MGT6100 Class Schedule
Duluth Campus
Fall 2000
Tuesdays, 5:30-9:00pm
Session/Date
Schedule of Topics & Assignments
Session 1
Sept. 5
 Overview of course & program. Please check the syllabus as an overview of objectives and methods.
  •  Syllabus
    • Introduction to OB. The emerging marketplace has been described by some as "permanent whitewater," referring to its constantly changing nature. What are the forces that are producing this change, how do they impact the organization and how are organizations responding? The "systems approach" refers to a way of seeing parts of the organization and its environment as interconnected--how can managers take advantage of this view to cope with the pace of change and complexity? Finally, the behavioral sciences provide a means of studying and understanding good and poor management practices--what are the strengths and limits (even misuses) of this approach?
    • Change drivers-- the large scale forces that are producing change. You should be able to identify these drivers and the impact they have on organizations.
    • Systems model of organizations. These are complex concepts not easily mastered. The main emphasis is on the interconnectedness of events and parts of an organization--an important aspect not always considered in planning.
    • Behavioral science approach. This is the basis of our approach to understanding organizations, but it's not always well done. You should know the foundations (key points in history) and what is the difference between good and poor science.
    • Assessment considerations. We will be conducting a lot of self assessments in helping you formulate your managerial/leadership style--How would you describe your managerial style at this time?
    Session 2
    Sept. 12
    		 Perceptual Processes. This unit examines why and how we attend to things such as advertising and promotions (attention & perception), how we attribute causation to events, and how we form beliefs and attitudes about things (such as job satisfaction). You should be familiar with the principles of attention & perception, how people attribute causation, and how attitudes are formed and can be changed.
    Session 3
    Sept. 19
    		 Managerial style: If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail! This is a key focus for the course--We will discuss the composition of your managerial/leadership style, initially formulate your style (using the Kiersey), discuss the implications for style-task match, concepts for assessment, and strategy for continuing to integrate information into a clear style. Please be familiar with the test interpretation materials on line and from class.
    Session 4
    Sept. 26
    		 Motivational theory & intervention. Consider what motivates you--what drives you to do your best?. How would you assess another person's motivation and how they can be motivated on the job? Be familiar with three theories of motivation to use in a case--(I recommend equity, expectancy, and OB mod.). You will be writing a paper on motivational intervention--think of a case situation to discuss with a small group.
    • Motivation & Attitude formation and change. Become familiar with how attitudes are formed and changed--in class we will prepare strategies to change and resist attitude change--be prepared.
    • Motivation & Managerial Style. Same theory and self assessment page as above but note the links that are related to theories of motivation (see Theory X-Y, McClelland's theory).
    Session 5
    Oct. 3
    		 Learning & Change. Change requires adaptation to survive and thrive in business, and adaptation requires learning. How do you and other people learn? How can you take advantage of these principles to make adaptation more effective? Regarding ethics, how do people develop ethical decision making and what are stages of ethical problem solving?
    • Principles of Learning. Ok--you get an M&M for reading all the links here! 
    • Learning theories--how people learn and adapt. There are more theories here than you wanted to know--scan them for familiarity but don;t memorize. Know where to find them if needed to explain learning. Be able to explain how someone learns a task.
    • Learning Styles--don't get overwhelmed by all the theories...Again, notice that they are different ways of accounting for how people attend, perceive, process, retrieve and use information. Be able to describe how you best learn something.
    • Kolb learning cycle (note links at bottom of page--test not available online). From  Kolb's LSI, and experience, how do you learn best--be prepared to describe it and prescribe a learning strategy. We'll use this cycle to explain reflective learning for individuals, teams and organizations--a very important concept.
    • Cognitive development theory . These theories describe how people develop in their ability to handle increasing complex, paradoxical, and relative information.
    • Ethics. This is a subset of cognitive development and deals with stages of moral development and application of values to critical thinking and decision making.
    Session 6
    Oct. 10
    		 Stress and adjustment at work. A large portion of workers across all industries find their jobs unsatisfying anf highly stressful. What are the sources, symptoms and stages of stress in the workplace? How does it affect you? What can be done to reduce stress efffects?
    Session 7
    Oct. 17
    		 Leadership Theories. Leaders are not "born," they are a result of an interaction between the situation and what individuals can bring to bear on a problem. What are your leadership traits and skills, and how might you further develop them for your career? First you need a vocabulary--what are all these leadership theories and how can they help? You should know key theorists and theories--most of all, how they can be used to sort out and intervene in situatons.
    Session 8
    Oct. 24
    		 Leadership Assessment. Assume you were part of a task force to develop an internal office for assessment of leadership potential in your organization or industry. What would you look for, how would you assess it, and what would the assessment process look like? Motivation paper due
    Session 9
    Oct 31
    Writing Component with Dr. Hagen (second half of course)
    Session 10
    Nov. 7
    Session 11
    Nov. 14
    Session 12
    Nov. 21
    Session 13
    Nov. 28
    Session 14
    Dec. 5
    Session 15
    Dec. 12
    		 Final paper on Managerial Style due
    Session 16
    Dec. 19

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