Syllabus for MAN-3310

Organizational Behavior

Course Description

Organizational Behavior provides a framework for understanding and successfully managing the interactions between individuals, groups, and organizations. Topics include the roles of individuals within organizations, group processes and leadership styles, organizational communication, and the impact on society of organizational culture. A continuing emphasis on ethical behavior connects the course with contemporary concerns.

Course Objectives

After completing this course, you should be able to:

CO 1 Distinguish the levels at which organizational behavior is examined.

CO 2 Analyze the impact of ethics, diversity, and globalization for organizations today.

CO 3 Differentiate the interplay between individual characteristics and achievement of an organization’s objectives.

CO 4 Assess the significance of critical thinking for the individual, the group, and the organization.

CO 5 Analyze the key factors that lead to effective work groups.

CO 6 Assess the value of transformational leadership.

CO 7 Evaluate effective communication and decision-making processes.

CO 8 Apply organizational behavior concepts in a critique of an organizational issue or problem.

Study Materials

You will need the following materials to complete your coursework. Some course materials may be free, open source, or available from other providers. You can access free or open-source materials by clicking the links provided below or in the module details documents. Please visit the following website to purchase course materials: University's textbook supplier.

Required Textbook(s)

Jennifer M. George and Gareth M. Jones, Understanding and Managing Organizational Behavior, 6th ed., (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2012).

ISBN-13: 978-0136124436.

Course Structure

Organizational Behavior is a 3-credit, online course consisting of 5 modules. Modules include an overview, topics, learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles are listed below.

Module 1: Managing and Understanding Organizational Behavior.

Module 2: Individuals in Organizations.

Module 3: Group and Team Processes.

Module 4: Leadership.

Module 5: Organizational Structure, Culture, and Change.

Assessment Methods

You are required to participate in the following for formal work in the course:

Write online discussion forum posts.
Complete written activities.
Take online quizzes.
Finish a capstone paper.

See below for details.

Consult the Course Calendar for due dates.

Promoting Originality

One or more of your course activities may utilize a tool designed to promote original work and evaluate your submissions for plagiarism. More information about this tool is available in this Plagiarism Detection Tool Google document.

Discussion Forums

In addition to an ungraded Introductions Forum, Organizational Behavior requires you to participate in graded class discussions, one per module.

Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a posted question (discussion topic) and subsequent comments on classmates' responses.

You will be evaluated both on the quality of your responses (i.e., your understanding of readings, and concepts as demonstrated by well-articulated, critical thinking) and quantity of your participation (i.e., the number of times you participate meaningfully in the assigned forums). Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

Meaningful participation in online discussions is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement.

For posting guidelines and help with discussion forums, please see the Student Handbook located within the General Information page of the course Web site.

Written Activities

Organizational Behavior has several types of written activities. These activities can be grouped into the following categories:

Written Exercises—These are groups of questions that cover important chapter concepts. Each question generally requires several sentences or paragraphs as a response.

Application Activities—These exercises require you to apply organizational behavior concepts in a 1 to 2 page paper. Generally, you will respond to a specific question or situation and may be asked to suggest general principles that would apply to this type of situation.

Self-Awareness Exercises—These exercises allow you to examine one or more chapter concepts in light of your own experience.

For the activity topics and questions, see the individual modules. Due dates for each activity are listed in the Course Calendar.

Your answers to the activity questions should be well developed and convey your understanding of the readings and concepts. They should also adequately answer the questions posed. If you need help in writing, take a look at The Writing Center: University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Also, formulate responses in your own words. Do not merely copy answers from your reading materials. When quoting or paraphrasing from the text or other sources, be sure to cite the source of information properly according to APA guidelines (see also Note on Documentation). If you have further questions, your mentor will guide you in accordance with the correct style of documentation.

Prepare your written activities using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.

Before submitting your first activity, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your activity as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

For help regarding preparing and submitting activities, see the Student Handbook located within the General Information page of the course Web site.

Module Quizzes

At the conclusion of each module is an online module quiz. Each module quiz is 25 minutes long. Consult the Course Calendar for quiz deadlines.

Capstone Paper

This course does not have a midterm or a final examination. Instead you will be required to write and submit a Capstone Paper to your mentor. This paper consists of a situational analysis and critique of an issue or problem that you have either participated in or observed in an organization. The particulars of the paper are as follows:

It should have as its subject an issue or problem that you have participated in or observed in an organization of which you have been a part.

It should be in narrative form.

It should be no more than 10 pages (3000 words) long.

No citations are required.

It is due the last day of the semester.

Organizational behavior concepts should be discussed in concrete terms in your analysis and solution.

Be sure the following components are present:

Statement that clearly identifies the issue or problem you will be discussing in your paper.

A full discussion of the situation surrounding the issue or problem, including descriptions of all participants and how they relate to each other within the organizational structure, and also including descriptions of interactions relative to the issue.

A discussion of the process used to achieve the outcome.

An analysis of whether you think the outcome or outcomes were ethical, fair, and responsible in regard to various participants.

If you were not in agreement with the outcome, an assessment of why this is true and suggestions for how you would have handled the situation for a better outcome.

Be sure to employ organizational behavior concepts studied in this course. For example, a paper might deal with the culture of the organization, diversity issues, ethical considerations, leadership styles, and communication patterns. Utilize theories discussed in your text as the underpinning of your analysis and assessment.

To keep you on track, you'll be required to submit a topic idea and a few summary paragraphs about halfway through the course, followed by an outline a week or so later. The paper itself will be due on the last day of the semester. The comments you receive from your mentor as you progress will help you move your paper in the right direction.

Your Capstone Paper should be well developed and convey your understanding of the readings and concepts. It should also adequately cover the topic you have chosen. Your paper should be organized, coherent, and unified; it should also be free of spelling and grammatical errors. If you need help in writing such a paper, take a look at The Writing Center: University of Wisconsin-Madison.

If you have questions about the requirements of the paper, be sure to discuss them with your mentor well in advance of the final submission. You will be submitting a topic idea and general plan first for approval, then an outline for approval, and finally your paper.

For help regarding preparing and submitting activities, see the Student Handbook located within the General Information page of the course Web site.

Grading and Evaluation

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

5 online discussions are worth 10% of your final grade.
Application activities are worth 15% of your final grade.
Written assignments are worth 15% of your final grade.
Self-awareness exercises are worth 10% of your final grade.
5 quizzes are worth 10% of your final grade.
The capstone paper is worth 40% of your final grade.

All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:

A is 93 to 100.
A minus is 90 to 92.
B plus is 88 to 89.
B is 83 to 87.
B minus is 80 to 82.
C plus is 78 to 79.
C is 73 to 77.
C minus is 70 to 72.
D is 60 to 69.
F is any grade below a 60.

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or better (for an area of study course) or D or better (for a course not in your area of study), based on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings).

Strategies for Success

First Steps to Success

To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

Read carefully the entire syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.

Take time to read the entire Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule exams, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State University.

Arrange to take your examination(s) by following the instructions in this Syllabus and the Student Handbook.

Familiarize yourself with the learning management systems environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.

If you are not familiar with web-based learning be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.

Study Tips

Consider the following study tips for success:

To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the Course Calendar. The Course Calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and submitting the final project.

Check Announcements regularly for new course information.

Using AI Ethically: A Guide for TESU Students

TESU's Academic Code of Conduct permits student AI use in support of their writing and research process--not as a replacement for original writing.

Document AI use with an acknowledgment statement at the end of each assignment, noting the tools and prompts used. Cite any AI-generated content on the References page.

Please review Using AI Ethically: A Guide for TESU Students for more detailed information.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Thomas Edison State University recognizes, values, and relies upon the diversity of our community. We strive to provide equitable, inclusive learning experiences that embrace our students’ backgrounds, identities, experiences, abilities, and expertise.

Accessibility and Accomodations

Thomas Edison State University adheres to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, 1990 and ADAAA, 2008) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

The Office of Student Accessibility Services (OSAS) oversees requests for academic accommodations related to disabilities, including:

A student who is pregnant, postpartum, or parenting a newborn who is not the birth parent [as covered under NJSA18A].
Students requesting academic accommodation for a short-term or temporary illness.
TESU students requesting academic accommodation for an injury.

Information can be found on the Office of Student Accessibility Services webpage.

Questions can be sent to ADA@tesu.edu.

Academic Policies

Familiarize yourself with all administrative and academic policies, including those related to the following list, to ensure success in all your academic endeavors and coursework at Thomas Edison State University:

Academic integrity.
Course late submissions.
Extensions for the course.
Grading policies.

For more, see: