INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR Rutgers University School of Business-Camden Professor: Email: Class time: Class location: Office hours: Office location: Semester:

Dr. David Dwertmann [email protected] Tuesday and Thursday 11:00 AM-12:20 PM CS-110 Tuesday 3:00-4:00 PM (please write me an email before or tell me after class) or by appointment (again via email) BSB-206 Spring Semester 2016

Course Content: The character and quality of our lives is strongly influenced by our involvement in organizations and our interactions with a world shaped and affected by organizations. This course provides an introduction to the study of human behavior in the workplace. We will see how people feel, think, and behave and which factors affect their decisions and behavior. Drawing on research from business, psychology, and sociology, we will pay attention to different levels such as the individual (e.g., personality, job attitudes), teams (e.g., team composition, training), and organizations (e.g., flexible work arrangements, workforce composition). We will often analyze these topics through a leadership lens. In sum, we will examine organizational behavior topics at various levels, consider how they are interrelated, and analyze how they affect every day work life. However, in addition to the theoretical knowledge necessary to understand the world of work, we will also practice appropriate behavior for being successful in an applied setting. This includes exercises, presentations, and case studies.

Course Objectives: At the end of course, students should be able to: 1. Define key course concepts (e.g., attitudes, diversity, etc.). 2. Outline the theoretical foundations of Organizational Behavior. 3. Reflect on the ways in which Organizational Behavior topics affect their lives now and will throughout the lifespan. 4. Transfer Organizational Behavior knowledge to real world problems. 5. Apply some of the management practices (e.g., in order to motivate employees). 6. Convey knowledge through presentation and discussion. 7. Develop the highly important ability of critical thinking.

Course Structure & Teaching Approach: The course will consist of the following basic elements: •

Lectures: Lectures will cover the general topic of the week and provide an overview. These lectures will be held in an interactive manner, offering ample opportunities for student involvement and for class discussions. 1

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Group presentations: Students will be divided into groups of about 3 to 4 members. Each of these student groups will prepare one newspaper article and analyze its content from an Organizational Behavior perspective. The talk including discussion should last approximately 25 minutes. These presentations will serve as an example of current Organizational Behavior questions for the fellow students.

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Group discussions: This course is supposed to involve a lot of discussions and interactions among students and between students and the professor. Therefore, it is necessary that students prepare readings at home (see more details in the next point). The discussions will be led by the professor or if applicable, the respective student group that is presenting. These discussions are an important tool to engage in, and learn, critical thinking and reflection.

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Guest lectures: I will organize guest lectures. These will be focused on applied organizational behavior or research. These sessions will provide students with different angles to approach the topic of organizational behavior.

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Practical exercises: Practical exercises will help the students to experience some of the course material. Exercises can take on multiple forms such as cases, experiential exercises, or group exercises.

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Class preparation: Participants will have to prepare for the classes. This means that the core reading for the class and additional assigned material is mandatory and should be read before coming to the respective session! The preparation will help students to actively engage in the discussion rounds of the session. In addition, the preparation will allow me to integrate more practical exercises, etc. instead of lecturing for long periods. Students should be able to integrate the new insights provided by the group presentations and reflect on their own knowledge according to them. The exams will also be based on the mandatory readings as well as the material covered by the guest lecturers.

Class policies: Class participation: Active participation in class will be part of your final grade. Consequently, you will be required to attend classes. It should go without saying but I expect you to be on time. If you will be late for class repeatedly, it will negatively affect your participation grade. If you will not be able to attend a session, write me an email before the respective class. Your final course grade may be reduced by 1 grade with more than 2 absences and by 2 grades with more than 4 absences during the semester. If you are signed into a class session and not in attendance, both you and the person who signed you in will be reported for a violation of academic integrity and receive a final grade reduction of 2 letter grades. Classroom Environment: I expect and support an inclusive learning environment where diversity and individual differences are understood, respected, appreciated, and recognized as a source of strength. It is expected that students in this class will respect differences and demonstrate diligence in understanding how other peoples’ perspectives, behaviors, and worldviews may be different from their own. This results in the following principles: 1. Use inclusive language 2

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Everyone has the right to be heard Criticize ideas, not people One person speaks at a time Maintain confidentiality Hold yourself and each other to high standards of excellence at all times Have the humility to recognize that you do not know everything and that everyone will start from different bases of knowledge and experiences

Use of electronic devices: Laptops, cell phones, etc. must be put out of sight and should not be used in class if I do not explicitly ask you to. Violations of these rules result in a loss of points for active participation. Email policy: Please put the course number and section (i.e. 52:620:303-02) somewhere in the subject line of all course related emails. I will have a filter set-up to help me manage emails and this will help ensure consistent and quick responses. I will try to answer your emails in a reasonable time. However, please do not expect an instant response and respect weekends, holidays, etc. Emails should be written with a professional tone. If the answer to your question is on the syllabus, I will most likely direct you to the syllabus. Please check the syllabus BEFORE you email any questions about the course. Late assignments: All course requirements must be completed and submitted by the specified due date, as indicated on Sakai. Assignments submitted after the due date will receive a reduction of one full letter grade. Academic integrity: Most of the time, I strongly encourage you to work with each other in order to enhance the learning experience. However, it is vitally important for you to do your own work relative to individual assignments and exams. Plagiarism and cheating are unacceptable and carry potentially strong disciplinary penalties. The Rutgers University website and school catalogs discuss this in more detail (http://deanofstudents.camden.rutgers.edu/academic_integrity).

Course grading and assignments: The final grade will be based on the students’ performance in the following tasks: Active participation: Interview profile analyses: Group presentation: Exam one: Exam two: A+ A AB+ B B-

97-100% 93-96% 90-92% 87-89% 83-86% 80-82%

20 % 20 % 30 % 15 % 15 % C+ C CD+ D F

77-79% 73-76% 70-72% 67-69% 60-66% Below 60%

1. Active participation – 20% • Attending class: Students are expected to attend all regularly-scheduled class sessions, with the only exceptions being documented and pre-approved absences (see class attendance section above). To record attendance, students will sign a sign-in sheet at the beginning of every class. • Preparing thoroughly: Each student is required to complete all assigned readings and assignments and be prepared to discuss them during each class session. 3

• Contributing effectively in class: Consistent with the classroom environment expectations, every student is expected to actively and respectfully contribute to classroom activities and discussions. 2. Interview Profile Analysis – 20% • You are required to conduct an interview with a key person (at least 40 years old) to learn more about their approach to work and family. • From this interview, you should write a 3-4-page (double-spaced, 12-point Times, 1” margins) profile of either an individual, a couple, or a family about their approach to work and family issues. 3. Hot topic group presentation – 30% • Students will work in small groups to identify a recent business or social event (e.g., merger, change process, etc.) through relevant material (e.g., newspaper article – New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Philadelphia Inquirer). Please check in with me to make sure the article is appropriate at least 3 weeks before the presentation date! • Students should analyze the particular event from an Organizational Behavior perspective. Questions can involve: What happened? Why did it happen the way it did? How could theory inform relevant actors? What can we learn from the event? How could the event been prevented? What should be done in the future? • Students will prepare a 15-20 minute PowerPoint presentation and a 5-10 minute structured class discussion (overall 25 minutes) on the chosen event/topic, along with a one-page executive summary of the topic, findings, and recommendations to distribute as a presentation handout. 4. Exams – 15% each • The exams will focus on the mandatory readings of the class and the material provided by the guest lecturers. Exam 1 covers all material up to the respective session. Exam 2 covers all mandatory readings and material covered in the sessions after Exam 1. Questions will mainly be in the multiple choice format. • The exams will be closed book exams (no additional material allowed).

Student accommodations: I am available to discuss appropriate academic accommodations that may be required for students. Requests for academic accommodations are to be made during the first two weeks of the semester, except for unusual circumstances, so arrangements can be made. Students are encouraged to register with the Office of Disability Services to verify their eligibility for appropriate accommodations. For more information about services for students with disabilities, consult the Web site, https://ods.rutgers.edu/, or call (856) 225-6442 (voice), or email at [email protected]. Written correspondence should be addressed to RutgersCamden Learning Center, Armitage Hall, Room 240, 311 North Fifth Street, Camden, NJ 08102-1405.

General remarks: To the best of my ability, this course will follow the rules stated in this syllabus. However, I reserve the right to alter the rules and policies at any time if deemed necessary. Communication is key. If anything does not work for you, you cannot attend class, etc. reach out to me. 4

Tentative session overview: This represents a tentative class schedule. Session content may change. The book for the course is: Scandura, T. A. (2016). Essentials of Organizational Behavior: An Evidence-Based Approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Date Session title 19-Jan Course introduction 21-Jan Organizational Behavior overview

Reading Chapter 1: 2-17 Bring a 1-page intro of yourself (Incl. a recent photo, your name, email, major, areas of interest, current & past job experience, career objectives, hobbies, and everything else you want to share with me). Be creative. Chapter 2: 23-49 Chapter 3: 55-69; fill out BIG5 and bring results to class Chapter 4: 86-101 Chapter 5: 109-127 Chapter 6: 137-159 Chapter 7: 167-187 Chapter 8: 194-212 Chapter 9: 224-247 Chapter 12: 309-330 & page 70-78; do 2 IATs and bring results to class http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/02/upshot/fakecover-letters-expose-discrimination-againstdisabled.html?_r=0 Voluntary: Dwertmann & Boehm. 2016. Status matters: The asymmetric effects of supervisorsubordinate disability incongruence and climate for inclusion. Academy of Management Journal. No – Interview profile analysis due

26-Jan Leadership 1 28-Jan Personality and values 2-Feb 4-Feb 9-Feb 11-Feb 16-Feb 18-Feb 23-Feb

Job attitudes Perception Decision-making Motivation 1 Motivation 2 Teams Diversity 1

25-Feb Diversity 2

1-Mar Flexibility at the workplace Exam 1 3-Mar The work-family interface 8-Mar Health at work 10-Mar Staying healthy at work 22-Mar 24-Mar 29-Mar 31-Mar 5-Apr 7-Apr 12-Apr 14-Apr 19-Apr 21-Apr 26-Apr 28-Apr 10-May

Managing conflict Applied leadership - negotiation Applied leadership - Alinghi Communication Organizational culture Change management - ABB Change management Applied Organizational Behavior Student presentations Student presentations Student presentations Course summary & exam preparation Exam 2

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Guest lecture Chapter 13: 338-358 Weeks. 2001. Taking the stress out of stressful conversations. HBR. Chapter 10: 254-272 No Case study - Alinghi Chapter 11: 284-302 Chapter 14: 365-380 Case study - ABB Chapter 15: 386-401 Guest lecture No No No