Polytechnic University, Course Syllabus

Organizational Behavior MG 6013 (Blended) Polytechnic University, Course Syllabus

Professor Anthony Zinsser, 718-834-8059, E-mail [email protected]. 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 w 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. w To enable the students to relate the theories and concepts to their own observations and experiences as members of organizations. w 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.

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 * Mid-Term Case Analysis I Case Analysis II Final Exam 20 % Exam - 25% 15% 15% 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

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. Please see Semester Assignments (under the Course Home tab) for Class details on weekly readings and activities. Week Chapters Week 1 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 Chapter 5 Perception and Individual Decision Making On Line Week 4 Chapter 4Personality and Values

Week 5 Chapter 6 Basic Motivational Concepts Online Chapter 7 Motivation: From Concepts to Applications Case Analysis I Due Week 6 Chapter 8 Emotions and Moods Chapter 9 Foundations of Group Behavior Week 7 Chapter 11 Communication Online Week 8 Chapter 10 Understanding Work Teams

Week 9 Mid- Term Exam

Week 10 Chapter 12 Basic Approaches to Leadership Online Chapter 14 Power/Politics Week 11 Chapter 13 Contemporary Issues in Leadership Chapter 15 Conflict and Negotiations Week 12 Chapter 16 Foundations of Organizational Structure online Chapter 18 Human Resource Policies and Practices (Thanksgiving) Week 13 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 Final Exam Online