The University of Texas at Dallas

Global Leadership Executive MBA Program

OB 6301: Organizational Behavior

Spring 2008: January 7 – March 25, 2008
Professor Contact Information
Anne M. Ferrante Phone: (972) 883-6467
Fax: (972) 883.6164
E-Mail: Use Blackboard e-mail

James K. Harvey Phone: (972) 867-8448

E-Mail: Use Blackboard e-mail

Course Description

This course addresses the human behavior and organizational concepts that
affect personal and organizational leadership.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

• To learn about individual processes and behavior such as personality,
ethics, motivation, learning, performance management, communication,
and group dynamics
• To learn managerial and leadership issues of decision making and power,
and the organizational issues of teamwork, culture, and change
management.
• To develop critical thinking and analysis skills to critique business
situations from an organizational behavior point of view.

Resources
Texts: Cavanaugh, G, Amercian Business Values, Prentice Hall, 2005.
Kinicki, A. Organizational Behavior: Core concepts. McGraw Hill,
2008

Articles: Posted by week in Course Materials

Cases: Posted by week in Course Materials

Course Syllabus Page 1

 Schedule of Assignments
______________________________________________________________
Week 1: Organizations in Society

Dates: January 7 – January 13

Lecture: Values Based Management

Readings: Cavanaugh, G, American Business Values, Prentice Hall,

2005

Kinicki, A. Organizational Behavior: Core concepts. McGraw

Hill, 2008. Chapter 1

Howe, N., and Strauss, W., “The Next 20 Years: How

Customer and Workforce Attitudes Will Evolve”, The Harvard
Business Review, July 2007.

Retreat Session: Values Based Management – Kaplan

Team Assignment: Case vignette presentations
Peer Evaluation: Due January 13

Retreat Session: Introduction to Organizational Behavior

Assignment: Discussion of “The Next 20 Years”
Ferrante and Harvey
______________________________________________________________
Weeks 2 and 3: Leadership
Perception, Diversity, and Individual Differences

Dates: January 14 – January 27

Lectures: Leadership
Perception, Diversity, and Individual Differences

Readings: Kinicki: Chapters 2, 11

.
Buckingham, H., “What Great Managers Do”, Harvard
Business Review, March, 2005.
Goleman, D., “What Makes a Leader?” Harvard Business
Review, January, 2004.
Zaleznik, A., “Managers and Leaders: Are They Different?”,
Harvard Business Review, January, 2004.

Course Syllabus Page 2

 Stauffer, D., “Motivation Across Generations”, Harvard
Management Update, March, 2003.
Assignment: Team written response to questions and
webconference presentation and discussion

Instructions posted under Course Materials

Written responses and presentation submitted to the Digital

Drop Box no later than 9:00 pm, Friday, January 25.

Webconference: Saturday, January 26, 2008

Teams 1, 2, 3, 4 9:00 am
Teams 5, 6, 7, 8, 10:30 am

Peer Evaluation: Submitted January 27

Weeks 4 and 5: Motivation

Groups and Teams
Decision Making

Dates: January 28 – February 10

Lectures: Motivation
Groups and Teams
Decision Making

Readings: Kinicki Chapters 3, 4, 5

Gratton, L. and Erickson, T., “Eight Ways to Build

Collaborative Teams”, Harvard Business Review, November,
2007.

Herzberg, F., “One More Time: How Do You Motivate

Employees?” Harvard Business Review, January 2003.

Katzenbach, J. and Smith, D., “The Discipline of Teams”,

Harvard Business Review, July, 2005.

Livingston, S., “Pygmalion in Management”, Harvard

Business Review, January, 2003.

Case Study: Innovation and Collaboration at Merrill Lynch

Assignment: Team written case analysis questions and webconference

presentation and discussion.

Course Syllabus Page 3

 Instructions posted under Course Materials

Written responses and presentation posted to the Digital

Drop Box no later than 9:00 pm., Friday, February 8.

Webconference: Saturday, February 9, 2008

Teams 1, 2, 3, 4 9:00 am
Teams 5, 6, 7, 8 10:30 am

Peer Evaluation: Submitted by February 10.

_______________________________________________________________

Weeks 6 - 7: Conflict and Negotiation

Communication
Power and Politics

Dates: February 11 – February 24, 2008

Lectures: Conflict and Negotiation

Communication
Power and Politics

Readings: Kinicki: Chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Cone, J., “How to Change a Mind: Yours and Others”,
Interaction Associates White Paper, March, 2005
Conger, J., “The Necessary Art of Persuasion”, Harvard
Business Review, May-June, 1998
Hill, Linda, “Power and Dynamics in Organizations”, Harvard
Business Review, March, 1995.

Case Study: Cory Robinson at Sprint Corp.

Assignment: Team written case analysis questions and webconference

presentation and discussion.
Instructions posted under Course Materials

Written responses and presentation posted to the Digital

Drop Box no later than 9:00 pm., Friday, February 22.

Webconference: Saturday, February 23, 2008

Teams 1, 2, 3, 4 9:00 am
Teams 5, 6, 7,8 10:30 am

Course Syllabus Page 4

Peer Evaluation: Submitted by February 24

Plan Ahead: Final Team Case Analysis and Paper

_______________________________________________________________

Weeks 8 - 10: Organizational Culture and Design

Organizational Change

Dates: February 25 – March 16, 2008

Readings: Kinicki: Chapters 12, 13, 14

Kotter, J., “Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts
Fail”, Harvard Business Review, January 2007.
Beer, M and Nohria, N., “Cracking the Code of Change”,
Harvard Business Review, May – June, 2000
Beer, M, Eisenstat, R., and Spector, B., “Why Change
Programs Do Not Produce Change”, Harvard Business
Review, Nov. – Dec. 1990

Case Study: IBM’s Decade of Transformation: The Turnaround

Assignment: Team case analysis paper

Instructions posted under Course Materials

Paper posted to the Digital Drop Box by March 16

Peer Evaluation: Submitted March 17

Webconference: Wrap up Discussion

Sunday, March 24 4:00 – 4:30 pm cst.

Course Evaluation: Submitted March 25

Grading Policy and Evaluation

Preparation and Participation at Retreat Session 15%
Team written responses to questions and webconference presentation 20%
Team written case analysis summary and webconference presentation 40%
Two at 20 each
Final Team Case Analysis Paper 25 %

Course Syllabus Page 5

Written Assignments
Evaluation of written assignments and project papers will be based on thoughtful,
analytical, well-constructed responses demonstrating knowledge of the topic by
citing examples of the key concepts present in the readings or cases.

• A ---Excellent: Understanding of all key issues; no important analytical

errors or omissions; concise, very well written and organized, makes
appropriate use of charts and tables.
• B---Good: Understanding of most issues; only a few important issues
not discussed; few analytical errors; well-written and well-organized,
makes appropriate use of charts and tables.
• C---Adequate: Understanding of many issues, but not all important
aspects covered; various analytical errors; excessive case recitation
unsupported by analysis; poorly written or organized, makes
inappropriate use of charts and tables.

Webconference Team Discussions and Presentations

Evaluation of webconference presentations and discussions will be based on
demonstration of knowledge of the organizational behavior theories, concepts
and issues. Responses should be based on and reference the text, readings or
other sources of independent research. During the discussion each team is
expected to add value by questioning, exploring or challenging at least one other
team’s presentation.

A Excellent analysis and presentation --- Clear and concise answer to the
question and provides one or more key concepts or evidence from the text,
readings or other outside sources to support presentation. Immediately and
effectively responds to questions, provides specific answers and defends
points if challenged by other team members. Presentation slides are clear,
concise and well organized. During webconference, team members ask
questions or provide evidence that adds value to the other team’s
presentation or topic.

B Good analysis and presentation: Clearly answers the question and provides
at least one key concept or supporting evidence from the text or readings to
support presentation. Responds to questions with an answer that clarifies or
defends points made by others. Presentations slides address key information
and are generally organized to support the presentation. Team members ask
questions or provide evidence that adds some value to the other team’s
presentation or topic.

C Adequate: Answers the question, but provides no key concepts or evidence

from the text, readings or other outside sources to support presentation.
Presentation slides do not wholly support the presentation. Team members
respond to questions generally and provide adequate answers, which may or

Course Syllabus Page 6

 may not add clarity or defend points made by others. Members do not ask
questions or provide evidence that adds value to the other team’s
presentation or topic.

Course & Instructor Policies

Format for Written Assignments

Refer to complete assignment instructions in Course Materials

Written assignments should be Word documents (no html formats) that are:
• Double-spaced, 12 pt. Arial or Times New Roman font
• Citations properly formatted in MLA style
• Clearly identified by author or team
o For an individual assignment, the student name needs to be on the
first page of the document AND as part of the document name, i.e.
Jonessocres.doc when it is submitted.
o For a team assignment, the team number and names of team
participants on the first page AND the team number as part of the
document name i.e. Team2MNCs.doc when it is posted
o There is no need for a separate cover pages

Submission
Assignments should be posted on Blackboard (Bb) within the course area by the
due date. Assignments are submitted to the Digital Drop Box under Tools tab.
Be sure to use the SEND command to submit to the Drop Box. Do not use Add
command to post.

Late Assignments
If you need to miss an assignment deadline, you must pre-notify the instructor
and course manager before the deadline. You should provide the reason for
missing the deadline and an alternative date for submitting the assignment. The
instructor and course manager must approve the extension and the new
deadline. If you do not pre-notify the instructor, the instructor may determine the
appropriate grade deduction for the assignment.

Retreats: Attendance at the retreat is a course requirement. Missing the retreat

is grade affecting.

Evaluations:

Peer Evaluation

Course Syllabus Page 7

Students need to complete a peer evaluation for each team assignment. The
peer evaluation is an electronic document whose link is located on Blackboard
(Bb) in the course area under the Information button.

Course Evaluation
The completion of a course evaluation is a course requirement. Students need
to complete a course evaluation form which is an electronic document whose link
is located on Blackboard (Bb) in the course area under the Information button.
Students who do not submit a course evaluation by the due date will receive an
incomplete grade for the course.

Course Syllabus Page 8