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______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 1
ORGANIZATIONAL DYNAMICS
AND BEHAVIOR
(Prof. Luca Gnan)
TEACHING STAFF RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COURSE:
Prof. Luca Gnan
E-mail: [email protected]
Availability: Contact via e-mail
Prof.ssa Giulia Flamini
E-mail: [email protected]
Availability: Contact via e-mail
We are committed to making this course a valuable learning experience for you. After
the first month, we will spend part of a class session evaluating our progress, and we
will make any necessary changes to keep us on track. However, we welcome your
feedback at any time in the semester. It is easiest to reach us by e-mail or during office
hours, but we are always happy to set up an appointment. Additionally, if you have a
disability that requires unique accommodation, please let us know ASAP so that we can
be helpful to you.
E-mails, Office Hours & Feedback on Assignments
We endeavor to answer e-mails within one day. If you have not heard from us within
that time, please resend the e-mail. Grades & comments will be posted online in the
materials section of the course website. We will be happy to give feedback and discuss
assignments after all grading is complete for a specific task. Office hours are scheduled
by e-mail request.
We may answer questions of assignment clarification in class and via e-mails to benefit
the entire class. We may also give extra grades (see below Team Project) during the
course that, while generally designed to support learning in the course, will also help
your participation grade. These are pass/fail and do not include comments.
PRE-REQUISITES FOR THE COURSE:
None.
______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 2
COURSE DESCRIPTION
While many of the courses in the MScBA teach you how to manage money,
information, and other material resources, this course is unique (and invaluable) in that
you will learn how to manage your performance and career by learning how to work
with and through other people even when you don't want to. Although skills in finance,
accounting, marketing, operations, and strategy are crucial for organizational success,
managing an organization, its groups, and its individuals is equally important. In your
career, you will depend on people to accomplish tasks, goals, and projects; you will
need to work for other people, work with other people, and supervise other people.
Understanding the human side of management is an essential complement to the
technical skills you are learning in other courses. Although we will focus primarily on
work, you will find that the course concepts have applications to various organizations,
including non-profits, athletic teams, social clubs, and religious and political groups.
This advanced course in organizational behavior is designed to expose you to essential
theories and concepts for analyzing, understanding, and managing human behavior in
organizations. This course will apply concrete organizational situations from our case
studies and projects to essential theories and effective management practices. In this
class, you will learn how to thrive at work by managing your relationships. In this
course, we will investigate:
• Individual behavior in organizations, including personality, decision-making,
personal networks, and ethics.
• Interpersonal behavior, including teamwork, conflict, leadership, and power and
influence.
• Organizational factors affecting behavior, including reward systems, culture, and
organizational design.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Explore from managerial perspective research and practical applications on
organizational behavior.
The objective of the training is to provide tools and analytical theory on the analysis of
individual and behavior in different group and organizational contexts to:
• Understand and use the fundamental theories on organizational behavior
• Develop capacities for applying theories to practice
• Develop problem-solving abilities with best practices discussion and case study
analysis
The study route is divided into four different sections:
• Section I: The Organization Behavior Context and Learning Community.
______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 3
• Section II: Managing Teams.
• Section III: Understanding and Managing Individuals.
• Section IV: Managing Key Organizational Processes.
At the end of the course, students will have:
1. A deeper understanding of how the study of organizational behavior can aid us
in improving the performance and well-being of people at work.
2. Understood how models, theories, and concepts about organizational behavior
could promote the effectiveness of individuals, groups, and organizations.
3. Developed skills for analyzing individual, group, and organizational functioning
that enhance their effectiveness as managers.
4. Developed a more effective and more complex representation of organizational
behavior, enabling them to contribute more effectively to the workplace.
TEACHING METHODS
Lessons will be characterized by the transfer of knowledge and the strong interaction
within the classroom; there are analyses of situations, problems, and business cases to
facilitate participants in learning.
Regular attending students are strongly recommended to participate in all the
lectures, preparations, and presentations of the business cases.
This course uses readings, lectures, exercises, cases, individual and team assignments,
and class discussions to meet its goals. Case assignments provide an essential
foundation for class discussion and must be completed before each class session. The
due dates for all cases and other assignments are listed in the class schedule at the end
of the syllabus. Lectures will highlight key points from the readings and provide
additional information to supplement the readings. Cases will allow you to apply what
you have learned to real-world issues and scenarios. Because each of you brings unique
perspectives and experiences to the class, participation in class discussions and
activities is essential to your learning and that of other class members. To further enrich
your understanding, you will also be matched with an MScBA Teaching Assistant.
MAIN REFERENCES
A) Textbooks for regular attending students (to be considered a regular attending
student, a participant should achieve at least an 85% of presence to lectures and
case discussions):
R. FINCHAM, P. RHODES, Principles of Organizational Behaviour, Oxford University
Press, 2005.
______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 4
G. H. SEIJTS, Cases in Organizational Behavior (the IVEY casebook series), Sage
Publications, Inc, 2005.
As far as the textbook Principles of Organizational Behaviour (FINCHAM, RHODES,
2005) is concerned, regular attending students must prepare the following parts:
1. Introduction pp. 1 -11 (Organization Behavior: An Overview)
2. Chapter 1 pp.19 – 50 (Expectations and Learning)
3. Chapter 8 pp. 310-359 (Leadership Dynamics)
4. Chapter 6 pp. 243-270 and Chapter 14 pp .500-510 (Team Problem, Decision
Making, and Effectiveness)
5. Chapter 7 pp. 275-305 (Group Dynamics and Performance)
6. Chapter 10 pp. 394-417 (Conflict Management and Negotiation)
7. Chapter 3 pp.93-146 (Appreciating Individual Differences)
8. Chapter 4 pp.151-185 (Appreciating Individual Differences)
9. Chapter 5 pp.191-233 (Motivation)
10. Chapter 2 pp. 54-88 (Stress and the Management of Stress)
11. Chapter 12 pp. 445-464 and Chapter 13 pp.468-491 (Organization and Work
Design)
12. Chapter 17 pp.570-592 (Creativity and Innovation)
13. Chapter 15 pp.527-544 (Organizational Culture)
14. Chapter 14 pp.513-523 (Organizational Change and Development)
During the course, ten cases (from the Cases in Organizational Behavior textbook,
SEIJTS, 2005) will be discussed:
a) Chuck McKinnon (on the leadership issue)
b) eProcure – the Project (A) (on the leading and managing teams' issue)
c) The Leo Burnett Company LTD.: virtual team management (on the team
dynamics issue)
d) INTEL in China (on the Conflict Management and Negotiation issue)
e) Blinds To Go: staffing a retail expansion (on the Appreciating Individual
Differences issue)
f) Elise Smart (on the Stress and the Management of Stress issue)
g) Martin Brass Company (A) Tom Fuller, Vice-President Manufacturing (on the
stress and the Management of Stress issue)
h) Victoria Hospital Redesign Initiative (on the Organizational design issue)
i) OP4.COM: a dynamic culture (on the Creativity and Innovation issue)
j) Deloitte & Touche: Integrating Arthur Andersen (on the Organizational Change
and Development issue).
______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 5
B) Textbooks for NON-regular attending students (to be considered regular
attending student, a participant should achieve at least an 85% of presence to
lectures and case discussions):
R. FINCHAM, P. RHODES, Principles of Organizational Behaviour, Oxford University
Press, 2005 (all chapters).
G. H. SEIJTS, Cases in Organizational Behavior (the IVEY casebook series), Sage
Publications, Inc, 2005 (all cases).
B) Supplementary textbooks
• Robins S., Judge T." Organizational behavior" 13 edition, Prentice-Hall
International, 2005
• Contemporary management" Jones, George, McGraw Hill, 4th edition, 2006
• Managing Organizational Behavior" Jones, George, Prentice-Hall International, 2007
• "Organizational change" B. Senior, J. Fleming, Prentice-Hall International 3 edition,
2006
• "Management" Hitt, Black, Porter Prentice-Hall International, Second Edition, 2008
• Organizational behavior, Debra Nelson, James Campbell Quicl, THOMSON,
SOUTHWESTERN, 5th edition
• Managing Behavior in Organizations, Jerald Greenberg, 5th edition Pearson
• Adler, P. S. 1999 International dimensions of organizational behavior London:
International Thompson
• Argyris, C. 1960 Understanding Organisational behavior Homewood IL: Dorsey
Press (HM300)
• Bandura, A. 1977 Social learning theory New Jersey: Prentice-Hall
• Barnard, C. The functions of the executive Cambridge: Harvard University Press
• Beer, M. et al. 1984 Managing human Assets New York: Free Press
• Braverman, H .1974 Labour and monopoly capital New York: Monthly Review
Press (Open shelve)
• Bryman, A. 1986 Leadership and organizations London: Routledge Kegan Paul
• Buchanan, D. A. Organisation in the computer age Aldershot: Gower
• Burns, T & Stalker, G. M. The management of innovation London: Tavistock (Open
shelve)
• Child, J. 1972 "Organisational structure, environment, and performance: The role of
strategic choice" Sociology vol. 6 # 1 pp 1- 22
• Clegg, S. & Dunkerley, D. 1980 Organisations, class and control London: Routledge
& Kegan Paul
• Conti, R. F. & Warner, M. 1993 "Taylorism, new technology and just-in-time
systems in Japanese Manufacturing" New Technology, work and employment, vol 8
# 100 31- 42
______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 6
• Cyert, R. & March, J. G. 1992 A behavioral theory of the firm NJ: Prentice-Hall
Englewoods Cliffs
• Dubin, E. (ed) 1976 Handbook of Work, Organisation and Society Chicago Rand
McNally
• Drucker, P. F. 1988 Management challenges in the 21st Century London: Heinemann
• Drucker, P. F. 1989 The new realities London: Heinemann
• Duncan, R. B. 1974 "Modifications in decision making structures in adapting to the
environment: some Implications for organizational learning" Decision sciences vol, 5
pp 704 –25
• Duncan, w. J. 1981 Organisational Behaviour Houghton: Mifflin
• French, J & Raven. B. 1958 "The bases of social power 'in D. Cartwright Studies in
social Power Ann Arbor Institute for Social Research (HM301)
• Gibson, J.L. et al. 1994 Organisations: Behaviour structure and processes (Reserve)
• Gouldner, A. W. 1954 Patterns of industrial Bureaucracy New York: Free Press
• Gruneberg, M. & Wall, T.(eds) Social Psychology and organizational behavior
Chichester: John Wiley
• Hall, E. T . Understanding Cultural differences Yarmouth: Intercultural Press
• Handy, C 1999 Understanding Organisations 4th ed London: Penguin (Reserve
HD31HAN)
• Hofstede, G. 1991 Cultures and Organisations London: McGraw –Hill
• Hodgetts, R. M. 1991 Organisational behavior: Theory and practice New York:
Macmillan company
• Kast, F.E. & Rosenzweig, J.E. Organization &Management11985 4th ed New jersey
McGraw-hill (Reserve HD31KAS)
• Kotter, J. P. 1990 "what do leaders really do?" in Harvard Business review 73 pp59-
67
• Mintzberg, H. 1983a Power in and around organizations New York: Prentice-Hall
• Mintzberg, H. 1983b Structures in fives: designing effective organizations
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
• Moorhead, G. and Griffin, R. w. 1998 Organisational Behaviour 5th edition
Houghton: Mifflin Company
• Mullins, L. Management and Organisational behavior London: Pitman, The financial
times (Reserve)
• Perrow, C. 1970 Organisational analysis: A sociological review Belmont:
Wadsworth
• Robbins, S. P. 1998 Organisational behavior: Concepts, controversies, and
applications NJ: Prentice-Hall (Reserve)
• Simon, H 1957 Administrative behavior NY: Macmillan
• Schein, E. H. 1975 Organisational culture and Leadership San Francisco: Jossey-bass
• Vecchio, R. P. 1995 organizational behavior 3rd edition Orland: Dryden Press
______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 7
CASE DISCUSSIONS
Regular attending students are expected to be fully engaged in the entire learning
process. Regular attending students are expected to:
1) Prepare the assigned readings of the cases before each class.
2) Prepare as a group work a PowerPoint presentation on the case based on the
specific assignment.
3) Come to class prepared to participate and discuss to enhance the individual and
the class learning.
On the website of the course, students find for each case the relative assignment.
Please carefully read the questions before the session and use them for preparing
the PowerPoint presentation.
Each student will be involved in the class discussion on the cases and tie the assigned
reading for the session. The objective is to bring all class members into the debate. The
cases are designed to integrate the concepts from the case into the context of the course.
The preparation and the discussion of the cases do not exclude the study of the
theoretical concepts useful for the discussion of the cases themselves and the
passing of the course exam.
With the cases' discussions in the CLASSROOM, each student will develop:
1. The ability to set the parameters for the problem (key concepts from the case).
2. A depth of knowledge about the case subject (understanding of material,
excellent response to the observations of others).
3. The ability to tie in case with other course concepts.
4. The ability to get others involved in the discussion.
To adequately discuss the cases, students do:
• Be prepared with facts and specific quotes from the case.
• Be prepared to comment, ask a question, or develop ideas about the case.
During the discussion, students do:
• Take a position on a question or a point.
• Ask clarifying questions.
• Help keep the discussion moving and on track.
• Help draw others into the discussion.
• Integrate theories and content from other cases.
During the discussion, students do not:
• Be unprepared and show your lack of knowledge.
• Monopolize the discussion.
• Make irrelevant comments.
______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 8
• Be insensitive to other's desire to speak or to their opinions.
All the regular attending students are kindly invited to build up workgroups
(MINIMUM 3 PERSONS – MAXIMUM 5 PERSONS). Each workgroup should
prepare a PowerPoint presentation for each case. Into the first slide, the names of the
students belonging to the group should be reported.
The structure of the presentation should follow the following outline:
1. One or more introductory slides aimed at describing/reporting the story, the
characters, and all the necessary elements to define the context and boundaries
of the case clearly.
2. One slide mentioning the questions of the assignment and underlining the
learning goals of the case.
3. One or more slides reporting the answers to each question of the assignment.
4. One or more slides reporting the final remarks on the case.
5. One closing slide about the lessons learned after the group discussion of the
case.
How to prepare the PowerPoint presentation of the case?
Introduction – a short presentation of the case and a brief description of the problems
and situations that should be discussed.
Diagnosis – Problem setting of the context and the situation. Description of the mains
facts and elements connected with the concepts and models of Organizational Behavior
(e.g., organizational change, conflicts, motivation, satisfaction, leadership, managing
people, group dynamics, etc.). What went wrong, and which actions/situations, instead,
were right? Which elements could be considered for the diagnosis?
Solution – Students should provide a possible answer to questions/problems related to
the case and a possible and unambiguous indication of how to approach the situation
and how to solve it. The entire proposal should represent a consistent action plan in
terms of behaviors and expected results.
Conclusions – Conclusions should not be longer than 300-500 words and should
describe how the situation and the problem characterized the case, how Organizational
Behavior schemata might help solve the case, and what the proposed solution might
generate in terms of organizational consequences.
Lessons learned – At the end of the presentation, we should identify and report
elements/suggestions/advice that we "take home" from the case discussion.
______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 9
NOTE: During the case discussion, students should explicitly address the context and
the different situations with concepts related to Organizational Behavior and with
models and theories of this course.
Case Discussions' Class Participation
We believe that the best way to learn, especially about ODB, is actively participating in
your education. In this class, "participation" is defined as quality contributions to class
discussion and exercises. There are four pre-requisites for successful participation:
1. Be here on time and prepared. If you are not here, you cannot contribute much to
class discussion. If you need to miss class for a predictable reason (e.g., job
interview, athletic competition), please notify us at least 24 hours in advance so
that we can make arrangements for any in-class exercises and so that you can
obtain the materials distributed during the class. Of course, we realize that in
some cases, unforeseeable emergencies arise. Although we 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 grade. To contribute to class discussion, you must come to class
having carefully prepared all assignments (i.e., readings, cases, exercises).
2. Be brave. Everyone in this class is smart, engaging, and has unique life experiences
to share. You will get the most out of this course if you ask questions, voice
opinions, and express your thoughts to one another. If you feel uncomfortable
talking in class, please send me an e-mail or set up an appointment to talk with me
early in the semester. We will do everything we can to accommodate your
circumstances, but we can only do so if they are brought to our attention.
3. Be courteous. Successful participation includes treating your classmates
respectfully and professionally. 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 merely repeating something that another classmate has
said earlier in the discussion. Also, it is perfectly acceptable for you to voice
disagreement with an opinion provided by another student. The open debate often
leads to the most thoughtful and informative class discussions. However, please
express your argument in a kind and considerate manner.
4. Be engaged. This class is "unplugged." Once class starts, all electronics (e.g.,
computers, cell phones, tablets, etc.) should be turned off and put away. If you
need to use a device because of a language or disability issue, you need to secure
permission at the beginning of the class. The misuse of an electronic device (e.g.,
surfing the web or texting) will adversely affect your grade.
To facilitate the visioning of its PowerPoint presentation in the classroom, each
workgroup should take a personal computer with PowerPoint installed and an
available VGA connection.
______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 10
By 8 pm of the day before the case discussion, all regular attending students should
send to the course's Instructors, attaching the case presentation prepared. ONLY
STUDENTS WHO HAD HANDED OVER ALL THE CASE PRESENTATIONS
WILL BE ADMITTED TO THE 1st EXAM AFTER THE COURSE.
Policy for Late Assignments
As in the business world, work must be received on time to receive full credit. If you are
late on an assignment, your access to the 1st exam after the course will be compromised.
You are always welcome to hand in an assignment before its due date if you know that
you will be busy as the due date approaches. If you think that you will not complete an
assignment by the stated due date, please speak with us in advance to make alternative
arrangements. Our policy on late assignments will depend on the specific circumstances
surrounding the problem and thus may differ from student to student. Providing advance
notice about a late assignment will minimize the penalty you receive on that assignment
but does not guarantee that there will be no penalty for turning the assignment in late.
OTHER LEARNING SOURCES
Slides and other materials will be available on the course website.
THE SLIDES DO NOT REPRESENT A SUPPORT FOR AN EFFECTIVE AND
SUCCESSFUL PREPARATION FOR THE EXAM OF THE COURSE. THEY
REPRESENT ONLY A HELP TO FACILITATE THE TRANSFER OF THE
KNOWLEDGE TO STUDENTS DURING THE LECTURES.
ATTENDANCE
Because of the concentrated nature of the MScBA program, attendance in class is
crucial.
Students with less than 85% of attendance to lectures and case discussions
(including arriving late or leaving early) will be required to prepare for the exam
ALL the chapters of the textbook R. FINCHAM, P. RHODES, Principles Of
Organizational Behaviour, Oxford University Press, 2005 and ALL the cases of the
textbook G. H. SEIJTS, Cases in Organizational Behavior (the IVEY casebook
series), Sage Publications, Inc, 2005.
NOTE: Attendance to the first class session is mandatory. Important information about
the course and the instructor's expectations are given during the first session. If you
know that you will have to be absent for one session, please contact your instructor to
ensure that absence from a session is acceptable.
EXAM
______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 11
The exam is a written exam. The duration is about 3-4 hours, and it includes:
a) Case discussion - You may be given a case study to which some questions may
pertain to lead the discussion. As you respond to the questions, please use
specific content and theories (use names to identify approaches and models) as
the basis of your analysis. You will not receive credit for your personal opinions
unless backed by theory, lecture, and text material. Also, describe how you see
the content/theory applying to the situation. Your answers will be evaluated
based on both quantity and quality. Solutions that are complete and demonstrate
a higher level of understanding and analysis will receive more points.
b) Some questions directly connected to the course textbooks – The questions
could be open, closed (multiple choice), or a combination of both. You may be
asked to discuss the models and the theories presented during the course. You
will be asked to interpret some real incidents and focus your attention on
specific theoretical issues.
ONLY if the number of the enrolled students to a specific date of exam is less than ten
individuals, teachers will ask enrolled students if they want to run an oral exam instead
of a written one.
1ST EXAM AFTER THE COURSE PARTICIPATION AND EXAM GRADES REGISTERING ON
THE BOOKLET
Only regular attending students (85% of attendance to lectures and case
discussions, including arriving late or leaving early) that have delivered the hard
copies of ALL the cases to the Instructors can take the 1st exam after the course
with a format explicitly dedicated to them.
Only regular registered students on the DELPHI System will be allowed to register
their grades.
The 1st exam grades will be registered after the official exam date; Teachers will
communicate that date. It is compulsory to come on that exam date to register the
grade on the Delphi and the booklet.
______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 12
TEAM PROJECT
The purpose of the project is to allow your team to apply what has been learned in the
course (through course lectures, readings, and case discussions) to problems in an
organization of your team's choice.
Class members, regular attending students, will work in teams of four (4) people.
To the Team Project, regular attending students will be allowed to achieve a -3/+3
extra points to the final grade of the 1st exam after the course. Only regular
attending students, taking the 1st exam after the course will be accepted for the
Team Project.
Your team should identify a public, private, or non-profit organization to study (Please,
no student groups).
Your team is to gather information from people in an organization through direct
contact. You may supplement this information with data from the media, the
organization's literature, and other secondary sources. You should identify a relatively
recent problem to analyze (i.e., this should not be a historical account of a problem and
the company's solution). It would be best if you focus your analysis by applying the
concepts from the course. While it is acceptable to incorporate several ideas from the
course, please aim for depth rather than breadth regarding course concepts. Your goal is
to diagnose the mechanisms causing the problem or issue of concern in the
organization. Initially, you may notice many symptoms (for instance, high turnover,
seemingly low morale, low commitment, motivation, etc.), but your task is to get to the
underlying reason for these symptoms. And beware, sometimes the initial symptoms we
think we see are not what they appear to be.
There are three broad goals for this assignment:
1. One goal of this assignment is obviously to take the initiative to contribute to an
organization positively.
2. Another primary goal is to provide an opportunity for you to learn more about
organizational behavior firsthand and use your critical thinking and reflection skills
to link your experience with this organization to your learning concerning
organizational behavior theory.
3. The final goal is to provide a forum for you to hone your team member and leader
skills and reflect on the learning gained from this team experience. Each team will
make a presentation and write a paper that describes what you did for the
organization, what you learned about organizational behavior, and what you learned
about working on a team.
______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 13
To meet these broad goals, your team should answer the following questions in the
assignments detailed below.
a) What are the issues or problems facing the organization?
b) What can course concepts be applied to understand why this problem is occurring?
c) What recommendations can you offer to help improve organizational functioning?
Deliverables of the Team Project:
1. The project proposal is due to Instructors by the 9th session of the course by 5
pm. It should include:
a) the names of your group members
b) your team name
c) the name of the organization
d) the name, contact information, and level of your contact person
e) the method you will use to gain access to the organization
f) a brief description (one paragraph) of the problem facing the organization.
2. Your written project is due to Instructors by the 18th session of the course by 5
pm.
It should contain a maximum of 15 double-spaced pages (1 cm margins, 12 point font).
You will be penalized significantly for exceeding this limit. The limit does not include
appendices, which you are free to use to provide charts, figures, or other background
material not necessary in the main body of your analysis. However, appendices that are
not directly referenced in the main text will not be read. LATE PROJECT WRITE-
UPS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
This written project should summarize what you did for/within the organization, what
you have learned about organizational behavior, and what you have learned about
working on a team.
Grading of the Team Project:
Your group project will be evaluated on the following criteria:
a) Problem definition: How well (i.e., thoroughly and concisely) do you describe the
organizational context, the relevant parties, and the factors that are important to the
problem?
b) Accurate and thorough use of course concepts.
c) Integration of course concepts with information about the company and problem, i.e.,
how well do you integrate course concepts with details about the issue to illuminate
the problem in a way that leads to solutions?
d) The extent to which recommendations are consistent with analysis.
e) Quality of written analysis.
______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 14
ANALYTICAL SYLLABUS
Session Agenda
Lecture/
Case
discussion
Instructor
Section I:
The Organization Behavior Context
and Learning Community
1
Organization Behavior: An Overview
(Introduction pp. 1 -11) Drawing on psychology and sociology, the
introductory lecture takes disciple-based
approaches, dividing the course into four
distinct levels of analysis: individual, group,
organizational, and processes (IGOP). This
IGOP framework encompasses the approaches
to explain social action and behavior and
provides an insight into this fascinating
subject.
Lecture GNAN
2
Expectations and Learning
(Chapter 1 pp.19 – 50) The lecture introduces the student to the basic
concepts of learning. An effort is made to link
these concepts to what happens in the
workplace. It is crucial that students do not
restrict themselves to just explaining
psychological terms but makes sure that they
have understood why learning is essential in
the workplace and how classical and operant
conditioning, schedules of reinforcement, the
idea of the technology of behavior, learning
strategies, and the transfer of training back to
the workplace contribute in or may inhibit
successful learning.
Lecture GNAN
3
Chuck McKinnon CASE
(Leadership Dynamics - Chapter 8 pp.
310-359) The session discusses leadership and the
Case
discussion GNAN
______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 15
relevant research that aims to define and
explain leadership effectiveness. The impact
of leadership on organizational life is two-fold,
in that successful or poor leadership affects
both those who trust the leader and assess their
qualities to make judgments about the business
(i.e., shareholders) and those within the
organization (i.e., employees). It has been
argued that poor leadership ultimately destroys
the 'human spirit' essential to ensuring
organizational effectiveness. The hierarchical
structure means that organizations continually
have to face selecting and training people to
assume positions of authority over others. At
every level in organizations and every
department, there will be groups of
'subordinates' under the control of
'superordinates' – in other words, there will be
'leadership situations.'
Section II:
Managing teams
4
eProcure – the Project (A) CASE
(Chapter 6 pp. 243-270 and Chapter 14
pp. 500-510) The session is twofold. Firstly, it explores
social interaction. This involves all the
processes that underlie the activity between
people in everyday social settings. The two
basic concepts to be examined are dramaturgy,
i.e., the expressive and symbolic aspects of
social interaction, and social skill, i.e.,
cognitive and automated processes of social
behavior. Also, it examines what kinds of
modeling and categorization are involved in
social interaction. This will help explain how
changes in social competence occur and why
some individuals are more socially apt than
others at jobs that include social skills.
Secondly, it introduces the concept of
decision-making and change management in
Case
discussion GNAN
______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 16
the organizational context. Decision-making is
the center of managerial activity, and it is
examined with managerial rationality. Finally,
change management is discussed as the
outcome of managerial decision-making, and
aspects such as the role of leadership and
resistance to change are explored. The
approach that the lecture employs seeks to
understand the complex and problematic
nature of organizational change while taking
into consideration decision-making and
managerial rationality.
5
Team Problem, Decision Making, and
Effectiveness
(Chapter 6 pp. 243-270 and Chapter 14
pp. 500-510) Again, the lecture is twofold. Firstly, it
explores social interaction. This involves all
the processes that underlie the activity
between people in everyday social settings.
The two basic concepts to be examined are
dramaturgy, i.e., the expressive and symbolic
aspects of social interaction, and social skill,
i.e., cognitive and automated processes of
social behavior. Also, it examines what kinds
of modeling and categorization are involved in
social interaction. This will help explain how
changes in social competence occur and why
some individuals are more socially apt than
others at jobs that include social skills.
Secondly, it introduces the concept of
decision-making and change management in
the organizational context. Decision-making is
the center of managerial activity, and it is
examined with managerial rationality. Finally,
change management is discussed as the
outcome of managerial decision-making, and
aspects such as the role of leadership and
resistance to change are explored. The
approach that the lecture employs seeks to
understand the complex and problematic
nature of organizational change while taking
Lecture GNAN
______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 17
into consideration decision-making and
managerial rationality.
6
The Leo Burnett Company LTD.:
virtual team management CASE
(Group Dynamics and Performance -
Chapter 7 pp. 275-305) The session discusses groups and intergroup
behavior. They explore the effects of group
membership on the individual's behavior and
their identity and raise the notion of employee
involvement. The interest in teamwork rises
from the expectation that teams deliver more
than individuals alone. However, the session
adopts a critical standpoint and critically
explores dysfunctional group relations and the
processes that promote or undermine group
effectiveness.
Case
discussion GNAN
7
INTEL in China CASE
(Conflict Management and Negotiation
- Chapter 10 pp. 394-417) The session discusses conflict and consent at
work. It follows the path of the labor process
debate, the main body of theory about the
employment relationship, and the nature of
work. They refer to aspects of the subjectivity
of workplace relations, such as resistance and
consent, as well as gender issues, and illustrate
the scene of industrial relations conflict and
action today.
Case
discussion GNAN
Section III:
Understanding and Managing Individuals
8
Appreciating Individual Differences
(Chapter 3 pp.93-146) The lecture explores the concepts of
personality and intelligence and their impact
on organizational life. Personality has an effect
not only on an individual's working
relationships with others but also more
Lecture GNAN
______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 18
generally on the entire corporate culture. The
chapter also examines the attempts made to
describe the differences we observe day-to-day
in each others' personalities and the possible
impact on our effectiveness and organizational
culture. Intelligence and its effects on
organizations are also explored. The effect of
intelligence is not so much the result of
intelligence itself. Still, it flows more subtly
from the impact of our shared assumptions
about the impact and importance of
intellectual differences.
9
Blinds To Go: staffing a retail
expansion CASE
(Appreciating Individual Differences -
Chapter 4 pp.151-185) The session examines how the human
attributes differentiating individuals are
applied in organizations. Assessment is
initially associated with the 'point of entry.'
Increasingly, however, assessments are used
for a variety of reasons. The demand for
flexible, adaptable individuals that are high
performers requires assessments to serve
strategic functions in organizations, i.e.,
identifying such individuals. One framework
claiming to enable a more strategic approach
to assessment by linking business objectives,
organizational culture, and employee
performance more closely is competency. Its
proponents argue that this is a way of
managing people more effectively. On the
other hand, however, its critics would say that
it is merely another control mechanism. The
chapter also describes the range of assessment
methodologies and processes used in
organizational settings and examines how
these processes can be evaluated.
Case
discussion GNAN
10
Motivation
(Chapter 5 pp.191-233) The lecture discusses motivation and job
satisfaction. These are topics that have
Lecture GNAN
______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 19
attracted considerable interest from academic
psychologists, popular writers, and social
commentators. Motivation and job satisfaction
are essential aspects of organizational behavior
since the workplace and employees'
experiences have frequently been negative.
Factories have often been dangerous places
that hardly promote maturity and well-being.
Clerical work has been described as lacking
intrinsic satisfaction, and managers have
commonly reported feeling under excessive
pressure in their work. From a managerial
perspective, the consequences of low
motivation and job satisfaction have to be
managed to eliminate sabotage, staff turnover,
absenteeism, poor industrial relations, and low
productivity. This lecture aims to examine the
extent to which the 'human resource' school of
psychology and other writers have advanced
our understanding of the two underlying
concepts.
11
Elise Smart CASE
(Stress and the Management of Stress -
Chapter 2 pp. 54-88) The session introduces the concept of stress in
the workplace. The session is an all-inclusive
account of stress, its causes, and whether stress
can be managed or not. The session
emphasizes the importance of stress and its
impact on workplaces. Three different
approaches are presented: Stress as a response,
cause, and the appraisal concept. Types of
Stress and individual differences are all
explored.
Case
discussion GNAN
12
Martin Brass Company (A/B/C) Tom
Fuller, Vice-President Manufacturing
CASE
(Stress and the Management of Stress -
Chapter 2 pp. 54-88) The session again argues about the concept of
stress in the workplace. The session is an all-
inclusive account of stress, its causes, and
Case
discussion GNAN
______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 20
whether stress can be managed or not. The
session emphasizes the importance of stress
and its impact on UK workplaces. Three
different approaches are presented: Stress as a
response, cause, and the appraisal concept.
Types of Stress and individual differences are
all explored.
Section IV:
Managing Key Organizational Processes
13
Organization and Work Design
(Chapter 12 pp. 445-464) The lecture explores the concepts of structure
and control in organizations. It presents
various critical interpretations of the
organization, the central figure of which is
Weber. The approach questions efficiency as
an issue of primary importance and focuses on
power and how it is experienced in
organizations. Students should understand the
basic parameters that surround the debate of
structure and control.
Lecture GNAN
14
Organization and Work Design
(Chapter 13 pp.468-491) The lecture introduces the topic of structure
and performance in organizations. It pursues a
managerial approach to explore the priorities
and objectives in organizations, namely
efficiency and effectiveness. It argues that one
way or the other, we are all caught up in these
issues, and hence their exploration is necessary
for a broader understanding of organizational
behavior. Students should understand the basic
ideas of organizational analysis.
Lecture GNAN
15
Victoria Hospital Redesign Initiative
CASE
(Organization and Work Design -
Chapter 12 pp. 445-464 and Chapter 13
pp.468-491) The session is devoted to apply and integrate
Case
discussion GNAN
______________________________________________________________________
Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata DIPARTIMENTO DI MANAGEMENT E DIRITTO
00133 Roma – Via Columbia, 2
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Proff. Luca Gnan & Giulia Flamini 21
organizational behavior concepts and
Organizational design models and principles.
16
OP4.COM: a dynamic culture CASE
(Creativity and Innovation –
Chapter 17 pp.570-592) The session introduces the concept of
management knowledge and fashion. A
critical encounter of the emergence,
dissemination, and value of recent popular
ideas is examined.
Case
discussion GNAN
17
Organizational Culture
(Chapter 15 pp.527-544) The lecture discusses the concept of
organizational culture. It attempts to explain
the relationship between organizational culture
and the business context, how culture
contributes to organizational innovativeness,
the contribution of organizational culture to
management change, etc.
Lecture GNAN
18
Deloitte & Touche: Integrating
Arthur Andersen CASE
(Organizational Change and
Development - Chapter 14 pp.513-523) The session introduces the concept of
decision-making and change management in
the organizational context. Decision-making is
the center of managerial activity, and, in this
session, it is examined concerning managerial
rationality. Finally, change management is
considered the outcome of managerial
decision-making, and aspects such as the role
of leadership and resistance to change are
explored. The approach that the session
employs seeks to understand the complex and
problematic nature of organizational change
while taking into consideration decision-
making and managerial rationality.
Case
discussion GNAN