Course Syllabus

OB6301/OG1
School of Management
The University of Texas at Dallas

| Course Info | Technical Requirements | Course Access & Navigation | Communications |

Assessments | Academic Calendar | Scholastic Honesty | Course Evaluation | UTD Policies |

Course Information

Course

Course Number/Section OB6301

Course Title Organizational Behavior
Term and Dates Fall 2006

Professor Contact Information

Professor Dr. Laurie Ziegler
Office Phone 972-883-2847
Email Address Please use course WebCT mail tool to contact instructor
Office Location SM 4.210
Online Office Hours By request
TA David Muir

Course Description
1. To develop an understanding of concepts, research, and theories in the study of human
behavior in organizations.
2. To introduce the student to primary research and the application of associated theories to
individual, group, and organizational-level behavior. Emphasis will be placed on the
application of this information to the business environment.
3. To provide cases, examples, and exercises that help students incorporate contemporary
knowledge of organizations into their thinking and behavior.
4. To create an awareness of the relationships that diversity and ethics have on
organizations and on organizational behavior concepts.
5. To help foster improved competency in several critical management skills.
6. To help prepare students to transfer this knowledge to real-world settings.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

Students will learn to analyze leadership research and evaluate organizations with the aim of
developing the appropriate leadership style given the situation.

Students will evaluate the differences between motivational approaches and be able to assess
the efficacy of motivational programs.

Students will be able to create effective high performance teams by assessing the needs of
stakeholders and developing effective team processes.

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 Required Textbooks and Materials

Organizational Behavior: Emerging Realities for the Workplace Revolution, 2nd edition, by
McShane & Von Glinow, ISBN: 0072470089

(E-book also available from http://ebooks.primisonline.com/eBookstore/ -- ISBN:

0390598488)

Textbooks and some other bookstore materials can be ordered online through MBS Direct
Virtual Bookstore or Off-Campus Books online ordering site. They are also available in stock
at the UTD Bookstore and Off-Campus Books. You may also find reasonable priced copies
through Amazon, eBay, and Froogle.

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Technical Requirements

In addition to a confident level of computer and Internet literacy, certain minimum technical
requirement must be met to enable a successful learning experience. Please review the
important technical requirements and the web browser configuration information.

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Course Access and Navigation

This course was developed using a web course tool called WebCT. It is to be delivered
entirely online. Students will use their UTD NetID account to login to the course at:
http://webct.utdallas.edu. Please see the course access and navigation information.

To get started with a WebCT course, please see the Getting Started: Student WebCT
Orientation.

If you have any problems with your UTD account or with the UTD WebCT server, you may
send an email to: assist@utdallas.edu or call the UTD Computer Helpdesk at: 972-883-2911.
If you encounter any technical difficulties within the course site, please send an email to
gmbasupport@utdallas.edu.

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Communications

This WebCT course has built-in communication tools which will be used for interaction and
communication. Some external communication tools such as regular email and a web
conferencing tool may also be used during the semester. Please see more details about
communication tool information.

Interaction with Instructor: The instructor will communicate with students mainly using the
Announcements and Discussions tools. Students may send personal concerns or questions to

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 the instructor using the course Email tool. The instructor will reply to student emails or
Discussion board messages within 3 working days (excludes weekends) under normal
circumstances.

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Student Assessments/Requirements
Grading Information

Weights (Points)

Personal Statement 10
Team Facilitation 150
Participation 100
Quizzes (5) 200
Team Peer Evaluation +0-
Total 460

Grading conversion

Scaled Score Letter Equivalent

414-460 A
368-413 B
322-367 C
Less than 322 F

Accessing Grades

Students can check their grades by clicking “My Grades” under Course Tools after the grade
for each assessment task is released.

Course Policies

There is no Make-Up work or Extra Credit. Late Work will not be accepted.

Class Participation
Students are required to login regularly to the online class site. The instructor will use the
tracking feature in WebCT to monitor student activity. Students are also required to participate
in all class activities such as discussion board activities, chat or conference sessions and
team projects.

Virtual Classroom Citizenship

The same guidelines that apply to traditional classes should be observed in the virtual
classroom environment. Please use proper netiquette when interacting with class members
and the professor. Remember to respect your fellow classmates when you engage in
discussions and work within teams. We have a great deal of diversity, needs, talents, and
motivations in this course. It is imperative that we diligently strive to work together within a
stimulating, and fun, academic setting.

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 Personal Statement

Your first assignment is to post your personal statement on the discussion board. In it you will
tell us: Your name, your job description, employer information, your familiarity with OB
concepts (take a look through the material), and any other information you wish to share. You
may also post pictures of your brand new baby (child, car, boat, etc.), your best animal friend,
yourself in repose, etc. The deadline for your personal statement is: August 27th.

If you post all of the requested information by the due date, you will receive the full 10 points.
You will lose five points the following week. After that, you will not receive points for this
assignment. In addition to starting off the semester with points, it is important to post this
information on time as you or others may want to use this information to help you choose your
team mates.

Team Facilitation

You will form your own teams at the beginning of the semester. Team assignments and team
names are due by 8/27. Sign up for team membership under the Begin Here icon. Designate
one team member to send me an email to provide me with your team name by 8/27. Clearly
indicate team name in the subject heading. Each team may use the group area for file
exchanges among the members. Please click the WebCT Help menu on how to use the
features of the group tool. A private discussion forum will be set up on Discussion board for
each group for team communications (instructor also can view these). You also have the option
to use WebCT chat for team meetings. I will be happy to attend a WebCT chat with your team if
you prearrange the time with me. I recommend that you invite me to a chat session so that I
can see how your team is progressing.

Each team is responsible for facilitating the discussion of a case study and a self-assessment
(see schedule). The case studies are located in your text and on the WebCT course site under
the appropriate module and session. The self-assessments are located in your text. These are
your responsibilities:

Case Studies:

1. Discuss the major case points. Bring out key concepts in the case as related to the
course material. Do not restrict yourself to your session’s concepts. Integrate other OB
issues. Update the case information if relevant.
2. Conduct research on how these concepts are currently being applied.
3. What issues are most relevant in your work environments? Bring in real world
experiences.
4. Facilitate class discussions in engaging ways and respond to classmates in a timely
manner. Use PowerPoint presentations, Audio/Videos, weblinks, etc. to enhance your
presentations.
5. Cite all reference material in the body of your discussion and provide a reference list
using MLA format. You may purchase a copy of the MLA Handbook or access
information about citation standards on the Web. www.Turnitin.com is used for all
submitted materials for plagiarism purposes.

Self-Assessment:

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 1. You may use the self-assessment exercise I suggest on the schedule or you may
choose another way to measure your classmates’ personality/style/skills as related to
your OB concept. If you want your classmates to complete a different assessment, post
it under your team facilitation thread at least one week prior to the beginning of your
facilitation date. You might provide a different assessment, provide a video link with self-
assessment questions (as I have done on the videos I provided in my lectures), come up
with your own survey, etc.
2. Conduct research on how surveys/assessments are currently being applied.
3. Answer questions such as: Have you taken any surveys of this type? What were the
results?
4. Facilitate class discussions in engaging ways and respond to classmates in a timely
manner. Use PowerPoint presentations, Audio/Videos, weblinks, etc. to enhance your
presentations.
5. Cite all works that you use. Provide a reference list in MLA format. See above.

Team Peer Evaluation

You are required to complete an evaluation of your participation and the participation of your
team mates on the team facilitation project. I want to know how well you worked with each
other, how you divided the tasks, and how well each member executed his/her part. Among
other issues you may find important, consider each member’s ability to adhere to deadlines,
availability, interpersonal skills, creativity, leadership, and responsibility to the team. The Team
Peer Evaluation is confidential.

You have two ways to evaluate your team process. The first is to rate each team member by
assigning a letter grade. The second is a forced-ranking of each team member. You must
include yourself in both evaluations. Team evaluations are submitted under the Assignment
link. You can copy the evaluation below or access the Team Peer Evaluation under the Begin
Here icon. You must use this format.

The rubrics are as follows:

Rating/Grading
Above and beyond: (A+) went above and beyond and deserves a score higher than the
majority of the team members
Full contributor: (A) receives all team points; contributed fully to the team project
Less than full: (B, C. F) give support for why you graded them as less than full
contributors

Forced Ranking
Rank the top contributor as 1, second contributor as 2, and so on. You can use each
number only once. In other words, there are no ties.

Overall Evaluation
I will review the feedback and determine if you deserve a “0” (full participation), “+” points
(members rate you consistently above and beyond the other team members) or “-“
points (members rate your participation consistently below that of full participation). If
you contribute fully you will receive a “0” on the peer evaluation and receive full credit on
your team assignment. It is possible for you to earn or lose points based on your overall
team contribution assessment. If you are consistently rated low (social loafing) you may
fail the team project.

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Provide the following information.

Last name, First

Team Name

List team member names in alphabetical order by last name, and assign grades and rankings.
Include yourself in the list.

Team Member Name Grade Ranking

Team Member #1
Team Member #2
Team Member #3 etc.

1. Explain the roles each member took and the contributions that each team member made.
Be specific.
2. Why did you grade each person the way you did? Why did you rank your #1 person the way
you did?
3. What worked well with your team and what would you do to improve your team process?

Participation/Discussions

Graded Module Postings

Organizational Behavior concepts come alive on the discussion board. As such, all students
are required to participate in class discussions. Submit original, thoughtful posts. You will find
that if you keep up with the discussion board you will have an enriched educational
experience. There is a great deal that you can learn from the ideas and work experiences of
your fellow classmates and they from you. Feel free to share web sites and other resource
information you have found useful. Finally, if you have a message for me follow the directions
in the ungraded section below; do not post questions to me under graded threads.

I have organized the course into five modules. Each module contains three chapters. Each
team is responsible for facilitating one OB concept (see above). Each class member is
responsible for participating in these discussions. For participation credit, it is anticipated that
you will contribute two quality messages per module with at least one message
consisting of a reply to a fellow classmate’s message. The responses must be posted on
different days and address different OB concepts within the specified time windows.
This will assure that you understand and are able to apply the OB concepts while still allowing
you the flexibility afforded by this online format. I will facilitate the first module.

You may post more that two times per module but please make them relevant and value-
added to the discussion at hand. Do not dominate the discussion. You have that opportunity
when you facilitate your OB material! Do not post messages to me under graded discussions.

Late postings will not be counted toward credit.

Ungraded Postings

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 If you want to post a message for me, post it under the Discussion area named: Messages for
Professor. For example, if you want to post a question for me regarding Quiz 1, post it under
the Messages for Professor heading and create your own thread clearly labeled Quiz 1. Do
not post it under a thread that is meant for some other discussion. It will get lost.

l will also post course information on the bulletin board. You should keep up with my postings
located in a separate discussion area: Messages from Professor. You may post
questions/comments to your TA under Messages for TA. You may also talk informally with
your classmates in the Social Lounge. This is a good place for you to go to continue
conversations started in the Graded discussion forums. For example, you may have
discovered something in common with a classmate that is not relevant (i.e. value-added) to the
class discussion. Grab a beverage and go to the Social Lounge.

Online Quizzes

To begin the semester, you must pass the syllabus quiz at 100%. It is the gateway to the
course and can be found under the Getting Started icon. The five graded quizzes (one per
module) consist of multiple choice questions covering all course materials including multi-
media. Please do not share quiz information with your classmates or keep hard copies of the
quizzes (See the Scholastic Dishonesty policy described below). You may access ungraded
practice Self-Tests within the course site. I did not write these tests and do not guarantee their
quality. The Self-Tests cover the textbook material only. The graded quizzes assess
definitional, conceptual, and applied levels of proficiency.

You have a generous time window within which to complete the quizzes; plan accordingly. Do
not request to take your quizzes at a different time.

There are no make-up quizzes.

All quiz windows expire at 11:55 pm CST.

Syllabus Quiz: Gateway 8/17-9/3

Quiz 1: Module 1 (Sessions 1-3) 8/25-9/3
Quiz 2: Module 2 (Sessions 4-6) 915-9/24
Quiz 3: Module 3 (Sessions 7-9) 10/6-10/15
Quiz 4: Module 4 (Sessions 10-12) 10/27-11/5
Quiz 5: Module 5 (Sessions 13-15) 11/17-11/30

You can access quizzes by clicking the Assessments link on the course menu or see the
quiz/exam icon on the designated page. Each quiz is timed and can be accessed only one
time within the scheduled time window. Please read the on-screen instructions carefully
before you click “Begin Assessment”. After each quiz is graded and released, you may go
back to the Assessments page and click “View All Submissions” to review your quiz results.

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Schedule (all assignments are due by 11:55 CST).

DATES TOPIC/LECTU READING SURVEYS OTHER

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 RE
8/17- Module 1: Chapter 1 and 2 Assessing Your
8/27 Introduction; Case: Pushing Self-Efficacy, Personal
Individual Paper Can Be pg.59 Statement, team
Behavior and Fun, pg.56 name due by
learning in 8/27.
Organizations/
Sessions 1&2
Perception and Chapter 3 Comparing Syllabus Quiz
8/28-9/3 Personality in Case: Business Cultural and Quiz 1 due
Organizations/ Week Online: No Stereotypes pg. 93 9/3.
Session 3 Way to Treat a
Lady
9/4 University
closed
9/5-9/10 Module 2: Chapter 4 Individualism/
Workplace Case: Business Collectivism Scale
Values, Ethics Week Online: pg.128
and Emotions/ After Enron: The
Session 4 Ideal Corporation
9/11- Foundations of Chapter 5 Measuring Your
9/17 Employee Case: Business Growth Need
Motivation/ Week Strength pg. 159
Session 5 Online: CEO
Coaches
9/18- Applied Chapter 6 What Is Your Quiz 2 due 9/24
9/24 Motivation Case: Keeping Attitude Toward
Practices/ Suzanne Money? pg. 194
Session 6 Chalmers pg. 190 Assessing Your
Self-Leadership
pg. 194

9/25- Module 3: Chapter 7 Time Stress Scale

10/1 Stress Case: BusinessW pg. 221
Management / eek
Session 7 Online: Rethinkin
g the Rat Race
10/2- Foundations of Chapter 8 Team Roles
10/8 Team Dynamics/ Case: Preference Scale
Session 8 BusinessWeek pg. 255
Online: The New
Teamwork
10/9- Decision Making Chapter 9 Decision Making Quiz 3 due by
10/15 and Employee Case: Employee Style Inventory pg. 10/15

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 Involvement/ Involvement 291
Session 9 Cases pg. 285
10/16- Module 4: Chapter 10 Assessing Your
10/22 Creativity and Case: Creative
Team Decision BusinessWeek Disposition pg.
Making/ Session Online: The Art of 319
10 Brainstorming
10/23- Communicating Chapter 11 Active Skills Some copies of
10/29 in Organizations/ Case: BusinessW Listening Inventory this book state that
Session 11 eek pg. 351 students have high
Online: Watch scores if they
What You Put in score 10 or above
That Office E-Mail on each sub-scale
and above 50
points total. This
should say above
6 and 30.
10/30- Power, Politics Chapter 12 Perceptions of Quiz 4 due by
11/5 and Persuasion/ Case: BusinessW Politics Scale pg. 11/5
Session 12 eek Online: A 382
Whistle Blower
Rocks and
Industry
11/6- Module 5: Chapter 13 Conflict
11/12 Conflict and Case: Conflict in Management Style
Negotiation/ Close Quarters Orientation
Session 13 pg. 410 Inventory pg. 412
11/13- Organizational Case: BusinessW Leaderships
11/19 Leadership/ eek Dimensions
Session 14 Online: Staying Instrument, pg.
On Top 442
11/20- Organizational Chapter 15 Corporate Culture
11/22 Culture/ Session Preference Scale
15 pg. 470
11/23- University closed
11/25
11/27- Session 15 cont. Quiz 5 due by
11/30 11/30

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Scholastic Honesty

Course Syllabus Page 9

 The University has policies and discipline procedures regarding scholastic dishonesty.
Detailed information is available on the Scholastic Dishonesty web page. All students are
expected to maintain a high level of responsibility with respect to academic honesty. Students
who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties,
including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. Since
such dishonesty harms the individual, all students and the integrity of the University, policies
on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced.

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Course Evaluation

As required by UTD academic regulations, every student must complete an evaluation for
each enrolled course at the end of the semester. An online instructional assessment form will
be made available for your confidential use. Please look for the course evaluation link on the
course Homepage towards the end of the course.

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University Policies

Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and
regulations for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of
each student and each student organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and
regulations which govern student conduct and activities. General information on student
conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to
all registered students each academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of
recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules
and Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI,
Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of the university’s
Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to
students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist
students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of
citizenship. He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the
Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to
discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off
campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.

Academic Integrity

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty.
Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work
done by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high
standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.

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 Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to
applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work
or material that is not one’s own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the
following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students
suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any
other source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism
(see general catalog for details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which
searches the web for possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.

Email Use

The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication
between faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises
some issues concerning security and the identity of each individual in an email exchange.
The university encourages all official student email correspondence be sent only to a student’s
U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty and staff consider email from students official only if
it originates from a UTD student account. This allows the university to maintain a high degree
of confidence in the identity of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted
information. UTD furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be used in all
communication with university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T.
Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other
accounts.

Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level
courses. These dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog.
Administration procedures must be followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle
withdrawal requirements from any class. In other words, I cannot drop or withdraw any
student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will not receive a final grade of
"F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.

Student Grievance Procedures

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and
Activities, of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other

fulfillments of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious
effort to resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or committee with
whom the grievance originates (hereafter called “the respondent”). Individual faculty members
retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter cannot be
resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the respondent with a
copy of the respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written response
provided by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If
the grievance is not resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written
appeal to the Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and

Course Syllabus Page 11

 convene an Academic Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final.
The results of the academic appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of
Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and
regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed
at the semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete
grade must be resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long
semester. If the required work to complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is
not submitted by the specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a
grade of F.

Disability Services

The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities
equal to those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the
Student Union. Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and
Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable
adjustments necessary to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it
may be necessary to remove classroom prohibitions against tape recorders or animals (in the
case of dog guides) for students who are blind. Occasionally an assignment requirement may
be substituted (for example, a research paper versus an oral presentation for a student who is
hearing impaired). Classes enrolled students with mobility impairments may have to be
rescheduled in accessible facilities. The college or university may need to provide special
services such as registration, note-taking, or mobility assistance.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an
accommodation. Disability Services provides students with letters to present to faculty
members to verify that the student has a disability and needs accommodations. Individuals
requiring special accommodation should contact the professor after class or during office
hours.

Religious Holy Days

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities
for the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship
are exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.

Course Syllabus Page 12

 The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible
regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused,
will be allowed to take the exam or complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the
absence: a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A
student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed exam or assignment may not be
penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or assignment within the
prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of
observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student
has been given a reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examinations,
either the student or the instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the
institution, or his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into
account the legislative intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the
decision of the chief executive officer or designee.

Off-Campus Instruction and Course Activities

Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law and
University policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-related activities. Information
regarding these rules and regulations may be found at the website address given below.
Additional information is available from the office of the school dean.
(http://www.utdallas.edu/Business Affairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm)

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the
Professor.

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Course Syllabus Page 13