OB221 - Boston University



COURSE PHILOSOPHY AND APPROACH

This course studies what people think, feel and do in organizational settings, focusing on individual, interpersonal, group and organizational processes. The primary objective of this course is to help you understand and manage organizational dynamics as effectively as possible. We will do this through: analysis of readings; reflecting on your hands-on, real-time experience in organizations where you work(ed) and in teamwork here; practice opportunities in class sessions and team exercises; and papers written by you and your teams. The required readings and lectures will provide you with abstract knowledge about organizational behavior processes and structures; your semester-long "OB Team" experiences, as described below, will provide skill-building opportunities to help manage your own and others' behavior in organizations in the future.

By the third week of class, you will be placed on a team and will begin to work with your task group. Team members will spend the entire semester interacting intensely through a variety of planned and spontaneous activities. In addition to your routine deliverables this term (preparation for class, papers, exercises and exams), each “OB Team” will prepare a formal analysis of a local organization or business, producing a professionally written case report and delivering a formal presentation about that organization. You will also work together to engage in a community service project or initiative as a team during the semester. Your OB Team, in effect, will be an organization, one in which each individual is (1) likely to experience anxiety, confusion, frustration, counterproductive behaviors, moral dilemmas, and conflict but also is (2) likely to contribute to a collective intelligence, wisdom, trust, affection, commitment, responsibility, effectiveness, efficiency, achievement, and pride. Classroom exercises and applications will engage you and your team members to practice and explore your capabilities in these essential areas in a real-time mode.

Thus, the specific learning objectives of this course are to:

1. Increase awareness of your own and other people's emotional, cognitive, and behavioral patterns and their implications for effective performance in organizations

2. Understand and gain first-hand experience in applying course concepts and theories to all types of organizations -- including your own OB Team

3. Develop your own and your team's abilities and skills in articulating course concepts through oral presentation and written papers

4. Become a more informed evaluator of organizations in your role as a current or future employee and/or employer

5. Develop your own and your teammates' abilities to continuously improve and to actively contribute to your current and future organizations as both good leaders and good followers

6. Further develop your own, unique, personal set of beliefs and guiding principles about the meaning and value of the work you and others do in organizations.

LOGISTICS AND GROUND RULES

In almost all settings it is best to establish expectations up front. Below are some of the expectations regarding behavior and performance in OB221:

1. Attendance – Our Discussion classes meet only once a week over 14-15 weeks, and we have conceptual, personal and behavioral learning to accomplish, framed in large part by classroom discussion and exercises. It is important therefore that you attend every class; our expectation is 100% attendance. Come prepared, having read all advance readings, and be engaged in class.

2. Participation - Thorough preparation and participation in class discussions are vital to your and everyone's learning. We value diverse, thoughtful comments and insights from all class members. When speaking in class, your primary emphasis should be on quality versus quantity.

1. Punctuality - Classes will begin on time, and faculty will make every effort to end them on time. As in all business situations, arrive on time and be ready to go.

2. Professional Conduct - This class may engender active dialogue. Be passionate, but also be professional. Open debate is expected and welcomed, but we must be respectful of the positions of others. Let’s work together to create a positive, professional – and challenging – atmosphere.

3. The Written and Spoken Word - As managers, the ability to write and speak well will set you apart from others in the business world. Build these skills throughout your careers, especially here at the School of Management at BU. Faculty will look for quality, clarity, and depth in your work; avoid generalizations and jargon. Be organized, and use specific examples to back up your points.

4. Timeliness - The business world displays great fondness for due dates and deadlines. Prepare and submit your work on time. Build in slack time in your work processes to accommodate the unexpected. Late work will be harshly penalized.

5. Communication - Talk with your faculty and share your concerns with him/her during the semester. Faculty can not act upon things of which they are unaware. Go to office hours, set up appointments, or communicate by e-mail if you have any questions or open issues.

6. Good Humor - Despite all of the “rules” above, there is still plenty of room for creativity and laughter. It is possible to work hard, learn and have fun. You are encouraged to be creative and enjoy yourself in the exercises and coursework this semester. Have some fun too.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

You are expected to exhibit ethical and honest work habits at all times. The School of Management holds a Zero Tolerance policy with respect to academic misconduct or misrepresentation. At a minimum, any confirmed violation of academic integrity will result in a failing grade for this class and would lead to referral to the Academic Conduct Committee. If you are at all uncertain about the definition of misconduct, plagiarism, “cheating” or “academic dishonesty” please refer to the student handbook or the university website for a full description. Please be aware that this issue is extremely serious and any confirmed incidents will be referred to the appropriate university administrator for additional disciplinary action, including the possibility of dismissal from the university.

Prepared by Dr. Jack McCarthy and Dr. Sandra Deacon Carr for OB221, with thanks to Prof. Carole Barnett at the University of New Hampshire.

|Dates |Module & Topic |Assignments Due at start of class: |

| | | |

| |Understanding the Individual | |

|Sept 2/3 |Course Overview, Introductions, Exercise |Text Chapter 1; Readings Workbook (RW) Ch 1; Harvard Business |

|Th/F |Issue MBTI |Review, Managing Oneself, P. Drucker, January 2005 |

|#1 | | |

|Sept 8 |Lecture: The Practice of Managing People |Text 12; RW 2 |

|W |Dr. Jack McCarthy | |

|Sept 9/10 |Individual Behavior, Personality |Text 2 and 3 |

|Th/F |MBTI Exercises; Assign teams |Bring MBTI scores to class |

|#2 |Assign Reflection Paper #1: Self Assessment | |

| | | |

|Sept 16/17 Th/F |Values, Attitudes, Motivation |Text 4; SA 2.2 |

|#3 |Introduce teamwork; Operation Transplant exercise; Assign Team |Reflection Paper #1 Due |

| |Contract & Project Plan | |

|Sept 22 |Lecture: Motivation: B=f (I & E) |Text 5; RW 3; HBR, One More Time: How do you motivate |

|W |Dr. Jack McCarthy |employees? Herzberg, Jan 2003; SA 5.6 |

| |Managing Groups and Teams | |

|Sept 23/24 |Introduction to Teams |RW 4 - MBTI Team Exercise Due, |

|Th/F |Team Activity: GPS Urban Adventure |SA 7.3; Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups, Druskat|

|#4 |Discuss: Team Contract & Project Plan |& Wolff, Mar 2001 (HBR) |

| | | |

|Sept 30 Th Oct 1 F|Team Dynamics |Text 7; RW 5; SA 7.2 |

|#5 |Present Lessons Learned - Team GPS Activity |Team Presentation - GPS Activity |

| |Case Analysis: The Forgotten Group Member |TLA Individual Contract Worksheet |

| | | |

|Oct 7/8 |High Performance Teams |RW 6; HBR: The Discipline of Teams, Katzenbach & Smith, |

|Th/F |Case Analysis: Seabiscuit |Mar-Apr 1993 |

|#6 | |Team Contract & Project Plan Due |

|Oct 13 | | |

|W |Mid-Term Exam | |

|Oct 14/15 |Learning from Action; Decision Making |Text 6; RW 7 |

|Th/F |AAR team discussion, presentation of results |AAR Worksheet Part 1 Due |

|#7 | | |

| | | |

|Oct 21/22 |OB Leadership in Action |NO Discussion Class. Plan and launch Community Service |

|Th/F |Community Service Initiatives (CSI) |Initiatives |

|#8 | | |

| |BU School of Theater presents Fallujah |

|Oct 21-24 |CFA Copeland Studio 354 at 855 Comm Ave; no reservations necessary for this free event. |

| | |

| |Leading the Organization | |

|Oct 27 |BU School of Theater Collaboration: |

|W |Command Performance – Fallujah SMG Auditorium 2-4pm |

|Oct 28/29 |Managing Conflict and Negotiation |Text Ch 10; SA 10.3 |

|Th/F |Conflict and Negotiation exercises, including debrief and analysis |Preparation for Peer Feedback |

|#9 |of Fallujah | |

|Nov 3 W |Preparation for Peer Feedback (virtual) | |

|Nov 4/5 |Performance Appraisal and Feedback |Text 8; RW 8, 9: Culture Worksheet Due |

|Th/F |Exercise: Peer Feedback Session, Action Plan |Project Plan Analysis and CSI plan Due |

|#10 | | |

| | | |

|Nov 11/12 |Understanding Organizational Culture |SA 13.2 |

|Th/F |Culture Presentations, Case study |Culture Presentation Due |

|#11 | | |

|Nov 17 |Lecture: Leadership & Culture |Text 11 & 13; HBR: What it Means to Work Here, T. Erickson & L. |

|W |Dr. Jack McCarthy |Gratton, Mar 2007 |

|Nov 18/19 |Leading Change |Text 9 & 14; HBR: What Great Managers Do, Buckingham, Mar 2005; |

|Th/F |Leadership discussion; Film and analysis |What Leaders Really Do, Kotter, Dec 2001; RW 10 & 11 |

|#12 | | |

| | | |

|Nov 24-28 |Thanksgiving Break | |

|Dec 1 |Team Project Paper Due by 4:00pm | |

|W | | |

|Dec 2/3 |Team Project Presentations |Team Project Presentations |

|Th/F | | |

|#13 | | |

|Dec 8 |Lecture: Participative Mgt & Change | |

|W |Dr. George Labovitz | |

|Dec 9/10 |Adjourning OB221 |TLA Peer Evaluations Due; |

|Th/F |Lessons from Community Service Initiatives; Team Closure Exercise; |CSI Summary Presentations Due |

|#14 |Course evaluations | |

|Dec 14 |Reflection Paper #2: Team Dynamics |Reflection Paper #2 Due |

|Tues |Due by 4:00pm | |

|Final Exam |TBD: The final exam will be scheduled during exam week: Weds Dec |Until the exam date is announced, plans must not be made to |

| |15th to Mon Dec 20th |leave campus prior to Dec 20th |

Text (new, used or e-book): Organizational Behavior, Essentials, 2nd ed. McShane & Von Glinow, 2009.

Team Learning Assistant: Online purchase at ; use BU email address.

Required OB221 Readings Workbook 2010-2011 (must be NEW):

~ Purchase price includes all exercises and cases for the semester

~ Available only at the SMG Copy Center

Note: All Readings and Assignments are due on or before the class/date assigned.

OB221

Course Requirements

Grading for OB221 is based on the following Course Requirements (see Syllabus for due dates):

|Mid Term Exam |10% |

|Team Contract and Project Plan |10% |

|Team Project and Presentations |30% |

|Reflection Papers (Self Assessment 5%; Team Dynamics 15%) |20% |

|Final Exam |10% |

|Participation (class, team, team learning) |20% |

|Total |100% |

1. Mid Term Exam: One mid term exam will be given during the semester. This exam is held during scheduled class time; therefore, no make-up exams will be given. The exam will be based on readings, cases, exercises and material from lecture and discussion classes. Emphasis will be placed on understanding and application of the theories and concepts taught in class. Note: Students requiring accommodations must submit documentation from the Office of Disability Services to their instructor no later than the Wednesday before the exam.

2. Team Contract and Project Plan: In order to manage a team of peers, which you will be expected to do throughout the semester, you must first get to know each other, and then establish parameters for acceptable and unacceptable performance within the team. Your team will complete an activity designed to get to know one another. You will then write about the experience and develop a team contract that clearly and specifically identifies what is expected of each team member, and how team and individual performance will be addressed. In addition, you will develop a project plan, which will include a timeline and specific roles required for completing your team project. Since this is your team contract, it must be developed and signed by all team members. This paper must be uploaded to by the due date listed on the syllabus.

3. Team Project and Presentations: The team project, which you will develop and carry out in your OB Team, will culminate in a term paper and team presentations to the class of your analysis and findings. Presentations are expected to be both creative and polished, use appropriate visual aids and include all team members. Presentation skills will be addressed in class. The quality of your presentations will be a factor in your final grade for the project. You will also develop and execute a community service initiative as a team during the semester, which you will examine and discuss in class at the end of the semester. Detailed instructions for the project and community service initiative will be provided. The term paper must be uploaded to by the due date listed on the syllabus.

4. Reflection Papers: You are encouraged to keep a weekly journal in which you reflect on what you are learning in the course, chronicle your team experiences, (recording your observations, thoughts, actions, etc.), reflect upon lessons, and apply course concepts and theory to your experiences. Using your experiences and the journal as a basis for analysis, you will write two reflection papers: a Self-Assessment (5%); a Team Dynamics Analysis which is an individual reflection and analysis of your OB Team’s development and actual performance throughout the term (15%). The second reflection paper (Team Dynamics) must be uploaded to by the due date listed on the syllabus. Detailed instructions for these papers will be provided.

5. Final Exam: A final exam will be scheduled by the University to take place during exam week, therefore you must plan accordingly. No accommodations will be made for travel plans, so if you must make travel arrangements prior to the posting of the Final Exam Date, then you will need to plan to travel after the last day of exam week.

6. Participation: The Boston University School of Management is a professional school. Therefore, in OB221 we hold you to the same professional standards you are most likely to encounter in work situations, i.e., regular and timely attendance (100% class attendance is expected), active engagement during discussions, support of your fellow workers/students, demonstration of your willingness to be team player, and your ability to contribute to the overall learning and performance of your team. The participation grade has 3 components: (a) Class Participation: To earn points for class participation, you must clearly show that you take the professional standards seriously by coming to class prepared, ready and willing to participate in class discussions. (b) Team Participation/Team Learning: It is expected that you will be an active participant in team exercises in class and in team activities, meetings, and decisions outside of class. All members are expected to be productive contributors to all of the team’s assignments. As a member of a team, you are expected to support, encourage, assist and contribute to the learning of each member of your team. Your ability to “coach” teammates and help others learn course concepts will also be assessed as part of your participation grade. (c) Assignments: You are expected to complete all individual self-assessment assignments and team learning assignments throughout the semester. Strong, engaged contributors will be rewarded. Participation points will be deducted for, among other things, absences, late attendance/early departures, being unprepared for class or silent during class discussions, lack of contribution to the team, missing or incomplete work, etc.

Requirements for Papers: All papers must be typed with 12 point font and 1” margins, double-spaced, page numbered, stapled or bound, and include a cover page. Papers must also have proper citations and include a bibliography. Each paper must have a cover page with your name, section number, instructor’s name and date. Papers must be submitted on or ahead of their due dates. All papers and assignments that are due on class days are due at the start of class. Papers handed in after class has commenced will be down-graded a full grade for each late day or part day, including Saturdays and Sundays, with the first day beginning after the class has begun. Example: a paper due at 9:00am on Friday that is turned in at 9:20am on Friday will lose one full grade (i.e., if the paper were a B+ paper, it will be recorded as a C+ due to lateness).

You are also required to keep a copy of all written assignments for the entire semester.

Please contact your Instructor with any questions. We are confident that this is a valuable, interesting, meaningful and fun course, and we hope you have a great learning experience in OB221!

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