IST 335
Introduction to Information Based Organizations
School of Information Studies
Syracuse University
Spring Semester 2015
Class Meeting Times: T, TH 8:00-9:20
Class Meeting Place: 021 Hinds Hall
Instructor: Janet H Marsden
E-mail: jamarsde@syr.edu
Office Hours: By Appointment Only
CATALOG DESCRIPTION
Organizational theory and management practices: human resources management, organizational
development and design, managing change. Organizational implications of information services
and systems; establishing effective working relationships with individuals and groups.
GOALS


Primary Goals:
o Provide a rich base of knowledge & experiences about human behavior in
organizations
o Examine & analyze organizational behavior at the individual, dyadic, group, &
organization levels
o Explore the role of information within organizations as:
 social communication,
 organizational memory
 commodity within and across organizational units
Secondary Goals:
o Experience & integrate fundamental business concepts as part of a simulated
organization
o Create a business plan for an internet startup company
NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION
As social creatures humans naturally tend to form organizations for government, business, and
other purposes. Regardless of the size of an organization, its members face a common core of
challenges: to communicate effectively and share information with one another, to motivate
individual and group behavior towards a set of common goals, and to coordinate efforts among
individuals and groups. They also face different norms and communication patterns rooted in
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various forms of diversity such as race, gender, sexual orientation and cultural background.
These challenges reflect the goal-oriented interpersonal interactions that pervade all
organizations.
People have studied human interaction within organizations for millennia, but the gradual
maturation of the social sciences (particularly anthropology, sociology, and psychology) during
the 20th century has resulted in a large body of literature on behavior in organizations. In recent
years, we have also seen an increased focus on how information and information systems affect
people’s behaviors in organizations. One approach to becoming an informed and effective
manager, then, would involve reading and understanding theories and research results followed
by thoughtful application of these ideas in the workplace. But if you are a university student
with a relatively brief prior work history you may find more value in learning by doing. Thus, in
this course, we will explore the current state of the art in organizational behavior research as
related to information system use by behaviorally enacting various slices of organizations and
reflecting on the origins, meaning, and implications of our actions and interactions. In effect, we
will use ourselves as research subjects, examine how we behave in organizational settings, and
extrapolate these results to other organizational settings.
STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE
The course will comprise an overlapping cycle of reflection and action. The actions will include
exercises, case studies, an organizational simulation, and reading. The reflection will include
discussion, writing, journals, and a formal examination. We will follow the sequence of topics
presented in an excellent textbook for the course entitled, Organization Behavior: A Strategic
Approach (Hitt, Colella, and Miller, 2011, 3rd Edition). This book casts the work group as a
fundamentally important unit within the organization and devotes a great deal of attention to this
unit, although the individual, the dyad, and the organization as a whole receive treatment as well.
In keeping with the focus of the book, we will form and begin working in groups almost
immediately. With some variations, we will maintain these groups through most of the semester.
Your activities and behavior within these groups will illustrate many of the principles of
organizational behavior that anchor the course and serve as examples to be analyzed in your
short papers and final exam.
THE SIMULATED ORGANIZATION
Although we will conduct several standalone exercises that illustrate various elements of
organizational behavior, to inject greater realism into the learning process we will use every
other class meeting during the semester to develop our own organization. This simulated
organization will have a product, a goal, departments, jobs, tasks, and employees (you). The
only key element that this organization will lack is the true fiduciary infrastructure that allows
actual organizations to receive and distribute money. Otherwise, the organization will function as
most other early stage organizations do: by forming itself, building relationships, establishing
missions, goals, and policies, conducting actual work tasks, evaluating performance, and
developing priorities for future operations. We will discuss the structure and activities of the
simulated organization in detail during class time.
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EVALUATION
Performance evaluation is as much a fundamental part of organizations as it is a part of college
courses, and this course will include evaluation components that attempt to reward participation
in course activities as well as learning of course relevant knowledge and skills. In regard to
encouraging participation in class activities, I have included an evaluation component for
preparation and a component for involvement in class-time work. With reference to learning
goals, the evaluation will include a set of graduated milestones as well as a comprehensive final
reflection paper. Working on a system of 300 points total, the different components will carry
approximately the following percentages:
Attendance
Quizzes
Individual Bio
Group Work Products
Global Project
Final Reflection
50 points (10 classes, 5 points each)
50 points (5 Quizzes, 10 points each)
20 points
60 points (about 3-5 products, variable points)
60 points* (on average)
60 points
*Points will be first awarded to, then distributed by each team. See below.
Attendance: It is expected that students will attend every class. For the record, attendance will be
taken at the beginning of at least 10 classes across the semester. 10/10 = 50 points. 9/10 = 45
points, etc..
Quizzes: These will be unannounced quizzes based on the readings, previous discussions in class
or both. There will be no make up quizzes. These will be delivered only during class time.
Individual Bio: Students will conduct two interviews across the semester. The results of these
interviews will result in brief bios of every student. Specific requirements will be explained at
the time of the exercise. Each bio is worth 10 points.
Group Work Products: The class will be participating in a semester-long project. Details of the
project will be explained in class, but will involve the formation of one or more organizations
that will be further divided into functional teams. There will be various assignments across the
semester that will be clearly defined at appropriate times. They will vary in their point value but
all assignments will total 60 possible points. Points will first be awarded to teams, who will then
equally distribute them to their members.
Final Global Project: The Global Project will involve objective, comparative measures to be
decided upon by the class. These measures will directly translate into a final grade for each
organization. Points will be awarded to each organization. Each organization will then assign
points accordingly to their employees/founders/members. For example, if there are 40 students in
this course, then each student, on average, can receive 60 points on the final project, IF they were
distributed equally. 60 * 40 = 2400. The instructor will distribute a percentage of the 2400
points to each organization based on pre-determined performance criteria.
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Final Reflection: Students take approximately 40 courses during their time as an undergraduate.
The volume of content delivered in each course makes is unrealistic that students will walk away
with every detail of each course after graduation. The final summary will be your chance to
illustrate what you will walk away with from this class—what have you learned and how do you
think it will be applied. Grading for this summary will be based on (1) your ability to illustrate
that you have a grasp on some of the fundamental theories/perspectives covered across the
semester and (2) the depth of your lessons learned in terms of how tightly you have tied them to
who you are and your experiences.
LETTER GRADES
The numeric total that you have amassed during the semester will translate into a letter grade
according to the following scheme:
285 or more points
260-284 points
245-259 points
230-244 points
215-229 points
200-214 points
185-199 points
170-184 points
169 or fewer points
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CF
I cannot offer extra credit for attendance, good citizenship, or related reasons because these
evaluation components already appear in the grading system. There may be an extra credit
project, which will offer a maximum of no more than 5 points.
ON ATTENDANCE AND KEEPING UP
One of the nice advantages of an experientially oriented course is that you may have a lot more
fun and feel a stronger sense of engagement than you would in a lecture oriented course. One
disadvantage, however, is that if you are not “there” to experience the course, you will receive no
benefit from it. A further difficulty arises when other group members depend upon your
presence. When you do not participate in the group exercises, you interfere with the learning
progress of other students as well. A simple calculation should show you how this course is
different from others: if you read all the chapters, completed all the chapter notes, and aced the
final exam, you could still fail the course. The implication of this is that preparation for class
and attendance at every class meeting are effectively obligatory, even if they are not mandatory.
More pointedly, please carefully note the following course policy: the course does not contain a
basis – other than the one extra credit project and one late chapter summary – for making up lost
points due to personal illness, family difficulties, job interviews, professor conferences, study
groups, time management problems, or any other reason. Nevertheless, I encourage you to
contact me at the earliest possible moment if you have a personal problem, disability, or lifestyle
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issue that will interfere with complete, prepared attendance throughout the semester, or if such a
problem arises at any time.
COURSE WEBPAGE – LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (LMS)
The iSchool’s Learning Management System (LMS) will play a central role in this course and
serve as one of the main communication mediums and repositories in terms for our simulated
organization. In addition, the readings, handouts, this syllabus, and all other electronic
information about the course (including your grades) will appear on the LMS.
The iSchool uses its own version of Blackboard. We are not affiliated with the SU campus-wide
Blackboard Enterprise System. Here is the direct URL to bookmark your access to the iSchool’s
learning management system (LMS): http://ischool.syr.edu/learn/
Questions regarding the LMS should be directed to ilms@syr.edu or Peggy Brown at 315-4439370.
I feel compelled to note that in previous semesters, the correlation between the number of “hits”
on Blackboard and students’ course grades has risen as high as r = .66 (a very large degree of
association), suggesting that the most motivated and conscientious students are also the ones who
most thoroughly explore the WebCT course tools and all they have to offer.
Don’t delay!
ACADEMIC CONDUCT
The structure of the course is designed to encourage exploration and to tap into your natural
curiosity, and so I trust that you will neither need nor want to violate the school’s or the
university’s standards for academic conduct. Nonetheless, school regulations require me to
include the following statement in the syllabus: The academic community of Syracuse University
and of the School of Information Studies requires the highest standards of professional ethics and
personal integrity from all members of the community. Violations of these standards are
violations of a mutual obligation characterized by trust, honesty, and personal honor. As a
community, we commit ourselves to standards of academic conduct, impose sanctions against
those who violate these standards, and keep appropriate records of violations. The academic
integrity statement can be found at: http://supolicies.syr.edu/ethics/acad_integrity.htm.
Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to plagiarism, cheating on examinations,
unauthorized collaboration, multiple submission of work, misuse of resources for teaching and
learning, falsifying information, forgery, bribery, and any other acts that deceive others about
one's academic work or record. Students who are new to the University must learn our standards
of academic practice. Students who have questions about what constitutes academic integrity
should consult this document, their faculty advisors, and instructors. Students should also be
aware that standards for documentation and intellectual contribution may depend on the course
content and method of teaching, and should consult instructors for guidance.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
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If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact the Office of
Disability Services (ODS), http://disabilityservices.syr.edu, located in Room 309 of 804
University Avenue, or call (315) 443-4498 for an appointment to discuss your needs and the
process for requesting accommodations. ODS is responsible for coordinating disability-related
accommodations and will issue students with documented disabilities Accommodation
Authorization Letters, as appropriate. Since accommodations may require early planning and
generally are not provided retroactively, please contact ODS as soon as possible.
OWNERSHIP OF STUDENT WORK
This course may use course participation and documents created by students for educational
purposes. In compliance with the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, works in
all media produced by students as part of their course participation at Syracuse University may
be used for educational purposes, provided that the course syllabus makes clear that such use
may occur. It is understood that registration for and continued enrollment in a course where such
use of student works is announced constitutes permission by the student. After such a course has
been completed, any further use of student works will meet one of the following conditions: (1)
the work will be rendered anonymous through the removal of all personal identification of the
work’s creator/originator(s); or (2) the creator/originator(s)’ written permission will be secured.
As generally accepted practice, honors theses, graduate theses, graduate research projects,
dissertations, or other exit projects submitted in partial fulfillment of degree requirements are
placed in the library, University Archives, or academic departments for public reference.
RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE
SU’s religious observances policy, found at
http://supolicies.syr.edu/emp_ben/religious_observance.htm, recognizes the diversity of faiths
represented among the campus community and protects the rights of students, faculty, and staff
to observe religious holy days according to their tradition. Under the policy, students are
provided an opportunity to make up any examination, study, or work requirements that may be
missed due to a religious observance provided they notify their instructors before the end of the
second week of classes. For fall and spring semesters, an online notification process is available
through MySlice/Student Services/Enrollment/My Religious Observances from the first day of
class until the end of the second week of class.
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