University of California at Santa Barbara
Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management
ESM 280: ORGANIZATIONS AND ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP
Fall, 2011
Instructor: Celine Gainet, Ph.d.
Class Lecture: T 1:00 - 3:50
Office hours: Immediately after class or by appointment
Email:
Course Overview and Objectives
All environmental problems have a human dimension. Environmental change will only occur through individual leadership and collective action. ESM 280 introduces students to organizational dynamics and the analytical and communication skills which environmental leaders need to motivate change.
In this course you will learn about organizational behavior and theory in order to better understand the organizational contexts of the workplace and other institutions in society. Second, you will learn about group dynamics in order to become a more effective group member. Third, you will gain an understanding of your own strengths and weaknesses as a leader/ manager through your interaction with a team during group work and in the classroom. This course will provide an opportunity for you to become reflective about your own ability to lead environmental change in the organizations where you will work, and to hone the communication and persuasion skills necessary for your success in these change efforts.
Learning Method
I use a unique teaching method in ESM 280 that requires students to engage in self-motivated actions to learn about their own leadership abilities and to develop new analytical skills. Since most organizational work is done in groups, a central locus of this learning about one’s self and one’s abilities takes place in groups. I create learning opportunities by providing situations and materials that spur group interaction and personal reflection on the success or lack of success of individual and group actions.
Since there are significant differences in the experience levels of students in the MESM program, I expect that much of the learning in this course will be self-generated: Students with significant work experience are encouraged to seize this opportunity to mentor and coach others in their groups and in the class, honing preexisting managerial and leadership skills.
Content and Organization
ESM 280 will not focus solely on environmental issues. Rather, it will focus on learning how organizations work, what motivates individuals and teams to perform work, and the identification/ development of the skills a leader needs to influence change in organizations. My expectation is that students attending programs at the Bren School are interested in becoming environmental change leaders. Therefore, the students, their interests, their experiences, and their expertise bring the environmental context to ESM 280.
We will look at two levels of organizational theory analysis in ESM 280. The first level is about making sense of the individual’s role in organizations. This is the micro level of analysis with which we start the course. Individuals are the basic unit of organizations. Most work in organizations is done in groups with individuals playing instrumental roles in creating the solutions to organizational problems. Organizations are made up of these groups of individuals (workgroups, departments, research teams, divisions, business units, etc.). We will look at what motivates individual behaviors and analyze group dynamics to gain an understanding of the micro-level. The understanding you gain about how to motivate other individuals and groups to change will be highly important to your success as an environmental leader.
The second focus of organizational theory is what we call the macro level. Issues of organizational formation (design), culture, change, learning, and ethics are all part of the organization-as-a-whole analysis that we study during the course. Part of the macro-level analysis includes understanding inter-organizational dynamics (interactions between organizations). A catch phrase for these dynamics is “stakeholder relations”. You will learn to map the set of stakeholders that bring pressure to bear on different types of organizations.
A central theme that cuts across both levels of analysis is the potential for individuals to lead. Managers and employees at all levels of an organization have the potential to implement changes that they think are important. As a future environmental professional, it will be helpful for you to understand your own ability to make changes happen in organizations, and to lead groups to find solutions. Throughout the course you will be given the opportunity to discover which leadership skills you appreciate in others and to learn about your own leadership skills.
A variety of teaching materials have been selected to help you learn about organizational theory and behavior. Case studies, group projects, team teaching, team exercises and academic/ practitioner articles will be used during the course. The theory and analysis of organizational behavior will be illuminated by general and environmental readings.
Participants in the course are expected to attend all class sessions and to have read all required readings. The syllabus provides a number of optional books that are offered for those who want to explore certain topics in greater depth. We can request that Davidson library make these optional materials available at the reserve desk, if you would like.
Grading
The grading reflects the objectives of the class, i.e. it is mainly team oriented. Nonetheless, reading the materials prior to the class, and participating to the class are key elements to succeed in your team work.
- Team assignments:
o Teaching 2 core topics of the class (30% each presentation) (=60%)
o Organizational analysis presentation (30%)
- Individual assignment: Participation / attendance (10%)
There will be no final examination for this course.
Assignments
1. Team teaching (2*30%)
Each week a different group will take responsibility for developing a one hour teaching session. In this way the organization will develop and lead its own organizational learning efforts. These sessions will be on organizational topics related to managing environmental issues. Groups will select their topic during the first day of class. I encourage you to think about creative ways to teach your cohorts about the topic you select, developing in-class exercises, using film viewings, or inviting outside speakers, for example.
Week 10 will not focus on a specific topic. The group who has responsibility for week 10 will have to briefly present the key learning points of the topics covered in the course. This presentation should focus on the most important ideas presented during the class and remains original and creative.
The group will create the format (i.e. lecture, dialogue, learning exercise, etc.) for each teaching session in consultation with the professor. This consultation with the professor should take place during the last 15 minutes of the class session one week prior to the class session in question[1]. Please be prepared to explain the teaching purpose for your teaching session to the professor, and your teaching plan, including how you plan to utilize the one hour of classroom time.
Also, the group will send a summary of the teaching materials and course structure (e.g. the Power Point slides) at least 24 hours before the beginning of the class, i.e. Monday 1pm. In case there are changes to make, I will do my best to send you my feedbacks within few hours.
I am interested in your faithful and creative participation in all group activities. Working closely with your group will be an excellent opportunity to learn about group behavior and your own leadership skills in a group of your peers. It will also prepare you for future group projects at the Bren School and elsewhere. Our assessment of your committed and energetic participation in your team/ workgroup will influence your participation grade in the course.
Team Teaching Organization
Week / Team Members / Topics / Example of a key-question2
Tuesday, Oct. 4 / - / - Personality and Values
- Perception and Individual Decision Making / What is the role of personality and perception in promoting environmental action?
3
Tuesday, Oct. 11 / - / - Motivation Concepts
- Motivation: From concepts to Applications
- (Job Attitudes) / How can individuals motivate other individuals to promote environmental responsibility in organizations?
4
Tuesday, Oct. 18 / - / - Foundations of Group Behavior
- Communication / What is the function of communication in promoting environmental action?
5
Tuesday, Oct. 25 / - / - Leadership
- (Understanding work teams) / How promoting environmental change through individual leadership?
6
Tuesday, Nov. 1 / - / - Power and Politics / What is the influence of culture on the uses and perceptions of politics? What role do ethics play in behaving politically?
7
Tuesday, Nov. 8 / - / - Conflict and Negotiation / Managerial integrity: what role does it play in managing environmental crises?
8
Tuesday, Nov. 15 / - / - Foundations of Organization Structure
- Organization Culture / Organizational culture: what is it and how does it affect environmental actions?
8b
Tuesday, Nov. 15 / - / - Organization Change / How managing organizational change? Whose responsibility is it anyway?
Tuesday, Nov. 22 / No class: work on team presentation project
10
Tuesday, Nov. 29 / - / - Recap / What does it take to lead? What does it take to be an environmental leader?
2. Organizational Analysis (30%)
Students will work together with their groups to analyze two organizations based upon organizational theory taught in the course. During the first week of class groups will select the type of organization that they will study.
The organizations can be the class as a whole, an outside organization to which you belong or for which you have worked. Basically, any organization that one student of the team is in a position to know is an acceptable organization to analyze for this organizational behavior and theory paper. I do not recommend the analysis of an organization that one has learned about from a book or a film.
Organizational analysis teams will prepare a presentation where they combine the organizational theory taught in the course with the analysis of the chosen organizations. If possible, the presentation should highlight the similarities and differences between the chosen organizations.
The presentation will be graded based upon the degree to which the team has shown that they have synthesized learning from the course and its readings. In general, exceptional organizational analyses demonstrate an integrated and complete understanding of the concepts presented in the course.
Each team will have 20 minutes to present its organizational analysis. The rest of the class will be asked to challenge each analysis and ask questions helping to go more in-depth in the presented analysis.
Length: 15 Power Point slides max
Due: Power point slides are due by email no later than November 23
Presentation will be held in class on November 29
Grade will be based upon the assessment of the group project as it is presented in the final week of the course.
Organizational Analysis Team Organization
Team / Team Members / Organization 1 / Organization 21 / -
2 / -
3 / -
4 / -
5 / -
6 / -
7 / -
8 / -
9 / -
3. Participation (10%)
It is required that students be present for all classes.
Full participation will be measured by the degree of preparation and thoughtful input that the student brings to these activities.
Also, all students of ESM 280 have an on-going assignment to take notes through the quarter of their team experience. They should also observe the behaviors of their group members, and take note of both “helpful” AND “not so helpful” behaviors. The last week of class there will be a session where you will be given the opportunity to share your team experience. You should take notes throughout the course and prepare a one-page paper. Otherwise it may be difficult for you to recall your experience when you will be giving feedback at the end of the course.
Readings
A number of readings are assigned for study during this course. During each class we will spend time discussing the readings in order to integrate their themes and knowledge into the group’s learning.
Most readings will be available either through required materials, reserve reading, or via downloads.
Text Books:
- Required:
o Stephen P. Robbins; Timothy A. Judge, Essentials of Organizational Behavior, Tenth Edition, Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2010
Available on Coursesmate.com from 53 dollars - electronic version of the book (http://www.coursesmart.com/9780136077695)
- Optional:
o Daniel Etsy and Andrew Witson, Green to Gold, Yale University Press, 2006
o Jost Hamschmidt (ed.), Case Studies in Sustainability Management and Strategy, Greeleaf Publishing, 2007.
o Thomas Maak and Nicola M. Pless, Responsible Leadership, London and NY: Routledge, 2006
o Ronald Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers, Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1994
Other books that may be of interest to you for further study, but which are not required for the course include:
- Environmental Management and Organizational Behavior:
o Catherine Ramus, Employee Environmental Innovation in Firms, Aldershot, Hampshire, UK: Ashgate, 2002
o Walter Wehrmeyer (Editor), Greening People: Human Resources and Environmental Management, Sheffield, England: Greenleaf Publishing, 1996
- Organizational Theory Reader:
o D. S. Pugh (Editor), Organizational Theory, London: Penguin Books, 1971
- Organizational Behavior Reader:
o Barry Staw (Editor), Psychological Dimensions of Organizational Behavior, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995
- Organizational Culture:
o Dan Denison, Corporate Culture and Organizational Effectiveness, New York: Wiley and Sons, 1990
- Organizational Formation - Design:
o Jay Galbraith, Designing Organizations: An Executive Briefing on Strategy, Structure, and Process, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1995
- Organizational Change:
o Ruth Kanter, The Change Masters, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1983
- Organizational Learning:
o C. Argyris and D. Schon, Organizational Learning: A Theory of Action Perspective, Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1978
- Learning Organizations:
o M. Pearn, C. Roderick, and C. Mulrooney, Learning Organizations in Practice, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995