Organizational Behavior MG 6013 (Blended)
Polytechnic University, Course Syllabus
Professor
Anthony Zinsser, 718-834-8059, E-mail TZinsser@AZinsser.com.
Office hours by appointment
Course description
The course will provide an integration of behavioral science theories, concepts,
research, and techniques for understanding human behavior in organizations and the
impact on organization performance. Topics covered will include individual behavior,
motivation, job satisfaction, personality, conflict, group dynamics, interpersonal
relationships, leadership, communication, organization culture, structure and design,
and organizational development.
Course Objectives
 To develop the students' understanding of the relevant theories and concepts
behind behavior in organizations while drawing on learning from other course work
to the area of organizational psychology.
 To enable the students to relate the theories and concepts to their own
observations and experiences as members of organizations.
 To enable the students to hone their analytic thinking relevant to the cumulative
and/or interactive affect that programs/processes/policies, the actions of others,
and their own actions all have on individuals, groups and the organizations of
which they are (or will be ) members.
Course Design
My goal for both the class and on-line weeks is aimed at
· Expanding on one or more topics covered in the assigned chapters(s) by
presenting additional research or information.
· Having the students engage in an exercise or activity relevant to the subject(s)
under discussion for the given week.
· Having one or more discussions related to the material being covered.
Plan for the Course
This course will encompass readings, lectures, classroom discussions, individual and
team in-class (and out-of-class) exercises, case analyses and two exams. This course
will be in a blended format and encompass eight formal class meeting on the Brooklyn
campus. The class meetings will include informal lecture/discussions, various case
discussions focusing on Organizational Behavior issues, group exercises with debriefs,
and other means of connecting the concepts and theories of Organizational Behavior.
There will be a number of weekly discussions, exercises and activities for the online
class portions of the course in which students will be expected to participate. I will
monitor and/or participate in the exercises and threaded discussions planned for the
online sessions. The nature or content of specific discussions or exercises identified in
the schedule below may be changed as experience dictates. These changes will be
announced sufficiently ahead of time to enable the students to adjust their activities
accordingly.
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I consider this syllabus a form of contract between you and me. It outlines what I will
cover in the course, how I will run the course and what I expect of you as students. In
line with the contract concept, make sure you read the two documents under the
Course Home tab, Tips for Success and Expectations for Discussions and Exercises.
For those of you new to the blended course format, the Tips document provides
information on making your learning and participation in this course as successful as
possible. The Expectations document further details what I expect of you in both the
course discussions and exercises.
Course Grade
The course grade will be based on class participation, two exams and two
cases/exercises. The following percentages are assigned to these elements.
Participation *
20 %
Mid-Term
Exam - 25%
Case Analysis I
15%
Case Analysis II
15%
Final Exam
25%
* If you miss more than 4 class sessions, you will loose the chance to get an A in the
course.
Participation includes participation in class discussions, exercises and activities along
with completing any un-graded assignments.
Polytechnic’s grading policy for graduate courses is to assign students only a whole
grade (e.g., A, B, C, D, or F) as the final grade. For individual exams and
assignments, I will be assigning + and – grades which will be converted to a final
whole grade.
Note: Make sure you get the graded case/exercise assignments in on time. For each
day an assignment is late, I will deduct 1/3 of the grade (e.g., if the assignment
would have earned an A- and it was one day late, it would receive an B+, if it was two
days late, it would only receive a B.
Mid-Term Exam: The mid-term exam will cover the materials presented in Class 2/
Week 2 through Class 8/Week 8 and text Chapters 1 – 11.
Final Exam: The final exam will exam will cover the materials presented in Class 10
through Class 14 and text Chapters 12 – 19.
Guidelines on Plagiarism
“Plagiarism consists of using another author's words without proper identification and
documentation of that author. Plagiarism takes the form of direct quotation without the use of
quotation marks and/or documentation, or paraphrasing without proper identification and
documentation. The fabrications of sources, or the act, deliberately or unconsciously, of
passing another author’s work off as your own are also considered to be plagiarism.
In relation to the assignments for this course, plagiarism mostly occurs when students
“collaborate” in preparing their responses to the case material. DO NOT DO THIS. Your
response to the case questions should be your own, individual work. I will not grade kindly
students’ material that is very similar in wording or content. Exam work must also be
individual; evidence of collaboration in answering exam questions is also plagiarism.
Required Text: Organizational Behavior, 13th Edition
By Stephen Robbins and Timothy Judge ISBN: 0136007171
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Summary of Text Chapters Assigned for Each Class Week (All assignments are to
be read or completed prior to the class) Note: This is a summary schedule and is
subject to change. Additional exercises, activities and articles may be assigned.
Class
Week
Week 1
Please see Semester Assignments (under the Course Home tab) for
details on weekly readings and activities.
Chapters
Course Introduction and Overview
Note: There will be an online assignment related to this initial class.
Week 2
Chapter 1 What is Organizational Behavior
Chapter 2 Foundations of Individual Behavior
Chapter 3 Attitudes and Job Satisfaction
Week 3
On Line
Chapter 5 Perception and Individual Decision Making
Week 4
Chapter 4 Personality and Values
Week 5
Online
Week 6
Chapter 6 Basic Motivational Concepts
Chapter 7 Motivation: From Concepts to Applications Case Analysis I Due
Week 7
Online
Week 8
Chapter 8 Emotions and Moods
Chapter 9 Foundations of Group Behavior
Chapter 11 Communication
Chapter 10 Understanding Work Teams
Week 9
Mid- Term Exam
Week 10
Online
Chapter 12 Basic Approaches to Leadership
Chapter 14 Power/Politics
Week 11
Chapter 13 Contemporary Issues in Leadership
Chapter 15 Conflict and Negotiations
Week 12
online
(Thanksgiving)
Week 13
Chapter 16 Foundations of Organizational Structure
Chapter 18 Human Resource Policies and Practices
Chapter 17 Organizational Culture
We will cover some information on Work Design
Case Analysis II Due
Week 14
Chapter 19 Organizational Changes and Stress Management
Week 15
Online
Final Exam
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