August 21, 2017

BU 288 Organizational Behaviour I

COURSE OUTLINE Fall 2017
Sections A3, D & G (MW)

Instructor: Dr. Meredith Woodwark

Office: LH4112
Phone: 519-884-0710 ext 4886
E-mail: [email protected]

OFFICE HOURS: Wednesdays 5:30-6:30pm or by appointment

Faculty Assistant: Jennifer Adamthwaite

FA Office: LH 2052
FA Phone: 519-884-0710 ext 2041
FA Email: [email protected]

COURSE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON MyLearningSpace

Students with disabilities or special needs are advised to contact Laurier’s Accessible Learning
Office for information regarding its services and resources. Students are encouraged to review
the Calendar for information regarding all services available on campus.
REQUIRED READINGS

Johns, G., & Saks, A. M. (2017). Organizational Behaviour: Understanding and Managing
Life at Work (10th Edition). Pearson Education Canada, Inc: Toronto, ON.
 Note that MyManagementLab accompanies this textbook. It is entirely optional. This
resource has practice multiple choice questions that are based on the textbook material.
Note that these practice questions are intended to help you test your knowledge of the
textbook and may or may not be representative of the questions on the exams. A course
ID code will be posted on MLS which you will need along with a student access code. A
copy of the 10th edition is on reserve at the library so you can examine the differences
between earlier editions if required.

 Course Package (available from WLU bookstore).

COURSE SUMMARY

This course focuses on three major levels of analysis dealing with human behaviour in an
organizational context: individual, interpersonal/group, and organizational. Each of these
levels is examined in depth to examine factors predicting or explaining behaviour at work.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In the last century, organizations have become the most prevalent social structure in people's
lives. From the health organizations that see us into this world, to the educational organizations
that shape our knowledge and behaviour, to the spiritual organizations that support our faiths, to
the business organizations for which we work, the time we spend organizing, being organized,
or just in an organization consumes much of our lives.

Organizations are such an integral part of our existence that we often and naturally assume that
we understand organizations and the people working in them. Far too often, that assumption is
erroneous. Organizations and people are complex entities that are not only difficult to
understand, but also difficult to manage.

This course is designed to explore human behaviour in organizations in order to improve how
we manage behaviour and increase organizational effectiveness and employee well-being.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE

1. To increase understanding of the theories and concepts related to individuals, groups,

and organizations.

2. To increase your ability to understand and effect change.

3. To improve skills in problem identification and analysis, in developing alternatives, and in

implementing solutions.

4. To increase your understanding of management and leadership roles and responsibilities

related to three levels of analysis: individuals, groups, and organizations.

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TEACHING METHOD

Different instructors will use different teaching methods. In general, the teaching method is
lecture-based with interactive exercises and cases. This approach has several advantages:

1. You have an opportunity to test and expand your understanding of the theories presented
in the readings;
2. You have an opportunity to apply those theories to analyze and solve real problems in
organizations;
3. You have an opportunity to develop skills in communicating your ideas to others, in
developing and presenting arguments, in listening to and understanding the views of others, and
in challenging others' views in a way that advances understanding;
4. You are encouraged to think independently because each of you must choose the
theoretical or conceptual framework that best fits with the major issues, problems, and possible
solutions to a case or a situation

ROLE OF THE INSTRUCTOR

The role of the instructor is to stimulate and guide discussion to achieve learning objectives. This
may involve asking questions that probe the depth of your understanding of issues, reviewing a
theoretical concept that is difficult to understand, and encouraging students to present different
points of view. The role of the instructor does NOT include reviewing all of the assigned
material.

ROLE OF THE STUDENT

Students are expected to behave as adult learners. That is, they will attend class, they will be
prepared for class, and they will participate in class. Additionally, they will challenge themselves,
their classmates, and the instructor when they fail to understand material or disagree with what
is being said or discussed.

The best classes are those in which there is a sharing of perspectives which leads to students
discovering for themselves the relevance and applicability of conceptual ideas, realizing the
subtleties and fine points of a case or exercise, and understanding the rationale for various
options to handle the problems in a case.

COURSE GRADING SCHEME

Participation/Active Learning (All classes) 10%

Group Presentation and Written Report (December 4 or 6) 15%
Two In-Class Midterm Exams
Exam 1 (M October 2): 20% 40%
Exam 2 (M November 6): 20%
Final Exam (Cumulative): December exam period (9th- 22nd) – date tbd 35%

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EVALUATION

Participation/Active Learning (10%)

This course relies heavily on discussions and application of key concepts. Accordingly, 10% of
your grade will be determined from participation/active learning. Active learning means that you
take responsibility for your learning and helping others to learn more about the material. Each
instructor has his or her own guidelines for active learning. Examples include (but are not limited
to) contributing insightful comments to class discussions, acting as facilitators by bringing others
into the discussion, and bringing relevant newspaper articles/current events to the attention of
your classmates and instructor. Active learning also involves listening to what others say and
responding accordingly. It requires that each student comes to class prepared and able to
intelligently discuss the topic of the day. Emphasis is on the quality of participation. Active
learning does NOT involve being a warm body in the classroom whose mind is pre-occupied
with other issues.

Attendance. Given that interaction is central to meeting the learning objectives in this course,
you are expected to attend every class. If a student misses more than 3 classes without
permission, the instructor reserves the right to refuse to allow that individual to write the final
exam. If you do miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out from your classmates what
material was covered, what additional assignments were given, and what handouts you have
missed.
 Note that attendance is a prerequisite to participating (you must be in class to
participate) but does not equate to participation. Your participation grade will
reflect the quality of your contributions to the classroom learning environment.
There is no way to make up for missed classes.

Preparation. You must read assigned material in advance—text, readings and cases—to be
fully prepared for class discussion. Concepts and how they apply in organizations may appear
simple on the surface, but typically they are subtle, complex, and more difficult to apply. To
understand the material covered in this course and do well in the examinations it is critical that
you read the material BEFORE class sessions so that you can contribute thoughtfully to the
class discussions and exercises. Readings will not be fully reviewed—it is assumed that you
have read and understood them prior to coming to class. You may be called upon to contribute
at any time. If you have been unable to prepare adequately, let your instructor know. This will
help avoid embarrassment.

Contribution. You are expected to effectively participate and contribute to the class. This
includes providing analysis, arguments, examples, material questions, presenting relevant
outside materials, facilitating the learning of others—in short, anything that will enrich the
learning experience. Class participation provides you with an opportunity to develop skills in oral
communication, in presenting a point of view, in listening, and in helping your peers learn and to
learn from them.

 Note that contributions should enhance classroom discussion. Airtime is a scarce

resource so please use it wisely. Participation that does not add any value to the
discussion (i.e., does not move the conversation forward, repeats what has been said,
etc) will be treated the same as not participating. The quality of contribution is rewarded—
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 not quantity. All contributions must be worded with respect for others.

 Frequent non-quality contributions as well as behaviors that detract from the

classroom environment (e.g., surfing the web, checking email, texting, watching
youtube, etc.) are not appropriate and will be penalized.

Group Presentation and Written Report (15%)

You will be assigned a group of between 4-8 people, depending on the final enrolment numbers.
This will occur by the second full week of class. Your group will be randomly assigned an OB-
related movie and, at the instructor’s discretion, a discussion question based on the movie (not
all instructors will provide a discussion question). Each group will make one 20 minute
presentation in the last two classes of semester, analysing the movie using constructs and
theories you learn from this course. This time allocation includes a 5-minute question and
answer period.

Everyone is encouraged to watch all movies before the presentation classes, so that we can
expect a more engaging and interactive question and answer period. However, the audience is
not required to watch movies presented by other groups. Therefore, presentations should be
designed accordingly.

Students who are absent will not share in their group’s grade and will receive a zero grade on
the presentation.

Group presentations will be evaluated based on:

 Topic: Identify and describe the most important and relevant OB topics in the movie
 Scientific analysis/Depth: Analyse the OB topics in detail by applying constructs and
theories you learn from this course
 Presentation style and skills (clarity of speaking, posture, visual/audio aids, pace, etc.)
 Q & A: Be prepared for questions and handle them professionally

It is advised that student groups focus on NO MORE than 2-3 OB constructs/theories that relate
to the assigned movie and provide an analysis of these issues and recommendations of how
these issues should be addressed. Depth of analysis of the critical theories is strongly preferred
over a broad brush approach that provides a superficial treatment of a number of OB theories.

On the day of your group’s presentation, you should submit a written report (2-3 pages, double-
spaced). This should include your description of important OB topics delivered in the movie and
your analysis of the movie using OB constructs and theories. Your report will be evaluated
based on the clarity of description, appropriateness of OB constructs and theories applied to
your analysis, and writing quality.

In-Class Midterm Examinations (40%). Weeks 4 and 8

Two in-class examinations will use a combination of multiple-choice and short answer formats.
To do well, you will need to understand and be able to apply the concepts and theories
discussed in the course. Students are well-advised to keep up on their reading assignments.
The exams are scheduled for Monday Oct 2 and Monday November 6. The exams will be
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held during regular class time and will be 80 minutes in length. Similar, but not identical, 30
multiple-choice questions (1 point each) will be used for all sections of the course. These
questions will be drawn from the textbook material. Three short-answer questions (10 points
each) will test material covered in class. This material may not be addressed in the readings.
These questions will vary across course sections to reflect differences in instructor focus.

Comprehensive Final Examination (35%)

The final exam will be 2.5 hours in length and include multiple choice, short answer, and long
answer/integrative questions. The final exam will be scheduled during the regular examination
period in December. The multiple choice questions will focus on textbook material not previously
tested by the midterm exams. Short- and long-answer questions will comprehensively test
material covered throughout the entire course. Material covered in the text and/or in lectures will
form the basis for these questions. Similar to the midterm exams, some of the material tested
may not be addressed in the readings. Some of these questions will vary across the course
sections.

BONUS MARKS

Research Participation Bonus Marks

You may receive up to three bonus marks for this course by participating in the Lazaridis School
Research Participation System (LS RPS). This system is designed to: (a) facilitate the research
of faculty and graduate students in Accounting, Marketing, and OB/HRM area groups; and (b)
enable undergraduate students taking Accounting, Marketing, and OB/HRM courses to gain an
appreciation for research and the research process by participating in actual research projects.

The system is administered at the following web site: SONA system sign in page. On your first
visit, you should create a user ID and password. Once you’ve done this, you may sign up for
either in-person or on-line studies. A maximum of 3 bonus marks are allowed (3% of course
grade) for specific participating courses. These marks may be earned from any combination of
online studies, in-person studies and/or journal article reviews.

On-line studies are worth ½ that of in-person studies as they can usually be completed on a
more flexible time schedule (e.g. at home in the evening). If you are unable or unwilling to
participate in research studies and still wish to earn up to three bonus marks, you can complete
an alternative written assignment(s) for one or more of these marks. Directions on how to pursue
this option are provided below. You must still request an account as a participant at SONA
system sign in page if you are pursuing the research participation alternative (journal
article reviews). If you are taking more than one course that is eligible for bonus marks (this
information is available on the web site above) any bonus mark(s) you earn in a given study can
only be assigned to one course. The deadline to participate in research studies or submit
journal article reviews is 5pm on the last day of classes of the Fall term, December 6,
2017. No exceptions! Any study or journal article review crediting will be updated on the above
website by 5pm on December 8, 2017. The deadline for students wishing to reassign any bonus
marks across courses within the above website is December 10, 2017 at 5pm.

Note that the maximum 3% bonus is contingent on the availability of research studies during the
term. We do not guarantee that students will be able to earn bonus marks totaling 3%

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through research studies or journal article reviews. As in all courses, you should
prioritize earning 100% of your grade through mandatory course components.

Students should be aware that not coming to class to partake in LS RPS studies is
unacceptable.

Research Participation Alternative: Journal Article Reviews

If you are unable or unwilling to participate in research studies to earn bonus marks, we provide
an alternative means of earning up to 3% (3 points) of bonus marks. This alternative entails
writing reviews of academic journal articles. To learn more about and/or participate in this option,
you must self-register for the myLS course entitled Lazaridis School Research Participation
Alternative | Fall 2017 via the following steps:

1. Click the “Self-Registration” link near the top right of the page when you first log into
myLS.
2. Click “Lazaridis School Research Participation Alternative | Fall 2017” (courses are listed
alphabetically, so this one will be at the bottom of the list).
3. Click “Register”, then click “Submit”, then click “Finish”.
4. You should now see “Lazaridis School Research Participation Alternative | Fall 2017” in
your list of courses.

Directions on how to complete the reviews, format, and the submission process can be found
once you register for this course. Please contact the System Administrator at [email protected] if
you have any problems with registering for the course or about the research participation
alternative (article reviews) submission process.

OTHER ISSUES

Policy Regarding Re-grading of Coursework

In the event that you feel something was missed in the grading of your work (be it a
mathematical error or other), please provide a brief written summary of what you feel needs
further attention. This submission must be made within ONE (1) week of receiving your grade. If
you request that something be re-graded, the exam will be re-graded in its entirety.
Therefore, your grade may increase OR decrease as a result of the second grading. If no
written request is provided within one week after it is returned, the grade is considered to be final
and will be no longer open for re-grading. We do not accept personal lobbying efforts on behalf
of grades unless the aforementioned procedure is followed. We are happy to discuss your work
with you for educational purposes, but we will not discuss specific grade changes in this format.

Academic Misconduct

Please note that students involved in any form of academic misconduct may receive a zero
grade on the course and a notation of academic dishonesty on their transcripts. In this course,
academic misconduct includes copy or use of unauthorized aids in cases or examinations (i.e.,
cheating); plagiarism; submission of work that is not your own; submission of work generated for
another course without prior clearance by the instructor of this course; aiding and abetting
another student's dishonesty; and giving false information for the purpose of gaining credit.

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Students are strongly encouraged to make themselves familiar with the University
regulations concerning Academic Misconduct as outlined in the online WLU Calendar.

Deferred Examinations

Please note that there are no deferred examinations during the semester in this course. If, for
any reason, a student must miss an in-class examination, the value of that examination will be
applied to the final examination (i.e., a missed in-class mid-term exam will result in the final
exam being valued at 55% of the final grade). However, students MUST provide documentation
outlining a valid reason for missing an in-class exam (e.g., note from a doctor). Students who
miss an in-class exam will be notified by the Dean or the Dean's designate that they may not
miss more than one in-class exam under any circumstance. Students who miss two in-class
exams will not be allowed to write the final exam. Any request for a deferred final
examination must be made through an application to the LSBE Academic Petitions Committee.

Note about the Course Outline

The course outline serves as a guide to give you a general idea of what to expect during class
sessions. Other material may be introduced that is not on the outline. This material will help
further illustrate the topics under study and will be of benefit to you. The outline is not carved in
stone. Variations will be evident during the semester dependent on your needs as well as the
instructor's discretion. Do not be alarmed therefore, when you see changes being made.

The course also varies from section to section. Although the BU 288 sections will have some
common elements, different classes respond differently to different faculty members. As a result,
differences in pace or coverage are to be expected. A section that is doing something different is
not necessarily advantaged or disadvantaged. It is simply different.

STUDENT PRIVACY

One important goal of this course is to offer a positive educational experience for the student
through lectures, in class debate, group work, presentations and assignments. During the
course, it may be necessary to divulge students’ names, ID numbers, marks, or other personal
information to other members of the class. Every reasonable effort will be made to keep the
personal information of the student private and secure. The following measures have been put in
place to balance the requirements of the course with the need to protect personal information:

1. Exams and assignments will only be released to the student who submitted them. If a
student is uncomfortable with their name being called in class, he or she should contact
the instructor the day before the assignment is to be returned.
2. Marks will only be released through MyLearningSpace.
3. The individual circumstances or performance of a student will not be discussed before,
during, or after class. A student wanting to review their performance or discuss personal
circumstances affecting their performance should make an appointment to speak to the
instructor in private during office hours. Please note, however, that the office door will
NOT be closed at any time during a meeting with a student.
4. Group work may be a necessary component of this course. This will involve disclosure of
some personal information to other class members in order to assign topics, arrange

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 groups, submit, evaluate and return work. Enrolment in the course is deemed to be
consent to such necessary disclosure.
5. Class participation is a vital component of this course. This may involve the use of class
lists, name tags, posting on MyLearningSpace bulletin boards, in-class discussions, etc. If
a student is uncomfortable with his or her name being disclosed in these formats, he or
she should bring this matter to the attention of the instructor during the first week of class
so that alternate arrangements can be made.
6. The record of the student’s progress throughout the course will be maintained by the
instructor for a period of one year after completion of the course. Some instructors may
retain students’ records for a longer period of time.
7. Sign in sheets will be used to record attendance at the midterm and final exam. If a
student does not wish to sign the sheet, he or she should bring this to the attention of the
proctor before the start of the exam.

If a student is concerned or needs to make special arrangements to accommodate specific

privacy issues, he or she must bring these matters to the attention of the instructor within the
first week of classes so that reasonable accommodations can be made or an alternate course
can be selected by the student.

COPYRIGHT OF COURSE MATERIALS

The educational materials developed for this course, including, but not limited to, lecture notes
and slides, handout materials, examinations and assignments, and any materials posted to
MyLearningSpace, are the intellectual property of the course instructor. These materials have
been developed for student use only and they are not intended for wider dissemination and/or
communication outside of a given course. Posting or providing unauthorized audio, video, or
textual material of lecture content to third-party websites violates an instructor’s intellectual
property rights, and the Canadian Copyright Act. Recording lectures in any way is prohibited in
this course unless specific permission has been granted by the instructor. Failure to follow
these instructions may be in contravention of the university’s Code of Student Conduct and/or
Code of Academic Conduct, and will result in appropriate penalties. Participation in this
course constitutes an agreement by all parties to abide by the relevant University
Policies, and to respect the intellectual property of others during and after their
association with Wilfrid Laurier University.

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CLASS SCHEDULE
DATE TOPIC & READINGS
Week 1
M Sept 11 Introduction to Organizational Behaviour
Reading: Johns/Saks, Chapter 1
W Sept 13 Research in OB (pdf: Johns research appendix)
Reading: Available on MyLS
Week 2
M Sept 18 Personality
Reading: Johns/Saks, Chapter 2 (pp. 44-55)
W Sept 20 Learning
Reading: Johns/Saks, Chapter 2 (pp. 55-70)
Week 3
M Sept 25 Perceptions, Attributions, and Diversity
Readings: Johns/Saks, Chapter 3
W Sept 27 Values, Attitudes, and Work Behaviours
Readings: Johns/Saks, Chapter 4
Week 4
M Oct 2 In-Class Exam: Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4 + Research in OB chapter
W Oct 4 Groups and Teamwork
Readings: Johns/Saks, Chapter 7
Exercise: Group Decision Making (distributed in class)
Oct 9-13 READING WEEK: NO CLASS
Week 5
M Oct 16 Work Motivation I
Readings: Johns/Saks, Chapter 5
W Oct 18 Work Motivation II
Reading: Johns/Saks, Chapter 6
Case: The Well Paid Receptionist
Week 6
M Oct 23 Decision Making I
Readings: Johns/Saks, Chapter 11
Exercise: Carter Racing (Case Package)
W Oct 25 Decision Making II
Readings: see above
Week 7
M Oct 30 Negotiation I
Readings: Johns/Saks, Chapter 13 (pp. 469-473)
Exercise: Negotiation Exercise (distributed in class)
W Nov 1 Negotiation II
Readings: see above
Video: The Sluggers Come Home
Week 8
M Nov 6 In-Class Exam: Chapters 5, 6, 7, 11, 13 (listed pages only)
W Nov 8 Conflict & Stress
Readings: Johns/Saks, Chapter 13 (pp. 464-469 and 474-491)
Week 9
M Nov 13 Leadership I
Readings: Johns/Saks, Chapter 9
W Nov 15 Leadership II
Readings: see above
Week 10
M Nov 20 Communication
Readings: Johns/Saks, Chapter 10
W Nov 22 Organizational Culture and Organizational Change
Readings: Johns/Saks, Chapter 8(pp. 292-302) & Chapter 15 (pp.
544-554)
Week 11
M Nov 27 Ethics in Organizations
Readings: Johns/Saks, Chapter 12 (pp. 447-457)
W Nov 29 Power and Politics
Readings: Johns/Saks, Chapter 12 (pp. 432-447)
Week 12
M Dec 4 Group Presentations
W Dec 6 Group Presentations

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