B7401

Organizational Behavior
Fall II 2007

INSTRUCTOR:
Jeff Bailey

PHONE:

EMAIL:
jbailey@kcmgonline.com

FAX:

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Title Understanding and managing organizational behavior

Author(s) George, J. M., Jones, G. R.
Copyright (2008)
Publisher Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall
ISBN 0-13-239457-X
Edition (5/e)

RECOMMENDED TEXTS:
Title American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of
the American Psychological Association. Washington, D.C.
Author(s)
Copyright (2001)
Publisher
ISBN
Edition 5th ed.
RECOMMENDED TEXTS:

Title The Abilene Paradox and Other Meditations on Management

Author(s) Harvey, Jerry, B.
Copyright (1996)
Publisher Jossey-Bass, NY
ISBN 0-7879-0277-2
Edition

Title Built to Last: Successful habits of Visionary Companies

Author(s) Collins, J. & Porras, J.
Copyright (1997)
Publisher Harper Business, NY
ISBN 0-88730-739-6
Edition OUT OF PRINT

Title Good to Great

Author(s) Collins, Jim
Copyright (2001)
Publisher Harper Business, NY
ISBN 0-06-662099-6
Edition

Title Corporate and Governmental Deviance: Problems of OB in

Contemporary Society
Author(s) Ermann, D.M., & Lundman, R.J.
Copyright (2002)
Publisher New York, Oxford University Press
ISBN 0-19-513529-6
Edition (6th ed.)

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RECOMMENDED TEXTS:

Title Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance: Inside IBM’s Historic

Turnaround
Author(s) Gerstner, L.V.
Copyright (2002)
Publisher Harper Business, NY
ISBN 0-06 052379-4
Edition

Title The Individualized Corporation: A Fundamentally New

Approach to Management.
Author(s) Ghoshal, S., & Bartlett, C.A.
Copyright (1997)
Publisher Harper Business, NY.
ISBN 0-88730-806-6
Edition

Title False Prophets: The Gurus who created modern management

and why their ideas are bad for business today.
Author(s) Hoopes, James
Copyright (2003)
Publisher Perseus, NY.
ISBN 0-7382-07985
Edition

Title Evaluating training programs

Author(s) Kirkpatrick, D. L.
Copyright (1998)
Publisher San Francisco, CA: Barrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
ISBN 1-57675-042-6
Edition (2nd. ed.)

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RECOMMENDED TEXTS:

Title Living on the Fault Line: Managing for Shareholder Value in

the Age of the Internet
Author(s) Moore, G. A.
Copyright (2000)
Publisher Harper Business, NY
ISBN 0-88730-888-0
Edition

Title The Great Game of Business

Author(s) Stack, Jack
Copyright (1992)
Publisher Currency Doubleday, NY
ISBN 0-385-47525-X
Edition

This Course Requires the Purchase of a Course Packet: YES NO

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 Argosy University
COURSE SYLLABUS
B7401
Organizational Behavior

Faculty Information
Faculty Name: Jeff Bailey
Campus:
Contact Information: jbailey@kcmgonline.com
Office Hours:
Short Faculty Bio:

Course description: The focus of this course is the theoretical and practical implications of organizational behavior, as addressed
from a social science perspective. It stresses how being a consumer of organizational research can help the manager with everyday
problems, and help the researcher to answer organizational behavior questions. Upon completion of the course, the student will have
mastered the concepts of the field, such as diversity in the workplace, perception and attribution processes, motivation and individual
differences in organizations, group dynamics and decision making, team work, leadership, and quality improvement programs.

Required Readings:

George, J. M., Jones, G. R. (2008). Understanding and managing organizational behavior. (5/e). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Prentice Hall. ISBN: 0-13-239457-X.

Suggested Additional Readings:

American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 5th ed. Washington,
D.C.

Harvey, Jerry, B. (1996) The Abilene Paradox and Other Meditations on Management. Jossey-Bass, NY. ISBN: 0-7879-0277-2

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Collins, J. & Porras, J. (1997). Built to Last: Successful habits of Visionary Companies. Harper Business, NY. ISBN 0-88730-739-6

Collins, Jim. (2001). Good to Great. Harper Business, NY. ISBN 0-06-662099-6

Ermann, D.M., & Lundman, R.J., (2002) Corporate and Governmental Deviance: Problems of OB in Contemporary Society (6th ed.)
New York, Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-513529-6

Gerstner, L.V. (2002) Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance: Inside IBM’s Historic Turnaround. Harper Business, NY. ISBN 0-06 052379-
4

Ghoshal, S., & Bartlett, C.A. (1997) The Individualized Corporation: A Fundamentally New Approach to Management.
Harper Business, NY. ISBN 0-88730-806-6

Hoopes, James (2003) False Prophets: The Gurus who created modern management and why their ideas are bad for business today.
Perseus, NY. ISBN 0-7382-07985

Kirkpatrick, D. L. (1998). Evaluating training programs, (2nd. ed.). San Francisco, CA: Barrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. ISBN 1-
57675-042-6

Moore, G. A. (2000) Living on the Fault Line: Managing for Shareholder Value in the Age of the Internet. Harper Business, NY.
ISBN 0-88730-888-0

Stack, Jack (1992) The Great Game of Business. Currency Doubleday, NY. ISBN 0-385-47525-X

Journals
Academy of Management Journal
American Psychologist
Human Systems Development
Journal of Applied Psychology
Administrative Science Quarterly
Harvard Business Review
Industrial Management Review
OD Practitioner

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OB and Human Decision Processes OB and Human Performance
Personnel Psychology

Course length: 7.5 Weeks

Contact Hours: 45 Hours

Credit Value: 3.0

Program Outcomes:
1. Research
1.1. Performing – Design, conduct, and justify applied research in a business context using appropriate methodology
1.2. Understanding – Evaluate and apply existing theory and research to current business practice
2. Communication
2.1. Oral – Present orally, complex business information that is concise, clear, organized, and well supported in a professional
manner appropriate to the business context
2.2. Written – Present in writing, complex business information that is concise, clear, organized, and well supported in a
professional manner appropriate to the business context using required format
3. Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
3.1. Critical thinking – Evaluate relevance of established theory to current business practice and identify gaps in current literature
3.2. Problem Solving/Decision Making – Given a business situation, diagnose the underlying causes of the situation, evaluate
possible solutions, in relation to underlying business theory and determine and defend appropriate course of action
3.3. Information Literacy - Conduct an exhaustive literature search from a variety of sources, evaluate the credibility of the
sources, and apply that information to create new knowledge
4. Team
4.1. Leadership - Conduct an exhaustive literature search from a variety of sources, evaluate the credibility of the sources, and
apply that information to create new knowledge
4.2. Collaboration - Given a case study or business situation collect, assimilate, and disseminate the views of stakeholders
5. Ethics

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 5.1. Ethics - Given a case study or business situations, evaluate the ethical dimensions of decision situations and personal, social,
and corporate responsibility not absolved by market forces
6. Diversity
6.1. Diversity - Given a case study or business situation evaluate the multicultural dimensions of decision situations and
multicultural solutions to business situations
Management Concentration
7. Strategic Planning
7.1. Strategic/Change Mgt – Develop clear initiatives to assist a business to reach its goals in a changing environment
8. Resource Management
8.1. Motivation, Coaching, and Delegating – Evaluate the potential effectiveness of a leadership strategy for training, coaching,
delegating, and motivation within a specific organizational context

Course Objectives:

1. Evaluate the theoretical and practical implications of organizational behavior. (Program Outcomes: 1.2, 2.2, 3.3)
2. Analyze the role of organizational research in establishing solutions to organizational problems for both managers and researchers.
(Program Outcomes: 1.2, 3.1, 3.2)
3. Explore diversity issues in the context of organizational behavior in the workplace as well as individual differences within an
organization. (Program Outcomes: 3.1, 5.1)
4. Analyze the various organizational behavior concepts, theories and models. (Program Outcomes: 1.1, 3.1)
5. Compare and contrast motivation techniques used in organizations. (Program Outcomes: 1.1, 8.1)
6. Apply organizational behavior concepts to specific work environments. (Program Outcomes: 3.1., 7.1)
7. Assess complexity and uncertainty in organizations and apply those concepts to managing behaviors in the workplace. (Program
Outcomes: 3.2, 3.3, 4.1)
8. Examine the ethical issues related to organizational behavior. (Program Outcomes: 1.1, 3.3, 5.1)
9. Explore the impact of teamwork on organizational behavior as it pertains to group dynamics, decision making and quality
improvement processes. (Program Outcomes: 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2)

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Assignment Table:
Topics
1 Introduction to Organizational
behavior (OB)
 Definition
 Theories and models
 Evolution of OB
Theoretical implications of OB
2 Motivation Theories
 Need Theory
Readings Assignments
Read: 1.1
George & Jones, Chapter 1 Within the field of OB, there were and are many
management theorists whose concepts shape teaching
and training in the subject. From the following list of 9
individuals, choose 5 whom you will research at least
one article each. In a 3-5 page paper, Compare and
contrast their approaches. Choose 5 of the following:
Chester Barnard; Henri Fayol; Mary Pazrker Follett;
Frederick Herzberg; Kurt Lewin; Elton Mayo; Doublas
McGregor; Frederick Winslow Taylor; Max Weber.
1.2
A second assignment on the topic of theories and models
and the evolution of the subject would be appropriate
here.
1.3
Discuss the theoretical implications of the study of
organizational behavior by answering the following
questions:
In what ways are theories applicable by managers for
resolving organizational problems? What are two ways
researchers develop their OB theories? How do theories
evolve through application?
George & Jones, Chapters 2.1
6-8 Review the significance of the Need Theory, the
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  Expectancy Theory
 Equity Theory
Motivation Processes
 Job Design
 Goal Setting
 Psychological Contracts
 Performance Appraisal
 Compensation
3 Individuals
 Individual Differences
 Perception & Attribution
 Empowerment
Diversity
 Defining Diversity
 Managing Diversity
 Empowerment
4 Organizational Politics
 Sources of Power
Expectancy Theory and the Equity Theory to 21st
Century management issues. In a 3-4 page paper,
analyze the most current motivators utilized in OB
development and examine the application of the three
theories to today’s organizations.
2.2
Research a minimum of one journal article on the five
topics listed in motivation processes: 1.) Job Design; 2.)
Goal Setting; 3.) Psychological Contracts; 4.)
Performance Appraisals; 5.) Compensation. Write an
analysis of each of those processes, comparing and
contrasting them as to their applicability and practicality.
2.3
Discuss your experiences with the motivation processes,
explaining your rationale.
Read George & Jones, 3.1
Chapters 2 - 4 Research 3 – 5 articles on the topic of managing
diversity. Analyze the various approaches to managing
diversity and, in 3-4 paragraphs each, explain the main
approaches and assess their value to organizational
behavior.
3.2
Discuss the ways in which empowering individuals in a
homogenous environment would be different that
empowering individuals in a diverse environment.
Explain your rationale.
Read George & Jones, 4.1
Chapter 5, 12 – 13, 15, 17 In a 3 – 4 page paper, analyze the source and use of
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  The Use of Power power in organizations. Explore the ways in which the
 Conflict use of power creates and eliminates conflict. Examine
 Ethics the ways in which the use of power can and often is an
ethical concern.
Organizational Cultures
 Defining Culture 4.2
 Shaping Culture Research 3 papers on the topic of learning organizations.
o Learning In a 2 – 3 page paper, compare and contrast the
Organizations Organizational Cultures of Southwest Airlines and
JetBlue Airlines. Are those two companies considered to
 Ethics
be learning organizations? Explain your rationale.

4.3
Discuss the ways in which the learning organization
system/process assists with creating a high standard of
organizational operations, thus reducing ethical issues.
Explain your rationale.
5 Teams Read George & Jones, 5.1
 Teamwork Processes Chapters 10 – 11, 14 In a 3 – 4 page paper, analyze the effect that teams have
 Group Dynamics on decision-making in organizations and answer the
o Groupthink following questions:
 Decision
Making 1.) Examine the role that an organization’s culture has
 Communica on communication and asses how the cultural norms
tion affect teamwork.
 Diversity 2.) How does that dynamic affect the decision-making
process?
 Quality
Improvement (QI)
3.) In what ways does diversity affect teamwork and
decision-making?

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6 Organizational Design & Structure
 Functional Structure
 Divisional Structure
 Matrix Structure
Organizational Change
 Internal and External
Forces
 Resistance to Change
 Diversity
 Ethics
5.2
Research 3 – 4 journal articles on the topic of quality
improvement. In a 2 page paper, answer the following
questions, providing a minimum of two actual examples
of QI being applied in an organization:
1.) In what ways does that process benefit teamwork?
2.) In what ways does the quality improvement process
benefit from teamwork?
5.3
Discuss the topic of groupthink in organizations. When
have you participated in groupthink? Explain a
circumstance when groupthink is beneficial to an
organization, rather than detrimental. Explain your
rationale.
Read George & Jones, 6.1
Chapters 16, 18. In a two page paper, define, compare and contrast the
following organizational structures:
1.) Functional; 2.) Divisional; 3.) Matrix
6.2
In a 3 – 4 page paper, examine and assess the internal
and external forces that initiate or inhibit change in an
organization. Explore how diversity affects resistance to
change.
6.3
Discuss the ethical issues involved in managing
organizational change. Explain your rationale.
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7 Synthesizing Organizational
Behavior Theories and Models
Applying Organizational
Behavioral Concepts to Work
Environments
8 Application and Value of
Organizational Behavior
Demonstrate the professional and
personal value of the study of
Organizational Behavior
Review all course readings 7.1
Final Project:
A Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a company of your
choosing comes to you, a leading management
consultant, wanting to know how to turn her company
into a Learning Organization. What plan would you
propose as a means to achieve that outcome? Prepare an
in-depth profile of the organization and a detailed
implementation plan for a successful change initiative.
Utilizing APA style and format, write a 15 – 20 page
plan for change.
Review course objectives 8.1
Review the 9 course objectives. Choose 6 of them and
write a 3 - 4 paragraph description, for each objective
your chose, of how you professionally and/or personally
that outcome as a result of studying Organizational
Behavior. Include a statement regarding the value of the
information and practices and the leadership solutions
you gained.
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Grading Criteria

Grading Scale Grading requirements

A 100 – 93 Attendance/participation 25%
A- 92 – 90 Weekly Assignments 20%
B+ 89 – 88 Final paper 35%
B 87 – 83 Optional 10%
Optional 10%
B- 82 – 80
100%
C+ 79 – 78
C 77 – 73
C- 72 – 70
F 79 and below

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Library:

All resources in Argosy University’s online collection are available through the Internet. The campus librarian will provide students
with links, user IDs, and passwords.

Library Resources: Argosy University’s core online collection features nearly 21,000 full-text journals and 23,000 electronic books
and other content covering all academic subject areas including Business & Economics, Career & General Education, Computers,
Engineering & Applied Science, Humanities, Science, Medicine & Allied Health, and Social & Behavior Sciences. Many titles are
directly accessible through the Online Public Access Catalog at http://library.argosy.edu. Detailed descriptions of online resources are
located at http://library.argosy.edu/misc/onlinedblist.html.

In addition to online resources, Argosy University’s onsite collections contain a wealth of subject-specific research materials
searchable in the Online Public Access Catalog. Catalog searching is easily limited to individual campus collections. Alternatively,
students can search combined collections of all Argosy University Libraries. Students are encouraged to seek research and reference
assistance from campus librarians.

Information Literacy: Argosy University’s Information Literacy Tutorial was developed to teach students fundamental and transferable
research skills. The tutorial consists of five modules where students learn to select sources appropriate for academic-level research,
search periodical indexes and search engines, and evaluate and cite information. In the tutorial, students study concepts and practice
them through interactions. At the conclusion of each module, they can test their comprehension and receive immediate feedback. Each
module takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Please view the tutorial at http://library.argosy.edu/infolit/

Academic Policies

Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism: In an effort to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity during the learning process, Argosy University
requires that the submission of all course assignments represent the original work produced by that student. All sources must be
documented through normal scholarly references/citations and all work must be submitted using the Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association, 5th Edition (2001). Washington DC: American Psychological Association (APA) format. Please
refer to Appendix A in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition for thesis and paper format.
Students are encouraged to purchase this manual (required in some courses) and become familiar with its content as well as consult
the Argosy University catalog for further information regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism.

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Scholarly writing: The faculty at Argosy University is dedicated to providing a learning environment that supports scholarly and
ethical writing, free from academic dishonesty and plagiarism. This includes the proper and appropriate referencing of all sources.
You may be asked to submit your course assignments through “Turnitin,” (www.turnitin.com), an online resource established to help
educators develop writing/research skills and detect potential cases of academic dishonesty. Turnitin compares submitted papers to
billions of pages of content and provides a comparison report to your instructor. This comparison detects papers that share common
information and duplicative language.

Americans with Disabilities Act Policy

It is the policy of Argosy University to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities, in accordance with
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If a student with disabilities needs accommodations, the student must notify the Director
of Student Services. Procedures for documenting student disability and the development of reasonable accommodations will be
provided to the student upon request.

Students will be notified by the Director of Student Services when each request for accommodation is approved or denied in writing
via a designated form. To receive accommodation in class, it is the student’s responsibility to present the form (at his or her
discretion) to the instructor. In an effort to protect student privacy, the Department of Student Services will not discuss the
accommodation needs of any student with instructors. Faculty may not make accommodations for individuals who have not been
approved in this manner.

The Argosy University Statement Regarding Diversity

Argosy University prepares students to serve populations with diverse social, ethnic, economic, and
educational experiences. Both the academic and training curricula are designed to provide an environment
in which students can develop the skills and attitudes essential to working with people from a wide range
of backgrounds.

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