Course Information

 

Course Name:

Organizational Behavior

Section:

BUS531

Professor:

Elizabeth D. Scott

Semester:

Spring 2007

Location:

Webb 113

 

NOTE:  This is a rough outline of the course, subject to change during the semester.  Please check the on-line version regularly.

 

Academic Integrity

 

 

 

All sources (including classmates) must be properly acknowledged. Quotation marks must surround any string of 4 or more words used verbatim from a source. Penalties, including failure in the course and recommended dismissal from the program, will be assessed upon violation of this policy.

Accommodation

 

 

 

If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to contact the Office of AccessAbility Services at 465-5573. To avoid any delay in the receipt of accommodations, you should contact the Office of AccessAbility as soon as possible. Please note that I cannot provide accommodations based upon disability until I have received an accommodation letter from the Office of AccessAbility Sevices. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Attendance

 

 

 

If you expect to miss a class, I would appreciate being informed in advance. I realize that you have many demands on your time and make the best decisions you can about how to fulfill those demands. However, I do plan class activities assuming you will be there. Knowing you will be absent will help me to adjust.

Contact Information

 

E-mail:

scotte@easternct.edu  (Best way to reach me.)

Institution:

Eastern Connecticut State University

Department:

Business Administration Department

Address:

83 Windham Ave.
Webb Hall
Willimantic, CT 06226
USA

Office:

445 Webb Hall

Office Telephone:

(860) 465-5366  (during office hours - voicemail messages will be returned during office hours -- phone appointments can be arranged by e-mail)

 

Grading Policy

 

 

 

Your grade will be based on 2 individual presentations you will make to the class (10% for the first, 20% for the second = 30%), 3 group presentations (10% each = 30%), your performance on 5 in-class writing assignments (3% each = 15%), and class participation (25%).  Individual class presentations can be made up as long as you can convince 5 class members to observe your presentation outside of the regular class meeting times and you videotape the presentation in a way that enables it to be graded. Groups must come to some kind of agreement as to treatment of members who do not participate.  Missed in-class writing assignments and class participation cannot be made up.

Office Hours

 

 

 

I will be in my office for visits or telephone calls on Mondays from 5:00-6:30, Tuesdays from 4:30-6:30, and Thursdays from 2:00-3:30. If I don't answer the phone during office hours, it is because someone is in my office with me. I am also available to meet at other times, by appointment. Please free to e-mail me with any questions or concerns you have or to set up appointments with me.

 

 

Text

 

 

 

Author: Staw

Title: Psychological Dimensions of Organizational Behavior

Publisher: Prentice Hall

Edition: 3rd

ISBN: 013-040654-6

 

 

Workload

 

 

 

Please plan to spend 7-10 hours a week outside of class time to prepare for class. If you do not have that kind of time to devote to this class this semester, I recommend that you take it at a later date.

 

Course Outline

 

 

Jan 22, 2007:

Course Introduction

 

 

 

 

Attitudes, Behaviors, Cognitions

Process Models, Causal Models

 

States, Traits

Antecedents, Outcomes, Moderators, Mediators, Correlates

 

Culture, Climate

Individual, Group, Organization

 

 

Readings for next week:

Textbook readings 7, 8, and 9 (pages 89-120)

Wikipedia entries on Job satisfaction http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Job_satisfaction

     and emotion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotion

Read an article related to your group's assignment (see suggested starting point below).  You should be able to find these articles on Business Source Premier or PsychInfo.  Your group should be prepared to explain the construct to the class -- what is it, how is it measured, how is it different from other, similar constructs, and why do we care?

Document your interactions as a group for a future assignment.

 

 

Jan 29, 2007:

Outcomes of interest

 

Honora Butts, John Jette, Stephen Nelson, Mark Sieczkowski

Absenteeism

Absence Behaviour And Attendance Motivation: A Conceptual Synthesis. By: Nicholson, Nigel. Journal of Management Studies, Oct77, Vol. 14 Issue 3, p231-252, 22p

 

Karen Latman, Neringa Proskute, Lisa Sullivan, Beth Sweetland-Bailey

Commitment

A Review and Meta-analysis of the Antecedents, Correlates, and Consequences of Organizational Commitment; Mathieu, J. E.; D. M. Zajac Psychological Bulletin; 1990 Vol. 108, p171-194, 24p

OR

A three component conceptualization of organizational commitment; Meyer, J. P.; Allen, N. J. Human Resource Management Review; 1991 Vol. 1, p61-89, 29p

 

Amy Cullinan, Denise Dembinski, James Esposito, Steven Teschendorf

Deviance

Constructive and destructive deviance in organizations; Warren, D. Academy of Management Review; 2003 Vol. 28 Issue 4, p622-632, 11p

OR

A typology of deviant workplace behaviors: A multidimensional scaling study. By: Robinson, Sandra L.; Bennett, Rebecca J.. Academy of Management Journal, Apr95, Vol. 38 Issue 2, p555, 18p

 

Joel Baranowski, Stephen Bresciano, Darlene Mancini-Brown, Elizabeth Nardine

Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Levels of measurement and analysis issues in organizational citizenship behaviour research. By: Schnake, Mel E.; Dumler, Michael P.. Journal of Occupational & Organizational Psychology, Sep2003, Vol. 76 Issue 3, p283-301, 19p

 

 

Performance

 

 

Satisfaction

 

 

Turnover

The measurement of turnover. By: Price, James L.. Industrial Relations Journal, 1975, Vol. 6 Issue 4

 

 

Emotion

 

 

 

Readings for next week:

Textbook reading 1 (Pages 3-25)

 

 

 

 

Feb 5, 2007:

Traits and Abilities

 

 

For next week:

Read academic articles and/or books on your topic, prepare an 8 minute presentation on the construct, and prepare a handout (no more than one, two-sided page) for your classmates summarizing the construct. 

 

Questions to address in your presentation:  What is it?  How is it measured?  How is it different from other, similar constructs?  How is it related to outcomes of interest (e.g., satisfaction, turnover, performance, absenteeism, etc.) 

 

If you're having trouble with your construct, check in the library for books on Measurement and Psychology. Many of them have whole chapters on constructs you are researching. Here's one: Author Shaw, Marvin E Title Scales for the measurement of attitudes / Marvin E. Shaw, Jack M. Wright ECSU Stacks BF378.A75 S45 AVAILABLE CCSU Stack Level 3 BF378 A75 S45 AVAILABLE CCSU Stack Level 3 BF378 A75 S45 c.2 AVAILABLE SCSU Reference BF378.A75S45 LIB USE ONLY SCSU Reference BF378.A75S45 c.4 LIB USE ONLY SCSU Stacks BF378.A75S45 AVAILABLE WCSU HAAS BF378.A75 S45 AVAILABLE Here's another: Title Measures of personality and social psychological attitudes / edited by John P. Robinson, Phillip R. Shaver, Lawrence S. Wrightsman ECSU Stacks BF698.4.M38 1990 DUE 05-30-03 SCSU Stacks BF698.4 .M38 1990 AVAILABLE Contents Criteria for scale selection and evaluation / John P. Robinson, Phillip R. Shaver, and Lawrence S. Wrightsman -- Measurement and control of response bias / Delroy L. Paulhus -- Measures of subjective well-being / Frank M. Andrews and John P. Robinson -- Measures of self-esteem / Jim Blascovich and Joseph Tomaka -- Social anxiety, shyness, and related constructs / Mark R. Leary -- Measures of depression and loneliness / Phillip R. Shaver and Kelly A. Brennan -- Alienation and anomie / Melvin Seeman -- Interpersonal trust and attitudes toward human nature / Lawrence S. Wrightsman -- Locus of control / Herbert M. Lefcourt -- Authoritarianism and related constructs / Richard Christie -- Sex roles : the measurement of masculinity, femininity, and androgyny / Ellen Lenney -- Values / Valerie A. Braithwaite and William A. Scott .  If you're still having trouble, contact me.

 

 

Feb 12, 2007:

Individual Presentations  

 

Baranowski

Risk seeking/Risk Aversion

 

Bresciano

Positive affect/Negative Affect

 

Butts

Modern Racism/Modern sexism

 

Cullinan

Authoritarianism

 

Dembinski

Machiavellianism

 

Esposito

Power Distance

 

Jette

Individualism/Collectivism

 

Latman

Masculinity/Feminity

 

Mancini-Brown

Uncertainty Avoidance

 

Nardine

Long-term orientation

 

Nelson

Religiosity

 

Proskute

Interpersonal Relatedness

 

Sieczkowski

Cynicism

 

Sullivan

Altruism

 

Sweetland-Bailey

Creativity

 

Teschendorf

Moral Development

 

 

Feb 19, 2007:

NO CLASS - President's Day

 

 

Read for next week:

Textbook readings 2, 3, and 4

 

 

Feb 26, 2007:

Motivation

 

 

 

Read for next week:

Textbook readings 5 and 6

 

 

Mar 5, 2007:

Job enrichment

 

 

For next week

Prepare a 30 minute presentation to the class on the motivation theory assigned to your group.

Document your interactions as a group for a future assignment. 

 

 

Mar 12, 2007:

 Group Presentations

 

Honora Butts, John Jette, Stephen Nelson, Mark Sieczkowski

Equity Theory

 

Karen Latman, Neringa Proskute, Lisa Sullivan, Beth Sweetland-Bailey

Social Learning Theory

 

Amy Cullinan, Denise Dembinski, James Esposito, Steven Teschendorf

Need Theory

 

Joel Baranowski, Stephen Bresciano, Darlene Mancini-Brown, Elizabeth Nardine

Reinforcement Theory

 

 

 

 

Mar 19, 2007:

No Class -- Spring Break

 

 

Readings for next week:

Textbook readings 10, 11, 12, and 13.

 

 

Mar 26, 2007:

 Social Cognition and Perception

 

 

Readings for next week:

Textbook readings 14, 15, 16, 17, 18.

 

 

Apr 2, 2007:

Decision-making

 

 

Readings for next week:

Textbook readings 32, 33, 34

 

 

Apr 9, 2007:

Groups

 

 

Readings for next week:

Textbook readings 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

 

 

Apr 16, 2007:

Organizations

 

 

For next week:

Remember your interactions as a group preparing for the presentations due on 1/29 and 2/12. Prepare a 30 minute presentation to the class on how your group interactions confirmed or disconfirmed theories about group processes.

 

 

Apr 23, 2007:

Group presentations

 

 

For next week:

Sign up for one of the textbook readings.  Summarize its main points on a one-page handout and prepare a 15 minute presentation which will familiarize the class with the reading.  Connect it with material we have covered during the semester on traits, decision making, motivation processes, and/or group processes.

 

 

Apr 30, 2007:

Individual presentations

 

 

May 7, 2007:

 Individual presentations