility “requires tolerating, listening, and discussing differing viewpoints without acrimony, violence, or personal attacks” (Clark, 2013, p. 9). “Civility is the ability to treat others with dignity and honor, and to respect and discuss differences” (Clark, 2013, p. 9). Incivility is defined as “rude or disruptive behaviors which often result in psychological or physiological distress for the people involved – and if left unaddressed, may progress into threatening situations” (Clark, 2013, p 12).  Some examples of uncivil behaviors include, but are not limited to:  the use of belittling or derogatory communication, intimidation, being rude, bullying, and non-supporting or any other disrespectful action towards another individual.

The following are guiding principles to create and sustain an environment of civility. Each student will:

• Support and maintain a safe and caring environment in which all students can engage in respectful and caring communication, including social media.
• Foster an environment of kindness, courtesy, and inclusiveness through words, tone and conduct.
• Be responsible and accountable for his/her own behavior and communication.
• Consciously appreciate and honor the diversity of everyone in the learning community.
• Maintain an attitude of approachability and value all dialogue that is constructive and conducive to learning.
• Subscribe to the generally acceptable use of netiquette.*

Expectations: In order to achieve the expected course outcomes, students are required to know and understand the following:

• Students may vary in their competency levels on course outcomes.
• Students can expect to achieve these outcomes only if they honor all course policies, attend class regularly, complete all assigned work in good faith and on time, and meet all other course expectations of you as students.

*Rules of etiquette that applies when communicating over computer networks, especially the internet. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/netiquette

Reference: Nilson, L. B. (2010). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors. 3^rd. ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Topical Outline

A breakdown of the course into its major topics with specific learning objectives, including instructor and student activities that support those objectives

Week One

Organizational Behavior and Opportunity

Challenges for Managers

Chapter 1

• Human behavior in organizations
• Behavior in times of change
• The organizational context
• The formal and informal organization
• Diversity of organizations
• Change creates opportunities
• Learning about organizational behavior

Chapter 2

• Competing in the global economy
• Cultural differences and work-related attitudes
• The diverse workforce
• Ethics, character, and personal integrity
• Ethical dilemmas facing the modern organization
• Technological innovation and today’s workforce

Lecture Review Content:

• Organizational Behavior; Chapters 1-2

Activities:

• Lecture on assigned chapters

Discussion:

• Answer and provide feedback to the discussion questions for this module 

Assignment:

• Write 450 word essay on provided topic

Week Two

Personality, Perception, and Attribution

Attitudes, Emotions, and Ethics

Motivation at Work

Chapter 3

• Individual differences and organizational behavior
• Personality and organizations
• Application of personality theory in organizations
• Social perception
• Barriers to social perception
• Attribution in organizations

Chapter 4

• Attitudes
• Attitude formation
• Job satisfaction
• Organizational citizenship vs workplace deviance
• Persuasion and attitude change
• Emotions and moods at work
• Ethical behavior
• Factors that affect ethical behavior

Chapter 5

• Motivation and work behavior
• Maslow’s need hierarchy
• McClelland’s need theory
• Herzberg’s two-factor theory
• Two new ideas in motivation
• Social exchange and equity theory
• Expectancy theory of motivation
• Cultural differences in motivation

Lecture Review Content:

• Organizational Behavior; Chapters 3-5

Activities:

• Lecture on assigned chapters

Discussion:

• Answer and provide feedback to the discussion questions for this module

Quiz:

• Quiz on chapters 3-5

Week Three

Learning and Performance Management

Stress & Well-Being at Work

Chapter 6

• Behavioral models of learning in organizations
• Social and cognitive theories of learning
• Goal setting at work
• Performance: A key construct
• Performance feedback
• 360-Degree feedback
• Rewarding performance
• Correcting poor performance

Chapter 7

• What is stress?
• Four approaches to stress
• The stress response
• Sources of work stress
• Work demands
• Non-work demands
• The consequences of stress
• Individual differences in the stress-strain
• Preventive stress management

Lecture Review Content:

• Organizational Behavior; 6-7

Activities:

• Lecture on assigned chapters

Discussion:

• Answer and provide feedback to the discussion questions for this module 

Quiz:

• Mid-Term Exam on chapters 1-7

Assignments:

• Write 450 word essay on provided topic

Week Four

Communication

Work Teams and Groups

Decision Making by Individuals and Groups

Power and Political Behavior

Chapter 8

• Interpersonal communication
• Communication skills for effective managers
• Barriers and gateways to communication
• Civility and incivility
• Nonverbal communication
• Positive, healthy communication
• Communicating through new technologies and social media

Chapter 9

• Groups and work teams
• Why work teams?
• Group behavior
• Group formation and development
• Task and maintenance functions
• Factors that influence group effectiveness
• Empowerment and self-managed teams
• Upper echelons: Teams at the top

Chapter 10

• The decision-making process
• Models and limits of decision making
• Individual influences on decision making
• The group decision-making process
• Diversity and culture in decision making
• Participation in decision making

Chapter 11

• The concept of power
• Forms and sources of power in organizations
• Using power ethically
• Symbols of power
• Political behavior in organizations
• Managing political behavior in organizations

Lecture Review Content:

• Organizational Behavior; 8-11

Activities:

• Lecture on assigned chapters

Discussion:

• Answer and provide feedback to the discussion questions for this module 

Quiz:

• Quiz on chapters 8-11

Week Five

Leadership and Followership

Conflict and Negotiation

Chapter 12

• Leadership versus management
• Early trait theories
• Behavioral theories
• Contingency theories
• Recent leadership theories
• Emerging issues in leadership
• Followership
• Guidelines for leadership

Chapter 13

• The nature of conflicts in organizations
• Causes of conflict in organizations
• Forms of group conflict in organizations
• Individual conflict in organizations

Lecture Review Content:

• Organizational Behavior; Chapters 12-13

Activities:

• Lecture on assigned chapters

Discussion:

• Answer and provide feedback to the discussion questions for this module. 

Assignment:

• Write 450 word essay on provided topic
• Study for Final

Quiz:

• Final Exam on chapters 8-13

Assessment Criteria and Methods of Evaluating Students

Student achievement in coursework is assessed in association to the knowledge, skill, and behavior needed for successful, entry-level employment in the field.  In order to pass a course, the student must demonstrate appropriate achievement in all three areas:  knowledge, skill, and behavior.  

Students must receive a minimum of 70% C- or better in all program core courses and a 60% D- in all general education and college core courses.

Measure

Description/Requirements

% of Grade

Discussion Forum Participation

1 Discussion Forum Each Week

12.5%

Assessments

Midterm & Final

32.5%

Assignments

Weekly Assignments (3), Lecture Responses (5)

37.5%

Quizzes

Weekly Quizzes (2)

17.5%

Total

100%

 Letter Grade

Grade Points

Grade Value

A

94-100

4.00

A-

90-93

3.70

B+

87-89

3.30

B

84-86

3.00

B-

80-83

2.70

C+

77-79

2.30

C

74-76

2.00

C-

70-73

1.70

D+

67-69

1.30

D

64-66

1.00

D-

60-63

0.70

F

Below 59

0.00

 Date Syllabus Was Last Reviewed

February 7, 2017