BUS 742 42 FALL 04-05
MICRO ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
BUS 742
FALL 2004-2005
FRIDAYS 4:00-6:00 P.M. & 7:00 TO 9:00 P.M.
Facilitator: Harry J. Bury, Ph.D.
Office: 440-826-2395
Home: 440-891-9517
Fax: 440-826-3868
E-Mail:
Course Description:
The micro-perspective of Organizational Behavior examines small units, namely the individual and small groups. Theories of motivation, learning, perception, communication, personality, leadership are all emphasized, equipping managers with a sound conceptual understanding of the causes of behavior, a set of tools with which to change behavior, and a body of research findings to support the hypotheses and relationships among personal and environmental causes and behavior outcomes.
The major assumption of this course is that one cannot understand and manage others unless one understands and can manage oneself. One cannot understand the “outside other” unless one understands the “inside self”. Hence, the focus of this course is on you, the participant. Specific exercises and instruments will be utilized for this purpose so we can all learn by listening, observing, doing and feeling.
The course focuses largely on the “here and now” – learning from present experience as much as possible. Hence, the emphasis is on process – looking at and learning from what is happening right now in the classroom and how we can make it better. Our objective is not only to learn theory, but to actually improve the present process and, if we are successful at doing this, how we improve the process will be our most significant learning.
A second assumption of this course is that despite of satisfactory technical skills, people often discover at some point in their career that they do not know how to work effectively with others or have the interpersonal skills to be a good manager and leader. Organizational Behavior speaks to this limitation and presents the same type of content and training found in executive development programs (only cheaper). The course seeks to help us understand why we behave as we do in organizations and groups. By the end of the course, we should know ourselves better and have better people skills.
The focus of the course is the “micro” level in organizations—issues concerning individuals, interpersonal relations, and groups.
The overall purpose of the course is to enable us to develop the people skills we need to be effective employees, or managers and leaders and improve the effectiveness of our organizations. The topics to be covered are the practical skills all managers and leaders need to possess. Immediate application at work and home is our goal.
Course Objectives:
To increase our self-awareness
To increase our awareness of what is happening between us, others and the organization plus what is going on in the organization’s environment that impacts ourselves, our group and the organization itself.
To learn how to learn
To enable us to become more skilled at analyzing behavior in organizations
To enable us to learn what actions are appropriate for different situations and apply the theory in order to be effective leaders
To enable us to acquire a larger repertoire of behaviors or skills
Required Texts: Learning to Build an Effective Team Through the Process of Team Building Workbook
Organizational Behavior Reader by Kolb, Osland and Rubin, 7th Edition
Organizational Behavior: An Experiential Approach by Osland, Kolb, and Rubin, 7th Edition Prentice Hall
Assessment Exercises by Robbins, S. Prentice Hall
Organizational Behavior: An Experiential Approach consists of content, exercises, and tips for managers. Please bring the workbook to every class. As well as the assessment text. Utilize the Organizational Behavior Reader for research and the first learning opportunity and the Team Building text.
Class Format
The most effective method for learning interpersonal and managerial skills is experiential learning. This means that we will turn the classroom into a laboratory and create conditions for understanding concepts through experience as well as readings. We will use role plays, exercises, and simulations so that each participant can pull out his/her own learning points from these experiences. This type of course requires participants to take responsibility for their own learning. In order for an experiential course to be successful, participants need to do all the reading and homework preparation and participate actively in the classroom.
Please do not underestimate the importance of participation in this course. It is an important part of the final grade, not to mention that it gives each of us an opportunity to practice our communication skills. All of us need to learn to speak up sometimes. Here, among friends, is an excellent place to practice without much risk.
Another text consists in a packet of self-assessment instruments. The instruments are to enable us to understand ourselves better. Usually, we need to fill these out prior to class. Please fill them out carefully and do the scoring before coming to class. The more honestly we answer these instruments, the more accurate a self-portrait we can construct. Learning
about our own personal self is the valued result. Hence, we need to be as honest as we can be in responding to the self-assessment instruments.
TEAM TASK LEARNING:
To be an effective systems manager, one needs to be adept at working in teams, achieving goals and objectives with and through other people. In addition, people tend to learn more
when they are involved in the learning process and when they are called upon to facilitate the learning of others.
One of the most important skills in today’s business world is the ability to work effectively in groups. To gain more practice, we will usually work with the same learning group in class and will receive feedback from this group on our performance in the course. A textbook enabling us to learn how to build an effective team will be used.
First Learning Opportunity
With these two ideas in mind, class members are invited to form a number of management teams. Each team will choose a concept from the two Organizational Behavior texts, write a paper and facilitate a learning experience in and with the class.
Divide the written paper, of no more than ten pages, into three chapters:
Chapter one
1. Discuss a particular behavioral theory or management concept from the text. Assume other classmates have read your paper and the chapter in the text that your team selected.
2. Give examples from your own experience of the effectiveness of the theory. Do not repeat examples from the text.
3. Decide whether the theory fits your perception of reality.
4. Suggest how to implement the theory in the work place and what challenges to implementation need to be considered.
Chapter Two
Describe how the learning team practiced the ideas in the chapter as the team went about working, planning and executing the report and the facilitation. Focus on the PROCESS.
Chapter Three
Each member of the team indicates how he/she will change his/her own behavior based on the experience, the learning. A report is written covering the above issues in three chapters and submitted before the facilitation with copies for each participant so the class members can read your report as well as the chapter before it is experienced. Indicate the sources the team consulted in a complete bibliography. The second and third chapters are most important and each is expected to be at least the same length as the first chapter, if not longer.
The objective of the facilitation is not merely to report data (a one-way communication model) but to facilitate a process by which the whole class becomes involved in the learning
experience. High grades will be given teams who best get the class involved. Be creative. Assume the class has read your paper and the chapter. Do not repeat the material in the facilitation and do not read your report. Rather, facilitate a process by which your class
colleagues discover and understand the material. In the first sessions I will seek to model the methodology for facilitating the learning experience.
Second Learning Opportunity
Attend five AA meetings by yourself, write a three page report giving your interpretation of the experience and be prepared to discuss your experience with the class indicating what you learned about yourself and organizational behavior. Apply this learning specifically to your workplace. Do not tell people at the AA meeting that your attendance is a class assignment unless directly asked. Most will assume you are an alcoholic. To announce you are not like them is unconscious arrogance. Visitors, and especially students, are
welcome. Call and ask which meetings are open meetings and non-smoking if you are allergic to cigarette smoke. Go alone and don’t take notes.
Third Learning Opportunity
Individual Papers 40%
Learning Opportunities / Due DatesSmile Experiment / August 27, 2004
Psychological Contract / September 10, 2004
Leadership Cases / September 10, 2004
Motivational Analysis / September 24, 2004
Stories Written / September 24, 2004
Perception Analysis / October 8, 2004
McClelland Theory Paper / October 8, 2004
Socialization Analysis / October 22, 2004
AA Paper / October 22, 2004
Personality Adjustment Experiment / November 5, 2004
I Love You Experiment / November 5, 2004
Surprise Experiment / November 19, 2004
Communication Experiment / November 19, 2004
Chapter Paper / November 19, 2004
Chapter Facilitation (one hour) / December 3, 2004
Performance to standard (doing what is expected) in this course will be awarded with a B grade. To achieve an A grade, one needs to go beyond standard (do more than what is expected, more than what is required because A stands for outstanding work). by attending the five AA meetings, writing a paper and making a report to the class as described above.
If you need to miss class for a serious reason, you need to view an assigned video tape and write a paper describing what you learned. Tapes can be obtained from me. Otherwise 2
points are deducted from the final grade for each missed class. Persons never missing a class receive two points added to total grade. Papers handed in late will have two points
deducted from the grade of the paper. In the video papers, be certain to give your thoughts on the subject and how it relates to what we are learning in class besides stating what was said. I am most interested in what you thought about what the video teaches than what the video actually is about. And I want to know how you are now changing due to the experience. Return the tape with your paper.
Criteria for Evaluation
Team Paper on the chapter chosen 20%Team Facilitation on the chapter chosen 20%
AA Experiment 20%
Individual Papers and Participation 40%
Total 100%
A+ = 98-100 / B = 84-87
A = 94- 97 / B- = 80-83
A- = 90- 93 / C+ = 78-79
B+= 88- 89 / Etc.
To reiterate because it is most important, an “A” grade indicates that the participant has done far more than is required. A “B” grade indicates that the participant has performed to standard. In other words, the participant has done well all that is required. An A is similar to a bonus at work due to extra high performance.
EXPECTATIONS/OBJECTIVES/GOALS
We expect each of you to:
- Change seats each class meeting . Make a point to sit next to all members of this class organization at least once during this semester.
- Be open and honest with peers, your associates, and me. Let me know what is going well for you and what is not.
- Go out of your way to avoid obstacles with communications. If I am presenting an obstacle to you or become a roadblock, let me know.
- Manage your area of responsibility in such a way as to positively contribute to the overall class results as well as your personal goals and objectives. A gain for you at the expense of someone else is a loss for the whole class. Teamwork is essential -- here is no room for “gamesmanship” or “one up” stuff.
- Know what is going on in other classes as well as companies and organizations off campus. Visit them and have them visit us – find out how they manage things – steal all the ideas you can – network whenever possible. The greatest compliment you can
give me as the class facilitator is to bring friends to class. Especially invite the person to whom you report to participate in class with us and stay for dinner.
- Keep me informed – verbally and with written material – Use your judgment about frequency, methods, etc. I’ll let you know if it is meeting my needs.
- Provide me with feedback (included page 9 through 16) that indicates your ideas, feelings, progress.
- Do your best to solve problems. Don’t present me with problems to solve; instead, develop alternatives and act on them if possible. If you need my input, I am available to provide it. Use me as “sounding board/coach.
- Involve your work team and associates, even family in planning, meeting challenges, improvement, etc. They might know more about something than you do. Mix with second year participants and Health Care MBAs at lunch and dinner. Serve as mentors, show your knowledge and experience, but mostly listen.