University of Delaware
Alfred Lerner School of Business
Business Administration
FALL 2012
Professor Wendy Smith
203 Alfred Lerner Hall
smithw@udel.edu
Office Hours: By Appointment
BUAD 870 - Sections 052
Leadership and Organizational Behavior
“No person will make a great business who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit.”
- Andrew Carnegie
Overview
As organizations become more complex, the demands on you as a leader, manager and employee become
increasingly challenging. At the heart of these challenges are inherent tensions. Managing these tensions
requires an understanding of your leadership strengths and styles as well as the skills to interact with
others. Our class therefore focuses on understanding 1) How can you more effectively participate in an
organization? and 2) How can you better manage others? We will address these questions by learning
about the psychological and sociological foundations of human behavior, and will engage in discussions
and exercises to help you build effective individual and managerial skills and explore your own leadership.
This course is divided into four modules based on individual, interpersonal, group and organizational
levels of analysis. The course is built around case studies, exercises and discussions to enhance our ability
to relate our learning to our everyday situations and experiences.
Course Objectives

Identify inherent tensions within organizations and our interpersonal interactions and build skills to
attend to these tensions

Understand theories about managing people to enhance employee productivity and satisfaction and
improve organizational performance.

Improve managerial skills to diagnose complex organizational problems and make decisions in the
face of limited information and multiple stakeholders.

Develop knowledge and skills to increase personal awareness, explore your potential and manage
your career.
Readings and Material
1) Course pack – The materials for this course are included in a course pack.
 Print version is available at the University of Delaware bookstore.
 Ebook version is available online at www.mcgrawhillcreate.com/shop.
2) Additional material will be provided on Sakai.
Sakai
We will use Sakai to communicate in this course for:
 Teaching slides – I will post the power point slides for a class session after each class.
 Discussion board – I encourage us to continue to discuss issues that are raised in class on the Sakai
discussion board. Online participation will be considered as part of the class participation grade (see
information on class participation).
 Submitting course assignments.
If you have a problem accessing our classes Sakai site, please let me know ASAP.
Updated: August 28, 2012
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Grading - Personal Performance Evaluation
My intention is to create an atmosphere that enables you to expand your understanding of how to
manage yourself and others, and develop your skills in critical thinking, writing, leadership, etc. In order
to provide an assessment that supports this learning, I am allowing you to create your own performance
evaluation metrics that will enable you to draw from your own strengths, and take risks with the material.
Below is a range of allocations for each of the assignments. You can submit your allocations on Sakai
before September 14. More information about this grading process will be handed out in class and can be
found on line. If you do not submit your own grade allocation by September 14th your grades will be
allocated using the default allotment listed below.
Grade Range
10%
15%
15% - 50%
15% - 50%
15% - 50%
Default Allotment
10%
15%
25%
25%
25%
Assignment/Exercise
Case Analysis #1
Reflected Best Self
Case Analysis #2
Class Participation
Final Project
Detailed information about the goals, expectations, and grading for each of these assignments can be
found online, and will be handed out and discussed in class.
Questions and reactions
I look forward to hearing your questions and reactions to the material and to the course. The best way to
contact me is through email smithw@udel.edu.
Course Values
Engagement and Participation – Your learning and your classmates’ in this class depends on your
engagement with the materials and participation in class discussions. To help us all keep focused on the
class discussion please keep all cell phones and computers OFF during class time. Please see me if
there are circumstances that require you to keep your cell phone or computer on.
Communal respect – This course is mostly discussion-oriented, and is most effective when we can build a
community of scholars helping one another learn and explore the material. Our collective learning
depends on our ability to respect one another's opinions in our comments in class, and respect that some
of our class discussion should not be shared more broadly outside of class.
Academic honesty – Academic honesty is expected in this course. Please be aware that plagiarism is a
serious violation in this course, and throughout your academic career. More information about academic
honesty at the University of Delaware can be found at http://www.udel.edu/stuguide/0607/code.html#honesty.
Updated: August 28, 2012
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Professor Wendy Smith
BUAD 870
Fall 2012
Detailed Course Outline
Note: Please follow the appropriate dates for your section. All materials can be found in the coursepack, unless otherwise noted.
INTRODUCTION
August 29 - Organizations as complex systems.
Readings
 Kreitner, R. & Kinicki, A. 2004. Developing People-Centered Organizations and Skills. In R.
Kreitner & A. Kinicki (Eds.), Organizational Behavior, Vol. Sixth Edition: 2-33. New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Chapter 1.
Questions to consider in advance of the class
 What is organizational behavior and why is it important to study?
 What is an effective organization?
 Who is an effective manager?
 What are your goals for this course?
INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
September 5 – Personality
Readings
 Gladwell, M. 2004. Personality Plus: Employers Love Personality Tests, But What Do they
Really Reveal? New Yorker. This article can be found on Sakai in “Additional Readings”.
Questions to consider in advance of the class
 What did you learn from the personality test? Was anything surprising about the results?
 What do personality tests tell us in general? What do they mask? What do they reveal?
 When might personality information be helpful in a business? What might be some limitations?
Assignments due in class
 In advance of this class, please fill out a personality assessment online for the Meyers Briggs
Type Indicator. This test is confidential and anonymous, and no identifying information is kept
about you personally. One such test can be found at http://www.humanmetrics.com/ (see Jung
Typology Test). Even if you already know your MBTI, please fill this out again. Please print out
your results from the web browser and bring them to class. We will not share the results with
one another, but will talk about the results and the nature of the test in class.
September 12 – Motivation
Readings
 Hausser Food Products. A link to buy this case online will be provided on Sakai.
 Herzberg, F. 1968. One More Time: How do you motivate employees? Harvard Business Review
Assignments due in class
 Personal performance evaluation due by Friday. Please fill this out on Sakai.
 Please email me the names/emails of your final project group members by the end of the week.
September 19 - Ethical Decision Making
Readings
 Martha McCaskey. HBS Case Study, 9-403-114.
 Badaracco, J. L. 1998. The Discipline of Building Character. Harvard Business Review. 76(2):
114-124.
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Professor Wendy Smith
BUAD 870
Fall 2012
Questions to consider in advance of the class
 As Martha McCaskey, what is your plan of action for finishing the Silicon 6 project?
 What is troubling Martha McCaskey? Do you agree with her assessment of the situation? Was
the situation avoidable? How did McCaskey end up in this situation?
 How would Badaracco advise McCaskey to behave in this situation?
 Have you ever experienced an ethical decision between right and right? What did you do?
Assignments due in class
 Martha McCaskey Case – Please submit one copy Sakai and share copies with your group.
September 26 – NO CLASS; Final project work week
Assignment:
 Please email your feedback to your group members in advance of this class, and submit a copy of
the feedback YOU WROTE on Sakai.
 Please submit your Martha McCaskey Reflection Paper on Sakai.
October 3 – What the FUN! Guest Speaker Nat Measley/ Reflected Best Self
Readings
 Drucker, Managing Oneself
Assignment:
 Reflected Best Self
INTERPERSONAL LEVEL
October 10 – Person-Situation Fit/Difficult Conversations
Readings
 A Day in the Life of Alex Sanders
 Casciaro, T. & Lobo, M. S. 2005. Competent Jerks, Lovable Fools and the Formation of Social
Networks. Harvard Business Review.
 Hackley, S. 2005. How to say what matters most. Harvard Business Review (N0508C).
Assignments:
 Please fill out the “Communication Prework” found on Sakai.
 Please email me a proposal for your final project by the end of the week.
October 17 – Managing Up – Power and Influence
Readings
 Jaime Turner at MLI, Inc.
 Gabarro, J. & Kotter, J. 2000. Managing Your Boss. Harvard Business Review.
October 24 - Negotiations
Readings
 Material will be handed out in class.
GROUPS/TEAMS
October 31 – Team Work
Readings
 C&S Wholesale Grocers: Self Managed Teams. HBS Case Study, 9-404-025.
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Professor Wendy Smith
BUAD 870

Fall 2012
Hackman and Coutu, Why Teams Don’t Work.
Questions to consider in advance of the class
 What are the assumptions behind Rick Cohen’s decision to transition to a team concept of
employment?
 What are the costs and benefits of making this organizational work process change?
 How would you implement the decision to move to teams?
ORGANIZATIONAL/SYSTEM LEVEL
November 7 – Organizational Learning and Inovation
Readings

IDEO Product Development

Argyris (1977) Double Loop Learning
Questions to consider in advance of the class
1. How would you characterize IDEO's process, organization, culture, and management?
2. Should IDEO accept the Visor project as is (on a dramatically reduced schedule)? Should they try to
persuade Handspring's management to change its aggressive launch schedule? Or should they simply
decline the project?
November 14– Managing complex organizations and competing strategic demands
Readings
 Digital Divide Data: A Social Enterprise in Action Harvard Business School Cases, 307106.
 Smith, W. K., Binns, A., & Tushman, M. 2010. Complex business models: Managing strategic
paradox simultaneously. Long Range Planning, 43(2): 448-461. Available on Sakai under
“Resources/Additional Readings”
Questions to consider in advance of the class
 DDD’s goals are to achieve both a financial and social mission. How effective are they in their
financial mission? In their social mission?
 What should DDD do going forward? Should they continue to strive for both a financial and
social mission? If so, how? If not, what should they do?
 What should Hockenstein do?
 How can organizations best manage social and financial goals?
November 21 – Thanksgiving – ENJOY!
November 28 - Group Project Presentations/Wrap Up
Questions to consider in advance of the class
In this session we will evaluate this course together. Be prepared to answer:
 What top three (or more) ideas did you learn from this class?
 How do you think you might implement these ideas in your life/job?
Assignment
 Final Project paper and presentations.
 Please email me a copy of your presentation by 4 pm so that it will be ready for the evening.
 Please bring a paper copy of your group paper to class.
 Please submit your individual analysis on line.
Updated: DRAFT: August 28, 2012
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Professor Wendy Smith
BUAD 870
Fall 2012
Class Schedule and Assignments: Overview - FALL 2012
Class
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2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Thursday
Topics
Cases
29-Aug Intro
INDIVIDUAL
5-Sep Personality and Individual Differences
12-Sep Motivation
Hauser
19-Sep Ethical Decision Making
Martha McCaskey
26-Sep FINAL PROJECT WORK WEEK
3-Oct What the Fun? Guest Speaker Nat Measley/ Reflected Best Self
INTERPERSONAL
10-Oct Person-Situation Fit
17-Oct Managing Your Boss
24-Oct Negotiations
TEAMS
31-Oct Teams
ORGANIZATION
7-Nov Organizational Learning and Innovation
14-Nov Organizational Approach
21-Nov Thanksgiving - ENJOY
28-Nov Final Projects
Updated: August 28, 2012
Reading
Kreitner & Kinicki (Chapter 1)
Gladwell (2004)
Herzberg (1968)
Badaracco (1998)
Drucker (1999)
Alex Sanders
Jamie Turner
Casciaro and Lobo (2005);
Hackley (2005)
Gabarro and Kotter (2000)
C&S Grocer
Hackman and Coutu
IDEO
Digital Divide Data
Argyris (1977)
Smith, Tushman, Binns (2010)
Assignments Due
MBTI
Personal Performance Eval due by Friday
McCaskey Case Due
Case 1 Feedback and Reflection
Reflected Best Self Due
Final Project Proposal Due
Final Project Due
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