Fall 2014, 14756, Monday & Wednesday, 8-9:50 am
Professor: Michael W. Coombs, Ph.D.
Office: BRI 303
Office Phone: 213 740-9290
Office Hours: Available most mornings through evenings. Send an email to request a mutually beneficial time.
E-mail:
Course Description
Leadership requires effective management of people and a clear understanding of human behavior and social processes. Leaders need to have a good understanding both of themselves and of those whom they will lead. Leaders need to know why people behave as they do in relation to their job, work group, and organization. This knowledge of individuals’ perceptions, attitudes, and behavior enables leaders to choose appropriate leadership styles and managerial practices to increase organization effectiveness and positive human outcomes.
The course moves progressively through individual, group, and organizational levels of behavior drawing on concepts and practices from the field of Organizational Behavior (OB). It also examines the interrelationship of behavioral phenomena among these levels. Studying OB provides a basic understanding of your own and others’ behavior, particularly in teams. It enhances your ability to communicate and work effectively with others, core skills of leadership. Our goal is to help you strengthen your people management skills so you can be a successful leader in any field you choose.
Learning Objectives
· Developing the behavioral skills you need to be a successful leader of yourself and others, including working in teams.
· Understanding the main ideas relating to organizational behavior and their impact on creating a high-performing organization.
· Understanding what leadership means and what is involved in becoming a successful leader in today’s business organizations.
· Appreciating leadership skills as an essential complement to the technical skills you are learning in other courses.
· Learning concepts and approaches that will enable you to analyze organizational problems and develop appropriate solutions.
Learning Outcomes
After taking this class, students should be able to:
· Explain the effect of personality, attitudes, perceptions and attributions on their own and other’s behaviors in team and organizational settings.
· Describe and apply motivation theories to team and organizational scenarios in order achieve a team’s or an organization’s goals and objectives.
· Explain types of teams and apply team development, team effectiveness, and group decision-making models and techniques.
· Analyze and apply leadership theories and better understand their own leadership style.
· Analyze bases of power and influence tactics and their impact on achieving their own personal career goals and the organization’s objectives.
· Identify and apply tactics for resolving conflict and handling interpersonal communication in work groups.
· Describe how organizational cultures are formed and sustained, and the benefits and liabilities of strong organizational cultures and subcultures.
· Describe the determinants and elements of organizational structure and its impact on an organization’s performance.
· Explain and apply a variety of organizational change methods to improve employee, team and organization performance.
Grading Policies
Participation and Contribution: Participation in class discussion involves active participation that contributes to the class. Merely showing up and having read the assigned readings does not get you any credit. Attendance is required, and is therefore not rewarded. Active participation means that you speak up in class. Whether this is accomplished by answering questions, making observations, commenting on other students’ comments or challenging the instructor’s views does not matter. The second requirement is that what you say actually contributes – merely repeating comments made by other students or telling the class that you agree with what someone else said does not count. Your comments should move the discussion forward. If you are shy, prefer to sit quietly in the back, or just do not feel comfortable speaking in front of your classmates, my suggestion is that you see this class as a challenge to improve those skills. No such excuses will be accepted when the day is done and the grades are assigned.
I reserve the ability to evaluate your contributions. Inappropriate behavior in class for any reason such as: checking email, eating, entering and exiting during class, late arrivals, early departures, and other distractive behaviors may result in receiving no credit for that class session. Only sitting in the class is also insufficient contribution.
Your participation and contribution score will be managed as a “Bank Account.” Positive behaviors will increase your account. Negative behaviors will decrease your account. Your preparation involves completing the assigned readings and preparing the negotiation exercise for that day.
In order to assure that your class participation grade is objective and fair, we will keep track of your contributions during class. It isn’t necessary that you talk all the time or that we call on you in order for you to be noticed. It is important to make quality contributions in class -- ones that facilitate learning and help reach class goals.
A smaller component of your participation grade comprises your involvement in research activities. You can choose one of two options below to fulfill this requirement. Please note that, if you do not complete one of these two options, you will lose points for this part of your grade.
Option 1:
First, you can participate in research studies. To do this, you will attend sessions outside of class, conducted by researchers in MOR at Marshall. You will earn ½ credit or 1 credit for each separate study you complete; most sessions are no more than an hour long. You will need to obtain 4 credits during the semester in order to fulfill the research requirement. If you choose this option, please register for an account at http://marshall-mor.sona-systems.com/ (see instructions posted separately to Blackboard) no later than September 13, 2014. Those who do not register by this date will be required to complete Option 2 (research papers). After you verify your account, you will need to check the site regularly to find open studies and sign yourself up for appointments. Studies are scheduled throughout the semester, on various days and times. It’s important that you complete your credit early; if you wait until the end of the semester, there may not be enough studies available. You are not guaranteed an available study spot. To receive full participation points, you must earn your first credit by October 25, 2014. Your other credits can be earned any time before December 6, 2014. As a courtesy to the researcher and other students waiting for spots, please use the online system to cancel your appointment ASAP if you can’t make it. Please note: If you earn your first 3 credits by showing up to ALL of your scheduled sessions, on time, then you will earn your 4th credit “free,” as a bonus. That is, the system is “earn three, get one free”-- again, provided that you show up to all three early sessions as scheduled and on time.
Option 2:
Your second way to complete the research requirement is to write 3 short, 3-page research papers on topics prearranged with your Instructor. Papers must be turned in no later than December 6, 2014 to your Instructor.
Students must be aged 18 or older by October 18, 2014 in order to choose Option 1; otherwise, you will need to use Option 2.
Team HW Assignment: This group assignment will be completed in the teams that are assigned in Week 4 by your instructor. It is expected that you will apply what you have learned about creating and managing effective teams and motivation while completing this assignment. The assignment involves completing a case analysis of a real-life scenario and submitting a 5-page, double-spaced written analysis. The specific assignment with grading rubric will be posted on Blackboard and will be reviewed in lecture. Your grade on the team HW assignment is a “team grade” that will be assigned equally to all members of the team. Please note: You will complete a self and peer evaluation for this team assignment that contributes to your overall course grade. If you do not participate fully in team meetings and tasks, you will not receive the team grade but be assigned an individual grade that is lower than the team grade. This may also constitute an academic integrity violation and will be treated accordingly.
Homework in Lecture Sessions: This portion of your grade will be based on timely and complete submission of homework. Assignments may consist of self-assessment questionnaires and 1 to 2-page single-spaced answers to questions posted in Blackboard and which will be due at the beginning of each lecture session. Please note: You must attend the entire lecture session to get credit for the homework. Having someone else hand in your homework when you did not attend class constitutes an academic integrity violation for both parties and will be treated accordingly. Your instructor will provide you with additional details about homework expectations.
Progress Exams and Final Exam: These exams include short essay questions based on a case with questions about the material covered in the course. Sample questions for the progress exam will be posted on the course website a week prior to the exam. The progress exam will take place on the date specified in the course outline during lecture meeting times. Make-up progress exams will not be permitted.
The final exam will take place on the date and time assigned for the lecture session time slot in the University final exam schedule. If you have another final exam scheduled for the same time as the final exam for this course, you must let your instructor know about the conflict at least 3 weeks prior to the final exam. According to University policy students are not allowed to omit or anticipate a scheduled final exam.
Team Case Analysis Project: This team project provides an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to apply concepts from the course to analyze real organizational problems and develop appropriate solutions using what you have learned. Utilizing case studies in this way provides real-world practice without the risk and deliberate application of skills and knowledge to determine what, how, when and why it works in the case scenario. Your grade on the case analysis is a “team grade” that will be assigned equally to all members of the team. Please note: You will complete a self and peer evaluation for this team assignment that contributes to your overall course grade. Additionally, if you do not participate fully in team meetings and tasks, you will not receive the team grade but be assigned an individual grade that is lower than the team grade. This may also constitute an academic integrity violation and will be treated accordingly.
The case analysis should be 8-10 typed pages, double-spaced using 12-point font and 1-inch margins. The cases will be graded according to the Case Project Grading Rubric provided on Blackboard which contains specific instructions about the assignment. This assignment will also be explained further in lecture.
Grading
Participation and Contribution in Lecture Sessions 10%
Homework in Lecture Sessions (7 written assignments) 20%
Team Homework Assignment 5%
Team Homework Peer & Self Evaluation 5%
Team Case Analysis Project 10%
Team Case Project Peer & Self Evaluation 5%
Progress Exam #1 10%
Progress Exam #2 15%
Final Exam 20%
TOTAL 100%
Final course grades represent how you perform in the class relative to other students. Your grade will not be based on a mandated target, but on your performance. Historically, the average grade for this class is about a 3.0 gpa (B). Three items are considered when assigning final grades:
1. Your average weighted score as a percentage of the available points for all assignments (the points you received divided by the number of points possible).
2. The overall percentage score within the class.
3. Your ranking among all students in the class.
USC Marshall Critical Thinking Initiative
The USC Marshall Critical Thinking Initiative is a school-wide effort to improve your critical thinking skills in order to be more successful problem solvers in class and in the workplace. This means that you will engage in a variety of learning activities in your courses which are aimed at developing and applying your critical thinking skills in a disciplined manner so that you can outperform others to get your desired job and to further excel in your career. Your ability to think critically is an important part of the evaluation/grading process in this course. The centerpiece of Marshall’s critical thinking knowledge is a website that contains instructional materials and videos. During the course of the semester, the instructor may direct you to these instructional resources prior to various class discussions and exercises.
MARSHALL GUIDELINES
Add / Drop Process
If you are absent six or more times prior to Week 12, I may ask you to withdraw from the class by that date. These policies maintain the professionalism and ensure a system that is fair to all students.
Retention of Graded Coursework
The Marshall School of Business policy for returning papers is as follows: “Returned paperwork, unclaimed by a student may be discarded after 4 weeks and, hence, will not be available should a grade appeal be pursued by the student following receipt of his/her course grade.”
Technology Policy
Laptop and internet usage is not permitted during academic or professional sessions unless otherwise stated by the respective professor and/or staff. Use of other personal communication devices, such as cell phones, is considered unprofessional and is not permitted during academic or professional sessions. ANY e-devices (cell phones, PDAs, i-phones, Blackberries, or other texting devices, laptops, i-pods) must be completely turned off during class time unless given permission. Upon request, you must comply and put your device on the table in off mode and FACE DOWN. You might also be asked to deposit your devices in a designated area in the classroom. Videotaping faculty lectures is not permitted, due to copyright infringement regulations. Audio-taping may be permitted only if approved by the professor. Use of any recorded material is reserved exclusively for USC Marshall students registered in this class. Be here, Now!