This course is expected to run but has not yet been scheduled.
Organizational Behavior is an introduction to theoretical concepts and empirical research in the behavioral sciences as they apply to behavior within organizational settings. The primary goal of this course is to prepare students for an advanced leadership role in modern organizations, and is designed for students of any discipline. The course’s main objective is to provide students with the essential content and experiences they need to become a motivating student, successful manager and an effective employee in any type of work they may do in future. By taking the course students will understand themselves and other people at work and will learn how to create effective work groups to be successful in life.
The course will examine the contemporary principles, techniques and research findings in management and organization behavior that are driving high performance and continuous improvement in business today. Accordingly, understanding effective learning styles, personality, motivation, stress, creativity, power, conflict, diversity and communication, leadership and team-building skills, are addressed at the application level within the overall ethical, socially responsible stance. Concepts associated with continuous improvement in individual and group processes will be discussed.
The course will follow experiential learning techniques so that (a) students will learn the specifics of a particular subject matter and (b) they will learn about their own strengths and weaknesses as a learner (i.e. learning how to learn from experience). Interspersed throughout the course, students will be encouraged to participate in activities which will involve exercises, self analysis techniques, and role plays to make the insights of behavioral science meaningful and relevant. Each topic will be presented as an educational intervention to facilitate each stage of the experience-based learning process. Personal Application assignments and simulations are designed to relate personal experiences. Observational methods are added to facilitate the understanding of these experiences. Theories and models are introduced to form generalizations and mental models. And finally, the intervention is structured with the purpose that will encourage students to experiment with and test what they have learned in class as well as in other areas of their lives. The course will teach students how to learn to become continuous learners, be capable of responding to demands for change, and be able to acquire new skills through their careers.
Successful completion of this course should enable participants to achieve the following objectives:
• List and define basic organizational behavior principles, and analyze how these influence behavior in the workplace.
• Analyze individual human behavior in the workplace as influenced by personality, value perceptions, and motivations.
• Outline the elements of group behavior including group dynamics, communication, leadership, power and politics, and conflict and negotiation.
• Understand their own management styles as they relate to influencing and managing behavior in the organization systems
• Enhance critical thinking and analysis skills through the use of management case studies, personal application papers and small group exercises.
• Strengthen research, writing and presentation skills.