Business Administration: Leadership & Org Behavior

How people in organizations think and behave. Focuses on how leadership and motivation affect individuals and teams in the workplace and a global business context. Prerequisites: BUS 1110 or BUS 1120 or ECON 1400 or ECON 1450 with a minimum grade of C-, or Instructor permission; Business Administration, Computer Science & Information Systems, Engineering Management, Dietetics, Nutrition & Food Sciences major; Business Administration minor, Sports Management minor or Instructor permission; minimum Junior standing.

Prerequisites: BUS 1110 or BUS 1120 or ECON 1400 or ECON 1450; with a minimum grade of C-, Or Instructor permission email gsbcss@uvm.edu; Business Administration, Computer Science & Information Systems, Engineering Management, Dietetics, Nutrition & Food Sciences major; Business Administration minor, Sports Management minor or Instructor permission; minimum Junior standing. Open to Degree and PACE students.

COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is about the behavior and psychology of people in the workplace. People who work for an organization and with other employees, team members and managers with whom they have relationships; and people among them who are leaders who influence others to achieve work-related goals. Through this course, students will develop their understanding of how and why employees and team members think, feel, behave, and react to workplace events as they do; and how their actions as team members, managers and leaders affect and influence others. Emphasis is placed on applying principles of organizational behavior to develop and use teamwork and leaderships skills to influence the behaviors and positive psychological experiences of others, and to achieve personal and organizational goals. Course material is grounded in decades of rigorous scholarly research, well developed and tested theories, established “best practices,” and recent insights from innovative work in organizational behavior and management disciplines (and, in some cases, disciplinary siblings, like human resource management, organizational development, and applied social psychology). I embrace an evidenced-based philosophy of teaching and practice that guides the concepts, theories, and frameworks I cover (and don’t cover). In-class activities and discussions provide opportunities for students to practice and plan where and how they can apply course material to hone their self- and other-awareness, and inform mindful efforts to interact and collaborate, and lead and be led by others. The content and delivery of course material is designed to help students develop a foundation on which they can continue to build interpersonal, teamwork, and leadership skills. Course material is organized within three Units that respectively focus on Employees, Teamwork, and Leadership. After unit material is covered, students complete a test followed by a class meeting devoted to a Team Challenge based on an associated case. The capstone learning experience is a team case analysis presentation of events described in the three integrated cases involving multiple employment relationships in the context of an organization undergoing change. Students can apply course material covered in each of the three Units in numerous ways to diagnose, explain, and recommend what managers and team members could have done differently or should do now to achieve their objectives. Students will need to apply teamwork and collaboration skills to effectively plan, coordinate, and conduct thoughtful analyses of the case(s), and develop an approach to present their work in a manner that demonstrates a deep understanding of course material and an ability to apply it in insightful ways. OVERVIEW OF TOPICS: UNITS 1-3 Unit 1 - Employees: Students will learn how managerial practices, individual employee characteristics, and work-related events influence employees’ psychological well-being, views about their employment relationship, and job attitudes and performance-related behaviors at work. Students will also learn about evidenced-based practices managers can use to motivate employees and earn their trust and commitment. Unit 2 - Teamwork: Students will learn how team performance and team members’ satisfaction and commitment are shaped by team composition and diversity, each team member’s personality traits and other characteristics, various team states (e.g., cohesion), communication practices, and decision-making processes. Students will also learn about interpersonal skills they can develop and apply to collaborate effectively with others, such as meeting practices, active listening, and conflict resolution. Unit 3 - Leadership: Students will learn evidenced-based principles and frameworks that can inform their use of different leadership styles and management practices that are suited to the nature of different situations, employees, and organizational contexts. Students will also learn how managers and leaders can direct people’s efforts toward the achievement of organizational objectives through reward systems, goal setting, visionary leadership, managing change, and shaping a desired organizational culture.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK Colquitt, Lepine, & Wesson. (2022). Organizational Behavior: Improving Performance and Commitment in the Workplace (8th Edition). McGraw-Hill. The 8th Edition is required, in any format (e.g., the loose-leaf text via the bookstore or digital rental). Using McGraw’s online “Connect” is NOT required.

ASSESSMENTS AND GRADED WORK **Subject to Change** Official grade-related details will be described on the course syllabus, posted to Brightspace in advance of the first class-meeting. Course Grade & Proportional Contributions of Graded Activities: 55% Tests 1 (15%), 2 (20%), & 3 (20%) 20% Quiz Grade 25% Team Case Analysis Presentation (TCAP) 10% TCAP Individual Grade 15% TCAP Team Grade Tests: For each test, the applicable material is limited to the associated Unit unless otherwise indicated (i.e., Test 2 covers Unit 2 material). A description of the content and format of each test will be provided in advance.