School of Accounting and Finance
AFM 480: Introduction to Organizational Behavior
Spring 2025
Course Syllabus
Course Instructors:
Name:
Alex McIntosh
Office Location:
TBA
Email:
a5mcinto@uwaterloo.ca
Office Hours:
Appointments appreciated
Course TAs:
Name:
Emma Liu -section 001
Victoria Zhuang- section 002
Email:
t385liu@uwaterloo.ca
vzhuang@uwaterloo.ca
Office Hours:
By appointment
By appointment
Course Description:
AMF480 explores the behavior of individuals and groups in organizations. Topics include leadership, job
performance, motivation, communication, teamwork, personality, negotiation, decision-making and change
management. The course looks at job performance and organizational commitment, explores personal behaviors and their impact, examines relational skills and finally considers organizational structure and change.
Lecture Schedule:
Section
Days of the week
Time
Room
Instructor
001
Monday/Wednesday
10:00am-11:20am
B2-350
McIntosh
002
Monday/Wednesday
11:30am-12:50pm
B2-350
McIntosh
BAFM Program Level Learning Outcomes
Each of the School of Accounting and Finance’s Program Level learning outcomes identifies a knowledge, skill or
value of a financial professional. These
outcomes are organized into seven areas as reflected in the graphic. The puzzle pieces reflect the integration of all
areas. All outcomes are developed
through experiential learning.
Course Learning Outcomes
The above graphic shows the set of “enabling competencies” required for professional certification by the
Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada).
AFM480 Introduction to Organization Behaviour, focuses primarily on the following 5 enabling competencies.
In support of developing Communication Capabilities , you will become more able to express your thoughts
orally or in writing by completing course assignments that require this communication and by taking account
of feedback received.
The course seeks to enhance Problem-Solving Capabilities through case work assignments which require application of a designated framework by casework teams with which many students may be familiar. The goal
here is to use a consistent framework for developing an analysis and recommendations for business cases. A
framework for problem-solving is provided for use by casework teams.
In support of Self-management as an Attribute or Quality of a business Professional you will become more
able to recognize and manage your emotional states in challenging workplace situations, using insights and
recommendations tied to emotional intelligence theory.
Toward greater competency in effective Leadership and Collaboration, including teamwork, the generic
framework for problem-solving by teams will be supplemented with prescriptions for promoting positive interpersonal relations on teams. As you try to follow these prescriptions and reflect on your effects, you will
become more able to encourage energetic engagement of others on team projects. Also, by learning about
common dimensions of human personality that impact on how people interact and react to one another, you
may choose to be more accepting of these individual differences and more oriented toward making the most
of others’ particular contributions and strengths.
Toward greater Ethical Conduct and Social Responsibility, you will be made more aware of typically automatic or implicit biases or disapproving reactions that many people hold in relation to people of different cultures or genders or other visible group differentiating characteristics. The consequences of these biases and
reactions can be reduced through management practices to be considered in this course.
Instructor’s note: The development of the first two competencies in particular are at risk of being undermined by the use of AI such as CHAT GPT or Grammarly. Invariably professionals find themselves in situation that require spontaneous problem solving and the ability to effectively convey ideas. These situations
can be defining moments in one’s career. AI or other external resources can serve to augment, but not replace these core competencies. I look forward to each of you sharing your thoughts.
Overall, upon completing this course, you should be able to:
 Recognize the value of lifelong learning of Organizational Behaviour.
 Define, summarize and explain the core concepts of Organizational Behaviour – Individual outcomes, Individual Characteristics and Mechanisms, Relational Mechanisms and Organizational
Mechanisms.
 Recognize and express your and your peers' individual impact on team processes and outcomes and
be able to evaluate team dynamics, team effectiveness, and your and your peers' participation, engagement and contribution.
 Describe and explain the connections between Organizational Behaviour concepts and
o Your effectiveness in working with others externally (e.g., clients) or internally
o Your professional effectiveness in technical and non-technical roles
o Your career management
 Evaluate the workplace performance of yourself and others and be able to assess motivation, stress,
personality and other OB factors to get a new desired outcome.
 Execute refined soft skills including communication, public speaking, time management and teamwork that will improve your career trajectory.
Course Resources:
Textbook (Required):
McShane (CDN), Canadian Organizational Behaviour , 12e
Release: 12th Edition
Author: Steven McShane (e-text can be purchased from the W Store)
Cases from Harvard Business School and or other sources may be used throughout the course. These cases
are anticipated to be provided at no additional cost.
Teams:
During the second week of classes, you will choose a team. Your team will do the Case Analyses and WIL
project. Your team is expected to manage all its organizational and work assignment tasks with fairness and
respect. As a team you will create a team contract, the guiding principles / elements of which will be recommended by me at your discretion. You are expected to use teamwork skills to mediate group issues amongst
yourselves within the context of your team contract. If an issue cannot be resolved, you should seek the assistance of the instructor or TA in a timely manner, and provide the either of us with your team contract.
Course Evaluation:
Assessment Method
% of Total
Grade
Reflections
Individual
2 times per term
10 %
Team Case Analyses
Team
2 times per term
20%
Course Attendance and
Participation
Individual
Weekly, in class
15%
Peer Evaluation
Individual
Final Term
5%
Individual Case Analysis Individual
1 time per term
20%
Group Project and
Presentation (WIL)
End of term
30%
Group
Reflections
Over two separate weeks this semester you will track your time on a provided spreadsheet. You will then
write two separate 300 – 500, word reflections on your time management in which you look at job performance, motivation, job satisfaction and goal setting. Full requirements and grading details are on the assignment sheet in LEARN.
Track time for Assignment #1: Monday-Sunday as per course schedule
Due: (upload to the Dropbox on learn by 11:59 p.m.) as per course schedule
Track time for Assignment #2: Monday-Sunday as per course schedule
Due: (upload to the Dropbox on learn by 11:59 p.m.) as per course schedule
Team Case Analyses
Your team will be responsible for preparing and submitting 2 Case Analyses during the term. A template for
the analysis, modelling a professional business presentation, will be provided on LEARN, and the analysis
must be posted in the Dropbox on LEARN by 11:59 p.m. on the Friday of the week as per course
schedule. Please use proper APA 7 referencing format and provide in-text and end -of-text references.
Individual Case Analysis
After completing two Team Case Analyses, you will complete one case analysis individually. This will be
completed in-person as set out in the course schedule. It will be done in-person in class
Group Project and Presentation (WIL):
Your team will tackle one of three case studies simulating a workplace OB consultancy project. You will
start this project in week six and complete a written and oral presentation at the end of the semester. Full requirements and grading details are on the assignment sheet in LEARN. The written portion of the group
project must be posted in the Dropbox on LEARN by 11:59 p.m. as per course schedule. The written
portion will include a separate post to the Dropbox of your PowerPoint package.
Participation Grading
Class participation is graded two ways:
1) Participation - as below
2) Attendance – absences are to be advised to the instructor and TA, with explanation PRIOR TO THE
DAY OF CLASS.
Participation is tracked by a student volunteer. The volunteer will note on a tracking sheet which students
participate each class and give the sheet to the instructor at the end of every class. The instructor will apply a
final participation grade out of 10 accordingly:
9 –10 – quality of contribution was high (shows insight, advances the conversation, enhances learning experience for all)
7 – 8 student contributed to class multiple times
6 – student contributed at least once to class
3 – student attended class
0 – Student was absent
You are responsible for having your name clearly displayed in each class, so
the volunteer tracker can take accurate attendance and track participation. You should advise the instructor if
your preferred name to be used in class is different from that found in WatIAM.
Peer Evaluation
Peer evaluations are used because group case exercises represent a considerable portion of your overall
course grade.
At the end of the term, you will confidentially evaluate your fellow group-members’ contributions to the 2
Team Case Analyses and the team project. Your grade will be based on the average of the evaluations submitted by your fellow group members & your completion of evaluations of your group members.
Guidelines for peer evaluation will be provided in Learn in the Course Administration folder. Please participate in the peer evaluation effectively. Failure to complete a peer evaluation will result in a grade of ‘0’
(zero) for yourself.
ADDITIONAL COURSE POLICIES:
Submission Times
Please be aware that the University of Waterloo is in the Eastern Time Zone (GMT or UTC-5 during standard time and
UTC-4 during daylight saving time) and, as such, the time for your activities and/or assignments are due is based on
this zone. If you are outside of the Eastern Time Zone and require assistance with converting your time, please try
the Ontario, Canada Time Converter.
Late Submission Policy
Late assignments will be assigned a grade of zero.
Group Work Policy
The Team Case Analyses and WIL project are graded group work. You are expected to keep the conversation within your own group and not discuss with other groups working on the same assignment.
Use Of Chat GPT And Other AI Generative Technologies
Using generative AI tools (including ChatGPT) is unacceptable in any evaluation element within this course.
Using ChatGPT (or similar tools that generate text, code, or visual images) for content generation and submitting it as one’s original work is a violation of the University of Waterloo’s Policy 71 (Student Discipline). The
use of this technology is strictly forbidden for submissions or exams in this course and any violations of this
policy will result in immediate referral to the student's department for disciplinary action.
Turnitin Policy:
Turnitin.com and alternatives: Text matching software (Turnitin®) may be used to screen assignments in
this course. Turnitin® is used to verify that all materials and sources in assignments are documented. Students' submissions are stored on a U.S. server, therefore students must be given an alternative (annotated
bibliography), if they are concerned about their privacy and/or security. Students will be given due notice, in
the first week of the term and/or at the time assignment details are provided, about arrangements and alternatives for the use of Turnitin in this course.
The student is responsible for notifying the instructor if they, in the first week of term or at the time assignment details are provided, wish to submit with an annotated bibliography.
UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO AND SCHOOL OF ACCOUNTING & FINANCE POLICIES:
Details regarding School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) policies and University of Waterloo policies can be found on
the SAF LEARN site “My SAF Community” at: https://learn.uwaterloo.ca/d2l/le/content/66209/Home?returnPoint=1&ou=66209 within the Learn – SAF Course Syllabus – Policies for Students folder.
These policies are an integral part of this course syllabus. They have been posted on the SAF LEARN site as they are
not course-specific but are common for all SAF program courses. Please ensure that each term you are informed regarding these policies. They include:
School of Accounting and Finance Policies:
 Accommodations for missed assessments

SAF Process for Requesting Accommodation for Missed Assessments

Recording of Lectures

Textbooks and Intellectual Property Rights

Attendance at the Registered Section
University of Waterloo Policies:
 Academic Integrity
 Grievance

Discipline

Appeals

Academic Offenses and Implications

Accommodation for Students with Disabilities

I-clickers

Mental Health Support

Territorial Acknowledgement

Chosen/Preferred First Name
Course Schedule
Week
#
In
Class
Monday
In
Class
1
May 5
Introduction and
Perspective
May 7
Welcome and Intro to
Organizational Behaviour
Chapter 1
2
May 12
Personality and Values
(Group selection begins)
May 14
Perceiving Ourselves and Others in Organizations
(Group selection continues)
Chapter 2,3
3
May 19
No Class – Victoria Day
(Group selection ends)
May 21
Class Cancelled
Due: Team Contract (Friday of
this week at 11.59 pm)
N/A
4
May 26
Performance
Record Reflection #1 in
spreadsheet: Monday,
May 26 through to and
including Sunday, Jun 1
May 28
Workplace Emotions, Attitudes,
and Stress
Due: Group Case Analysis #1
(Friday of this week at 11.59
pm)
Chapter 4, 6
5
Jun 2
Decision Making
Jun 4
Teams
Due: Reflection #1 (Friday of
this week at 11.59 pm)
Chapter 7,8
Jun 11
Motivation
Due: Group Case Analysis #2
(Friday of this week at 11.59
pm)
Chapter 5, 9
6
Jun 9
Communication
Cases Available for WIL
Group Project
Wednesday
Read/prepare BEFORE CLASS
Power and Influence in
the workplace
Record Reflection #2 in
spreadsheet: Monday,
Jun 23 through to and
including Sun Jun 29
7
Jun 16
8
Jun 23
9
Jun 30
Open
10
Jun 18
Jun 25
Conflict and
Negotiation
In the workplace
Chapter 10,11
In-Class Individual Case Analysis
Chapter 12
July 2
Organizational Structure
Due: Reflection #2 (Friday of
this week at 11.59 pm)
Chapter 13
July 7
Organizational
Culture
July 9
WIL group work
Due July 11: WIL project written report (Friday of this week
at 11.59 pm)
11
July 14
Cultural Change
July 16
Presentation
Begins: Peer Evaluation
12
July 21
Presentation
July 23
Presentation
July 28
Presentation
Due: Peer Evaluations
Wed July 30, 11.59 pm
July 30
13
Leadership
Summation
Chapter 14
Chapter 15