Fairleigh Dickinson University
School of Administrative Science
Masters of Administrative Science (MAS)
ONLINE 3 CREDIT COURSE SYLLABUS
Course: PRODUCTIVITY AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE
Course: MADS 6609
Grading Policies:
Grade Scale:
A = 95 - 100 B- = 80 - 82
A- = 90 - 94 C+ = 75 - 79
B+ = 87 - 89 C = 70 - 74
B = 83 - 86 F = Below 70
Activity Weight: Activity Value
Mid-term Examination 20%
Final Examination 30%
Term Paper 20%
Online Class Participation 20%
Quizzes 10%
Prescribed Texts:
Berman, E. M. (1998). Productivity in public and nonprofit organizations: Strategies and techniques. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN 0-7619-1030-1 also ISBN 0-7619-1031-X.
Cartin, T. J. (1999). Principles and practices of organizational performance excellence. Milwaukee, WI: Quality Press. ISBN 0-87389-428-6.
Selected References:
The following list of selected references is not an exhaustive source of published works that focus on this topic. Some of these may be vintage sources, but they contain materials that are appropriate for this topic.
Bailey, R. B. (1982). Human performance engineering: A guide for system designers. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Bass, B. M. (1990). Bass & Stogdill s handbook of leadership: Theory,
research, & managerial application (Third Edition). New York, NY: The Free Press. Bowen, D. D., Lewicki, R. J., Hall, D. T., & Hall, F. S. (1997). Experiences in management and organizational behavior (Fourth Edition). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Burke, W. W. (1982). Organization development: Principles and practices. Boston, MA: Brown, Little and Company.
Doig, J. W. & Hargrove, E. C. (1990). Leadership and innovation: Entrepreneurs in government. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
French, W. L. & Bell, Jr., C. H. (1984). Organization development:
Behavioral science interventions for organization improvement. Englewood, NJ:
Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Hammer, M. & Champy, J. (1993). Reengineering the corporation: A
manifesto for business revolution. New York, NY: HarperBusiness, a Division of
HarperCollins Publishers.
Hersey, P. & Blanchard, K. H. (1993). Management of organizational
behavior: Utilizing human resources (Sixth Edition). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc.
Kohn, A. (1993). Punished by rewards: The trouble with gold stars, incentive plans, a s, praise, and other bribes. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Katzenbach, J. R. & Smith, D. K. (1994). The wisdom of teams: Creating the high-performance organization. New York, NY: HarperBusiness.
Kaufman, R., Thiagarajan, S., & MacGillis, P. (1997). The guidebook for performance improvement: Working with individuals and organizations. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Koehler, J. W. & Pankowski, J. M. (1996). Quality government: Designing, developing, and implementing TQM. Delray Beach, FL: St. Lucie Press.
Lane, F. S. (1994). Current issues in public administration (Fifth Edition). New York, NY: St. Martin s Press.
Mondy, R. W., Noe, R. M., & Premeaux, S. R. (1999). Human resource
Management (Seventh edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc.
Pfeffer, J. (1992). Managing with power: Politics and influence in
organizations. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Robbins, S. R. (1988). Essentials of organizational behavior. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art & practice of the learning organization. New York, NY: Doubleday.
Shein, E. H. (1992). Organizational culture and leadership (Second Edition). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, Inc.
Sherman, A., Bohlander, G., & Snell, S. (1996). Managing human resources. Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western College Publishing.
Swiss, J. E. (1991). Public management systems: Monitoring and managing government performance. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Terry, R. W. (1993). Authentic leadership: Courage in action. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, Inc.
Wren, D. A. (1994). The evolution of management thought (Fourth Edition). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
GENERAL COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Increasing productivity has been a major concern for both the public and private sectors for the last decade. For the private sector, it is essential to maintain market share; for the public sector, it is essential to continue functioning in a time of reduced resources and significant shifts in policy or direction. Improving productivity requires that a focus on quality and efficiency of the organization�s outputs. Although technology can increase productivity in some operations, it is the human factor that provides the greatest opportunity for change. In addition to how jobs are restructured, this course will investigate: different theories of motivation and performance and how they impact on productivity and performance; definitions and measurement of individual, team, and organizational productivity; measures of efficiency and effectiveness; models for analyzing organizational and individual productivity and productivity growth; and techniques for improving productivity.
The objectives of this course are for participants to gain enhanced knowledge and skills relevant to management by better understanding: the principles of quality in organizational processes and products; the application of system theory; and strategies for enhanced individual and organizational productivity.
This course is being given in an online model. This course uses assigned readings, lecture, discussion, exams and a project wherein participants plan to apply concepts and strategies as the teaching/learning format.
ENTRANCE COMPETENCIES:
This is a core public administration course. As such, there is no prior knowledge of public management systems required. It is expected that class participants will be familiar with basic information regarding:
The mission and goals of the organization in which they work;
Administrative and management practices involving human resources; and
The human resources function in organizations.
EXIT COMPETENCIES:
This course is intended to enhance participant’s understanding and skills pertinent to management. By the end of the course, class participants will be able to:
Identify items that define organizational culture;
Articulate the current trends and future directions in organizational behavior,
human resources, and quality management;
Explain how values and perceptions impact individual management practices
in the organization;
Identify appropriate team building practices;
Identify importance of effective interpersonal and organizational communications;
Explain customer satisfaction;
Explain change management concepts;
Relate the human resource management processes to the developing of the individual’s potential within the organization;
Identify evolutionary changes in human resources management and operations management;
Articulate theories of human relations and organizational development;
Identify, analyze, and provide solutions to organizational problems involving productivity and quality;
Explain methods for measuring and improving productivity; and
Identify interventions that will increase productivity.
EXAMS AND TERM PAPER REQUIREMENTS:
Examinations - Examinations will involve short answer and comprehensive essays. The mid-term exam will be returned the following week. The final exam will be graded and returned within one week. The exams will contain no surprises. All questions will be specifically derived from class presentations/readings. There will be no questions derived from materials not covered in class. For the essay section of the exams, students will be given a series of questions and will be asked to respond to a specific number of items. Exams are to be taken on the date assigned. Exams given on a date other than the scheduled date without prior authorization will contain questions from any aspect of the class presentations and readings, and there will be no choice of questions to which to respond.
Term Paper - All class participants are expected to prepare a written term paper on a topic from the course. Topics will be reviewed during first discussion session. Topics must be approved by the instructor. Students will submit a one-page proposal on their projects by the second class.
The purpose of the paper is to exemplify meeting the course objectives as listed in the exit competencies in this syllabus. The emphasis should be on concepts as they apply to descriptive information and not the information itself. Students are expected to demonstrate the use of concepts presented in this course.
Papers are expected to be 10 to 15 pages in length (double-spaced).
The paper should include the following:
a) Table of Contents
b) Introduction
c) Background
d) Current thinking
e) Relationship to current/other organization with which student is familiar
f) Conclusion
g) References
h) Supplemental materials
The introduction should include why this paper is being done; what is the point. The background provides a summary of the issue or case. Current thinking covers current literature relating to the topic. For the area of relationship to current or other organizations, explain how the topic fits with the organization. The conclusion is what you think should be done to improve where you work and/or justify current policy/operations. There should be at least six references from journal articles, textbooks, or government publications (excluding textbooks from this course).
Supplemental materials to be attached to the end of the paper may include a specific policy or procedure in effect in your organization or personnel manual. Permission to use the material must be obtained, and the issue of confidentiality must be observed. Inability or failure to attach these materials will not adversely impact on grading.
The paper is due at the start of last class session. It must be uploaded in the digital dropbox within Blackboard. Papers late without good cause will be reduced one letter grade for each day late. All work in this course is expected to be that of the individual student and/or the work of others that is appropriately cited. Any term paper or examination that misrepresents the work of others as that of the student will receive a grade of �0.�
Presentations - The presentation can either be what the individual is planning to do relevant to the selected topic or what has been completed to that point. The presentation will provide an opportunity for other class participants to suggest other aspects to consider. Participants will be able to select a date for the presentation that will start on class three. The presentations will be scheduled for the uploading into Blackboard and a time for discussion of the presentation will be made for the discussion board. Any individual who misses the scheduled presentation date may be rescheduled to the last week of presentations, time permitting.
Case Studies - There will be case studies assigned as individual projects. These studies involve issues to be reviewed. The individual will be asked to present a summary of the case, the issues raised, and recommendations for improvement.
Group Project - There will be a class project. The due date will be established during the first class meeting. The project should reflect materials covered in the class and be applicable to the participant’s work setting. Discussion of the project, selection of subject areas, and determining the parameters of the project will be included in class two.
GENERAL CLASS PROCEDURES:
Classes will follow the University calendar and will start and end at stated times.
Classes will not be canceled unless ordered by the Provost or the Program Director.
The instructor reserves the right to alter the syllabus where warranted.
Students are expected to take the exams when they are scheduled. In the event that the student cannot take the scheduled exam due to illness or employment-related obligations, a make-up may be offered; however, only one such exam will be scheduled for each exam.
COURSE CALENDAR
The calendar lists the basic content to be covered in class. During each week, there will be online exercises to be completed by the students. These exercises may involve online research or readings as well as responses to specific key discussion points. Students will be evaluated on their participation in the online exercises in addition to the key indicators of a traditional class.