Course Description
Businesses as a generic class of organization. Relation of individual worker and manager to organization and its impact upon them. Formal and informal groups. Management from behavioral point of view. Stability and change within business organizations. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing and Pre/Major in ACCT, BADM, CARS, CYBE, CYMA, ECON, ECOS, ENTR, FINC, HTMT, HURM, INTB, ISSC, or MKTG.
Syllabus
Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:
Students successfully completing this course will be able to:
- Explain what organizational behavior is and why it matters, and apply a structured problem-solving approach to workplace situations, including responsible and critical use of AI tools.
- Explain how personality, values, attitudes, and emotions shape work behavior and performance.
- Compare major theories of motivation and recommend which one fits a specific performance problem.
- Analyze how perception, attribution, and cognitive bias distort judgment and decision-making, including judgments about coworkers who differ from us.
- Evaluate performance management and positive work practices (goal setting, feedback, coaching, rewards) and recommend improvements.
- Explain how team composition, process, and communication drive team effectiveness, and demonstrate this by planning and delivering a team project.
- Select and justify conflict-management and negotiation strategies for a given situation.
- Analyze how power, influence, and politics operate in organizations, and apply ethical standards to leadership decisions.
- Explain how organizational culture shapes behavior and how leaders can change it.
Course Grading Information:
| Activity/Performance Measure | Percentage/Points |
|---|---|
| Quizzes | 16% |
| Exam 1 | 25% |
| Exam 2 | 25% |
| Applying Artificial Intelligence to OB | 4% |
| Team Project and Activities (8 Total Assignments) | 30% |
Grading Scale
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 93.4% and above | A |
| 90% - 93.3% | A- |
| 86.7% - 89.9% | B+ |
| 83.4% - 86.6% | B |
| 80% - 83.3% | B- |
| 76.7% - 79.9% | C+ |
| 73.4% - 76.6% | C |
| 70% - 73.3% | C- |
| 66.7% - 69.9% | D+ |
| 63.4% - 66.6% | D |
| 60% - 63.3% | D- |
| Below 60% | F |
Attendance/Participation:
Attendance itself is not graded. Graded work does happen in the room, though. Bonus credit comes from in-class activities and cannot be made up. Your teammates evaluate your contribution twice, and showing up is part of contributing. Quizzes may be given in class. Beyond the points, exams reward application, and we build application in discussion rather than in the textbook. Students who miss class regularly tend to earn lower grades here.
Course Materials Purchased by the Students:
Organizational Behavior: A Practical, Problem-Solving Approach. 3rd Edition, by Kinicki, Angelo & Fugate, Mel. McGraw-Hill.
Scholarly Perspectives
This course engages diverse scholarly perspectives to develop critical thinking, analysis, and debate and inclusion of a reading does not imply endorsement.