AP/ADMS 2400 3.0
Summer 2014
S1: 2 sections taught by
Instructor: K. Lehrer
REQUIRED COURSE TEXT / READINGS:
Custom Textbook Packet: Colquitt, Organizational Behaviour includes two chapters (at the back) from McShane and Steen, Canadian Organizational Behaviour, on Perception and Communication. 2013
Case Book: Hoffman, R. & RRuemper, F., Organizational Behaviour Canadian Cases and Exercises. 7th Edition.
Alternatively the cases in the course and exams are also available in e-format E Book of cases from Organizational Behaviour Cases, Hoffman R. and Ruemper F. (7th Ed.), which students can purchase on line.
Students should go to:
They should then go to the following link to access their copy of the case book:
No Course Kit Required
Note: Photocopying more than 10% of a textbook is illegal, and may involve penalties. Do not duplicate textbooks or obtain these photocopies
ORGANIZATION OF THE COURSE:
Detailed Course Outline
Week / Topic / Readings1 / Introduction
- What is Organizational Behaviour?
- Integrative model of OB
- Evidence-based research in OB
Casebook: Purpose and Analysis of Case Studies
2 / Perception and Individual Differences
- Information-processing model of perception
- Perceptual biases and errors
- Stereotypes and diversity
- Causal attribution
- Attribution biases
Case: Portrait of a Canadian Advisor
3 / Communication
- Barriers for effective communication
- Media richness
- Listening
- Communication in the age of information technology
Case: Cross-cultural Communication
4 / Behavioral Outcomes
- Task performance
- Citizenship behaviour (OCB)
- Counterproductive behaviour
- Withdrawal behaviours (psychological and physical) / Turnover
- Performance management
- Level of analysis: individual, group, organizational outcomes
Colquitt Ch. 3 (pp. 60-64 only)
Case: Greig’s Supermarket
5 / Attitudes, Moods and Emotions
- Job satisfaction
- Value-perception theory
- Job Characteristics Model
- Forms of organizational commitment
- Moods and emotions
Colquitt Ch. 3 (pp.48-59, 64-77 only)
Case: Returned Goods
6 / Motivation
- Motivation and effort
- Theories of motivation
- Self-efficacy
Cases: Action Realty B
MID-TERM EXAM –CLOSED BOOK 2.5 HOURS, SUNDAY MAY 25, TIME TBA
7 / Personality and Ability, Stress
- Personality
- Cultural Values
- Ability: Cognitive, Emotional, Physical
- Stress, stressors and strains
- Coping with stress
- Managing stress
Colquitt Ch.5
Case: Chemplus Inc. B
8 / Trust and Justice
- Bases of trust
- The importance of trust
- Dimensions of organizational justice
(pp.166-180 only)
Case: The Honourable Headhunter
9 / Teams Characteristics and Processes
- Team characteristics
- Team development
- Task interdependence
- Team composition
- Team processes
Case: Alice’s Expense Account
10 / Learning & Decision Making
- Knowledge and expertise
- Methods of learning
- Training and knowledge transfer
- Models of decision making
- Decision making biases and problems
Case: TBA (= ’to be advised’)
11 / Leadership, Power and Influence
- Leadership styles and behaviours
- Types of power
- Using influence
- Organizational politics
- Conflict resolution and negotiation
12 / Organizational Culture & Socialization
- Components of organizational culture
- Maintaining or changing organizational culture
- Resistance to Change
- Stages of socialization
- Managing socialization
FINAL EXAMINATION, CLOSED BOOK, 3 HOURS (during examination period June 18-20; exact date and time TBA)
COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
To understand the components of individual and group behaviour, what influences that behaviour and how that behaviour relates to organizational design and performance.
WEIGHTING OF COURSE
Mid-term / 40%Final Exam / 60%
Students are required to present their current sessional identification card, and their York Card or one piece of photo identification at each exam.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / NOTES
Please BE AWARE: Students CANNOT write exams or submit any work for sections that they are not registered in. Students must confirm the correct section within the first two weeks of class.
N.B.! The instructor/course director has NO AUTHORITY to enroll students into the course. So don’t ask him/her/him!
RELEVANT UNIVERSITY REGULATIONS
Deferred standing may be granted to students who are unable to write their final examination at the scheduled time or to submit their outstanding course work on the last day of classes. In order to apply for deferred standing, students must complete a Deferred Standing Agreement (DSA) form and submit their request no later than five (5) business days from the date of the exam. The request must be properly submitted with supporting documentation directly to the main office of the School of Administrative Studies (282 Atkinson), NOT to the Course Director. These requests will be considered on their merit and decisions will be made available to the students by the main office in the School's web site (under the heading of 'Links'), no individualized communication will be sent by the School to the students (no letter or e-mails). The status of the DSA submitted shall be checked at:
Students with approved DSA will be able to write their deferred examination during the School's deferred examination period. No further extensions of deferred exams shall be granted. The format and covered content of the deferred examination may be different from that of the originally scheduled examination. The deferred exam may be closed book, cumulative and comprehensive and may include all subjects/topics of the textbook whether they have been covered in class or not. Any request for deferred standing on medical grounds must include an Attending Physician's Statement form; a “Doctor’s Note” will not be accepted.
DSA Form:
Attending Physician's Statement form:
Academic Honesty: The Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies considers breaches of the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty to be serious matters. To quote the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty. The Policy on Academic Honesty is an affirmation and clarification for members of the University of the general obligation to maintain the highest standards of academic honesty. As a clear sense of academic honesty and responsibility is fundamental to good scholarship, the policy recognizes the general responsibility of all faculty members to foster acceptable standards of academic conduct and of the student to be mindful of and abide by such standards. Suspected breaches of academic honesty will be investigated and charges shall be laid if reasonable and probable grounds exist.
Students should review the York Academic Honesty policy for themselves at:
Students might also wish to review the interactive on-line Tutorial for students on academic integrity, at:
Grading Scheme and Feedback Policy: The grading scheme (i.e. kinds and weights of assignments, essays, exams, etc.) will be announced, and be available in writing, within the first two weeks of class, and, under normal circumstances, graded feedback worth at least 15% of the final grade for Fall, Winter or Summer Term, and 30% for ‘full year’ courses offered in the Fall/Winter Term be received by students in all courses prior to the final withdrawal date from a course.
Note: Under highly exceptional, unusual and/or unforeseeable circumstances which disrupt the academic norm, (such as a faculty strike or an earthquake), instructors can be expected to provide grading schemes and academic feedback in the spirit of these regulations, as soon as possible. For more information on the Grading Scheme and Feedback Policy, please visit:
In-Class Tests and Exams - the 20% Rule: For all Undergraduate courses, except those which regularly meet on Friday evening or on a weekend, tests or exams worth more than 20% will not be held in the two sessions prior to the beginning of the official examination period. For further information on the 20% Rule, please visit:
For further information on examination scheduling and other important dates, please refer to:
Reappraisals: Students may, with sufficient academic grounds, request that a final grade in a course be reappraised (which may mean the review of specific pieces of tangible work). Non-academic grounds are not relevant for grade reappraisals; in such cases, students are advised to petition to their home Faculty. Students are normally expected to first contact the course director to discuss the grade received and to request that their tangible work be reviewed. Tangible work may include written, graphic, digitized, modeled, video recording or audio recording formats, but not oral work. Students need to be aware that a request for a grade reappraisal may result in the original grade being RAISED, OR LOWERED (or confirmed). For reappraisal procedures and information, please visit the Office of the Registrar site at:
Accommodation Procedures: LA&PS students who have experienced a misfortune or who are too ill to attend the final examination in an ADMS course should not attempt to do so; they must pursue deferred standing. Other students should contact their home Faculty for information. For further information, please visit:
Religious Accommodation: York University is committed to respecting the religious beliefs and practices of all members of the community, and making accommodations for observances of special significance to adherents. For more information on religious accommodation, please visit:
Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
The nature and extent of accommodations shall be consistent with and supportive of the integrity of the curriculum and of the academic standards of programs or courses. Provided that students have given sufficient notice about their accommodation needs, instructors shall take reasonable steps to accommodate these needs in a manner consistent with the guidelines established hereunder. For more information please visit the Disabilities Services website at
York’s disabilities offices and the Registrar’s Office work in partnership to support alternate exam and test accommodation services for students with disabilities at the Keele campus. For more information on alternate exams and tests please visit
Please alert the Course Director as soon as possible should you require special accommodations.