Asper School of Business Winter Term, 2014-2015

GMGT 2070, Introduction to Organizational Behaviour
Asper School of Business
Winter Term, 2014-2015
GMGT 2070 – INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Section A04 & A05
Professor:
Dr. Alyson Byrne
Class Time:
Section A04: Thursday - 10:00-12:45 (103 Drake)
Section A05: Thursday - 2:30-5:15 (117 Drake)
E-mail:
[email protected]
Office Hours
Wednesdays 2:45-4:45
Office:
418 Drake Centre
Course website:
http://universityofmanitoba.desire2learn.com
Phone:
(204) 474-6406
Course Summary and Objectives
While an understanding of accounting, finance, marketing and strategy are necessary for a
successful career in business, being able to manage, lead and motivate the people and teams
within an organization is even more crucial. No man is an island, and unless you plan to live
your days on a deserted island, chances are you will be working with, for, and leading other
people. The primary objective of this course is to understand how individuals and groups behave
within organizations. Specifically, organizational behaviour examines how individuals and
groups engage, react and interact with others in organizations. These behaviours are influenced
by the attitudes, values, and beliefs of the individual, as well as circumstances within the
organization. In this course, we will draw on theories of social psychology to understand how
and why individuals and groups behave the way they do and how it impacts organizations. In this
course, we will cover topics such as motivation, personality, employee attitudes, decisionmaking, leadership and negotiation.
Over the duration of this course, we will examine some of the key aspects of organizational
behaviour. We will draw on course readings, lectures, cases, and experiential exercises to
examine the frameworks from social sciences that are fundamental to understanding
organizational processes and teach you how to apply these frameworks to a variety of particular
situations. My goals are that when you leave this class, not only do you understand the
fundamentals of theory and research in organizational behaviour, but you also know how to
apply much of these evidence based findings to your own working environment.
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Required Course Materials
Course Textbook
Langton, Robbins, & Judge (2011). Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour, 5th Edition.
Toronto: Pearson.
• Access codes not needed; feel free to buy a used copy or share a copy with a classmate
• A copy of the text will be on 3-hour reserve at Cohen Library (Drake Centre)
• Online textbook rental is available through the U of M bookstore website
Case Package Materials
A number of the in-class exercises require all students to pay a licensing fee. You pay for these
materials at the bookstore, and receive proof of purchase. Much of this class will involve
experiential exercises and you must present your access code and original receipt to obtain
materials. Due to copyright protection, cases cannot be e-mailed or posted on the course website
and all materials are distributed in class.
Additional Readings
Certain weeks will contain additional readings beyond the textbook. They are free to you (they
are paid by the university’s Access Copyright license), and are made available on Desire2 Learn.
Course sections
There are multiple sections of GMGT 2070 offered each term. Any section of 2070 will prepare
you equally well for further coursework in organizational behaviour and build many of the same
skills. Some classes even use the same textbook or have similar assignments. However, these
sections may differ from one another in a number of important ways. The focus, specific topics,
structure, exercises, grading criteria, assigned readings, and content of evaluations are not
necessarily the same between my sections and those taught by Prof. Neville or other instructors.
You cannot attend different instructors’ course sections from week to week. And, since this class
often uses in-class activities completed in pairs or groups, you may not attend the Thursday
afternoon section if you’re enrolled in the Thursday morning section (or vice- versa). Please
attend the class sections for your section only.
If you are not able to attend your scheduled class for a legitimate reason one week, please
consult the policy on absences later in the syllabus.
Instructional Methods and Expectations
The primary teaching methods used for this class will be class discussions, group exercises and
lecturing regarding the class readings, theories and concepts. I will also use teaching aides such
as videos, cases, articles and media. I will try to limit the amount of lecturing that I do per class,
as I believe that you will gain a greater understanding of the material through active
participation. Through active participation, you will have the opportunity to apply the course
concepts in a real manner. Active participation will be practiced in both class exercises as well as
class discussions and you are expected to participate in both. With regards to class discussions,
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you are expected to share your thoughts about the readings, questions about the course concepts,
doubts about ideas, and any relevant personal experiences or examples that you have seen that
either support or debunk the topics that you read about. As a note for both discussions and
exercises, the more you participate, the more interesting the class will be.
My goal is to have a classroom climate that is supportive, inclusive, and conducive to learning
and discussion. In order to capitalize on a class where much discussion takes place, I will highly
encourage discussion, while expecting that you will each show respect for others’ points of view.
At times you may disagree with each other, but please show your disagreement while
simultaneously suppressing personal attacks. Throughout the semester, you will have many
opportunities to debate ideas, develop your critical thinking skills and to practice supporting your
arguments in front of your peers. I also want to encourage you to use the numerous opportunities
throughout the course to develop your teamwork skills. Organizational recruiters are frequently
seeking candidates that are “team players” who know how to work in diverse groups and this
course should help you develop these types of skills.
I commit to coming to class fully prepared and I expect the same from you in return. Much of
this class is discussion and group activity based; therefore it is critical that you come to class
ready to actively participate. This means having read the assigned readings and having
completed any assigned tasks. Regarding attendance, the numerous team exercises that we will
do throughout the course require full participation of the class, so your absences will jeopardize
the learning experiences of your entire class. I highly discourage absences in this course for that
reason.
Finally, I expect a two-way system of open communication. I will be honest with you and I will
communicate regularly about any concerns I have with the course. In return, I expect the same
from you. If you have any questions or concerns about the course, please come see me. I have
regularly scheduled office hours and I am available by e-mail. If you choose to contact me via email, I will respond within 1 business day. Further details regarding classroom policies and
expectations are provided later in this syllabus.
Assessment
The purpose of this course is to provide you with a deeper understanding organizational
behaviour, and I have purposely chosen assessments that I believe will foster this understanding.
A note about writing: Clear and concise communication is a goal that you should strive to attain
on all assignments. Good ideas are only as good as the ways in which they are communicated.
Please ensure that your ideas are not masked by poor writing. Poor writing will be penalized if it
impedes understanding of the concepts you are attempting to communicate.
A note about deadlines: You are expected to submit your assignments and complete the exams
by the deadlines indicated. I do NOT accept late assignments. I also do NOT give make-up
exams. All assignments (e.g., projects, class preparation assignments) and exams should be
turned in on time to receive credit. The only exception will be for those rare cases of documented
emergencies (i.e., documented illness, family emergencies). This policy may sound harsh, but it
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is meant to encourage everyone to submit assignments and exams on-time and to guarantee that
those people who made sacrifices to turn in their assignments and exams on time are not
penalized.
The course assessment is broken down as follows:
Assessment
Mini-Assignments
In-class Participation
Group Case Project
Individual Analysis
Final Exam
Research Bonus
Total
Percentage of
Course Grade
15%
10%
20%
25%
30%
2%
102%
Due Date
Ongoing throughout term
Ongoing throughout term
March 5th, 9:30am submitted via D2L
April 8th, 10pm submitted via D2L
TBA
Ongoing throughout term
Mini-Assignments (15% of course grade)
A number of the class exercises and cases that we will be doing throughout the term require
brief, out of-class assignments to help with your pre-class preparations and/or post-class
reflections. The nature of the assignments varies but unless otherwise noted, you will be asked to
submit your exercise preparation assignments as per the time noted in the class schedule.
Examples may include reading an article or news story before class and preparing your answers
to discussion questions, responding to online survey questions about topics in the class,
explaining an idea about the week’s readings, or applying something learned in the previous
week. All details and expectations will be announced in class and on the course website. These
assignments will be assessed at one of four levels: check-plus (a “wow!” effort; highly
impressive & ideal,), check (completed thoroughly & effectively,), check-minus (completed, but
minimally; little effort), or zero (not submitted or completely inadequate). There are 5 mini
assignments throughout the semester.
In class participation (10% of course grade)
This course is largely experiential and requires a commitment from each student to come to class
ready to engage. This means both participating actively in class and in your assignments. As
such, 10% of your course grade will be evaluated on how prepared you are when you come to
class and how well you participate in class exercises and discussions. In-class involvement
means participating in group exercises, offering your thoughts and opinions during discussions,
taking a point of view in red/green questions and contributing to in-class activities. Note participating well does not mean talking all the time – quality is preferred over quantity Group Case Project (20% of course grade)
All students will be randomly assigned to a group of 6 students to complete a group case
analysis. The case is Jielang Phone Home A, B, and C, and it describes a manufacturing
operation in Dongguan, an industrial city in China’s Pearl River delta. The case takes the
perspective of both the manager and the line worker. The case is found in your casebook. You
will be asked to diagnose the situation and provide recommendations. Your focus should be on
suggesting improvements or changes that will improve employee well-being and satisfaction,
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while simultaneously enhancing productivity and performance. Your analysis should be based on
concepts drawn from the course materials. Your group will submit two deliverables. The first is a
report (maximum 10 pages of text and 10 pages of exhibits and appendices) that summarizes
your analysis, recommendations, and implementation place. The second deliverable is a 10minute video presenting a summary of your analysis and recommendations to Precision ElectroTek’s management. The video should involve all group members and should be uploaded to
D2L. Each deliverable is worth 10%. This case project will have a peer-evaluation component
that will be completed by each group member privately and uploaded to D2L. Each group
member will rate your teammates’ efforts on the entire project. Individuals who did not give
100%, as per the group’s evaluations, will see this reflected in their project grade.
Individual Analysis (25% of course grade)
You will submit an individual paper that reflects on one element of your Jieliang team’s
dynamics. You will choose one topic from the course (e.g., personality, culture, motivation,
conflict, ethics, etc.), and describe how this topic was meaningful to the performance and
cohesion of your team. You must develop a set of recommendations to guide future teams to
address the issues you describe. This assignment requires you to apply material and concepts
from your course readings, and requires you to read and apply research on the topic from highquality academic journals. A detailed outline of the expectations for this assignment will be
provided in Week 9.
Final Examination (30% of course grade)
The final examination is a 3-hour exam. The exam will cover all the readings, class exercises,
cases, and group presentations. The format will be a mix of multiple-choice, short-answer, case
and essay questions. Details about the exam will be provided in class.
Research Bonus (An additional 2% can be gained)
You may earn a 2% bonus in the course by participating in research being conducted by Asper
School of Business faculty. Details will be provided early in the term.
Grading
The numeric grades earned in this course correspond to the following letter grades:
Letter Grade
Percentage
GPA
A+
90-100%
4.5
A
85-89%
4.0
B+
80-84%
3.5
B
75-79%
3.0
C+
70-74%
2.5
C
60-69%
2.0
D
50-59%
1.0
F
<50%
0
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Course Policies
Classroom expectations
- I expect you to treat your classmates with dignity and respect, especially when there are
differences of opinion or when ideas presented are different than your own. I promise to
give you the same dignity and respect in return.
- I expect you to provide your classmates with opportunity and encouragement to
contribute – share the airtime!
- I expect you to arrive at class prepared – read the assigned readings, prepared any other
materials, and ready to contribute.
- I expect you to use your personal technology judiciously.
- I expect you to follow the academic integrity policy (see Appendix 1).
Course updates and news
Important updates, course materials, news, and changes will be communicated via the course
website on Desire2Learn (D2L). You are responsible for checking it regularly. The instructor
may also e-mail students using their official University of Manitoba e-mail address – check
yours regularly. Your assignments are also to be uploaded (ideally in PDF format) to D2L.
Email policy
Please feel free to e-mail me with questions. I can be reached at [email protected].
Please include “GMGT 2070” in the subject line. I will respond to all e-mails within 1 business
day. I will try to respond to your questions by e-mail whenever possible – when impractical to do
so, I will arrange with you to meet for office hours. Please note that I will not answer any
questions related to course material in the 48-hour period before the final exam. Bring your
questions and concerns to me more than two days before the exam, so that I have time to
adequately address your questions.
Late Assignments
For the sake of fairness to all students, I will not grant extensions nor will I accept late
assignments. I will consider extenuating medical circumstances accompanied by a medical form
(Appendix 2).
Deferred exams
Effective September 2005, the Department of Business Administration has instituted a policy
which provides ONE DATE ONLY for students who have deferred their final exams. The
deferred final exam date has been pre-set for May 8, 2015 at 1:00 p.m., Room TBD. This does
not apply to take home final exams. Please refer to University of Manitoba’s Policy 1305 –
Exam Regulations
(http://umanitoba.ca/admin/governance/governing_documents/academic/454.htm) or the
Undergraduate Program Office for rules and regulations concerning deferred exams.
Absences
Planned absences
In the case of a legitimate planned absence from the class, please email the instructor
([email protected]) one week (7 days) before your planned absence. The class
frequently involves paired or group activities, and early notice allows the instructor to make
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alternate arrangements, where possible. Legitimate absences include religious observances or
recognized holy days of your faith, conferences and case competitions, varsity athletic
tournaments, or previously scheduled medical appointments. Absences for holidays (e.g. a trip
extending past the end of reading week) or quotidian non-class conflicts (e.g., shifts at work,
regular group meetings, club meetings, team practices, intramural sports, etc.) will not be
permitted.
Unplanned absences
There is also a range of legitimate reasons for being suddenly unable to attend a class (illness,
family emergencies, etc.) If you will be absent for a legitimate reason, let me know
([email protected]) as soon as you can. You will be expected to provide appropriate
documentation upon your return to class. Absences for the final exam are not covered by this
policy, and will follow the academic regulations outlined by U of M policy.
Unclaimed assignments
Pursuant to the FIPPA Review Committee’s approved recommendations as of August 15, 2007,
all unclaimed student assignments will become the property of the faculty and will be subject to
destruction six months after the completion of any given academic term.
Please refer to University of Manitoba’s Policy 1305 – Exam Regulations (http://umanitoba.ca/
admin/governance/governing_documents/academic/454.htm) or the Undergraduate Program
Office for rules and regulations concerning deferred exams.
Grade reviews
If you feel there has been an error in the grading of your coursework or exams, please contact me
by email with your concern. Allow me a minimum of 48 hours to re-read your pre-class
reflection/assignment/exam, and I will meet with you in office hours to address your concerns
and explain the grading. I will not do ‘on the spot’ reviews out of fairness to you - I don’t want to
make snap decisions without the chance to carefully review your work and the grade assigned. If
the issue cannot be resolved, a formal appeal of grades may be made up to ten working days after
the grades for the term work have been made available to the student.
Special learning needs
Students with special learning needs (who, for legitimate reasons, require extra time to write the
exam, or who require aids or other supports) should advise me of this (with accompanying
documentation from disability services) during the first two weeks of the course in order to
organize suitable accommodation and assessment arrangements. Students for whom English is an
additional language (including exchange students) may bring a paper or electronic translation
dictionary with them to exams. Use of translation aids must be consistent with the policy on
academic integrity.
Voluntary withdrawal
The last day for voluntary withdrawal without academic penalty is March 19, 2015.
A note about e-mail addresses
Important: Effective September 1, 2013, the U of M will only use your university email account
for official communications, including messages from your instructors, department or faculty,
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academic advisors, and other administrative offices. If you have not already been doing so,
please send all emails from your UofM email account. Remember to include your full name,
student number and faculty in all correspondence. For more information visit: http://
umanitoba.ca/registrar/e-mail_policy.
Citation style
Your assignments must make consistent and thorough use of citations using a standard citation
style (MLA, APA or Chicago are all okay). Information on citation styles can be found online
through the University of Manitoba libraries (http://umanitoba.ca/libraries/units/
infolit/student/citing_sources.html). Please recall that thorough and careful citation is vital to
maintaining academic integrity in your work.
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Class Schedule
Complete the assigned readings before class, and ensure you arrive ready to participate or (when
applicable) having completed the prep work for participation.
Some notes:
•
•
•
•
This class does not have lectures that summarize your readings. The discussion, lectures
and exercises build on your readings; they do not replace them.
LRJ refers to the Langton, Robbins, & Judge textbook
Check carefully for the pages to read. Some weeks, I have assigned only a portion of a
chapter from Langton et al., (2011), other times I have assigned readings from alternate
sources (chapters or articles).
Additional readings are available from the course’s Desire2Learn page.
Session
Date Class Topic
Read Before Class
1
Jan.
8
Jan.
15
Welcome &
Introduction
Motivation
- No readings
Jan.
22
Jan.
29
Team Dynamics
5
Feb.
5
Attitudes,
Attributions and
Values
6
Feb.
12
Leadership
7
Feb.
19
2
3
4
Personality
Deliverables & Key
Course Activities
- Assignment: none
- LRJ Chapter 4
- Assignment: none
- Pfeffer, 1998. “Six dangerous
myths about pay “
- LRJ, Chapter 5
- Assignment: none
- Lehrer, 2012. “Groupthink”
- LRJ, Chapter 2, pp 32-52.
- Assignment: Survey
- Gladwell, 2004. “Personality
questions & reflection
Plus”
questions. Link to
survey on D2L. Due
January 27th, 5:00pm
via D2L.
- LRJ, Chapter 3
- Assignment: Complete
- Lublin (2014). “Bringing
one IAT test (details on
Hidden Biases into the Light”
D2L) and prepare
- Grant & Sandberg (2014).
reflection piece on IAT
“When talking about bias
results. Due February
backfires.”
4, 10pm, via D2L.
- LRJ, Chapter 8, pp. 275 –
290
- Barling, 2014. “Enough
about Leadership: Let’s talk
about Followership!” (D2L)
- Assignment: none
READING WEEK – NO CLASSES
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8
Feb.
26
Emotions, stress
and well-being
9
Mar.
5
Communication
and Creativity
10
Mar.
12
Decision
Making
11
Mar.
19
Working with
difficult people
- LRJ. Chapter 2, pp 53-56
- Assignment: Survey
- Grant, 2014. “The Dark Side
questions & brief
of Emotional Intelligence.”
reflection. Link to
(D2L)
survey on D2L. Due
- Schwartz, 2013. “Relax!
February 24th,
You’ll be more productive.”
5:00pm via D2L.
(D2L)
- Surowiecki, J. 2014. “The
cult of overwork.” (D2L)
- LRJ Chapter 6, pp. 190-206.
- Assignment: None
- LRJ Chapter 9, pp. 315-318
- Group analysis
- Burg, 2013. “ How
submitted by March
technology has changed
5th, 9:30am via D2L
communication.” (D2L)
- Edmondson, 2011.
“Strategies for learning from
failure.” (D2L)
- LRJ, Chapter 9 pp. 300-315.
- Assignment: None
- Surowieki, 2005.
“Committees, juries and
teams: The Columbia disaster
and how small groups can be
made to work.” (D2L)
- Sutton, R. (2004). “What
- Assignment: Case prep
workplace assholes do and
questions. Submitted
why you know so many.”
March 19 , 9:00am
(D2L)
via D2L.
- The Jenner Situation
(casebook)
- LRJ, Chapter 6 pp. 208-218. - Assignment due: none
- Malhotra & Bazerman, 2007.
Investigative negotiation.
(D2L)
- Chapter 9, pp. 319-324.
- Assignment due:
- Bazerman & Tenbrunsel,
Kidney Candidate
2011. “When we act against
Ranking & Reasoning.
our own ethical values.”
Submitted April 1 , by
(D2L)
9:00pm via D2L.
th
12
Mar.
26
Conflict &
Negotiation
13
Apr.
2
Behaving
Ethically
st
14
Apr.
9
Power, Politics
and Influence
- LRJ Chapter 7
- Cialdini, 2001. “Harnessing
the Science of Persuasion.”
(D2L).
- Assignment due: none
- Individual analysis
submitted by April 8 ,
10:00pm submitted via
D2L.
th
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Appendix 1- Academic Integrity
It is critical to the reputation of the Asper School of Business and of our degrees, that everyone
associated with our faculty behave with the highest academic integrity. As the faculty that helps
create business and government leaders, we have a special obligation to ensure that our ethical
standards are beyond reproach. Any dishonesty in our academic transactions violates this trust.
Section 8 of the University Policies, found in The University of Manitoba Calendar, addresses
the issue of academic dishonesty. Specifically, acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not
limited to:
- using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation marks
and without referencing the source of these words
- duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the
source
- paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any other
ideas of another person, whether written or verbal (e.g., personal communications, ideas
from a verbal presentation) without referencing the source
- copying the answers of another student in any test, examination, or take-home
assignment
- providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment
- taking any unauthorized materials into an examination or term test (crib notes)
- impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate oneself for
the purpose of submitting academic work or writing any test or examination
- stealing or mutilating library materials
- accessing test prior to the time and date of the sitting
- changing name or answer(s) on a test after that test has been graded and returned
- submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment, without
discussions with the instructors involved
Group Projects and Group Work
Many courses in the Asper School of Business require group projects. Students should be aware
that group projects are subject to the same rules regarding academic dishonesty. Because of the
unique nature of group projects, all group members should exercise special care to ensure that
the group project does not violate the policy on Academic Integrity. Should a violation occur,
group members are jointly accountable unless the violation can be attributed to a specific
individual(s). Some courses, while not requiring group projects, encourage students to work
together in groups (or at least do not prohibit it) before submitting individual assignments.
Students are encouraged to discuss this issue as it relates to academic integrity with their
instructor to avoid violating this policy. In the Asper School of Business, all suspected cases of
academic dishonesty are passed to the Dean's office in order to ensure consistency of treatment.
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