• Office: Tower Hall 3130 (office hours before or following class)
• Office Phone: (218)723-6476
• Home phone: 525-3723 (only when urgent)
• FAX: (218)723-6290
• e-mail: dswenson@css.edu  (my preferred mode of communication)

This course is an introduction to organizational behavior, and will emphasize the integration of behavioral science theories and practices. Emphasis will be on understanding the basics of the behavioral sciences, formulating one's managerial/leadership style, considering motivational aspects of  behavior, and facilitating transition management in organizations . 

Objectives: By the end of the course you should be able to:

• describe the strengths and cautions for using the behavioral sciences in management
• give examples of effective use of attention and perception principles in business
• discuss how attribution affects behavior, especially during the change process
• describe in detail your personal style of management/leadership
• analyze a motivational problem situation from equity, expectancy, efficacy, or OB-mod perspectives
• analyze a leadership problem and plan intervention based on substitute-neutralizer theory
• propose a transition management plan for an organizational change

Performance evaluation: In graduate education we have found that one of the best ways to find out how people think is by having them formulate and write about something, and reflect on their  thinking as demonstrated in writing. For this course there is are two written assignments. 

1. Motivational Problem. Your task is to describe a problem situation in a work setting with which you are familiar. The paper should demonstrate your familiarity with using theory, terminology, and strategy for influencing behavior in the workplace. First briefly describe the problem  situation; then use a theory of motivation to explain why the behavior occurred; finally, use the theory to describe an intervention to change the motivation/behavior. This paper is due by the last class session, week 8.

2. Transition Management. Your task is to describe an organizational change that your organization has, is, or is likely to experience (e.g., shift to team-based work, change in information system, downsizing, etc.). You should identify the impact of such change on key stakeholders, then describe the transition management recommendations you would advise for minimizing adverse impact for each of the stages of transition. This paper is due following the 8-week course, by week 14.

Be sure to use APA style (this will take awhile to master and get comfortable with), use clear subheaders, and be sure to use intext citations and references. Check The Managers Library (online from Main Menu) for summaries of APA style.

Resources

• Text. Robbins, S. P. (2003). Essentials of Organizational Behavior. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
• Online resources for the course include extensive webpages on many aspects of management--probably too much for you to absorb if you try to cover them all. Search and read selectively! 
• Recommended strategy for study
• Start by reviewing the topic and assignment, especially the study questions--what do you want/need to know?
• Read the online materials--they have been selected from a much larger pool of articles and links that you can also explore.
• Read your text . Understand the theory underlying the measures, then see what your style is. Add this information to your growing list of information on style.
• For describing your managerial style, self administer the online assessments. Examine the format of the tests as well as the information you obtain. What seems to make a good test? What do these instruments suggest about your managerial style? Begin to integrate the information about your style.

All work for the course must be your own original work. When you include information from other authors, be sure and give appropriate credit (APA citation style). You may restate in your own words the ideas of other authors, but again give credit where due. We also encourage you to work with other students in the class, distribute work loads where useful, combine efforts on research--but you are personally responsible and accountable for the final product. Please discuss readings and assignments with each other, provide feedback and critical evaluation, and make suggestions to each other. If you become aware of ethical violations or have questions or concerns, please contact your instructor or the HIM department chair for consultation.

Timeline for Assignments

All work should be handed by the designated due date. Delays make it difficult to use others papers as a comparison base for grading. If emergency or exceptional circumstances arise, please notify the instructor as soon as possible. Notification after the fact may make alternate arrangements a problem. We understand that family and work arrangements are sometimes a challenge and will try to make accommodations for exceptional events, but we encourage you to stay on or ahead of schedule with your assignments so there is less chance of later disruptions. We also encourage you to submit early drafts of papers for feedback. Papers cannot be submitted for feedback less than two weeks before their due date.