P ADM 510: Organizational Behavior (3 credits). Examination of concepts of human behavior in formal organizations, systems analysis, conceptual models, and decision processes.
Overview | Objectives | Materials | Library Resources | Course Requirements | Grading Scheme | Schedule | Academic Integrity | Policies
Course Overview
P ADM 510 is a course in organizational behavior covering the individual, interpersonal, and group work processes, organization culture, environment dynamics, and organization design, change and development. Analyses are made of organization problems and more recent approaches, for example, to planned change and culture building.
The basic objective of this course is to develop your competencies to critically understand, analyze, and apply organizational behavior (OB) related theories and concepts. We believe that the knowledge and the ability acquired in this course will be positively correlated to your success in professional and managerial positions.
Topics in this course include perception, attribution, personality, attitudes, group dynamics, communication, motivation, power, politics, leadership, decision-making, conflict management, organization design, change and development, culture, and public vs. private organizations. This course offers a review of the theories, the approaches, and the management of human behavior in such organizations as federal and state government agencies, hospitals, nonprofit agencies, and private corporations.
For most of these lessons, the following main elements of your learning plan have developed :
- Learning Objectives -- indicating the knowledge and skills that you are expected to obtain
- Learning Blueprints -- laying out the readings, activities, and study questions
- Learning Content -- presenting essential and/or additional learning topics and concepts
- Learning Case -- applying topics and concepts in a context via case analysis; sharing and expanding your thoughts and ideas within and between groups from different perspectives. (Lessons 5, 8 and 12 do not have a case. Instead, they will have discussion questions)
Learning Objectives
This course is designed to increase the ability of students to:
- Describe the nature of organization behavior, including its concepts and theories;
- Explain system thinking in relation to management and organization behavior;
- Describe individual and group processes;
- Engage in design issues in creating effective organization behavior;
- Apply OB concepts to problem solving.
Course Materials:
Most World Campus courses require that students purchase materials (e.g., textbooks, specific software, etc.). To learn about how to order materials, please see the Course Materials page. You should check LionPATH approximately 3–4 weeks before the course begins for a list of required materials.Many of the University Libraries resources can be utilized from a distance. Through the Libraries website, you can
- access magazine, journal, and newspaper articles online using library databases;
- borrow materials and have them delivered to your doorstep—or even your desktop;
- get research help via email, chat, or phone using the Ask a Librarian service; and
- much more.
You must have an active Penn State Access Account to take full advantage of the Libraries' resources and service. The Off-Campus Users page has additional information about these free services.
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Library Resources
Many of Penn State's library resources can be utilized from a distance. Through the Library Resources and Services for World Campus and Distance Education Web site, you can...- access magazine, journal, and newspaper articles online using library databases
- borrow materials and have them delivered to your doorstep...or even your desktop
- ask a librarian for research help via e-mail, chat, or phone using the ASK! service
...and much more!
NOTE: You must have an active Penn State Access Account and be registered with the University Libraries in order to take full advantage of the Libraries' resources and services. Registration and services are free!
Course Requirements
Competency Based Learning with Concepts and Cases
This course uses the Competency Based Learning Method. Competency refers to an interrelated set of abilities, behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge needed by an individual to be effective in professional and managerial positions. For the future leaders in public / health / non-profit organizations, seven OB-related foundational competencies are required for managerial and professional effectiveness in the 21st century. These seven competencies - developed by Hellriegel & Slocum - are:
- Managing Self
- Managing Diversity
- Managing Communication
- Managing Teams
- Managing Decision Making
- Managing Change and Conflict
- Managing Across Cultures
To cultivate the above seven competencies, this course is carefully designed using multiple learning strategies. In this course, we expect students to develop and/ or build on these competencies by learning basic organization behavior concepts with the help of cases selected to illustrate the session’s concepts.
Course requirements and grading structure are based on the following activities:
There are THREE (3) activities throughout the semester: Case Studies, Term Paper, and Individual Reflection:
- Case Summary Submissions -- Although there are 12 lessons in the course, there are only 8 cases altogether for you to work on. (You do not need to submit any case analysis summary for Lesson One, Lesson Five, Lesson Eight, and Lesson Twelve -- Lesson 1 provides a sample case analysis summary as a model, and Lesson 5, 8, and 12 do not have a case.)
For each of the cases, you need to independently and collaboratively address the following 5 questions:
- What are the key facts of this case? Briefly describe the leading issues in this case using the data presented in the case description.
- Diagnosis - Define the nature of the problem as social (e. g. goals, values, culture, psychological climate) or technical (e.g. core work processes, technological, structural, managerial).
- Define the level or levels of the problem: individual-interpersonal-organizational.
- Process Problems - Define the process problems in the case, e.g., poor communication, missing leadership, muddled decision making, incomplete problem solving, ineffective group norms and rules, inadequate conflict resolution strategies… or others.
- Redesign - Action Steps - Describe how you would redesign this situation to resolve/dissolve the problems presented in the case. That is, you will propose individual, interpersonal and/or organizational change for people, technology, structure, and tasks in four to six concise recommendations.
Group Case Summaries: For each of the cases, you have to discuss the case with your group first, share your group case summary with other groups, and discuss further with the entire class.
- First collaboratively discuss the same five questions listed above by sharing and expanding your thoughts with your group members. Based on the discussions, each group needs to come up with a consensus regarding how to analyze the case, and write up a 2- page (single-spaced) group case summary.
- Each group needs to assign one person to submit the summary to the group case summary discussion forums on the group's behalf by the midnight of Friday of the assigned weeks. The group case summary discussion forums are open to the entire class and are located in each of the assigned weeks. Everyone in your group will get up to 15 points for each submission based on the quality of the analysis.
- Each of you has to read, rate and make comments to the other groups' case summaries in the case summary discussion forums by the midnight of Sunday of the assigned weeks.
- Please be noted that there is no standard case analysis, which is unfortunately the reality of any “soft” social science. However, there are relative better responses, which is how I will grade the case summaries. Here “better” or “grading rubric” means more logical, more in-depth, more consistent internally, more critical, and clearer writing.
The cases are scheduled to correspond to the lessons (Note: Cases are from Hellriegel & Slocum Text):
Session Subject 1 Introduction -- no case analysis -- only a sample case adapted from Ziegenfuss, J.T. (2006). Strategic Planning: Cases, Concepts & Lessons. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield/University Press of America 2 Perception & Attribution. Road to Hell, p. 559 3 Personality & Attitudes. Bob Knowlton , p. 547 4 Communication. Yolanda Valdez, p. 542 5 Motivation -- no case analysis 6 Group Dynamics. Absence of Teamwork, p 380 7 Power, Politics, & Leadership. Allan Mullally, p 543 8 Decision Making -- no case analysis 9 Conflict Management. Conflict Resolution at General Hospital, p 545 10 Organization Design. BMW, p. 550 11 Culture & Learning Organizations. ROWE Program, p. 553 12 Change & Development -- no case analysis Participation Evaluation: At the end of the semester, you will be asked to reflect you own participation and your group members' participation in terms of the quality and reliability in the group discussions and group assignments. Based on your reflection, you will be asked to evaluate each other's participation (including yourself). That is, some of your final grades (up to 40 points) are in the hands of your group mates. Your participation grade will be the averaged mean between all group members (including your self evaluation). Remember, your evaluation of other students reflects your professionalism.
Peer evaluation is important as it gives the instructor insight into how well group members interact with their peers. At the end of the course, you will have access to a peer evaluation form to be used for this purpose via the Activities link on the left menu. The average of the total points assigned to you by you and your group peers will be added to the overall possible points for the course.
- Individual Term Paper
Each student will need to write a term paper (about 4,000 words) -- approximately 2,000 words on an organizational behavior concept followed by approximately 2,000 words on a case application that demonstrates the concept. For example, you could focus your term paper on “MOTIVATION” and write a review of motivation theories plus the application of motivation principles to a state transportation agency or a non-profit organization such as a hospital.
When you review an OB concept, you should summarize basic theories/principles/arguments related to this concept by referencing to at least 5 sources (journal papers, books, webpages, plus the textbook). When you write the second part of the term paper, you should examine or analyze the behavior of a real organization (for example, the one that you are working at currently; that the organization has demonstrated or could apply the knowledge related to the OB concept of your choice). You should submit your term paper to the corresponding drop box at the end of the semester. You could get up to 150 points for the term paper based on the quality of the writing.
- Individual Reflection
Toward the end of the course, each student will need to write up a 500-word paper to reflect what you have learned in this course. This writing should reflect your critical analyses of the contents of the course and what you could benefit from learning this course. You could get up to 40 points for the individual reflection based on the quality of the writing.
For all tasks, please use the style guide for the American Psychological Association (APA) for proper form. Be sure to include citations for all direct quotes and paraphrases. Check out the APA Quick Citation Guide at Penn State Library for some example common citation formats in APA.
Turn in all assignments as Word files to the appropriate drop box in Angel by midnight (Eastern Time) of the due date.
Disclaimer: Emails sent by students pertaining to a topic that can benefit the entire class will be forwarded to the entire class.
Grading Scheme
All facets of student's performance are taken into account for grading purposes. The graded activities and the percentage of your course grade associated with the activities are as follows.
| Gradede Activities | Grade Points | |
| Case Study | Group Summary (8@15) | 120 |
| Participation Evaluation | 40 | |
| Term Paper | 150 | |
| Individual Reflection | 40 | |
| Total | 350 | |
Based on the points earned on each of the graded activities, your course grade will be determined by the scales presented in the table below:
| GRADING SCALE | |||
| Percentages | Grade | Percentages | Grade |
| 94.00 and Above | A | 77.00-79.99 | C+ |
| 90.00-93.99 | A- | 70.00-76.99 | C |
| 87.00-89.99 | B+ | 60.00-69.99 | D |
| 83.00-86.99 | B | Below 60 | F |
| 80.00-82.99 | B- | ||
Performance is evaluated on the basis of your course work on the assignments listed in the syllabus. Your course grade depends on the points accumulated during the semester. Use the table above to keep a record of your progress.
Note: Your grade on assignments will be reduced by 5% for each day of tardiness in receipt of work by the Instructor. Submit your work on time as scheduled.
Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Graduate Courses for additional information about University grading policies.
Course Schedule
To help keep you on track, you should print the schedule and check off activities listed as you complete them. Follow this schedule closely, regardless of the pace of class discussions. It is important to watch for bold-faced due dates.
- The topics and learning activities scheduled for each of the 12 lessons in the course are listed in the Course Schedule. Each lesson covers one week. As you study each week's lesson, please focus on the specific list of learning activities for that lesson.
The schedule below outlines all activities and topics we will cover in this course, along with the associated time frames and assignments. Note that assignments are due based on the Eastern Standard Time Zone (EST). This ensures that all students have the same deadlines regardless of where they live.
- Course length: 16 weeks
Note: Deadlines will be defined as 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the last day of the lesson timeframe, unless noted different!
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Academic Integrity
Academic integrity — scholarship free of fraud and deception — is an important educational objective of Penn State. Academic dishonesty can lead to a failing grade or referral to the Office of Student Conduct.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:
- cheating
- plagiarism
- fabrication of information or citations
- facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others
- unauthorized prior possession of examinations
- submitting the work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor and securing written approval
- tampering with the academic work of other students
How Academic Integrity Violations Are Handled
In cases where academic integrity is questioned, procedure requires an instructor to notify a student of suspected dishonesty before filing a charge and recommended sanction with the college. Procedures allow a student to accept or contest a charge. If a student chooses to contest a charge, the case will then be managed by the respective college or campus Academic Integrity Committee. If a disciplinary sanction also is recommended, the case will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct.
All Penn State colleges abide by this Penn State policy, but review procedures may vary by college when academic dishonesty is suspected. Information about Penn State's academic integrity policy and college review procedures is included in the information that students receive upon enrolling in a course. To obtain that information in advance of enrolling in a course, please contact us.
Additionally, World Campus students are expected to act with civility and personal integrity; respect other students' dignity, rights, and property; and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their own efforts. An environment of academic integrity is requisite to respect for oneself and others, and a civil community.
For More Information on Academic Integrity at Penn State
Please see the Academic Integrity Chart for specific college contact information or visit one of the following URLs:
- Penn State Senate Policy on Academic Integrity
- iStudy for Success! — learn about plagiarism, copyright, and academic integrity through an educational module
- Turnitin a web-based plagiarism detection and prevention system
Policies
Disclaimer: Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus are subject to change, and you will be responsible for abiding by any such changes. Your instructor will notify you of any changes.