UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK IN PRAGUE
Course :
UNYP 21336 Organizational Behavior (6 ETCS)
Semester:
Fall 2013
Prerequisites:
None
Instructor:
Sheila LeBlanc
Contact:
leblanc.sheila@gmail.com
Class meets:
Thursdays 12:00-15:00
Office hours:
Thursdays 10:00 – 11:30 or by appointment
Enrolment key:
OB13FA
1. Catalogue Description
Effective management of an organization’s resources is one of the most critical
activities in any complex society. Human behaviors, decisions, and actions, in turn, play
vital and pervasive roles throughout every aspect of both management processes and
organizations. Thus, understanding human behavior in organizational settings is a
fundamental necessity for all managers, including both current practitioners and those
who aspire to hold management positions in the future.
2. Course Purpose
The goal of this course is to introduce techniques and skills that can positively
influence individual and group/team performance in the work place.
This course considers the effect of individual and group behavior in organizations.
Core topics include leader behavior, power, motivation, attitude development,
perception, work stress and conflict. Students will also learn how to apply
communication, problem solving and conflict resolution skills toward an organization’s
overall effectiveness.
3. Required Readings:
Textbook: Organizational Behavior, 14/E
Stephen P. Robbins, San Diego State University
Timothy A. Judge
ISBN-10: 0136124011
Year: 2011
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4. Additional Readings
Beer, M., & Nohria, N. (2000). Breaking the code of change. Boston, Mass: Harvard
Business School Press.
Conner, Daryl. (1992). Managing at the speed of change: how resilient managers
succeed and prosper where others fail. New York, NY. Villard Books.
Kotter, John and Cohen, Dan. (2002). The Heart of Change. Boston, Mass: Harvard
Busienss School Publishing.
Rath, Tom and Conchie, Barry. (2008). Strengths Based Leadership. New York, NY:
Gallup Press.
Thomspon, L. (2011). The Heart and Mind of the Negotiator. 5 th edition. Upper Saddle
River, NJ. Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Whitworth, L. (2009) Co-Active Coaching. London, UK. Nicholas Bealey Publishing.
Journal Articles give us the most current and topic specific information. Based on
Academic “Impact”, the following is a list of some of the most respected peer reviewed
Organization Studies Journals:
 Organization Science
 Organization Studies
 Leadership Quarterly
 Human Relations
 Research in Organizational Behavior
 Organizational Research Methods
 Group and Organization Management
 Organization
5. Learning Outcomes
Upon the completion of this course, the students should be able to:
 Describe major contemporary views of the nature of organizational behavior
and its connection to management of organizations: The Individual, The Group
and The Organizational System;
 Understanding the principles and importance of global and workforce diversity;
 Discuss the various theories of motivation and how they should be put into
practice in the workplace;
 Examine leadership as an aspect of behavior and different styles of leadership;
 Demonstrate an understanding of group dynamics and work teams;
 Use theories of motivation or personality to explain individual behavior in a
work environment;
 Describe power tactics, and discuss how and why they are used in a business
environment;
 Understand conflict management and negotiation tactics;
 Describe relationship of organizational structure, decision making and cultural
principles.
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6. Course Schedule
Oct.3 (W1):
Introductions and Expectation Setting
An overview of OB: the individual, the group and Organizational System
(Chapter 1)
Oct.10 (W2): Managing Global and Workforce Diversity (Chapter 2)
Attitudes and Job Satisfaction (Chapter 3)
Oct.17 (W3): Emotions and Moods (Chapter 4)
Personality and Values (Chapter 5)
Oct.24 (W4): Perception and Individual Decision Making (Chapter 6)
Memo 1 discussion
Oct.31 (W5): Motivation Concepts (Chapter 7)
Motivation: From Concepts to Applications- intro. (Chapter 8)
Memo 1 Due (5%) & Groups assigned for Term Paper
Nov.7 (W6):
Motivation: From Concepts to Application (Chapter 8)
Group project work. Midterm exam review slides provided
Nov.14 (W7): Group project work.
Midterm Exam
Nov.21 (W8): Mid-term exam review
Leadership (Chapter 12)
Nov.28 (W9): Foundations of Group Behavior (Chapter 9)
Understanding Work Teams (Chapter 10)
Memo #2 Due (5%)
Dec. 5 (W10): Communication (Chapter 11)
Group Project work
Dec.12 (W11): Power and Politics (Chapter 13)
Research Project Outline & Draft Bibliography Due (5%)
Dec.19 (W12): Conflict and Negotiations (Chapter 14)
Jan.9 (W13): Foundations of Organizational Structure (Chapter 15) limited
Organizational Culture (Chapter 16)
Jan.16 (W14): Organizational Change (Chapter 18)
Group Research Project & Individual Reflection Paper Due (10% + 10%)
Final exam review slides provided
Exam Week: Final Exam (35%)
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7. Course Requirements and Grading – the course will be graded on the basis of:
Participation
Individual Memo’s (2 – 5% each)
Midterm Exam
Group Research Project
Final Exam
10%
10%
25%
25%
30%
Total
100%
Instructor Participation Evaluation (10%)
Students will be evaluated on their demonstrated preparedness, willingness, effort and
ability to participate in class, as well as their class ambassadorship.
To receive a 7 or more for participation, students should consistently enhance the
quality of classroom activities through their participation, knowledge (relevant,
content-specific contributions) and attitude.
To contribute meaningfully, as above, students must come to class prepared. This
means that they have read the readings and are ready to discuss the subject matter
intelligently, not that they are a “warm body” preoccupied with other matters.
It is the student’s responsibility to keep up with course work, even when he or she has
been absent. Students should note that while attendance at every class is not
required, class time serves as the primary opportunity to participate. Irregular
attendance will result in participation marks being deducted and furthermore may,
affect your performance within your group project. Experience has shown, further,
that regular attendance will significantly help your performance in the course.
Memo’s - two small individual research assignments (5% each)
1. Interview a friend or co-worker about their level of job satisfaction. Ask them what
satisfies and dissatisfies them in their work. Also ask them about how, if at all, their level of
satisfaction influences them and their job performance. Prepare a 1-2 page memo outlining
your findings. What conclusions or observations can you draw from the interview?
2. Find a recent (within the last 6 months) newspaper, magazine or internet article
about a well-known leader. Provide a 1-2 page memo outlining the following: 1) a short
summary of the article, 2) identify what made/makes this person particularly effective or
ineffective, and 3) whether or not you would follow this person and why. Attach a copy of your
article.
Midterm Exam (25%)
Exams will include both objective and subjective questions.
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Research Project (15% group, 10% individual)
Objectives: There are four main reasons for this assignment:
1. It is critical that students develop early on in their academic career the ability to research,
analyze and communicate their findings on an assigned topic.
2. To achieve the desired breadth, Organizational Behavior is largely survey in nature and a
research paper will guarantee student’s exposure to multiple sources in an in-depth
examination of at least one area of study.
3. Learning to work in groups is increasingly a requirement of organizational life and working in
groups on an assignment provides a laboratory for you to develop teamwork skills.
4. Group dynamics is a fundamental aspect of behavior in organizations. By having students
work in groups, they will have a firsthand opportunity to experience and reflect on group
dynamics.
Requirement: Pick a topic within organizational behavior that your group is interested in
learning more about. Your group should explore some element of this topic in depth.
Here are some examples of previous topics examined by students:
▪ How do the business social interaction norms vary between the U.S. and Russia? Or
Czech Republic and China? Or?
▪ Is romance in the workplace acceptable?
▪ Are there gender differences in leadership styles?
▪ What are causes of inefficiency in meetings? How can meetings be more efficient?
▪ How does culture impact employee engagement strategies in ____ (country)?
▪ Ethical dilemmas: e.g. When does a ‘gift’ become a bribe?
To explore the topic you have chosen, at minimum, read and cite appropriate academic
literature that addresses the topic. The group should also attempt to go beyond summarizing
the literature. To do so, you should focus on analyzing and critically assessing the literature.
Specifics:
You will submit a group prepared outline and draft bibliography prior to writing the research
paper worth 5%.
The group paper (10%) should be double-spaced, with reasonable margins and 12 font
characters. The paper does not have a length requirement; except that it should not exceed 10
pages excluding appendixes, table of contents, cover pages, etc. Handwritten papers will not
be accepted. Outside sources should be referenced when used and citations and bibliography
should follow the APA, Harvard or MLA style.
Individually you also submit a 2-4 page assignment (10%) which briefly describes then assesses
your team process (in terms of what went well, barriers to success, and what you would do
differently next time). Your assessment should reflect upon one or more theoretical constructs
from the course.
You will be provided a detailed grading guideline when groups are assigned.
Groups: Individuals will be randomly assigned to a group during week 5.
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Each team member is expected to contribute equally to the group effort. Groups should
attempt to resolve problems with non-contributing members themselves – learning to manage
group process problems is part of your assignment. In the event that the group has been
unable to resolve the problem after several reasonable attempts, they should report the
problem to the instructor. A confidential evaluation of individual group member effort will be
collected.
Final Exam (30%)
The final exam is a somewhat comprehensive exam (core concepts from the first half
are expected to be understood) including both objective and subjective questions.
There will be significantly more focus on materials covered after the midterm.
Grading scale
Letter Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Percent (%)
95-100
90-94
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
0-59
Generally Accepted Meaning
Outstanding work
Good work, distinctly above the
average
Acceptable Work
Work that is significantly below
average
Work that does not meet the minimum
standards for passing the course
8. Key UNYP Policies
Attendance:
It is your responsibility to show up to class on time. If you are late you will be marked as absent
for the first hour. If you miss more than 9 (nine) hours of class, you will automatically fail the
entire course. Pay strict attention to this. The class policy is more restrictive than the general
UNYP policy. In the event of illness or emergency, contact me IN ADVANCE to determine
whether special arrangements are possible.
Academic Honesty:
The University’s rules on academic dishonesty (e.g. cheating, plagiarism, submitting
false information) will be strictly enforced. Please familiarize yourself with the
STUDENT HONOUR CODE or ask your instructor for clarification.
For examinations: copying from your neighbor, speaking to another student, using a
phone or anything similar will result in you failing the test or quiz. On written papers
properly note your sources with academic citations. Cutting and pasting from the
internet without referencing will be considered plagiarism. If you have questions about
this, please ask me.
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9. General Requirements
-
Students are expected to attend each class session and participate in a positive
way.
Students are expected to come to class fully prepared to discuss homework
readings and cases.
In the event of illness or emergency, contact your instructor IN ADVANCE to
determine whether special arrangements are possible.
Electronic Devices in the Classroom:
-
Students are expected to focus on class leave their mobile phones, beepers,
pagers, etc. switched off or if absolutely necessary, on vibrate.
You may not use laptops, netbooks, ipads for any reason other than taking
notes. Do not surf the WEB during class time. If you do, you will lose the
privilege to use a laptop, netbook or ipad in class.
Assignment/Homework Submissions:
-
It is your responsibility to ensure that assignments are handed in on time.
-
A paper copy of homework assignments MUST be submitted at the beginning
of the class on the date assigned. An electronic copy must also be submitted
via eLearning by midnight on the assignment due date. I will accept
assignments up to one day past the due date, but these will be penalized by
20% for being late. I will not allow submission of assignments after 1 day past
the due date without a Medical/Doctors note.
Assignment Length: Writing succinctly is a valuable skill. Did you know that individuals
screening your ideas might spend only minutes deciding whether to give these ideas
serious consideration? Is it important to meet a technical requirement such as word
count or page count? Yes!
Citations & Bibliographies:
Plagiarism often occurs unintentionally because students have not yet become
accustomed to applying proper citation standards. Here are some guidelines to help
you apply these important standards:

Cite all sources used to prepare your analyses in the body of all of your
assignments. Each and every idea that is not your own, whether quoted,
paraphrased, or otherwise used to substantiate your analysis, should be
accompanied by a reference.

Unless otherwise directed, always include a list of references or “bibliography”.
Citations give credit to the original author and help the reader find the sources used.
Submissions that do not appear to meet these citations standards will be penalized.
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10. European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS)
The students that complete the course will receive 6 ECTS credits or 3 American
credits. One ECTS credit corresponds to 25-30 hours of work. For comparison, 1
American credit hour equals approximately 2 ECTS credits.
For this course, students are expected to spend time in the following course-related
activities:
Class Lectures and exams
Reading class related material
Exam preparations
Memo preparation
Research project preparation
TOTAL
45 hours
45 hours
25 hours
10 hours
40 hours
165 hours
11. Technology Expectations
Assignments, excluding those that are carried out exclusively in class, must be wordprocessed. Students are assumed to be familiar with the use of internet and common
Microsoft applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
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