PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY THE GEORGE L. GRAZIADIO SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT ZHIKE LEI, Ph.D. BSCI 651- FEMBA BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATIONS Spring, 2017 TUESDAY 6 PM 10PM WEST LA CAMPUS SYLLABUS
SYLLABUS BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATIONS BSCI 651- FEMBA SPRING 2017 FACULTY Professor: Email: Office phone: Office Hours: Zhike Lei, Ph.D. zhike.lei@pepperdine.edu (310) 506-8537 (email is a faster way to reach me than leaving a voice message) by appointment COURSE DESCRIPTION Students learn to apply the behavioral sciences to management issues through integration of conceptual and experiential approaches to self-awareness, perception, communication, motivation, productivity, group behavior processes, leadership, organizational change, diversity, ethical issues, career planning, and the management of personal and organizational stress. Development of oral and written communication skills is stressed in this course. In addition to regular class sessions, a required personal and leadership development workshop, BSCI 650, assists students in attaining an accurate understanding of their patterns of communicating and relating to others. Students must complete the workshop in order to continue in this course. COURSE OBJECTIVES At the end of this course you should: 1. Identify how your own patterns of behavior are impacting your personal and professional results. 2. Develop your ability to understand and predict behavior at the individual, interpersonal and group level by applying different theories to real time issues. 3. Enhance your ethical reasoning, communication and decision-making capability. 4. Appreciate the impact of national culture on organizational behavior. 5. Develop and practice collaborative skills with your team in order to transfer that knowledge to the workplace. 6. Improve your leadership skills and effectiveness. TOTAL DIRECTED INSTRUCTION HOURS: 4-UNIT CLASS (60 HOURS) REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS There is no textbook for this course. Instead, the required course materials are composed of activities and readings that are from various sources, including Harvard Business School 1
Publishing (HBSP), Northwestern University s Dispute Resolution Research Center (DRRC), and leading management journals, newspapers, and magazines. Some of the materials from HBSP and DRRC are copyrighted and therefore must be purchased. Most of the course readings, including some of the Harvard Business Review (HBR) articles, are available through the Pepperdine library system and your Sakai course folders (see the Resources link). For HBSP cases, you are required to purchase them to get access copying, sharing or posting is an infringement of copyright! Please visit the Coursepack Link created below: http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/access/57457668 If you already have an HBP account, you can click the Login Now link to gain access to the coursepack. If this is the first time that you visit the Coursepack link, you need to complete a short registration process. Rather than selecting the Login now link, click the Register Now link. The registration process asks you to supply their names and email address and to create user names and passwords. Once you complete your registration with HBP and log into the Coursepack, you must purchase to view and download the case. For technical assistance, please contact the Harvard Business Publishing Tech Help line at (800) 810-8858 or email techhelp@hbsp.harvard.edu. Their business hours are 8 am - 8 pm ET, Monday-Thursday, and 8 am - 7 pm ET on Friday. For additional course materials (e.g., DRRC, Reflected Best Self), instructions will be provided after our first class. ATTENDANCE You are encouraged to attend all face-to-face class sessions. You may miss one class and not be penalized such that the in-class contribution grade of zero for that class will count as your lowest grade and will be dropped. You are responsible for the content for each class, even if you are not in attendance. Each subsequent missed class with no advanced notice (at least 24-hour prior to the class) and without permission will result in a 5% reduction in your final grade. In some cases unforeseeable emergencies arise (such as an extreme illness or personal emergency), please notify me as soon as possible. Meanwhile, you need to prepare a 3-page paper discussing the assigned topic and how it relates to your work environment. If you fail to turn in the make-up assignment prior to the next class, your participation grade will be automatically treated as zero. Also for extreme extenuating circumstances, documentation of these circumstances will be required. If you do not attend the first class without prior notice to the professor, you will not be allowed to participate in the course. 2
GRADING Your performance in this course will be evaluated on following assignments (descriptions of specific assignments are provided). 95-100=A 91-94.99=A- 87-90.99=B+ 84-86.99=B 80-83.99=B- 76-79.99=C+ 73-75.99=C 70-72.99=C- In general: A assignments demonstrate an extremely comprehensive understanding of the course material and provide outstandingly insightful and clear comments. Very few (only exceptional) assignments will receive an A. A-/B+ assignments apply the course material throughout the assignment however often focus on reiterating points from the course rather than integrating or insightfully applying these concepts. B-/C+ assignments provide limited insights and relevance to the course concepts. C-/D assignments often do not or barely address the questions/requirements and are not or barely related to the course concepts. Overview of Assignments Assignment Due date and deliver Percentage Class participation and Ongoing 25 contribution (Individual) Weekly assignment (WA, Individual) Ongoing (except for 3 Sessions 1 and 8) till March 28 th only one submission, hardcopy required Feb 21 st 8 hardcopy required February 28 th (midnight) 2 Reflected Best Self Part I (RBS, Individual) Reflected Best Self Part II (RBS, Individual) Ted talk (Pair) March 30 th (midnight) 12 Team project (Team) April 18 th 25 hardcopy required Personal Application April 18 th 25 Assignment (PAA -individual) hardcopy required Total Possible 100 Please also submit an e-copy of all writing assignments via Sakai. 3
Class participation and contribution (25%) I believe that the best way to improve your personal development and leadership skills, called Organizational Behavior (OB) skills in many other business schools, is to actively participate in your education. In this class, participation and contribution is defined in terms of quality contributions to class discussion and learning. In other words, the quality of your class participation and contribution does require you to present opinions that are consistent and effectively use the management insights and frameworks. Contribution is the key word here. Participation for the sake of just taking air time is, therefore, heavily discouraged. There are five prerequisites for successful participation and contribution: Be here, and be on time. If you re not here, you can t contribute much to class discussion and learning. Note that each class is worth about 2% of your participation and contribution grade. If you need to miss class for a predictable reason (e.g., job interview, athletic competition), please notify me at least a week in advance so that I can make arrangements for any in-class exercises and so that you can obtain the materials distributed during the class. Of course, I realize that in some cases unforeseeable emergencies arise. Although I will not directly penalize you for non-attendance, be aware that multiple absences will indirectly hurt you by preventing you from participating in class, thereby lowering your participation and on grade. Be prepared. To contribute to class discussion, you must come to class having carefully prepared all assignments (i.e., readings, cases, exercises). Be courteous. Successful participation includes treating your classmates in a respectful and professional manner. Listen carefully to the comments and questions that your classmates voice. You may learn something new from their perspectives, and you will be able to avoid simply repeating something that another classmate has said earlier in discussion. Also, it is perfectly acceptable for you to voice disagreement with an opinion provided by another student; open debate often leads to the most thoughtful and informative class discussions. However, please voice your disagreement in a kind and considerate manner. Be brave. If you are here and you are prepared, the next step is mustering up the courage to speak. Everyone in this class is smart, interesting, and has unique life experiences and insights to share. You will get the most out of this course if everyone shares thoughts with one another. I expect each of you to participate fully in all class exercises and to voice your views in class discussions. I also expect you to ask questions about things that you don t understand or find puzzling. Although this can be intimidating, asking questions helps your classmates, as well as me, by moving the discussion forward in a new direction. Remember this is a safe place for you to do so before you are back to the business world. If you feel uncomfortable talking in class, please send me an email or set up an appointment to talk with me early in the semester. I will do everything I can to accommodate each of your individual circumstances, but I can only do so if they are brought to my attention. Be present. This class is unplugged. Once class starts, all electronics (e.g., computers, cell 4
phones, tablets, etc.) should be turned off and put away, unless instructed. The misuse of an electronic device (e.g., surfing the web or texting) will adversely affect your class participation and contribution grade. Weekly Assignment (WA 3%) We will devote one week to an important topic or a coherent theme, as detailed in the class schedule. You will individually complete one short paper on any of the 10 weekly topics (up till Session 12 on March 28 th excluding Sessions 1 and 8). These papers are due upon your arrival to class. Your WA will discuss the session topic or theme ex-ante, rather than ex-post. In other words, you will write about the session topic or theme before we have the class session on the topic. Your WA should be one page long, single-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font with 1 margins around. If you complete and submit more than one WA, I will be happy to comment but will not award extra credit. This individual paper will be graded on a 0 or 1 basis. The normal grade will be 1. I will assign a grade of 0 to papers that are late, simply summarize the readings, or do not clearly demonstrate adequate thought about the topic. If you fail to score 1 in your first WA assignment, you can turn in a new WA on the topic to be covered in the following week. You can do so until you have obtained a grade of 1 till March 28 th. Also note that WA offers a way for me to work with you individually and provide detailed feedback. I thus suggest you submit your WA sooner than later. Please see the Assignment Guide in Sakai for more instructions. Reflected Best Self Assignment Part I (8%) You are required to complete the Reflected Best Self (RBS) Exercise Part I by Feb 21st. This submission will include a one-page of RBS portrait and one-page reflection on what you have discovered through the exercise. Please see the Assignment Guide in Sakai for more instructions. I encourage you to meet with your mentor or someone you trust to discuss your insights. Reflected Best Self Assignment Part II (2%) For Session 8 (we do not have a face-to-face class on campus), you are asked to craft some action plans to bring your reflected best self to life. For this, you are required to write a 2-page reflection paper Part II by Feb 28 th (midnight). Please see the Assignment Guide in Sakai for more instructions. This reflection paper will be graded on a 0 or 1 basis. The normal grade will be 1. I will assign a grade of 0 to papers that are late or do not demonstrate adequate reflection. I encourage you to meet with your mentor or someone you trust to discuss your Part II insights. 5
TED Talk (12%) Pairing up with one classmate, you will have the chance to film a mini-ted talk about a new idea in OB, due by March 30 th (midnight). Your TED talk video will be shared with the class. The video should include (1) an inspiring story or example, (2) some novel findings or research that have not been covered in but related to this course, and (3) a call to action highlighting the practical implications of your idea. I encourage you to focus on a surprising or counter-intuitive insight about any of the topics from the course to date. You are welcome to challenge principles that we have covered in class, provided that you can back up your arguments with evidence. It is up to you whether both members of the pair appear in the video or one person is on camera/ You can also use other visual aids in the video. The video must not exceed 6 minutes in total. The talk will be evaluated on the novelty and interestingness of the idea, the rigor of the evidence, the relevance of the story, the practicality of the recommendation, and how engaging the overall delivery is. Team Project (25%) The purpose of your team project, due April 18 th, is to analyze and apply OB concepts in a real organization. Your team s task will be to use concepts from the course to identify, analyze, and develop a plan for resolving some key problem with which an organization is faced. Please coordinate with other teams to ensure that there is no duplication of organizations of choice. The team project involves an executive summary and a presentation. See the Assignment Guide in Sakai for more instructions and guidelines. Personal Application Assignment (PAA-25%): A central part of the course is helping you master self-referent observational and analytic skills and the ability to apply course concepts to your observations. Mastery of these skills will be assessed with the PAA, due April 18 th. I highly recommend you to start this assignment sooner than later. The PAA assignment should be double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font with 1 margins around. The minimum length is 5 pages and the maximum length is 7 pages (excluding references, appendices, tables, and figures). No cover page is needed but remember to include your name. Each page should contain the page number. These style rules are strictly reinforced in the grading. See the Assignment Guide in Sakai for more instructions and guidelines. Overall Writing and Presentation Criteria All written and presentation assignments will be graded on five criteria: Depth of analysis: The paper/project demonstrates thorough research and coherent reasoning. 6
The information is gathered from appropriate sources and is presented in a persuasive manner. Creativity and insight: The material is presented in an original, engaging, and interesting manner. Integration with course readings, lectures, and discussions: The paper/project draws on, applies, and integrates the course or OB concepts covered in the class. Organization and structure: The paper/project employs a logical framework and analyzes a critical issue. Style: The paper/project is professionally written, using appropriate grammar, spelling, and punctuation. The presentation covers the main points within the assigned timeframe and maintains the interest of the audience. Policy for Late Assignments As in the business world, assignment must be submitted on time in order to receive full credit. If you are late on an assignment, your grade on that assignment will be reduced by 25% for each day it is late this means that you will not be able to gain any credits if your assignment is fourday overdue. Note that no PAA assignment will be accepted after April 21st 5 pm. You are always welcome to hand in an assignment before its due date. If you think that you will not be able to complete an assignment by the stated due date due to unpredictable circumstances, please speak with me as soon as possible to make alternative arrangements. My policy on late assignments will depend on the specific circumstances surrounding the problem, and thus may differ from student to student. Providing me with advance notice about a late assignment will minimize the penalty you receive on that assignment (as compared to providing me with no notice about the problem), but does not guarantee that there will be no penalty for turning the assignment in late. UNIVERSITY CODE OF ETHICS See University Code of Ethics in the current Academic Catalog ORIGINALITY OF WORK Please remember that failing to provide citations for the words or thoughts of another is considered plagiarism. Citations must be provided for direct quotes as well as paraphrases. This course may require electronic submission of essays, papers, or other written projects through the plagiarism detection service Turnitin (http://www.turnitin.com). Turnitin is an online plagiarism detection service that conducts textual similarity reviews of submitted papers. When papers are submitted to Turnitin, the service will retain a copy of the submitted work in the Turnitin database for the sole purpose of detecting plagiarism in future submitted works. Students retain copyright on their original course work. The use of Turnitin is subject to the Terms of Use agreement posted on the Turnitin.com website. You may request, in writing, to not have your papers submitted 7
through Turnitin. If you choose to opt-out of the Turnitin submission process, you will need to provide additional research documentation and attach additional materials (to be clarified by the instructor) to help the instructor assess the originality of your work. POLICY ON DISABILITIES Assistance for Students with Disabilities The Disability Services Office (DSO) offers a variety of services and accommodations to students with disabilities based on appropriate documentation, nature of disability, and academic need. In order to initiate services, students should meet with the Director of the DSO at the beginning of the semester to discuss reasonable accommodation. If a student does not request accommodation or provide documentation, the faculty member is under no obligation to provide accommodations. You may contact the Director of Disability Services at (310) 506-6500. For further information, visit the DSO Web site at: http://www.pepperdine.edu/disabilityservices/. SUMMARY OF DIRECTED INSTRUCTION ELEMENTS Please note that at the Graziadio School of Business and Management, Directed Instruction is driven by Instructional Design principles aligned with the School and University Mission. In this regard, they are formative (not summative) and represent the personalized nature of the education offered. All courses must include a minimum of 15 hours of directed instruction per unit of credit (i.e., 30 hours of directed instruction for a 2 unit course; 60 hours of directed instruction for a 4 unit course). For more information, please refer to the Standards for Directed Instruction document. 4 Units = 60 Hours of Directed Instruction Directed Instruction Activity In-Class Instruction 56 Synchronous Instruction 4 Asynchronous Instruction 2-4 Hours TOTAL 62-64 8
INSTRUCTOR BIOSKETCH Dr. Zhike Lei is an Associate Professor of Applied Behavior Science at the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Previously, Dr. Lei was a faculty member at Georgetown University, European School of Management Technology (Germany), and George Mason University. She received her PhD in Organizational Behavior from Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Lei s research focuses on understanding the dynamic processes through which organizational actors (individuals, teams, units) adapt, innovate, and learn, especially in complex, timepressured situations. She has won prestigious research grants and awards from the European Commission s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Juran Center for Leadership in Quality at University of Minnesota, among others. Dr. Lei has published her scholarly work in numerous leading management journals, including Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Management, the Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, and the Academy of Management Learning and Education, among others. Her management insights have been featured in general business journals and magazines, including the Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Manager. Dr. Lei is a frequent presenter and panelist for major academic conferences in her field. Dr. Lei has conducted executive programs and consulting projects for a variety of global companies and organizations, including Bosch, Cathay Pacific Airways, Falcon Dubai, Siemens, Standard Chartered Bank, and more. She has also served on the patient safety committee for major health information organizations in China and USA such as NOVARHIO and INOVA Healthcare System. Prior to her academic career, Dr. Lei has worked as a communication and marketing specialist for leading advertising and marketing firms including Dentsu Advertising and ACNielsen in Beijing, China, as well as for startup companies in Chicago, USA. 9