BUS MGT 706-001 – MANAGING IN A DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee–Spring 2016

January 26 – May 10, 2016

Tuesday 5:30 – 8:10 PM, LUB TBD

Instructor:Sheila Bernhardt, MLS

Email:

Phone: (262) 707-3186 (cell)

Office hours: Available by phone between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.

Required Reading:Books:

Essentials of Organizational Behavior: An Evidence-Based Approach, 2016, byScandura, Terry A., (SAGE, Publications, Inc.).

Text and student resources available at:

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, 1959, by Alfred Lansing, (Carroll & Graf Publishers). (Note: any publication date is acceptable)

Harvard Business Publishing Case Studies and Articles:

  1. Virtu, Virtue, and Success
  2. Thomas Green: Power, Office Politics, and a Career in Crisis
  3. Brussels and Bradshaw
  4. R.L. Wolfe: Implementing Self-Directed Teams
  5. Get the Vision Right
  6. Leaders as Decision Architects
  7. How Leaders Spark and Sustain Change
  8. How Managers become Leaders
  9. Where Will We Find Tomorrow’s Leaders

Find Harvard Business Publishing Case Studies at:

Additional articles will be made available to students throughout the course and distributed via D2L.

Course Description:

In a globalized business environment, companies of all types and in all industries are under constant and increasing pressure to enhance their organizational effectiveness and competitiveness. The general topic of Organizational Behavior is a field of study that investigates a large number of aspects contributing to a firm’s effectiveness on an individual, group and structural level. Issues discussed are wide-ranging and include attitudes and job satisfaction, decision-making and employee motivation, group behavior and communication, leadership, power and politics, organizational structures, cultures and organizational change.

Theoretical concepts will be made tangible through class discussions, brief lectures and case studies. The course is designed to be highly interactive thus encouraging students to contribute their own professional experiences, viewpoints and observations during class.

Course Objectives:

1. To impart the general theoretical underpinnings of individual and group behavior within organizations.

2. To help students to become more aware of their own roles they assume in teams, and potentially change the way they think and act as managers.

3. To increase the participants’ skill in identifying motives and in discriminating between different behavioral and attitudinal mechanisms that affect members of organizations.

4. To enhance the students’ ability in identifying and opportunities and possibilities for change in their present or future organizations.

5. To cultivate the students’ critical thinking, decision-making, communication and team-working skills.

Expected Workload:

This is a three-credit course, so the expected time commitment is approximately 148 hours in total. In addition to approximately 38 hours of expected class time, students are expected on average to invest the remaining time in reading the textbook, articles and case studies (60 hours), preparing and taking quizzes (10 hours), preparing the group project and presentation (30 hours), elaborating individual answers to one case study (3 hours), studying and preparing the final presentation and paper (7 hours). Please note that the individual time investment will vary by student.

Attendance:

It is critical that students are present and actively participating during class. Therefore, more than one absence will have an impact on the student’s grade.

For the second absence and each additional absence the student’s grade will be reduced by 10%. If the student knows that he or she is going to miss more than one class session (e.g. travel for work) the student may contact the instructor in advance and develop a mutually agreeable plan of course work that is equal to the work performed in class. If the student completes the work according to the agreed upon plan, the student’s grade will not be reduced.

Grade Components:

In Class Participation:Students are strongly encouraged to contribute actively to discussion during class and to share their personal and professional experiences and observations that are relevant to the issues discussed throughout the term. Preparation for class (readings/research) is essential to the learning experience for the student and fellow students. In class participation demonstrates that the students have read and understand the concepts of the learning materials. Additionally, students learn from each other’s perspectives, experiences and insights. Therefore, if a student does not participate in discussion, all other grade components will be negatively impacted by their lack of discussion.

Individual Case Study – Brussels and Bradshaw: Students will submit an individual written analysis for one case study according to the Course Schedule below. The case studyshould not exceed 3 typewritten pages. The analysis must: a) briefly summarize key issue(s) in the case, b) analyze these issues, using facts from the case, lessons from the readings and discussion, c) make specific recommendations for how you would address the situation (bulk of the analysis), and d) provide a rationale or justification for your recommendations. Creative and reflective thinking are encouraged. Use the rubric in D2L as a guide to the quality of your analysis.

Group ProjectWiki and Presentation: Organizations of all types and of all industries are under continuous pressure to change or modify many aspects of their “organizational behavior”. This need for change has been accelerated significantly through globalization, rapid development of new technologies, changes in legislation or public finances and many other factors. This background sets the stage for the proposed team project for this class.

Groups will be formed during the first week of class and the group members will select one specific organization or industry to analyze. The Course Schedule outlines other class sessions when group work is performed during class. The in-class time is designed to allow the students to collaborate and develop strategies for the next week’s work. It is expected that group work will occur outside of the classroom as well.

The deliverables of this project consist of creating aWiki and a presentationthat will be delivered during the last class. The final project due date is listed in the Course Schedule.After the group presentation, fellow students are allowed 5 minutes for questions and discussion.

Peer reviews will help ensure fair allocation of a group’s project grade to its members. In making peer reviews, focus on issues that directly relate to group’s success (e.g., level of contribution, quality of contribution, degree to which the person was instrumental to group success, supportiveness of individuals to group members). The peer review form will be available on D2L. Each student’s grade for the group project will be considered in light of the group members’ peer review. The results of the peer review will not be distributed, in order to encourage unbiased ratings and maintain confidentiality.

Book Report:Students will read the book Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, authored by Alfred Lansing. Each student will select a specific Organizational Behavior topic to analyze.

The student will create a PPT that summarizes their research, findings and analysis of the topic. The PPT may also be used to present their topic to fellow students. Documents will be posted to D2L Dropbox before the beginning of class when the assignment is due.

The students will sign up for one of the topics from the list below. I strongly encourage students to select a topic that is of great interest to them. I am open to topics not listed. However, you are required to obtain my approval before performing an analysis of a topic not on the list below.

Topics: 1) Emerging Leadership, 2) Team Development, 3) Crisis Leadership, 4) Emotional Intelligence, 5) Servant Leadership, 6) Motivation and Job Satisfaction, 7) Decision Making, 8) Diversity and Individual Differences, 9) Emotions and Moods, 10) Leadership Vision, 11) Communicating Leadership, 12) Organizational Structure.

  1. The PPT (objective analysis) will include the following:
  2. APA format, meaning the inclusion of in-text citations and a work cited slide. You will select a style for your PPT slides that you deem professional. You may use pictures, videos, etc. to enhance your presentation.
  3. A summary of your topic and why that topic is interesting to you.
  4. Your objective analysis (critical thinking) section will include: 1) 5 or more quotes from Endurance, 2) 5 quotes or more (paraphrases) from Scandura to support your analysis, 3) 5 or more additionaloutside sources.
  5. A summary of the lessons learned will include: 1) 2 or more of the most important lessons learned, 2) a brief summary of why/how to apply these lessons to a contemporary situation, provide one example.
  6. The student’s 5 minute in-class presentation will demonstrate:
  7. A deep understanding of the topic, including multiple perspectives from topic experts.
  8. Ability to articulate the complexities of the topic (e.g. when and where the topic is relevant or skills required to perform the topic).
  9. Ability to add new insights to the topic. What new information did you learn during your research of the topic?
  10. Ability to apply the topic to a new situation.

Grade Table

Graded Component / Percent
In Class Participation / 20
Individual Case StudyB&B / 20
GroupProject Peer Score / 20
Group Project Wiki and Presentation / 20
Book Report - Shackleton / 20
Total / 100

Course Grade Scale:

A 94-100% / B 84-87% / C 74-77% / D 64-67%
A- 90-93% / B- 80-83% / C- 70-73% / D- 60-63%
B+ 88-89% / C+ 78-79% / D+ 68-69% / F <60%

Course Schedule

Week / Date / In-class Topics / Assignments required prior to class
1 / Tuesday
01/26/2016 / Introductions and overview of syllabus and class format.
Learning Objectives:
  1. Define the concept of Organizational Behavior (OB).
  2. Define leadership.
  3. Understand the differences between leadership and management.
Create a visual diagram depicting your understanding of Organizational Behavior. / Read chapters:
1– What is Organizational Behavior?
and 2 – Leadership: Core Concepts.
Read D2L Article: Servant Leadership: Its Origins, Development, and Application in Organizations.
Read D2L Linked Article: Concept Map – Wikipedia Overview
D2L Leadership Development – Section 1: Introduction
2 / Tuesday
02/02/2016 / Overview of group project and group assignments.
Group project work time.
Learning Objectives:
  1. Define the various aspects of individual influences on the role of leadership (e.g. personality, mood).
  1. Understand the role of the leader when dealing with individuality.
  2. Understand various leadership theories.
  1. Differentiate ethical, authentic and servant leadership.
/ Read chapter 3 – Individual Differences.
Read HBR Case: Virtu, Virtue, and Success.
D2L Leadership Development: Leadership - Section 2: Self
3 / Tuesday
02/09/2016 / As a whole class - Practice Sample Case Study - Virtue
Learning Objectives:
  1. Understand attitudes and implications of attitudes.
  2. Define job satisfaction and understand the role it plays in job performances.
  3. Explain the importance of self-evaluation/assessment and the role it plays in the development of your own leadership skills.
/ Read chapter 4 – Attitudes and Job Satisfaction.
Read D2L Article: Crisis Leadership: a view from the executive suite.
4 / Tuesday
02/16/2016
D2L / In Groups - Movie Case Study(12 Angry Men).
Learning Objectives:
  1. Define perception and understand the sources that influence it.
  2. Understand the internal and external influence of perception.
  3. Identify leadership characteristics required to recognize and respond to perceptions.
/ Read chapter 5 - Perceptions
Read D2L Articles:
The Dark Side of Leadership.
Bases of Social Power and the Power Interaction Model of Interpersonal Influence
View the Video 12 Angry Men
D2L: Group Movie Case Study
5 / Tuesday
02/23/2016 / In Groups Brussels and Bradshaw Case discussion.
Learning Objectives:
  1. Understand the importance and complexity of decision-making and the role it plays in defining leadership.
  2. Identify decision-making/leadership traps.
Create a visual diagram depicting your understanding of Organizational Behavior. / Read chapter 6 – Individual Decision Making.
Read HBR Article: Leaders as Decision Architects
Read HBR Case Study: Brussels and Bradshaw.
Post Brussels and Bradshaw Individual Paper to D2L (before class) and bring a hard copy of your Brussels and Bradshaw Individual paper to class.
6 / Tuesday
03/01/2016 / Group project work time.
Learning Objectives:
  1. Define motivation.
  2. Understand motivation as a driver of individual behaviors.
  1. Identify how leaders use motivation to drive effective behaviors.
  2. Understand the role and limits of rewards and money as motivators.
/ Read chapters:
7 – Motivation: Core Concepts
and 8 – Motivation: Learning and Rewards.
D2L: Scholarly Article – New Perspective
D2L Leadership Development – Section 3: Leader
7 / Tuesday
03/08/2016
Note: No Classes on
03/15/2016 / Learning Objectives:
  1. Understand the differences between groups and teams.
  2. Identify the stages of Team Development.
  3. Understand the differences between leadership decision-making and team-decision making.
  4. Identify behavioral drivers of team effectiveness.
/ Read chapter 9 – Group Processes and Teams.
8 / Tuesday
03/22/2016 / In Groups - Movie assessment and Team Presentation (Remember the Titans 113 minutes).
Learning Objectives:
  1. Identify the sources of conflict within an organization.
  2. Understand the role conflict plays in team effectiveness and decision-making.
  3. Explain the role of leadership and negotiation in driving effective team behaviors.
Create a visual diagram depicting your understanding of Organizational Behavior. / Read chapter 10 – Managing Conflict and Negotiation.
Read Article: It doesn’t take a Wizard to Build a Better Boss
View the Video Remember the Titans
D2L Leadership Development: Leadership – Section 4: Functional Leader
9 / Tuesday
03/29/2016 / In Groups - Discuss HBS case: Thomas Green: Power, Office Politics, and a Career in Crisis.
Learning Objectives:
  1. Identify the components of the communication channel.
  2. Understand how and when to use various communication modes.
  3. Identify the role emotional intelligence plays in team communications.
/ Read chapter 11- Organizational Communication.
Read HRB Case Study: Thomas Green.
10 / Tuesday
04/05/2016 / Group project work time.
In Group - Discuss HBS case: R.L. Wolfe case.
Learning Objectives:
  1. Understand the importance of cross-cultural awareness.
/ Read chapter 12 – Cross-Cultural Differences and Adjustments.
Read D2L Article: A Flexible Organizational Structure as a way of Knowledge Management in SMEs.
Read HBR Case Study: R.L. Wolfe.
D2L: Scholarly Article – Argumentative
11 / Tuesday
04/12/2016 / Shackleton Presentations. / Post to D2L Dropbox –
Book Report – Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage
Read HBR Articles:
Get the Vision Right and
Where will we find tomorrow’s leaders
12 / Tuesday
04/19/2016 / Group project work time.
Learning Objectives:
  1. Identify the relationship between organizational change and stress.
  2. Differentiate individual stress and organizational stressors.
  3. Understand the interventions/remedies for mediating stress.
  4. Define organizational culture and its role in driving organizational behavior.
  5. Understand the leader’s role in driving culture and cultural changes.
/ Read chapter 13 & 14– Stress in the Context of Organizational Change, Organizational Culture.
Read HBR Articles:
How leaders Spark and Sustain Change and
How leaders become Managers
D2L: Scholarly Article – Barriers and Opportunities
13 / Tuesday
04/26/2016 / Group project work time.
Learning Objectives:
  1. Define organizational change, its components and resistance to change.
  2. Understand the role that planned-change plays in organizational effectiveness.
  3. Identify the role of leadership in organizational change.
Create a visual diagram depicting your understanding of Organizational Behavior. / Read chapter 15- Leading Change.
D2L Leadership Development: Leadership – Section 5: Visionary Leader and Final Reflection
14 / Tuesday
05/03/2016 / Group Presentations and final comments.
15 / Tuesday
05/10/2016 / Peer Review and Course Evaluations.
Group Presentations and final comments.

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