Comportamento Organizacional
Code
1206-656
Academic unit
null
Department
null
Credits
7,5
Teacher in charge
Pedro Neves
Teaching language
English
Objectives
On completion of this course a student should be able to:
A. Knowledge and Understanding:
Understand every manager as a manager of people.
Gain theoretical understanding of the practicalities of organizational behavior management.
Understand the strategic importance of the human element for competitive advantage.
Analyse the causes and consequences of dysfunctional organizational behavior.
B. Subject-Specific Skills:
Knowledge of organizational behavior constructs and tools.
Development of an integrated perspective of the relationship between people and the competitive advantage of the firm.
Self-assessment tools.
Critical thinking on the goals of the organization.
C. General Skills:
Critical thinking
Communication (written, verbal, graphical)
Teamwork
Presentation skills
Prerequisites
Principles of Management
Subject matter
Theme 1 (Sep 14): Introduction: presentations (course and evaluation; students; teacher).
Theme 2 (T - Sep 18/21; P : Sep 18/19/21): Organizations and organizational behavior: An historical overview
Theme 3 (T - Sep 25/28; P : Sep 25/26/28): Human behavior: The interaction of personality and situation
(Sept 28: deadline for decision on group & topic for consultancy report)
Theme 4 (T - Oct 2; P : 2/3): Emotions and stress
Theme 5 (T - Oct 9/12; P : Oct 9/10/12): Job satisfaction and work motivation
Theme 6 (T - Oct 16/19; P : Oct 16/17/19): Working in teams
Theme 7 (T - Oct 23/26; P : Oct 23/24/26): Leaders, followers and situations: The leadership process (I)
Theme 8 (T - Oct 30/Nov 2; P : Oct 30/31/Nov 2): Leaders, followers and situations: The leadership process (II)
Theme 9 (T - Nov 6/9; P : Nov 6/7/9): Justice, support and trust
(Nov 09: deadline for paper surveys and SPSS datasets)
Theme 10 (T - Nov 13/16; P : Nov 13/14/16): Organizational culture
Theme 11 (T - Nov 20/23; P : Nov 20/21/23): Organizations and change
Theme 12 (T - Nov 27/30; P : Nov 27/28/30): Emerging topics: Positive OB / Toxic Workplaces
(Nov 27: Deadline for consultancy reports)
Theme 13 (T - Dec 4/7; P : Dec 4/5/7): Group presentations.
Make-up class (T : Dec 12) Discussion of the exam structure
Exams: Jan 3, 12.30 (regular season); Feb 2, 12.30 (special season)
Bibliography
For those who can read Portuguese we recommend the following:
Cunha, M.P., Rego, A., Cunha, R.C. & Cabral-Cardoso, C. (2008). Manual de comportamento organizacional e gestão (7ª edição). Lisboa: RH Editora.
In alternative, good international textbooks on organizational behavior include the following:
Luthans, F. (2011). Organizational behavior (12th Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Please keep in mind that textbooks are not substitutes of the classes. They serve to complement the discussions taking place in the classroom. So, here goes our advice:
Do your best to avoid missing classes;
Take your notes
Participate in the discussions.
RESOURCES
Teaching method
Describe the teaching and learning methods that enable students to achieve the above-mentioned Learning Objectives of the course:
Lecture sessions.
Educational videos.
Clips from films.
Fiction literature.
Other arts (painting, architecture, music)
Written and interactive case study materials.
Written assignments
Group presentations.
Practical exercises.
Evaluation method
1. Exam: 30%
There will be a written exam, with questions focusing on the topics discussed in classes, including group presentations and individual reports.
2. Consultancy report (4/5 students): 30% **
Each team will collect surveys (40 employee-leader dyads) created by the instructors, analyze data with SPSS, and write a brief report (15-20 pages max.) describing their findings and main conclusions. This report should follow a consultancy style rather than a research report style (Deadline Nov 27 before class). Each team will focus on a specific OB topic proposed by the instructors and should do additional research on the topic. Additionally, each team will prepare a presentation (15 minutes) on the topic under analysis on a date to be decided with the instructors (dates to be defined in the last 2 weeks of the semester). Prepare the presentation as if it was for a client. Please keep in mind that the discussion is as important as the presentation. Prepare it well so that it can be lively and engaging.
The work will be evaluated according to three major criteria:
Contents of the written report
Presentation and communication
Discussion
Teams must belong to the same practical session.
3. Discussion of the consultancy report (individual): 10%
After the presentation of the consultancy reports, students will have to answer individual questions asked by the instructors. This will assess the individual knowledge of each student about the whole assignment, not only the presentation.
An important note on plagiarism: please make sure that you reference your sources properly. Do not copy material from the Internet. It´s dishonest and well check. Use all the sources you want but make them explicit.
4. Individual assignment: 30%
Students will be asked to write an individual report (3-5 pages max.) about an event or a piece of news that should be analyzed under the theoretical perspective of one OB topic. This work will be presented together with other colleagues with the same topic, during the practical classes. You also have to prepare a class discussion together with those colleagues. These presentations should include a presentation of all individual assignments and a formal discussion about the topic, followed by an open discussion. Creativity will be a key asset in the evaluation. The group presentation can improve, maintain or lower the individual grade by one point.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You are required to have a minimum grade of 9.5 in each of the assessment tools to get final approval in the whole course
** The data collected by students (i.e., surveys) can be used by the instructors for academic purposes.