BA 352—Organizational Behavior (OB)

Dr. Fran Ryan

Fall 2005

Class	T/R 12-2 or 2-4
Office #	Bexell 424	Office Hours	T/R 4-5, W 10-11
E-mail	fran@bus.oregonstate.edu	Phone	737-6030

Books

Required: Kinicki, A. & Kreitner, R. (2006). Organizational Behavior: Key Concepts, Skills, & Best Practices, 2^nd edition. New York: McGraw-Hill. Byham, W. C. (1998). Zapp! The Lightning of Empowerment. New York: Fawcett. Recommended: Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Fireside. Covey, S. R. (2004). The 8^th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. New York: Free Press.

MY PHILOSOPHY OF LEARNING

Learning is an active process! My goal as an instructor is to help you learn to think.

(That doesn’t mean to tell you what to think, but to encourage you to grow & develop in the way you think about things.)

My role is to establish a constructive learning environment where you are comfortable to share your ideas and opinions openly.

I will come prepared and use various different techniques to stimulate your thinking.

Your job is to “own” your personal learning.

My expectations are that each of you will:

¨ come to class regularly ¨ be prepared for each session (i.e., complete any reading and/or assignment) ¨ make regular and meaningful contributions to class discussions

¨ actively contribute to your team activities ¨ behave professionally and with integrity ¨ adopt airplane takeoff rules: We begin on time and all portable electronic devices must be stowed. No cell phones at any time.

WHY DO YOU NEED THIS CLASS?

No matter what career you have, you will either manage others or be managed. If management was easy and common-sense, Dilbert would not be a household name. Effective use of “human resources” (employees) is a critical component for successful business in today’s global, service-oriented economy. Whatever your major, working with and through others (the definition of management) is crucial to your success. BA 352 gives you an opportunity to learn about organizational behavior & management in a way that you can apply it throughout your career.

What Can You Expect to Learn During the Next 10 Weeks?

Ø Traditional & current organizational behavior (OB) topics, such as organizational culture, perceptions, attributions, leadership, motivation, individual differences, group dynamics, and interpersonal relationships at work.

Ø Insight into human behavior at work (on the individual, group, and organizational level) by emphasizing theory, research, practice, and personal experience.

Ø Why employees are among organizations’ most valuable resources.

THE PAYOFF—After Successfully Completing This Course—You Will Be Able To:

Ø Spot a “Dilbert Manager” from across the room and know what to do to avoid being in someone’s “bad boss” story.

Ø Solve real-world management dilemmas & problems using 100 years of research in business.

Ø Communicate your views and ideas in a coherent and competent way (both verbally and in writing).

Ø Be a team player and make a valuable contribution to high-quality products.

Ø Apply what you know about management and org behavior to your own career.

LEARNING ASSESSMENTS

EXAMS

¨ We have 2 exams (midterm & comprehensive final). Exams are not given early or late and are not curved. (Note that the Final Exam is scheduled for Thursday of Finals Week; please plan appropriately.) Exams are about half essay, and half some combination of multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and matching. Exams focus on knowing and applying concepts.

¨ Any material covered in class or in the text may appear on an exam. Some questions are on facts/definitions, but most ask you to apply the material (i.e., integrate your OB knowledge with real-world problems). Thus you need to be able to think about and apply the concepts we learn in class to succeed. Questions are from the book and from class, including (but not limited to) lectures, class discussions, videos, speakers, exercises, and team activities. We will not have time in class to cover everything in the textbook. You are responsible to read each chapter and be able to explain key terms and answer discussion questions.

Personal Reflection & Team Process Paper

This paper is a 2-5 pages to a) individually respond to what you have learned about management & OB as it relates to you and your future/career and b) summarize your team experience. You will complete a variety of self-assessments and team activities during the term, as well as discussing the 7 Habits. Your paper offers an opportunity to process what you’ve learned and provides a valuable tool for career exploration and future plans. More details will come.

PARTNER CASES

You will work with a partner to complete two case analysis papers: CSRs at Computerized Solutions and Zapp! The Lightning of Empowerment.

TEAM PROJECTS

Students form themselves into teams that keep the same members for the term (so that the team becomes a focal point for skill development & learning). Your team’s success depends on you. In extreme cases, a non-contributing group member may be “fired” from the team. A fired team member must either a) be “hired” by another team or b) complete all remaining team assignments alone. Key points related to teamwork:

¨ All team members are responsible for the content included in any team assignment or project you turn in. Make sure that your project is something you’re willing to put your name on.

¨ Each team assignment must be a cohesive team project. It must not seem like four or five sections that have been cut & pasted together without knowing each others’ parts!

¨ Each team member must contribute to each team project. It’s not OK to have each person do half of the assignments.

¨ Every team member must present at least once during the term. Not all members have to present at each presentation.

¨ Collaborate only with the members of your team on the projects: you should not discuss them with any other teams (from your class or other classes).

¨ Team members rate the performance of each team member on each team project and allocate points accordingly.

à Individual grades are computed based on the average of all team member responses. Ratings are confidential, non-negotiable, and are not changeable. Evaluations are due at the time of your team presentation (-5 points if not turned in) and are not accepted late.

SMALLER PROJECT: 7-Habits Assignment

Note: Projects will be returned after all 7 habits have been presented, regardless of when your team presents.

Each team is responsible for one of the seven habits from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and 2 deliverables:

¨ Handout: Write a 1-page handout (can be double-sided). A manager should be able to pick up that piece of paper and implement the habit based only this document. This should be provided to your peers. Note: All written material must be written by your team—not taken directly from existing sources.

¨ Presentation: Each team has 20 minutes (only) to a) overview the Habit to the class (5 minutes) and b) provide an activity to illustrate the Habit in a practical way for the class. This should “personalize” the habit to your classmates. (10-15 minutes).

BIGGER PROJECT: International Handbook (click here for the complete assignment)

Businesses today operate in a global economy, and research shows that managerial practices and behaviors must be modified for different cultures. The purpose of this assignment is to identify action strategies that should be used when working abroad in a business setting. You have been hired as consultants to develop a handbook to prepare US employees for a short-term international assignment.

Click here for Research Tips from the OSU Business Librarian

4 deliverables:

¨ Project Plan Develop a blueprint for the project: develop a statement of purpose; identify key activities, deliverables, accountability, etc.; provide peer evaluation criteria & weighting, etc.

¨ Handbook Summarize your research findings in a colorful, creative handbook (no more than 12 sheets of paper, including title page, pictures, graphs, bibliography, etc.). Note: All written material must be written by your team—not taken directly from existing sources.

¨ Annotated Bibliography Include a bibliography (with at least 10 different sources) with the full citation and a ½-page summary of the information found in each source and a ½ -1 page plagiarism summary & interpretation of this website(especially the sections “what is plagiarism?” and “types of plagiarism”) http://www.plagiarism.org/research_site/e_what_is_plagiarism.html .

¨ Presentation Briefly (10-12 minutes) present your findings to the class in an interesting and informative way.

EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY

You may earn up to 10 points in extra credit by reading a reading a book about business management (and the topics we cover in class), writing a book report/review, and presenting your findings to the class. The book must be one that you find on your own—NOT one that you read for another class. Prepare a written summary (2 pages) and a class presentation (5 minutes) integrating material from class with the book. Make it interesting and fun! Only one student can do the extra credit on a given book—first come first served—and it’s by instructor approval. You must sign up on the calendar in my office; if you don’t present on the day you signed up, your opportunity expires. No credit is given unless both parts are completed, so this cannot be done after the term ends and grades are calculated.

GRADING CRITERIA/COURSE POLICIES

Grading Criteria If you think of OSU as providing a product to consumers, you are our product. My job (along with the other faculty here) is to make the best “product” that I can to put on the market (when you get a job). So, I think of graded assignments in terms of whether I would want them to reflect the quality of Oregon State and the College of Business. Every time I read something you turn in, I think to myself, “Would I want people outside of OSU to see this?” and then I assign a grade based on these general guidelines:

A	Excellent!	Superior Work! Sign my name and send to the client. Note: The grade of “A” in BA 352 is reserved for those assignments that represent truly exceptional work.
B	Above Average	Really Good Work. Demonstrates professional competence. Make a few changes and it’s ready to go.
C	Average	Needs More Work. Quite a few areas need to be reworked/improved, but has good potential
D	Below Average	Marginally Acceptable. Needs a major overhaul.
F	Fails	Completely Unacceptable.

Late Assignments/Makeups  Unless you have an acceptable reason and give advance notice, I deduct 25% of the available points for late submissions and give no points once an assignment is returned to the class. All assignments are due at the beginning of class.

Academic Dishonesty If any portion of any assignment has been “borrowed” from another source, this constitutes plagiarism and is subject to the Academic Dishonesty Policy below.

¨ Any case of academic dishonesty results in a grade of F for the course and filing of a report with the Student Conduct Office. This action is allowed by Academic Regulations & Procedures as described in the Schedule of Classes. I expect you to know and understand these policies and regulations. If questions arise, see me right away! For more information, see OSU’s student conduct website http://www.orst.edu/admin/stucon/index.htm and/or the Academic Issues page http://www.orst.edu/admin/stucon/achon.htm.

¨ A Note on Plagiarism (quoted from the APA): “Authors should cite the sources of their ideas and methods as well as put quotation marks around phrases taken from another source. The change or reordering of a few words in a sentence does not relieve authors of the obligation to quote and recognize appropriately the source of their material.”

¨ If you “cut & paste” something from the internet or any other source, you MUST use quotation marks around the material you cut & pasted. Material that is summarized from a source MUST be referenced (parenthetically or with a number). Please do not fail this class by violating this simple rule.

Ø Written Assignments

¨ Your work must be professional!

o Proof your work. No assignment that has not been proofread and double-checked for typographical and/or grammatical errors will earn an A (excluding in-class writing assignments, such as essay questions on exams). NOTE: 5 or more spelling and/or grammar errors = -10%.

¨ Assignments must be typed.

o Standard 1” or 1.25” margins, 1.5 line spacing

o either 10-point Arial or 12-point Times New Roman only

o Put your Name, Class Day/Time, and/or Group Name on each paper you turn in. ID #s are not necessary!

o Staple the pages together. No need for fancy binding. If you really want to bind your International Project, please use binding that makes it easy to read & turn pages and don’t use a slippery report cover.

¨ I will review an advanced draft of a paper up to one week before it is due. See me for details.

¨ For information about how important writing is to managers, read this: (http://www.writingcommission.org/prod_downloads/writingcom/writing-ticket-to-work.pdf)

¨ E-mail Communication: All students registered for BA courses have an assigned e-mail address on the COB computer system. If you are not familiar with the system, signs in the Computer Lab (Bexell 112) explain how to access your account. Also, if you prefer to use your ONID e-mail address, lab assistants can explain how to have mail addressed to @bus.orst.edu automatically forwarded to your ONID address. I may communicate outside of class using e-mail; it is important to check your e-mail regularly.

GRADING INFORMATION

POINT SUMMARY			Grade	Points
Assignment	Points	Your Score	A	470 – 500
Midterm	100	__________	A-	450 – 469
Final Exam	150	__________	B+	440 – 449
Partner Cases (CSRs & Zapp!—10 pts each)	20	__________	B	420 – 439
7-Habits (Team)	80	__________	B-	400 – 419
International Project: Handbook & Presentation (Team)	100		C+	390 – 399
Project Plan & Annotated Bibliography (w/ plagiarism summary)	20	__________	C	370 – 389
Personal Reflection & Team Process Paper	30	__________	C-	350 – 369
TOTAL POINTS	500		D	326 – 349
I don’t round grades, but give the benefit of the doubt in grading. Extra credit is available—see p. 3.			F	< 325

REVISED SCHEDULE *

7—Nov 8 & 10 Groups/Teams Leadership	Read: Ch 10 My Group the Car Habit 6 Habit 7	Read: Ch 14
8—Nov 15 & 17 Decision Making Power & Empowerment Presentations	Read: Ch 9 International Handbooks Due	In-Class International Presentations 12:00 Class Presentation Schedule (click here) 2:00 Class Presentation Schedule (Click here) Read: Ch 13
9—Nov 22 Presentations Communication	In-Class International Presentations Read: Ch 12 Partner Case ZAPP!	Happy Thanksgiving!
10—Nov 29 & Dec 1 Conflict & Negotiation Human Resource MGT Course Wrap-up	Guest Speakers — From the Trenches: Life on the “Other Side” of the Degree	FINAL EXAM REVIEW Personal Reflection & Team Process Paper Due Friday, 5 pm
Finals	Comprehensive Final REVISED STUDY GUIDE (Common BA 352)	Thursday, 4:00-6:00 pm Place Dearborn 118

* Schedule is subject to change as announced in class. It is your responsibility to be aware of changes. Exam dates will not change, however.

ORIGINAL SCHEDULE *

Week—Dates Topic	Tuesday	Thursday
1—Sept 27 & 29 Intro Management		Read: Ch 1 Class Notes
2—Oct 4 & 6 Org Culture/ Ethics International	Read: Ethics Module (pp 26-36) & Ch 2 Team Sign-ups Due	Read: Ch 3 Guest Speakers — International Business
3—Oct 11 & 13 Percept/ Attrib Diversity/Indiv Diff	Sustainability Slide Read: Ch 4	Read: Ch 5 Habit 1
4—Oct 18 & 20 Motivation	Read: Ch 6 Motivation Handout – complete for Thursday Habit 2	Read: Ch 7 International Project Plan Due Habit 3
5—Oct 25 & 27 Performance MGT	Partner Case CSRs at Computerized Solutions Habit 4	Read: Ch 8 Habit 5
6—Nov 1 & 3 Midterm Groups/Teams	Midterm Study Guide	Read: Ch 10 Habit 6
7—Nov 8 & 10 Decision Making Power & Empowerment	Read: Ch 9 Habit 7	Read: Ch 13 Partner Case ZAPP!
8—Nov 15 & 17 Leadership Communication	Read: Ch 14 International Handbooks Due	Read: Ch 12 In-Class International Presentations
9—Nov 22 Presentations Conflict & Negotiation Human Resource MGT	Read: Ch 11 In-Class International Presentations	Happy Thanksgiving!
10—Nov 29 & Dec 1 Course Wrap-up	Guest Speakers — From the Trenches: Life on the “Other Side” of the Degree	FINAL EXAM REVIEW Personal Reflection & Team Process Paper Due Friday, 5 pm
Finals	Comprehensive Final (Common BA 352)	Thursday, 4:00-6:00 pm Place TBA

* Schedule is subject to change as announced in class. It is your responsibility to be aware of changes. Exam dates will not change, however.