BADM 535
CRN 13527
Section 001
Organizational Behavior
Spring 2008
Monday & Wednesday
8:30 - 10:20
Instructor
Telephone
Email
Office
Office hours
Room 128 B & E
Dr. Abhishek Srivastava
304-293-7944
Abhishek.Srivastava@mail.wvu.edu
Room 105 B&E
Monday, Wednesday, & Friday 10:30 am to 11:15 am, 1:30 pm to
2:30 pm, and by appointment
COURSE OBJECTIVES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
 Demonstrate a good understanding of important organizational behavior (OB) topics at the
individual, group, and organizational levels such as individual differences, motivation, team
dynamics, organizational change, and organizational culture.
 Demonstrate a practical understanding of behavioral issues at work acquired through indepth case analyses, discussion of well-researched articles, and field study of an
organization.
COURSE PREREQUISITES: Must be a full-time MBA student in the College of Business and
Economics.
REQUIRED MATERIALS
Students are required to read the articles and cases assigned for different topics as specified in
the TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS (pages 5-7 of syllabus). All the articles are
available through our library website (EBSCO Host database). You will have to procure the
Harvard Business School cases from the Harvard Business School Publishing website (follow the
links from www.hbs.edu).
COURSE ACTIVITIES
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Class participation (In-class discussion of topics, articles, and cases)
Quizzes (regularly scheduled)
Team case analysis
Team project written report
Team project oral presentation
Exams
1
CLASS PARTICIPATION
You earn points in this category by fully participating and being involved in class discussions on
a regular basis. Much of our learning this semester, including mine, will come from each other.
Consequently, you are encouraged to tell the class about your own work experiences that are
consistent or contrary to the issues raised in class. In case analysis, your challenge will be to
diagnose problems and recommend solutions based on careful analysis. I am interested in both
quality and quantity of contributions, and I will keep track of both throughout the term. You
must regularly add to the class discussion in a meaningful way. You may also make a short
presentation to the class on a topic relevant to the course. The instructor may also call any
student at random to contribute to class discussion.
Discussion questions for the articles will be given at least two days in advance. It is possible that
some articles may not be discussed in class due to time constraint. Questions from those articles
will not be given in advance. A team may be asked to answer any question (from the list) in
class. Therefore, at least one member from every team must be ready to answer all questions. No
written report is required.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Regular attendance without contribution to class discussions will earn a score of 70% on class
participation. Any more than one absence without a valid reason will result in a loss of class
participation points.
WVU recognizes the diversity of its students and the needs of those who wish to be absent from
class to participate in Days of Special Concern, which are listed in the Schedule of Courses.
Students should notify me by the end of the second week of classes or prior to the first Day of
Special Concern, whichever is earlier, regarding Day of Special Concern observances that will
affect their attendance.
REGULARLY SCHEDULED QUIZZES
There will be five quizzes during the semester at the beginning of the class on the days
mentioned in the course schedule. Each quiz will have five multiple-choice questions on the case
assigned for discussion on that day. The duration of the quiz will be five minutes. Your best 4
scores on the 5 quizzes will be considered for overall grade. The purpose of the quiz is to reward
students who regularly prepare themselves for case discussion.
TEAM CASE ASSIGNMENT (WRITTEN REPORT)
Each team will write a four-page report on the case The New HP: The Clean Room and Beyond.
The report is due on April 28. Each team will answer questions based on the case. The questions
will be given about two weeks in advance. The assignment will involve additional reading and
research beyond the case.
2
TEAM PROJECT (ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS)
Each team will study and critically analyze an organization of its choice. The team will write a
ten-page report (double-spaced) illustrating one or more topics related to organizational
behavior. You may surely include topics not discussed in class, if you wish. You are encouraged
to study local organizations where there might be easier opportunities to interview
managers/employees and get more detailed information. Please note that a team cannot analyze
an organization that is already being discussed in class in detail. No two teams can work on the
same organization. Therefore, it is important that you decide on the organization and get my
approval via email before you start any major work. The deadline for informing me is March 19.
Team Project (Written Report)
The report must be about ten pages (double-spaced), not including tables, appendices, or
references. Cite the sources of your information. The team report must have an executive
summary (about half page) at the beginning and a conclusion/recommendations section at the
end.
Team Presentation (Evaluation on individual basis)
You will present your team paper on April 30. The presentation will be about 12 minutes long
for the team as a whole plus some time for questions and answers. All team members must be
present on the day of presentation and be involved in the actual presentation. Each student will
be individually evaluated for the presentation.
PEER EVALUATION
You will evaluate your team members’ contributions to the project report and written case
analysis. You will rate each member (excluding yourself) on the basis of his/her overall
contribution. Ratings must be sent via email by May 2 to the instructor and will remain
confidential.
LATE ASSIGNMENTS POLICY
Unless an arrangement has been made in advance with the instructor, for every day of delay, the
student will lose five percentage points in that course component.
EXAMS
There will be two exams each consisting of questions based on articles, cases, and class
discussion. There may also be questions based on a short case given at the time of exam. With
very few exceptions, no early or late exams will be given. The format of the make-up exam may
be different.
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DETERMINATION OF GRADE
Individual grades will be assigned based on total points obtained.
Component
Exam 1
Exam 2
Class participation (including attendance)
Quizzes (best of n -1)
Team case assignment (HP-Compaq case; written
report)
Team project: Written report
Presentation
(evaluation on individual basis)
Peer evaluation
TOTAL
Weight
23%
22%
15%
8%
7%
14%
7%
4%
100
Grading scale: 90 points and above: A; 80 - 89.99: B; 70 - 79.99: C; 60 - 69.99: D; < 60: F
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Please refer to the West Virginia University Student
Handbook, etc., for more information about academic dishonesty. Please note that a student will
receive a failing grade in this course for cheating.
SOCIAL JUSTICE
West Virginia University is committed to social justice. I concur with that commitment and
expect to maintain a positive learning environment based upon open communication, mutual
respect, and non-discrimination. Our University does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex,
age, disability, veteran status, religion, sexual orientation, color, or national origin. Any
suggestions as to how to further such a positive and open environment in this class will be
appreciated and given serious consideration. If you are a person with a disability and anticipate
needing any type of accommodation in order to participate in this class, please advise me and
make appropriate arrangements with Disability Services (293-6700).
NOTE: The instructor reserves the right to change this syllabus as time and circumstances
dictate. Necessary changes will be announced in class in advance when possible.
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BADM 535
CRN 13527
Section 001
Organizational Behavior
Spring 2008
Monday & Wednesday 8:30 - 10:20, Room 128 B & E
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Date
Topic
Assignment
March 10
Monday
Course
overview;
Personality
traits, values,
diversity
* Menkes, J. (2005). Hiring for smarts. Harvard Business Review, 83,
11, 100-109.
How to
motivate
employees?
* Latham, G. P. (2004). The motivational benefits of goal-setting.
Academy of Management Executive, 18, 4, 126-129.
March 12
Wednesday
* Erickson, T. J., & Gratton, L. (2007). What it means to work here.
Harvard Business Review, 85, 3, 104-112.
* Nicholson, N. (2003). How to motivate your problem people.
Harvard Business Review, 81, 1, 57-65.
* Cascio, W. F. (2006). Decency means more than "Always Low
Prices": A comparison of Costco to Wal-Mart's Sam's Club. Academy
of Management Perspectives, 20, 3, 26-37.
March 17
Monday
March 19
Wednesday
Attracting and
retaining the
“right”
employees
Team
effectiveness
* Florida, R., & Goodnight, J. 2005. Managing for creativity. Harvard
Business Review, 83, 7/8, 124-131.
Case Discussion
+ JetBlue Airways: Starting from Scratch
Harvard Business School case
Product number: 9-801-354
(Quiz 1)
* Gratton, L., & Erickson, T. J. (2007). 8 ways to build collaborative
teams. Harvard Business Review, 85, 11, 100-109.
* Katzenbach, J. R., & Smith, D. K. (2005). The discipline of teams.
Harvard Business Review, 83, 7/8, 162-171.
March 22 to
March 30
March 31
Monday
Spring Break
Virtual teams
* Malhotra, A., Majchrzak, A., & Rosen, B. (2007). Leading virtual
teams. Academy of Management Perspectives, 21, 1, 60-70.
Project teams
Case Discussion
+ The Leo Burnett Company Ltd.: Virtual Team Management
Ivey/Harvard Business School case
5
Product number: 903M52
(Quiz 2)
April 2
Wednesday
Organizational
design
April 7
Monday
April 9
Wednesday
Exam 1
Leadership:
Contextual
importance
Case Discussion
+ Procter & Gamble: Organization 2005 (A)
Harvard Business School case
Product number: 9-707-519
(Quiz 3)
* Goleman, D. (2000). Leadership that gets results. Harvard Business
Review, 78, 2, 78-90.
* Groysberg, B., McLean, A. N., & Nohria, N. (2006). Are leaders
portable? Harvard Business Review, 84, 5, 92-100.
April 14
Monday
Organizational
change
* Charan, R. (2006). Home Depot’s blueprint for culture change.
Harvard Business Review, 84, 4, 60-70.
* Kotter, J. P. (2007). Leading change. Harvard Business Review, 85,
1, 96-103.
April 16
Wednesday
Vision
Case Discussion
+ Google Inc.
Harvard Business School case
Product number: 9-806-105
(Quiz 4)
April 21
Monday
Managing
innovation
* Kanter, R. M. (2006). Innovation: The classic traps. Harvard
Business Review, 84, 11, 72-83.
* Govindarajan, V., & Trimble, C. (2005). Organizational DNA for
strategic innovation. California Management Review, 47, 3, 47-76.
April 23
Wednesday
Implementation
Case Discussion
+ The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
Harvard Business School case
Product number: 9-601-163
(Quiz 5)
April 28
Monday
Post merger
integration of
cultures
* Ashkenas, R. N., DeMonaco, L. J., & Francis, S. C. (1998). Making
the deal real: How GE Capital integrates acquisitions. Harvard
Business Review, 76, 1, 165-178.
* Harding, D., & Rouse, T. (2007). Human due diligence. Harvard
Business Review, 85, 4, 124-131.
Case Discussion
+The New HP: The Clean Room and Beyond
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April 30
Wednesday
Team
presentations
May 5
Monday
11 am to
1 pm
Exam 2
Harvard Business School case
Product number: 9-404-064 (Team Case Assignment)
Team project reports due
* These articles are available (at no charge) as pdf files through EBSCO Host database at our library
website. Make sure to check Academic Search Premier and Business Source Premier within EBSCO.
+ These cases can be electronically downloaded at Harvard Business School Publishing website (Follow
the links from www.hbs.edu). The product number may be entered in the search field.
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