Office: 237 MBNA America Hall
Hours: M & W 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. and by appointment
E-mail: garlandh@udel.edu
Homepage: http://www.udel.edu/busa/faculty/garland/
An organization is a system of interrelated parts with at least one common objective. All organizations of concern in this course include people among their parts. People serve two basic functions that help an organization achieve its objective(s): They do things (i.e., they carry out tasks); and they make decisions (i.e., they choose which things will get done and when).
At any point in time an individual is capable of doing any one of an enormous number of things. Therefore, the choices (i.e., decisions) that individuals make in an organization are directly tied to what does and does not get done. Let me begin this course by posing the following hypothesis:
As one moves up the hierarchy in most organizations, the ratio of time spent deciding to time spent doing increases.
If I am correct, then management does not so much involve working with and through others to achieve organizational objectives (the textbook definition) as it does making decisions that will get others to make decisions that will achieve objectives. In this regard, effective management requires "people skills". In fact, surveys of experienced managers invariably suggest that "people skills" are a rare and valued commodity in the business world.
Organizational Behavior (OB as it is commonly known) is a sub-discipline of management which seeks to develop fundamental knowledge about human behavior that can be used to enhance how well things get done in organizations. In developing this knowledge base, OB relies strongly on research in the tradition of the scientific method.
In this course, we will work together to heighten your awareness of human problems associated with getting things done in organizations and increase your skills (based on research and theory from OB) for resolving these problems in an effective manner. It is my hope that by doing this, we will make a noticeable contribution to your "people skills".
Because this is an honors course, it is my expectation that you will demonstrate a serious personal involvement with this class. Thus regular attendance and class participation are extremely important and will be factored into each student's final grade. In the Class schedule that is part of this syllabus, reading assignments and other written assignments are listed by each class date. These assignments are to be completed before attending the class for which they are assigned. Unless otherwise noted all reading assignments come from the required textbook. As noted in the Assignments section of this syllabus, some of the assignments are to be completed as an individual, while other assignments are to be completed as a team. If an assignment is designated as a team assignment, then all members of the team will receive the same grade on that assignment.
As you will learn later in this course, a team is defined as small number of people with complementary skills who hold themselves mutually accountable for common goals. Over the past decade, there has been a noticeable shift toward the use of work teams in business organizations. In fact, effective teamwork skills rank right up there with information technology and communication skills as the primary qualities that employers are seeking from college graduates.
On the first day of class, we will spend some time assembling student teams that you will work with for the duration of the semester. The overriding common goal for your team should be the enhancement of your learning experience in the course. In attempting to achieve this goal your team will work on specified group assignments, in-class exercises, and a final team project (see below). In addition to specifically assigned work, other very useful functions for your team can involve the review of class materials and study sessions prior to exams. Team members may meet with one another physically and/or virtually (via e-mail) to accomplish their team objectives.
Some time between our first class on September 2 and our second class on September 9, each team should get together to choose a team leader. The role of the team leader will be to oversee all team activities and assignments. This does not mean that team leaders do all of the work. It does mean, however, that each team leader will be expected to exert extra effort in coordinating the activities of team members. The return for this extra effort is twofold. First, team leaders will receive valuable leadership experience. Second, team leaders will receive a 10% increase on their individual and team assignments grade and a 10% increase on their class participation grade. For example, if a team leader has an average assignment grade of 85 this grade would be increased by 10% to 93.5.
Twice during the semester, I will ask team leaders to evaluate the performance of each member of their team. The first evaluation will take place approximately one third of the way through the semester; the purpose of this evaluation is to provide each team member with early feedback about their performance on the team. The second evaluation will take place at the end of the semester and will be used as the sole input into that member's team player grade. Each team leader will develop her/his own method of evaluating team members which may or may not involve input from the team members themselves. I will also ask each of the team members to evaluate the performance of their leader twice during the semester. Again, the first evaluation will provide early feedback and the second evaluation will be used to compute the team leader grade. As with leader evaluations of team members, each team will be responsible for developing its own leader evaluation procedure.
It may come about that in one or more teams that a particular member is not pulling his/her weight. If this becomes a major problem, a team leader may fire a team member after consultation with all the other members of the team and with the class instructor. Before any team member is dismissed, however, he/she must be given at least two written warnings. Any team member who is fired will be required to do all assignments individually and an individual term project. In addition, a fired team member will receive zero credit on their team player grade. It is also possible for a team to replace the team leader following two written warnings and consultation with the class instructor. Team leaders who are fired will join their team as members and a new team leader will be chosen.
There will be three non-cumulative examinations in the course. Exams
will be of the essay variety. All students are required to take two of
these three examinations. Any student taking all three examinations will
have his/her lowest exam grade dropped. Because you are only required to
take two of the examinations, make-up exams will only be given under exceptional
circumstances (e.g., a documented severe illness). Make-up exams will not
be given for personal travel, job related responsibilities, or involvement
in other activities.
Kreitner, R. & Kinicki, A., Organizational Behavior
(fourth edition). Boston, MA: Irwin/McGraw-Hill, 1998.
If you are not already familiar with the University of Delaware's Policy
on Academic Dishonesty, I urge you to get familiar with this policy which
can be found in the Official
Student Handbook, available on the Web at http://www.udel.edu/stuhb/.
In general, I will have office hours on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. I will also be available to meet with students at other times by appointment. Other than face-to-face meetings, my preferred method of communication is e-mail. I generally read my e-mail every day when I am in town. If you send e-mail to me, you can expect a reply within one or two days. I may also send important announcements to class members using e-mail. As a member of this class, you are responsible for checking your e-mail on a daily basis for messages from me as well as messages from other members of the class.
Your final grade in this course will be composed of the following components:
Component Points Weighting
Two Examinations worth 100 points 200 40%
Individual and Team Assignments 100 20%
Team Project 100 20%
Team Player or Team Leader Grade 50 10%
Class Participation
50
10%
Total 500 100%
| DATE |
|
ASSIGNMENTS |
|
| 9/2 | Organizational Meeting | None | Introductions and Team Formation |
| 9/7 | Labor Day Holiday | Team members get together to choose a leader before the next class. | |
| 9/9 | The Field of OB and Its Methods | Chapter 1 and Advanced Learning Module
Individual Assignment 1 |
Discussion, Lecture, and Visit to Behavioral Lab |
| 9/14 | Individual Differences | Chapter 5
Team Assignment 2 |
Anger Control Role Play, Discussion |
| 9/16 | Managing Diversity | Chapter 2
Individual Assignment 3 |
Discussion and Results of Internet Search |
| 9/21 | Rosh Hashanah
Guest Lecturer People with Disabilities |
No Assignment
|
Lecture and Questions |
| 9/23 | Social Perception | Chapter 6 | Class Exercise, Lecture and Discussion |
| 9/28 | Attribution | Complete Individual and Team Assignment 4 | Group Reports and Class Discussion |
| 9/30 | Yom Kippur
No Formal Class |
Work with your Team on Choosing a Project and Study For Exam | |
| 10/5 | Examination 1 | ||
| 10/7 | Learning | Chapter 15 | Discussion and Lecture |
| 10/12 | Feedback and Rewards | Chapter 9 | Discussion and Lecture |
| 10/14 | Motivation | Chapter 7
Individual Assignment 5 |
Discussion of Assignment 5 |
| 10/19 | Motivation | Chapter 8 | Discussion and Lecture |
| 10/21 | Group Dynamics | Chapter 10 | Discussion and Lecture |
| 10/26 | Power, Conflict & Negotiation | Chapter 11 | Money Auction |
| 10/28 | Decision Making | Chapter 12 Individual Assignment 6 | Layoff Case Exercise |
| 11/2 | Individual Vs. Group Decision Making | Individual Assignment 7 | Lecture and Discussion |
| 11/4 | Examination 2 | ||
| 11/9 | Teams | Chapter 13 | Team Building Exercise |
| 11/11 | Communications | Chapter 14 | Discussion and Lecture |
| 11/16 | Leadership | Chapter 16 | Discussion and Lecture |
| 11/18 | Leadership | Individual Assignment 8 | Discussion |
| 11/23 | Organizational Culture | Chapter 3 | Trip to Rodel |
| 11/25 | International OB | Chapter 4 Team Assignment 9 | Discussion |
| 11/30 | Organization Structure | Chapter 18 | Lecture and Discussion |
| 12/2 | Examination 3 | ||
| 12/7 | Team Project Presentations | ||
| 12/9 | Team Project Presentations |
Read the "OB in Action Case Study" on page 21 of the text. Respond in writing to the "Questions for Discussion" which appear right after the case on page 23. In writing your responses, please make reference to specifics in the case and the text.
2. Team Assignment (10 Points for Class Enactment)
Read the Group Exercise entitled "Anger Control Role Play" on page 149 of the textbook. The role-play will be enacted in class. After each team member has read the exercise, the team should decide who will play roles 1, 2, 3, and 4 in class.
3. Individual Assignment
(10 Points)
Go to the World Wide Web and, using any search engine that you would
like, look for public statements about diversity from various corporations.
Choose a corporation that you feel has an excellent diversity statement
and indicate in writing why you chose this corporation. Bring the URL (Web
Address) for this diversity statement to class for discussion.
4. Individual and Team Assignment (10 Points for Individual and 10 Points for Team)
Complete the "Group Exercise" on page 180 of the text as an individual. After you have completed the exercise and written up your responses to the "Questions for Discussion" on page 182, get together with your group, complete the exercise again, and respond to the "Questions for Discussion".
5. Individual Assignment
(10 Points)
Please respond in detail to the following question: What drives
you to expend energy on play activities? That is, assuming you have
some kind of leisure, non work oriented time, why do you do the play activities
you do? Note that all activities require some effort. Even watching TV
means deciding on programs and changing channels. Some activities like
tennis or jogging require a great deal of effort. So why do you do them?
6. Individual Assignment (To be completed before you read Chapter 12) (10 Points)
In the case below, assume you are a new supervisor who has been asked to rank order a group of 8 subordinates for an impending layoff. You have been given some sketchy information about each individual. Although the situation is hypothetical, I want you to imagine yourself actually facing this difficult decision.
In doing this ranking, you should carefully consider what criteria you are using. Remember, if you were facing this kind of serious situation you would certainly be asked to justify your rankings. When you complete your ranking, I would like you to carefully prepare a memorandum to the President of your company (call him Howard Garland) indicating both your rankings and the procedure that you used to arrive at them. The memorandum should be relatively brief (not more than two pages) and perfectly prepared.
The Layoff Case
The Mid Atlantic Furniture Manufacturing Company is a nonunion medium
sized firm that produced custom-made furniture of high quality. Because
of global competition, firm sales have declined over the past two years.
Within the past year, the company has introduced a diversity program. According
to the president, this was done in order to be "more socially responsible
to the community". In point of fact, last year the company lost a rather
large discrimination lawsuit filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission. The President has just informed you that each department is
being asked to rank order all employees should Mid Atlantic have to begin
some layoffs. Below is a brief listing of information on each of the eight
employees in the finishing department. Assuming that you were just appointed
the supervisor for this department, how would you rank these employees?
Please rank them according to the order in which they should be laid off
(the person to be laid off first is ranked 1, etc.).
Greg Greene: White male; age 22; high school graduate; single; 5 years with company; very good work record – shows a lot of initiative.
Betty Blue: African American female; age 45; eighth grade education; 20 years with company; divorced – two children; satisfactory work record – very steady.
Jeff Gomez: Hispanic male; age 40; college graduate; 15 years with company; married – two children; good work record – has shown some interest in a supervisory position.
Richard Red: While male; age 25; high school graduate; 3 years with the company; married – no children; good worker but may have a drinking problem.
William White: White male; age 50; eighth grade education; 25 years with company; married – two children (wife disabled); performance appears to be slipping as of late.
James Johnson: African American male; age 38; 2 years college completed; 15 years with company; married – no children; average performance.
Fran Franklyn: African American female; age 25; high school graduate; 5 years with company; married – no children; good work record – very intelligent.
Bill Yancy: White male; age 19; attending college part-time; 2 years with company; single; excellent work record – plans to quit company upon graduation from college.
7. Individual Assignment (10 Points)
Now that you have had a chance to learn more about decision making, I would like you to look back at the memorandum you prepared in response to assignment 6 and discuss the procedure that you used to arrive at your rankings (2 pages maximum).
8. Individual Assignment (10 Points)
The Best and Worst Leaders I Have Ever Encountered
Think back about your experiences in school, at work, or in organizations in general. From these experiences, you should be able to identify someone that you considered an outstanding leader. That person might be a coach, a manager, an elected official, or an appointed leader. Please write a brief essay (not more than one page) in which you identify both the strengths and weaknesses of that leader and then describe why you considered the individual to be among the best. Now do the same thing for an individual that you considered to be a terrible leader (one page maximum). Finally, I would like you to discuss how your personal observations relate to the material that we have covered in this course.
9. Team Assignment
(10 Points)
You and your teammates are store managers who work for a large U.S.
retailer that is planning to open a chain of retail stores in Paris, France.
Each of you has been given the responsibility to manage one of these stores
in Paris.
Please meet in order to develop a plan of action to help you and your families adjust to the conditions that you will encounter in Paris. In developing this plan, use the Internet to gather information about France, in general and Paris, in particular. Once you have gathered this information please respond as a team to the two questions below:
a. What forces in the environment do you think will most affect your adjustment and that of your family to French (Parisian) culture?
b. What steps would you take before you leave for France in order to smooth your transition and that of your family into the French culture?