University of Washington
School of Business
Administration
HRMOB 300: Managing for
Organizational Effectiveness
Spring, 2002
Xiao-Ping Chen, Ph.D.
Office: M215 Phone: 543-2265 Email:
xpchen@u.washington.edu
Section: F Place: Balmer 306
Class: Mondays & Wednesdays: 10:30-12:20pm
WebPage: http://courses.washington.edu/hrmob300
Office Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays: 12:30-1:30pm
This is a foundation course in management. It provides an understanding of employee and manager behavior. Emphasis is placed on employee motivation, satisfaction, and productivity. In short, this course will prepare you to manage employees and make sense of organizations. However, this course is also about critical thinking and the reality of management and managing. It is designed to change the way you approach problem solving and decision making. It hopes to equip you with the tools required to manage both yourself and others. We also hope that the course will provide you with a greater understanding of the business world and how it works. There will also be a heavy international flavor, comparing and contrasting customs, business styles and cultures.
TEXTBOOK: Robbins, S. P. (2001). Organizational
Behavior, 9th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Self-Assessment
Library CD-ROM (comes with the textbook).
CLASSES: A combination of
lecture, individual or group exercise, video, game, and role- playing will be
engaged in each class. Lectures will
always begin precisely on time. Your
participation is required.
EVALUATION: Your final grade will be
derived from your performance as follows:
Exams: 100 points. There will be 5 exams (20 pts. each) on the
reading materials for that week and/or previous weeks.
Individual Reflections and
Journal Entries: 40 points. You are expected to commit some reflections
about the in-class simulation(s), exercises or after-class readings to writing
and keep a journal of what you have learned.
The journal SHOULD NOT BE simply a factual account of actions that
occurred in the simulation or the summary of the articles. Rather, it should be more of an account of
what went on your head and your perceptions.
You need to submit a total of 4 journal entries (see due dates in course
outline: 20 points) and an approximately 5 page summary (20 points) that
provides an overview of what you learned about yourself, about others, or about
the topic from the simulations, exercises or readings and tracks your progress
in becoming an effective manager. (for more details, see pages 6 and 7).
Self-Assessment Exercises: 30 points. Choose 2 assessments from “What about Me”
and 2
assessments from “Working with Others” and 1 assessment from “You and the Organization”. Complete
a total of 5 assessments throughout the quarter. Each assessment is worth 5 points (for more information, see page
7).
Group Case Analysis: 100 points.
Each group will be asked to choose a case to analyze
and
report to class (for more information, go to pages 7, 8 & 9) . It consists of two parts: a written case
analysis (40 pts.) and a group presentation (60 pts.) in which every member’s
participation is required. For group presentation, the breakdown points is
shown below:
My
evaluation: 30 points
Your
classmates’ evaluation: 30 points
Group presentation should be between 20-25 minutes, followed by a
5-minute Q & A session. Creativity
is strongly encouraged so that we all will have an enjoyable experience.
Participation in Experiments: 15 points. In an effort to help you understand the scientific process of studying organizational behavior, each student in HRMOB300 is required to complete 2 research segments. A research segment is defined as 1) a research experiment conducted by Management & Organization faculty or 2) a written review of a research article from an approved Management journal. Experiments will be conducted throughout the quarter and notices regarding the times and locations of these experiments will be posted on the bulletin board outside the Management and & Organization Department office (355 Mackenzie). Please check the bulletin board regularly. You MUST sign up for experiments ahead of time but may sign up for times that are convenient for you. No experiment will exceed 2 hours and many will be significantly shorter. The expected length of each experiment will be listed on the sign-up sheet. If you are unable, or do not wish, to participate in research experiments, you may complete a written review of a research article published in a scholarly journal. Each review is expected to take approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours to complete. If you choose this option, please see your instructor for further information and a list of approved journals from which you may choose articles to review.
Academy of
Management Journal Academy of Management Review
Journal of
Applied Psychology Personnel Psychology
Administrative
Science Quarterly
Organizational
Behavior and Human Decision Processes
Class Participation: 15 points. It includes your
attendance in class, involvement in class discussion, and finishing class
assignment on time.
A summary:
Exams (100 pts) + Individual Reflections
(40 pts) + Self-Assessments (30 pts)
+ Group Case Analysis
(100 pts) + Experiment (15 pts) + Class Participation (15 pts)
= A Total of 300 pts
Class
Reading and Lecture Topic Schedule
Note:
"Chapters" are from Organizational
Behavior, “Readings” are reserved in Foster Library.
____________________________________________________________________________
WEEK DATE TOPIC ASSIGNMENT
____________________________________________________________________________
1 4/01/02 Introduction: What is OB? Chapter
1
Group Formation
1 4/03/02 Key Issues in OB Chapter
1 Reading 1: What effective general managers really do
Exercise: The Learning-Model Instrument
Video:
A Tale of “O”
(Journal Entry, due 4/08/02)
2 4/08/02 International Dimensions of OB
Exercise:
Culture quiz
Reading
2: Business Protocol
Reading
3: Beyond sophisticated stereotyping
2 4/10/02 Foundations of Individual Behavior Chapter 2
3 4/15/02 Values, Attitudes, and Job
Satisfaction Chapter 3
Exam 1
3
4/17/02 Personality
and Emotions Chapter 4
Video:
EQ (Journal Entry, due 4/22/01)
Reading 4: The EQ Factor
Reading
5: Success secret: A high emotional
IQ
4 4/22/02 Perception
and Individual Decision Making Chapter 5
Reading
6: Rational Economic Man
Reading
7: Understanding Behavior in
Escalation Situations
The
first two self-assessment exercises due
4 4/24/02 Basic
Motivation Concepts and Applications Chaps 6&7
Exam 2
5 4/29/02 Foundations of Group Behavior Chapter 8
Simulation:
Ecotonos
5 5/01/02 Understanding Work Teams Chapter 9
Reading
8: Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
WEEK DATE TOPIC ASSIGNMENT
____________________________________________________________________________
6 5/06/02 Communication Chapter 10
Reading
9: Listen. No, listen carefully.
Video:
Intercultural communication
The
second three self-assessment exercises
due
Exam 3
6 5/08/02 Leadership and Creating Trust Chapter 11
Reading
10: Leadership that gets results
Reading
11: Level 5 leadership
(Journal Entry due 5/13/02)
7 5/13/02 Power and Politics Chapter 12
7 5/15/02 Conflict and Negotiation (I) Chapter 13
Simulation:
Comparative Advertising
8 5/20/02 Conflict and Negotiation (II) Chapter 13
Simulation:
Coffee Contract
Ultimatum
game
8 5/22/02 (Journal Entry due 5/22/02)
Exam 4
9 5/27/02 No class (Memorial Day)
9 5/29/02 Human Resource Management Chapter
16
Exercise:
Performance Evaluation Review
Reading
12: Hiring without Firing
Reading
13: Job Sculpting
Reading 14: On the Folly of Rewarding A
while Hoping for B
Reading
15: Getting 360 degree feedback
right
10 6/03/02 Group
Presentation (I)
10 6/05/02 Group
Presentation (II)
Group Cases Analysis due
___________________________________________________________________________
The fine print: The lecture topic dates are approximate. The previous materials, including the schedule and evaluation procedures are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances. Such changes while not anticipated, are possible.
Spring, 2002
(available on reserve at Foster
Library)
READINGS:
Reading 1: What effective general
managers really do
Reading 2: Beyond sophisticated
stereotyping
Reading 3: Business protocol
Reading 4: The EQ Factor
Reading 5: Success secret: A high
emotional IQ
Reading 6: Rational Economic Man
Reading 7: Understanding Behavior in
Escalation Situations
Reading 8: Building the Emotional
Intelligence of Groups
Reading 9: Listen. No, listen carefully.
Reading 10: Leadership that gets results
Reading 11: Level 5 leadership
Reading 12: Hiring without Firing
Reading 13: Job Sculpting
Reading 14: On the Folly of Rewarding A
while Hoping for B
Reading 15: Getting 360 degree feedback
right
CASES:
1.
Teamwork, the Heart of an
Airline
2.
The Forgotten Group Member
3.
Connors Freight Lines
4.
Denver Department Stores
5.
Bob Chen
6.
David Shorter
7.
Randall Data Corporation
8.
Estella Rios: Performance
Problems at the Toll Authority
9.
Handling Differences at Japan
Auto
10. GE’s Two-Decade Transformation: Jack Welch’s
Leadership
11. Performance Appraisal: The Case of the Second Evaluation
12.
Grading Disputes:
If you disagree with a grade you
receive on an assignment, submit your reason for disagreement in writing
within one calendar week of receiving the assignment back from me.
Late Work Policy:
If you will not be in class to turn
in an assignment or take a quiz on time, you must tell me beforehand. Assignments turned in late lose 10% of their
value for each day they are late, unless prior arrangements are made
with me. No make-up quizzes will be
given if I am not informed beforehand that you will be missing the quiz.
Cheating:
I know and believe that almost all,
if not all of you are honest, however, unpleasant things occur sometimes. I take a very severe stand on this
issue. Any student suspected of
cheating by an instructor or proctor is considered to have cheated. That is, they are considered guilty until
proven innocent. This includes copying
on quizzes or exams or any other form of cheating. If you want to look around during quizzes or tests, look up but
not in the direction of another student.
The bottom line is simply that anyone suspected of cheating will be
immediately suspended from the course (and given an "E"). This is not and will not be negotiable.
Guidelines
for “Individual Reflections and Journal Entries”:
You
are expected to commit some reflections about the in-class simulation(s) to
writing and keep a journal of what you have learned from the simulations,
exercises or readings. The journal
SHOULD NOT BE simply a factual account of actions that occurred. Rather, it should be more of an account of
what went on your head and your perceptions about others. This part of your
grade has two components:
A. Completing
Journal Entry in Timely Fashion (20 points): On each due date of a journal
entry, you should hand it to me in class. All journal entries should be typed.
You may also find that you will benefit by keeping a computer file of
word-processed journal entries over the course of the term. These entries may be short (one page to two
pages), but you are free to extend the length of your entry as you see
fit. Journal entries are designed to
enforce the self-awareness goal that this course aims to achieve within its
students, as well as to provide a channel of communication between the
instructor and the students. Journal
entries might address the following:
a.
What was
the purpose of the exercise or the reading?
b.
What did
you learn about yourself in the exercise?
c.
What did
you learn about others in the exercise?
d.
What would
you do differently if you had to do it over again?
e. What were the “take-aways” you thought
would be useful for you in the future as a manager?
B. Assessment
of the reflection summary (20 points):
You are required to submit an approximately 5 page summary that provides an
overview of what you learned from the exercises or the readings and tracks your
progress in becoming an effective manager. Only this summary will be graded. This
summary is due on 5/29/02. The
individual journal entries that you have been keeping throughout the term may be
attached as an appendix to this summary.
My focus when
evaluating journals will be on the evidence of reflective, analytical thinking
of the strengths and limitations of your assumptions and beliefs, and the
quality of written presentation.
Choose 2 assessments from “What
about Me”, 2 assessments from “Working with Others”, and 1 assessment from “You
and the Organization”. Complete a total
of 5 assessments throughout the quarter. In
each of the self-assessment exercises, you report:
(1) The title of the inventory;
(2) Your scores/results and their meaning;
(3) What you will try to change about yourself to be a better manager of
others;
(4) What implications for managing others you can glean from your results.
A total of 10 cases
will be provided (on reserve at Foster Library). Each group chooses one case to analyse. To avoid repetition, groups need to report to me about the case they
have chosen. So it will be better for you to act on this as soon as possible to
get a case that you really like. Once a
case has been chosen by a group, this case will be out of the pool.
Purposes of Cases:
1.
To improve the decision-making
ability of managers or potential managers group. Many management experts believe that decision making is at the
core of effective management. The cases
we include here are centred on the person at work. The role to be played by the analyst can be that of a supervisor
of persons or a group of consultants.
2.
In addition to developing
managerial abilities, such as more effective decision making, the case method
is designed to expose management students to the environment of managerial
decision making and to develop facilitative attitudes useful for effective
decision making. Thus, cases present to
the analysts situations that require them to make decisions and take risks
under time pressure and with uncertainty surrounding the decision. The group may feel that there is inadequate
information provided in a case for making an optimal decision. This is also true in much managerial
decision making. There is information
the decision maker would like to have, but it is not available, or there is no
time to get it, or it would be too costly to acquire. The decision maker must make a decision based on the limited
information available. Because cases
are necessarily short and lack some information, they help to provide students
with the situations for developing facilitative attitudes.
3.
Another major purpose in using
cases is to provide the opportunity to apply research findings and theoretical
explanations to real situations and test their applicability. Frequently, one may have learned cognitively
what a research study found or have understood what a theorist said about why
people behave the way they do But the ultimate purpose of managerial training
is to improve managerial behavior and, thus, it is hoped, improve the
satisfaction and development of the employees, the organization’s performance,
and the manager’s satisfaction and success.
There are many ways of
analyzing cases and discussing them. To be most effective, all
members of
group must contribute something. One
model for structuring cases
is the
following:
Clearly define the major
and secondary problems involved in the case.
These problems can be classified by such topics as managerial
activity—for example, communication, leadership, motivation, conflict
resolution, individual perception, and group decision making. Stating and agreeing on the topics and rank
ordering of them sets the agenda of discussion. This is not always easy to do because group members have
different backgrounds and different interpretations of the data. Moreover, not all the information in the
case is essential or even useful in understanding the situation. In a real-work situation, the supervisor is
flooded with clues and information. The
effective supervisor must separate the relevant from the irrelevant and focus
on the former.
Develop a model of the
cause of the problem (or success).
There are many possible relations that influence the results. These factors include:
1.
Individual factors: the cause
might be in the perception, motivation, abilities, or attitudes of the persons
in the case.
2.
Dyadic factors: the factor can
be the relationship between two crucial actors in the case, such as
superior-subordinate.
3.
Small group factors: the
work-group interrelationships may be the factor influencing such problems as
restriction of output or success of the football team
4.
Intergroup activities: the cause
of the problems can be systematic differences in several groups who must
interact: salespeople and production managers, doctors and nurses, and so on.
5.
Environmental factors: there may
be factors in the work environment that are crucial—time pressures, economic
factors, market factors and so forth—that lead to the results described.
Step Three
Consider alternative
solutions to the problem or explain the successful experience: once you have
defined your problem and modelled the relationships, the next step is to
consider a reasonable number of solutions—the more the better. However, please
eliminate from serious consideration those solutions that seem least likely to
solve the problem quickly and expeditiously.
Three or four alternatives are systematically compared factor by factor.
Step Four
Choose and implement a
solution: choose a solution and be prepared to defend that choice. Also make plans as how you would make it
work.
A few hints may help
you prepare good case analyses. First, read the case, underlining important
points and making rough notes of what you think are the key problems and their
causes. Do some preliminary thinking about solutions. Discuss your ideas with other group members.
Second, return to the
case later and reread it. Make added notes. Where there is not enough
information, make reasonable assumptions and state them. Remember, in your
proposed solution, that what you suggest being done might affect others. Make
sure you don’t solve a problem in one department and cause on in another. Write up your first draft report now. Put
the case down again.
Third, return to the
case later and make sure it says all you want to say and the way you want to say
it.
This approach will help
you begin to develop your analytical abilities. First, you will learn to separate the important information from
the less important. Next, you will begin to apply the research and theories you
have learned to the problems. Then, you
will begin to increase your repertoire of solutions and analyse them rationally
and logically, computing the trade-offs.
Finally, you will remember to anticipate the implementation problems.
Hope you all have a
good time in conducting the case analysis!
(10-page
maximum)
The
paper should start with a brief summary of the case of your choice (1 page),
followed by the issues and problems involved in the case that you identified (1
to 2-page). After that, you conduct a
deep analysis of the causes of these issues and problems (3 to 4-page) and then
provide solutions and suggestions based on your analysis (2 to 3-page). In your analysis you should demonstrate how
you integrate the theories and constructs learned in class into the diagnosis
of the problems. At the end, you need
to have a bibliography section that includes all of the resources (including
your textbook) you have used in the writing of your paper.
Notes On Writing Papers
In the text where you cite, write the last
name of the author and the year of publication (when necessary also the page
number) (e.g., Robbins, 1998: 23-25); at the end of the paper, list all the
authors you cited in the text in alphabetical order. List the author's last
name, first initial(s), the year of publication, title of the article or book,
and the place and name of the publisher. For example:
Adler, N. J. 1997. International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior. Boston, MA:
PWS-Kent
Publishing Company.
If
it is a journal article, list also the journal's name, the volume (issue) and
page numbers of the article. For example:
responses to token women. American
Journal of Sociology, 82 (5), 965-990.
Your Name
________________ Date
__________________
Presenting Group
# _________ Title ________________________________________
Please use the
following scale: 1 2 3 4
Weak Fair Good Excellent
______________________________________________________________________________
Clarity in Organization
Opening:
Opening piqued interest, introduced
topic, set up message 1
2 3 4
Opening previewed main points 1 2 3 4
Opening logically flowed for a
smooth transition to body 1
2 3 4
Body:
Organizational pattern appropriate 1 2 3 4
Major points clearly discernible 1 2 3 4
Points
connected logically; transition smooth and varied 1 2 3 4
Closing:
Closing flowed logically from
information presented
in
body of message 1
2 3 4
Closing summarized, reiterated, or
tied information to
main
idea(s) 1
2 3 4
Completeness of Content
Adequacy:
Adequate background information
provided 1
2 3 4
Content narrowed to meet time
constraints 1
2 3 4
Message included sufficient but only
relevant information 1
2 3 4
Correct wording:
Message tone suitable for audience
and occasion 1
2 3 4
Wording and phrasing were simple,
clear, and unambiguous 1 2 3 4
Presentation:
Speaker included adequate
illustrations, examples,
explanations,
and analysis 1
2 3 4
Visuals contained necessary and
appropriate headings 1
2 3 4
Visuals were appropriate in use of
print, graphics,
and
white space 1 2 3 4
Appropriateness of Presentation
Eye contact 1 2 3 4
Professional presence 1
2 3 4
Vocal characteristics:
Volume 1 2 3 4
Speech rate 1 2 3 4
Articulation
1 2 3 4
Energy/enthusiasm
1 2 3 4
Clarity in answers
Organized thoughts and responded in
a logical
and
coherent manner 1
2 3 4
Responded precisely, concisely, and
forthrightly 1 2 3 4
Overall Evaluation 1
2 3 4
____________________________________________________________________________________
(HRMOB 300)
Your Name
_______________ Your Group # _____ Date
___________
Title of Your
Group Case Analysis
_____________________________________________
Now you have
completed your group case analysis (presentation and paper). Please take a moment to review the whole
process (from the very beginning stage to the final paper write-up) and then
evaluate you and your fellow group members' relative contribution to the group
case analysis (add to 100%).
Team
Members Contribution
(%)
Yourself __________
_____________ __________
_____________ __________
_____________ __________
_____________ __________
_____________ __________
Total 100%