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Commerce 2BA3
Organizational Behaviour
Winter 2010 Course Outline
Human Resources and Management Area
DeGroote School of Business
McMaster University
COURSE OBJECTIVE
The central objective of this course is to enrich your ability to understand and practice many of the
“survival skills” necessary to succeed in modern organizations. The content of this course focuses on
individuals and groups as the primary unit of analysis. You will learn (or learn in greater detail), topics
such as personality; emotions; power, politics and decision-making; negotiation; and group dynamics.
The emphasis throughout the course is on the strategic management of organizations and your own
individual careers through the effective use of theory and behavioural skills.
INSTRUCTOR AND CONTACT INFORMATION
C04
Monday, Thursday
Tuesday
12:30-1:20 pm
1:30-2:30 pm
Dr. Teal McAteer
Instructor
mcateer@mcmaster.ca
Office: DSB/402
Office Hours: TBA
Tel: (905) 525-9140 x23999
Lori Burch
Administrative Assistant
burchl@mcmaster.ca
DSB/403
Office Hours: 9 am to 4 pm
Tel: (905) 525-9140 x24434
BSB/B135
BSB/B135
Teaching Assistant(s)
To be announced
Course Website: www.business.mcmaster.ca/hrlr/profs/mcateer/
COURSE ELEMENTS
Credit Value: 3
WebCT: No
Participation: No
Leadership: Yes
Ethics: Yes
Innovation: Yes
IT skills: No
Numeracy: Yes
Group work: Yes
Global view: Yes
Written skills: Yes
Oral skills: Yes
COURSE DESCRIPTION
TEACHING METHODS
The teaching methods in this course include lectures, class discussions, exercises, simulations, and
case studies. This multiplicity of methods allows students to:
1. Test their understanding of theories and concepts presented in the readings.
2. Use theories and concepts to analyze and solve actual problems in organizations.
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2BA3 Winter 2010 2 of 8
3. Develop skills in communicating ideas, in developing and presenting arguments, in listening to and
understanding others, and in challenging others’ views in a way that advances everyone’s
understanding.
4. Learn to think independently, since each student must choose the theories or conceptual
frameworks that best fit with the issues and problems in the case at hand.
In this course, the role of the professor includes lecturing, but will more often tend toward stimulating
and guiding student discussion. I will review theoretical concepts, but will also ask questions and
encourage you to present, and support, different points of view in discussion
COURSE EXPECTATIONS
In this course, much of your time will be spent in group interaction. This enables you to share ideas
and to improve communication skills. Through interaction, you will discover for yourself the meaning
of concepts, the subtleties inherent in everyday business situations, and the rationales for various
solutions to managerial problems. To achieve effective interaction, I have three expectations:
1. Attendance. Because interaction is central, and also because your fellow group members will be
relying on you for ideas, I expect you to attend every class. Valid reasons for absence include
serious illness and family emergencies. Studying for exams and completing assignments are not
valid reasons to miss class.
2. Preparation. You are expected to read assigned material in advance and to be fully prepared for
class discussion. You may be called upon to begin the class and to contribute to discussion at any
time. Unsupported opinion will not substitute for informed discussion. Adequate preparation is
the only way to avoid embarrassment.
3. Group work. I will create groups in the second week of classes. The group should address group
problems or conflict in a timely fashion. I am available to assist groups who experience problems.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
As a result of this course, I hope you will:
 Increase your understanding of the theories and concepts related to individuals, groups, and
interpersonal processes within the organizational context.
 Gain a broad intellectual understanding of the central concepts in decision making and judgment.
 Develop a toolkit of useful skills, strategies, and approaches drawn from OB.
 Develop confidence in your ability to make changes within organizations.
 Improve your analytical abilities with respect to problem identification, analysis, and the
development of alternative solutions.
REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS AND READINGS
Organizational Behaviour: Understanding and Managing Life at Work
(7th Edition), by Gary Johns and Alan Saks (Prentice Hall)
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EVALUATION
Components and Weights
1. Group-based In-class Assignments (10% each)
30%
2. Midterm Exam
3. Final exam
35%
35%
Conversion
At the end of the course your overall percentage grade will be converted to your letter grade in
accordance with the following conversion scheme.
LETTER GRADE
A+
A
AB+
B
B-
PERCENT
90 – 100
85 – 89
80 – 84
77 – 79
73 – 76
70 – 72
LETTER GRADE
C+
C
CD+
D
DF
PERCENT
67 – 69
63 – 66
60 – 62
57 – 59
53 – 56
50 – 52
00 – 49
Communication and Feedback
Students that are uncomfortable in directly approaching an instructor regarding a course concern may
choose to send a confidential and anonymous email to the respective Area Chair at:
http://www.degroote.mcmaster.ca/curr/emailchairs.aspx
Students who wish to correspond with instructors directly via email must send messages that originate
from their official McMaster University email account. This protects the confidentiality and sensitivity
of information as well as confirms the identity of the student.
Instructors should conduct an informal course review with students by Week #4 to allow time for
modifications in curriculum delivery. Instructors should provide evaluation feedback for at least 10%
of the final grade to students prior to Week #8 in the term.
In-Class Group Assignments (30%)
The in-class group assignments will occur during normally scheduled class time. The group will be
given specific questions, usually drawn from the textbook, and will be given approximately 50 minutes
to respond, in writing, to the assigned problem. There will be 3 assignments each worth 10%. The
group grade will be shared equally by the group, unless group members decide otherwise.
Midterm Exam (35%)
The midterm exam will be composed entirely of multiple choice questions. More details will be
provided closer to the exam.
Final Exam (35%)
The final exam will be the same format as the midterm exam and will cover course material after the
midterm. More details will be provided as we get closer to the end of the semester.
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It is the student’s responsibility to understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. Please refer to
the University Senate Academic Integrity Policy at the following URL:
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
It is the student’s responsibility to understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. Please refer to
the University Senate Academic Integrity Policy at the following URL:
http://www.mcmaster.ca/univsec/policy/AcademicIntegrity.pdf
This policy describes the responsibilities, procedures, and guidelines for students and faculty should a
case of academic dishonesty arise. Academic dishonesty is defined as to knowingly act or fail to act in
a way that results or could result in unearned academic credit or advantage. Please refer to the policy
for a list of examples. The policy also provides faculty with procedures to follow in cases of academic
dishonesty as well as general guidelines for penalties. For further information related to the policy,
please refer to the Office of Academic Integrity at:
http://www.mcmaster.ca/academicintegrity
COPYRIGHT
McMaster University has signed a license with the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access
Copyright) which allows professors, students, and staff to make copies allowed under fair dealing.
Fair dealing with a work does not require the permission of the copyright owner or the payment of
royalties as long as the purpose for the material is private study, and that the total amount copied
equals NO MORE THAN 10 percent of a work or an entire chapter which is less than 20 percent of a
work. In other words, it is illegal to: i) copy an entire book, or ii) repeatedly copy smaller sections of a
publication that cumulatively cover over 10 percent of the total work’s content. Please refer to the
following copyright guide for further information:
http://library.mcmaster.ca/about/copying.pdf
POLICY ON MISSED MID-TERM EXAMINATIONS / TESTS
The Faculty of Business has approved the following policy: (updated July, 2008)
Where students miss a regularly scheduled midterm for legitimate reasons as adjudicated by the
Academic Programs Office (APO), the weight for that test will be distributed across other evaluative
components of the course at the discretion of the instructor. Documentation explaining such an
absence must be provided to the APO within five (5) working days upon returning to school. The
approved McMaster Medical Form must be used to document absence for health related reasons. If an
exam is missed without a valid reason, students will receive a grade of Zero (0) for that component.
University policy states that a student may submit a maximum of three (3) medical certificates per year
after which the student must meet with the Director of the program. Please see the following URL for
APO forms:
http://www.degroote.mcmaster.ca/UG/register.html
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Students unable to write at the posted exam time due to the following reasons: religious; work-related
(for part-time students only); representing university at an academic or varsity athletic event; and
conflicts between two overlapping scheduled midterm exams, have the option of applying for special
exam arrangements. Such requests must be made to the APO at least ten (10) working days before the
scheduled exam along with acceptable documentation. There will be only one common sitting for the
special exam. Instructors cannot themselves allow students to unofficially write make-up exams/tests.
Adjudication of the request must be handled by the APO.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Students with disabilities are required to inform the Centre for Student Development (CSD) of
accommodation needs for examinations on or before the last date for withdrawal from a course without
failure (please refer to official university sessional dates). Students must forward a copy of such CSD
accommodation to the instructor immediately upon receipt. If a student with a disability chooses NOT
to take advantage of a CSD accommodation and chooses to sit for a regular exam, a petition for relief
may not be filed after the examination is complete. The CSD website is: http://csd.mcmaster.ca
RESEARCH USING HUMAN SUBJECTS
Research involving human participants is premised on a fundamental moral commitment to advancing
human welfare, knowledge and understanding. As a research intensive institution, McMaster
University shares this commitment in its promotion of responsible research. The fundamental
imperative of research involving human participation is respect for human dignity and well-being. To
this end, the University endorses the ethical principles cited in the Tri-Council Policy Statement:
Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans:
http://www.pre.ethics.gc.ca/english/policystatement/policystatement.cfm
McMaster University has mandated its Research Ethics Boards to ensure that all research
investigations involving human participants are in compliance with the Tri-Council Policy Statement.
The University is committed, through its Research Ethics Boards, to assisting the research community
in identifying and addressing ethical issues inherent in research, recognizing that all members of the
University share a commitment to maintaining the highest possible standards in research involving
humans.
If you are conducting original research, it is vital that you behave in an ethical manner. For example,
everyone you speak to must be made aware of your reasons for eliciting their responses and consent to
providing information. Furthermore, you must ensure everyone understands that participation is
entirely voluntary. Please refer to the following website for more information about McMaster
University’s research ethics guidelines:
http://www.mcmaster.ca/ors/ethics
Organizations that you are working with are likely to prefer that some information be treated as
confidential. Ensure that you clarify the status of all information that you receive from your client.
You MUST respect this request and cannot present this information in class or communicate it in any
form, nor can you discuss it outside your group. Furthermore, you must continue to respect this
confidentiality even after the course is over.
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POTENTIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE COURSE
The instructor and university reserve the right to modify elements of the course during the term. The
university may change the dates and deadlines for any or all courses in extreme circumstances. If
either type of modification becomes necessary, reasonable notice and communication with the students
will be given with explanation and the opportunity to comment on changes. It is the responsibility of
the student to check their McMaster email and course websites weekly during the term and to note any
changes.
CERTIFIED HUMAN RESOURCE PROFESSIONAL (CHRP)
This course can be used as one of the course requirements for obtaining the Certified Human Resource
Professional (CHRP) designation. CHRP is the professional designation offered by The Human
Resources Professionals Association. The courses offered in the DeGroote Commerce program
that contribute to CHRP requirements are: 2BA3 Organizational Behaviour, 2BC3 Human
Resource Management and Labour Relations, 4BB3 Personnel Selection, 4BC3 Collective
Bargaining, 4BE3 Compensation/Reward Systems, 4BI3 Training and Development, 4BL3
Occupational Health and Safety, 4BM3 Strategic Human Resource Planning, 2AA3 Financial
Accounting I, 2AB3 Managerial Accounting I.
More details are available on the Human Resource Professionals Association website,
http://www.hrpa.ca.
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2BA3 Winter 2010 7 of 8
Commerce 2BA3
Organizational Behaviour
Winter 2010 Course Schedule
COURSE SCHEDULE
WEEK WEEK OF
TOPIC
READING/ASSIGNMENT/IN-CLASS
1
Jan. 4-8
O.B. Introduction, Definition, History
Read Chapter 1
2
Jan. 11-15
Perception, Attribution, & Judgment
Personality
Read Chapter 3
Read Chapter 2 p. 38-48
3
Jan. 18-22
Motivation
Read Chapter 5
Read Chapter 2 p.48-66
Read Chapter 6
In-class Assignment #1 (Jan. 28th)
(Based on Ch. 1,2,3,5,6)
4
Jan. 25-29
Motivation cont.
5
Feb. 1-5
McMaster World Congress
(Feb. 1&2)
6
Feb. 8-12
Communication
Individual Decision-Making
7
Feb. 15-19
8
Feb. 22-26
Group Dynamics & Teamwork
Pre-exam Review
Read Chapter 7
Mid-term Exam (Feb. 26th, 7-9pm,
BSB 147)
9
Mar. 1-5
Group Decision-Making
Power & Influence
Read Chapter 11 p. 389-405
Read Chapter 12 p. 406-420
10
Mar. 8-12
11
Mar. 15-19
Leadership, Politics & Ethics
12
Mar. 22-26
Organizational Structure
Read Chapter 14
13
Mar. 29Apr.2
Environment, Strategy, Technology
Organizational Change
14
Apr. 5-8
Pre-exam Review
Read Chapter 15
Read Chapter 16
In-class Assignment #3 (April 8th)
(Based on Ch. 9,12,13,14,15)
READING WEEK
Conflict and Stress
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Read Chapter 10
Read Chapter 11 pp. 372-389
NO CLASSES
Read Chapter 13
In-class Assignment #2 (March 11th)
(Based on Ch. 7,10,11,12)
Read Chapter 9
Read Chapter 12 p. 420-436
2BA3 Winter 2010 8 of 8
Commerce 2BA3
Human Resource Management and Labour Relations
Winter 2010
ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Dr. Teal McAteer is a business consultant who specializes in the areas of strategic human
resource management, motivation, career planning and development, change, stress and time
management, and health and wellness. She counsels on an individual basis and consults to a variety of
organizations. She teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses in organizational behaviour,
human resource management, leadership, organizational and individual level change, and business
ethics. Dr. McAteer also teaches within the Director’s College, a joint program of McMaster
University and the Conference Board of Canada.
Dr. McAteer received her Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University, and a Masters in
Industrial Relations and Ph.D. in Business from the University of Toronto. Her work experience
includes human resource management functions with Shell Canada Limited and Domtar Incorporated,
employee benefits consulting with Johnson & Higgins Willis Faber Limited, and relocation
counselling with Peat Marwick Thorne. Currently, Dr. McAteer maintains her own consulting practice
offering a wide variety of services in the HRM field.
Given her continued research interests in transformative learning experiences, the relationship
between stress and health, the importance of maintaining strong self-efficacy, the power of
productive/healthy versus unproductive/unhealthy thinking styles, and stress management strategies Dr. McAteer is familiar with both the theory and practice of creating a healthy and motivated company
team.
Dr. McAteer comes to you as a true practising professional. Her experience and approach to
simplifying training concepts generates a productive learning environment.
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