Fall Semester 1997
MWF 9:00 a.m.
Office: 207 Hyde Hall
Office Hours: WMF 10: 00- It: 00 a.m.
M 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. (or by appointment)
Course Description
Organizational behavior is the study of human behavior, attitudes, values and performance within organizational settings. It is an interdisciplinary field, which draws on social and clinical psychology, sociology, labor relations, anthropology, industrial engineering, and industrial psychology. We will be discussing and experiencing the theory, methods and principles of these diverse disciplines to learn about individual perceptions, values, and learning styles; group structure and dynamics; and organizational processes that occur on a daily basis within any social gathering. These processes include, but are not limited to, communications, decision-making, leadership, power and politics, conflict, stress management, and change.
The major objectives of this course include:
1. To expose you to the basic issues and literature in organizational behavior
2. To help you apply this knowledge in a work setting in order to experience organizational behavior concepts as well as gain an understanding of the concept of social responsibility.
3. To help you improve your analytical, decision-making, and interpersonal skills.
Required Text
Schermerhorn, J.R., Hunt, J.G., and Osborn, R.N., 1995. Basic Organizational Behavior. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
In addition to the text for this course, you will be required to beg, borrow, or buy a number of tools (i.e. a hammer and a tape measure).
Throughout the semester, discussion topics will be posted to our class discussion group on the Internet. In order to participate in the discussions, you will need to subscribe to the class group. The listserv name is mgt377. To subscribe, send a message to majordomo @evansville.edu. In the text area type subscribe mgt377. Group topics are appropriate for the discussion group, personal messages should be sent directly to individual e-mail accounts.
Social Responsibility and Service Learning
In many business administration courses, you are taught that a corporation's first responsibility is to shareholders and specifically to increasing shareholder wealth. This perspective is often seen as in conflict with the concept of social responsibility.
In today's business environment the demand for social responsibility placed on contemporary organizations by an increasingly sophisticated and educated public are stronger than ever. It is therefore important for organizations to fashion an approach to social responsibility the same way that they develop any other business strategy. Social responsibility is a major challenge to managers, and requires careful planning, decision making, implementation, and evaluation.
One common view of social responsibility is that a business' sole responsibility is to share holders and that socially responsible activities such as social improvement programs should be determined by law, by public policy, and by the actions and contributions of private individuals. They feel that the government, via legislation and allocation of tax revenues is better qualified to make decisions concerning, social improvement programs and that businesses contribute by being profitable and paving their taxes. Some people, including the famous economist Milton Friedman, argue that expecting organizations to become involved in social reform will undermine the United States' economy by detracting from the basic mission of business: to earn profits for owners. A second view of social responsibility is based on the belief that society is entitled to more than the mere provision of goods, and services and that at a minimum, businesses must be accountable for the ecological, environmental, and social costs incurred by its actions. Proponents of this view support corporate contribution to charity as socially responsible behavior.
A third view of social responsibility is that socially responsible behaviors should be anticipatory and preventive rather than reactive and restorative. In this case, a socially responsible organization seeks solutions to social problems. Managers in organizations that prescribe to this view of social responsibility apply corporate skills and resources to problems ranging from run-down housing to youth employment and small business creation. This level of social responsibility on the part or organizations moves managers and their organizations away from the traditional position of singular concern with economic means and ends.
Because managers often define social responsibility for an organization and determine what is "socially responsible behavior", it is increasingly important for business administration programs to provide you with the opportunity to experience socially responsible activities and to gain self awareness of your own perspective on social responsibility. In this class, this experience will involve a community service project. The goal of this community service project is to allow you to generate their own data about the concept of social responsibility. The class format will allow you to observe and share your personal reactions to what you have experienced. By incorporating a community service component which focuses on social responsibility into this course, I hope to:
1. Help you gain self awareness of your own perspective on social responsibility.
2. Increase your awareness of the impact of social responsibility on interpersonal relations, decision making, managing change, and other key managerial and organizational behavior functions.
3. Help you develop a concern for both what is produced and how that happens, balancing stockholder interests, family support, and community responsibility.
4. Help you become socially responsible business leaders and corporate citizens, who recognize the importance of the corporate sector taking a socially responsible perspective.
5. Develop a spirit of partnership with the community, a belief that through shared effort, teamwork and widespread participation, both the organization and the community will benefit.
Community Service Project
As a basis for discussion and experience, we will form a construction company. The task assigned to this company is to build a house! Our company will manage the construction cycle for a Habitat for Humanity home. Habitat for Humanity International and Habitat of Evansville seek to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness around the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action.
My goal is to provide you with the opportunity to work as an "organization" and deal with the behavioral issues which arise. These issues may include, but not be limited to, group development, communication between group members and outside organizations, motivation and social loafing, decision making, ethics, leadership, and performance evaluation.
Because the project will be an ongoing project, the weekly activities involved in organizing the effort needed to build a Habitat house will provide the basis for class discussion and application of the concepts presented in the textbook.
Because we will be working on Saturday, we will not have class on Wednesday. On Saturday, we will have two shifts. The first shift will work from 8:00 a.m. until noon. The second shift will work from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. This will allow you to make arrangement for your other Saturday obligations (i.e. sports workouts, part-time jobs, etc.). The overlap between 11:00 a.m. and noon will allow the site supervisors to coordinate their efforts and the morning crew to show the afternoon crew the "ropes".
You will be required to keep a personal log of your observations and feelings concerning the project. These logs will form the basis of class reflection and discussion, application papers, and a personal evaluation assignment at the end of the semester
Grading Policy
Final course grades will be assigned to each student at the end of the semester based on performance in the following areas:
"Building" Attendance and Participation 20%
Class Attendance and Participation 20%
Peer Evaluation 30%
Application Papers 10%
Personal Log 10%
Personal Evaluation Paper 10%
100%
Early in the semester, we will create the Peer Evaluation Forms based on the following criteria:
Quality of Work
Quantity of Work
Attitude
Responsibility
Reliability
Any other criteria which we, as a class, determine to be important.
Peer Evaluation Forms will be due each Monday. Application Papers will be due periodically during the semester. Personal Logs will be due on October 10th and November 24th so that I can read them and provide feedback over Fall Recess and Thanksgiving Break. The Personal Evaluation Paper will be due on the last day of class.
Schedule
Weekly
Date Schedule Discussion Topic
August 27 Introduction: Bureaucratic Bumbling
August 29 Steve Peters Rex Strange
Construction Manager Jaque Hardin
Habitat of Evansville Builders
Extraordinaire
August 30 Floor system - floor joist and subfloor.
September 1 Lecture/Discussion Organizational
Formation of Organizational Goals & Structure Structures Chapter 14
September 3 Lecture/Discussion: Job Design, Goal Setting and
Performance Appraisal Chapter 7
September 5 Lecture/Discussion: Group and Work Teams
Chapter 8
September 6 Floor system - floor joist and subfloor.
September 8 Reflection, discussion, and problem solving.
During the Week: Deliver framing lumber, contact
subcontractors for rough dates.
September 12 Lecture/Discussion Communication and Decision. Making Chapter 12
September 13 Framing - walls, windows, and doors.
September 15 Reflection, discussion' and problem solving.
During the Week: Deliver trusses, decking, doors and windows on Friday.
September 19 Lecture/Discussion Leadership
Chapter II
September 20 Framing - walls, windows, and doors.
September 22 Reflection, discussion, and problem solving.
During the Week: Rooftop delivery for shingles, siding delivery.
September 26 Lecture/Discussion Motivation and Rewards
Chapter 5
September 27 Framing- windows, doors, roofing and siding.
September 29 Reflection, discussion, and problem solving.
October 3 Lecture/Discussion Reinforcement, Pay Practices and Self-Management Chapter 6
October 4 Framing - windows, doors, roofing and siding.
October 6 Reflection, discussion, and problem solving.
October 10 Catch Up!
Personal Logs Due!
October 11-13 FALL RECESS: NO WORK
October 15 Organizational Meeting
During the Week: Deliver insulation.
October 17 Organizational Meeting
October 18 Siding and insulation.
October 20 Reflection, discussion, and problem solving.
During the Week: Drywall delivery and installation.
October 24 Lecture/Discussion Individual Differences and Diversity Chapter 4
October 25 Concrete, siding, assemble yardbarn.
October 27 Reflection, discussion, and problem solving.
During the Week:Deliver materials for painting, shelving and subfloor.
October 31 Lecture/Discussion Group and Intergroup Dynamics Chapter 9
November 1 Painting, subfloor and shelving.
November 3 Reflection, discussion, and problem solving.
During the Week: Deliver interior trim and cabinets.
November 7 Lecture/Discussion Power and Politics
Chapter 10
November 8 Interior trim, cabinets and landscaping.
November 10 Reflection, discussion, and problem solving,
During the Week: Subcontractors finish.
November 14 Lecture/Discussion Conflict and
Negotiation Chapter 13
November 15 Trim, cabinets and landscaping.
November 17 Reflection, discussion, and problem solving
During the Week: Flooring installed
November 21 Organizational Meeting
November 22 FINAL CLEAN UP AND DEDICATION!
November 24 Reflection, discussion, and problem solving. Personal Logs Due!
November 26 NO CLASS - Thanksgiving Vacation
November 28 NO CLASS - Thanksgiving Vacation
November 29 NO CLASS - Thanksgiving Vacation
December 1 Lecture/Discussion Organizational Culture Chapter 16
December 3 Lecture/Discussion Organizational Change and
Development Chapter 17
December 5 Lecture/Discussion Social Responsibility
December 8 Catch Up!
December 10 Last Day of Class!
Personal Evaluation Papers Due!
Organizational Structure
As a class, we will decide on the organizational structure needed to accomplish our task. As a basis for discussion, I am proposing the following structure:
President
Vice President
Treasurer
Records/Pictures/Historian
Secretary
Afternoon
Morning site foreman Afternoon site foreman
(rotating position) (rotating position)
Ordering/Supply Family committee public relations committee
Utilities/permits/inspections committee
Human safety volunteer
Resources
Time cards
Conflict/ dispute resolution
Committee
Attendance
Insurance
Safety Issues
Emergency Response
First Aid
TQM Committee
Quality Control
The Executive Board will consist of the officers and a representative from each committee. The Executive Board and any other individuals who would like, will meet with Steve Peters and myself on Monday evening to be sure the committees understand what must be accomplished during the week in order to be prepared for the following Saturday.