Module 1 Overview

This course is about the human side of leading and managing people in organizations. The body of conceptual and theoretical knowledge in this course primarily emanates from the field of organizational behavior (OB). This module provides a basic overview of the field—the basic disciplines of knowledge from which it arises, its diverse content areas, and its varied levels of analysis. You will engage in a team-building exercise to get off to a good start as a team and to develop intra-team trust.

Module Goals

• Understand the importance of the concept of cognitive complexity for managers and leaders.
• Gain an understanding of the meaning of team building, specifically of how to develop fast trust in a team context.

Module Objectives

After completing this module, you should be able to do the following things:

• Summarize the disciplines contributing to the study of organizational behavior.
• Define organizational behavior and identify the primary behavioral disciplines contributing to this field.
• Identify the diverse levels of analysis encompassed by the study of organizational behavior.
• Describe how OB concepts are key to understanding the diverse facets and processes present in all complex organizations.

Module Readings and Activities

By the end of this module, make sure you have completed the readings and activities found in the Course Schedule.