module handbook hrm 1110 201112 (dxb)

HRM 1110 Organisational Behaviour and AnalysisModule Handbook Academic Year 2011/12

Susan SolimanLecturer, Business studies and management Middlesex UniversityBusiness School

Room 304Block 16Knowledge Village DubaiU.A.E.

E: [email protected]: 00971 (04) 369 3965

Copyright Sebastian Fuchs 2011

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Welcome note from the module leader

A warm welcome to Middlesex University, the Business School and HRM 1110. My name is Sebastian Fuchs and I will be leading the module for this academic year. To introduce myself, I was once sitting in the very same chairs as you are during lectures and seminars as I am a graduate from Middlesex University myself. I graduated with a BA in Human Resource Management (HRM) and Marketing, went then on to do an MSc in HRM at the London School of Economics and Political Science and am currently reading for a PhD in Organisational Psychology at King’s College London besides my lectureship here in the HRM department.

I have done a lot of fine-tuning and re-designing over the past years in order to make this module as interesting and relevant to you as possible. In this module, I seek to find answers to the seemingly simple question of ‘What makes people do a good job at work?’. Throughout this module, we will try to develop answers to this question from a scientific point of view combined with many practical examples from a wide range of work and occupations.

For many people work is just something they have to do. Once you have worked out for yourself, however, how people tick at work and what makes them get out of bed every morning, it becomes a much more interesting domain as you can then start to fully understand and appreciate their behaviour and attitudes. Throughout my academic and professional career in Germany, Brazil, Peru, China and the UK this subject has fascinated me ever since –because it is so relevant to all of us!

I hope this handbook will help you to find your way around this module and answers many of the questions you may have. If you would like to provide any feedback on the module handbook or on the course please do not hesitate to do so.

Hopefully, I will be able to spread some of my enthusiasm for this subject onto you throughout the academic year. I wish you a positive and fruitful start here at Middlesex University and in the British higher education system.

Yours faithfully,

Sebastian FuchsModule leader HRM 1110

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Sebastian FuchsLecturer in OB and HRMMiddlesex UniversityBusiness SchoolHRM Department

Room W131The BurroughsHendonLondon NW4 4BTUnited Kingdom

E: [email protected]: 0044 (0)20 8411 4629

Table of contents

Aim of module............................................................................................................................................... 4

Pedagogic strategy of module...................................................................................................................... 4

Conceptual framework for HRM 1110..........................................................................................................5

Module outline HRM 1110............................................................................................................................ 6

Assessment scheme.................................................................................................................................... 8

Middlesex University 20-point assessment scale.......................................................................................15

Communication and admin issues..............................................................................................................16

Seminar activities....................................................................................................................................... 17

Module narrative......................................................................................................................................... 21

Additional reading material......................................................................................................................... 23

Notes.......................................................................................................................................................... 24

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Aim of moduleThis module explores a variety of factors influencing attitudes and behaviours in organisations. It is based on a theoretical framework which aims to answer the question ‘What makes people do a good job at work?’ from a scientific point of view. The range of factors explored will firstly relate to individuals and their performance within organisations, secondly to those which relate to groups within the organisation, and thirdly to those which relate to organisations as a whole. Through this exploration the module goes on to describe, illustrate, analyse and evaluate concepts, strategies and theories developed and utilised by scholars to maximise the potential and resolve problems associated with an organisation’s most significant and valuable resource –its people.

Pedagogic strategy of moduleThe module consists of both lectures and seminars taught on a weekly basis. The objective of the lectures is to communicate the module aims and the syllabus, accessible to those who have no or merely a very superficial theoretical background in this area. The lectures will also provide you with an introduction to a number of significant theories and concepts relating to the subject. The seminars, on the other hand, will be based around activities taken from the core text, journal articles or other related material. In the seminars, you will often work in small groups which are designed to consolidate, monitor and test your understanding of the module material. A series of formative and summative assessment elements will allow both tutors and students to gain feedback and monitor progress on the module.

There is one essential textbook you will need for this module. It is crucial that you get a copy of this book, not necessarily the latest version, but you will have to have this book in order to come prepared to the seminars and pass all the assignments. The details of this essential textbook are:

Essential textbookBuchanan, D. A., & Huczynski, A. A. (2010). Organizational behaviour (7th ed.). Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.

There is another very interesting text which you might want to look at for this module as well. It is an American textbook which is structured around a theoretical model comparable to the one we use in this module (see page 5). The details of this recommended textbook are:

Additional recommended textbookColquitt, J. A., LePine, J. A., & Wesson, M. J. (2011). Organizational behavior: improving performance and commitment in the workplace (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

By purchasing a copy of the essential textbook and possibly the recommended textbook you will have a solid and comprehensive source as to why people behave at work the way they do. I am convinced that many of the ideas and theories in these books will be of use for your further studies. So instead of treating this as costs, I would rather treat a good book as an investment in your academic and professional career. Rest assured that many of the ideas and theories in both books are highly relevant to anyone who wants to better understand people at work –both in academia as well as in the world of work.

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Conceptual framework for HRM 1110This conceptual framework should help you to find answers to the question ‘What makes people do a good job at work?’. Please do not be put off by its complexity. Throughout this academic year, we will look into all of these variables and concepts and you should be able to make sense of the framework after completing this module.

Please read this figure from the right to the left, posing the variables and concepts we are interested in at the end so that we can look at the causes –or to use jargon, the antecedents- of what is likely to predict ‘a good job at work’. This is not an empirically tested model, so it is best to see it as a roadmap or framework for the module. Some of the concepts of the framework can also be grouped differently, for instance we could also classify organisational decision-making under group and/or individual factors. There are, in addition, other links conceivable between the variables and concepts presented. For instance, we could also argue for a direct relationship between certain personality traits and job and contextual performance.

Figure 1: Conceptual framework for HRM 1110Copyright Sebastian Fuchs 2011

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Module outline HRM 1110

Week com.

Teaching week

Lecture Seminar Student contribution and preparation for seminar

Oct 2nd 1Lecture 1Introduction to module and Organisational Behaviour and Analysis

-----Read module handbookPurchase textbookRe-visit lecture notes and textbook chapter

Oct 9th 2Lecture 2Methods in the study of Organisational Behaviour and Analysis and key organisational concepts

Seminar 1Introduction to module and Organisational Behaviour and Analysis

Re-visit lecture notes and textbook chapter

Oct 16th 3Lecture 3Learning and development

Seminar 2Methods in the study of Organisational Behaviour and Analysis and job performance

Re-visit lecture notes and textbook chapterPrepare seminar 2

Oct 23rd 4Lecture 4Work motivation 1 (need and job design theories)

Seminar 3Learning Resource Centre on search tools


Oct 30th 5Lecture 5Work motivation 2 (cognitive and behavioural theories and recent developments in the field)

Seminar 4Learning and development


Nov 06th 6 Reading week 1Catch-up with any material you may have missed or are unclear about

Nov 13th 7Lecture 6Stress and employee healthEssay writing session

Seminar 5Work motivation

Re-visit lecture notes and textbook chapter Prepare seminar 5

Nov 20th 8Lecture 7Perception theory

Seminar 6Stress and employee health


Nov 27th 9Lecture 8Dispositional factors 1: the study of personality and individual ability

Seminar 7Academic essay writing and effective scientific reading

Re-visit lecture notes and textbook chapterPrepare seminar 7 and read journal article by Skarlicki and Folger (1997) [distributed during lecture]

Dec 04th 10Lecture 9Dispositional factors 2: BBC documentary ‘Battle of the Brains’

Seminar 8Feedback session on formative essay

-----

Dec 11th 11Lecture 10Group formation and processes

Seminar 9Dispositional factors


Mid Term break

Jan 22nd 12Lecture 11Group structure

Seminar 10Group formation and processesStudent allocation for summative presentation


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Week com.

Teaching week

Lecture Seminar Student contribution andpreparation for seminar

Jan 29th 13Lecture 12Individuals in groups

Seminar 11Group structure

Re-visit lecture notes and textbook chapterPrepare seminar 11 and read journal article by Nielsen (2009) [distributed during lecture]

Feb 5th 14Lecture 13Work design

Seminar 12Individuals in groups


Feb 12th 15Lecture 14Organisational culture

Seminar 13Work design


Feb 19th 16Lecture 15Organisational conflict

Seminar 14Organisational culture

Re-visit lecture notes and textbook chapter Prepare seminar 14

Feb 26th 17 Reading week 2Catch-up with any material you may have missed or are unclear about

Mar 04th 18Lecture 16Organisational decision-making

Seminar 15Summative presentations 1


Mar 11th 19Lecture 17Organisational ethics

Seminar 16Summative presentations 2


Mar 18th 20Lecture 18Organisational change

Seminar 17Organisational decision-making


Mar 25th 21Lecture 19Organisational power and politics

Seminar 18Organisational ethics


Apr 1 22Lecture 20National culture and institutions

Seminar 19Mock online test


Apr 8th 23Lecture 21Module summary

Seminar 20Organisational power and politics

Re-visit lecture notes and textbook chapterReflect on overall module, on what you have learned and how this translates into your academic and professional careerPrepare seminar 20

Apr 15th 24Office drop-in session Seminar 21

Summative online test -----

End of Term – Examination period

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Assessment schemeThe assessment scheme for this module consists of four summative assessment (assignment which counts towards your final mark) elements (seminar participation, essay, partner/small group presentation and final in-class test) spread over the academic year, plus one formative assessment element scheduled for the first term which will not count towards your final mark. Marks will be given in accordance to the Middlesex University 20-point assessment scale (see page 15). If a student fails one summative assessment (mark below 40%), a better mark might make up for the failed summative assessment element. When two or more of the four assessment elements were failed and the student failed to achieve 40+% overall, the student will fail the entire module. If this is the case, the module leader will decide on a suitable re-assessment to be submitted during the summer of 2012.

Assessment overviewThis table provides an overview of the assessment elements of HRM 1110, including the element weighting for the overall module and the respective deadlines.

Assessment element Weighting (in %) Deadline

Seminar participation 15% Seminars 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 20

Formative essay* --- 21.11.2011

Summative essay 40% 09.01.2012

Summative partner/small group presentation 25% Seminars 15 and 16

Summative online test 20% Week commencing April 15th 2012

* Even though the formative essay does not count towards your final mark, it is still a compulsory assessment element and you are required to submit it in order to pass the module.

Seminar participation (15%)You will be put into syndicate groups of four to five people in the first seminar. During the seminars you will have the chance to actively participate and earn participation points. The criterion for such a seminar-based point is whether or not your participation actually makes a valuable contribution to the seminar. In other words, just ‘saying’ something for the sake of it will not get you any points. Further, the seminar tutor will check if you have prepared the seminars or not. You have the chance to earn one point for seminars 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18 and 20. This totals 13 seminars. If you got a participation point for each of these 13 seminars you will be awarded two extra points, totalling 15 points overall. These 15 possible points will count for 15% of the overall module.

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Formative essay of 2,000 words- To be submitted to student office by 21.11.2011- To be uploaded onto OASISPlus ‘Turnitin online assessment’ function at same deadline- OASISPlus plagiarism report needs to be attached to hard copy –please note that system

requires at least 24 hours to be updated before second submission can be made- Choose only one of the following essay topics- Deviation from word limit is accepted at level of +/- 10%- Use font Times New Roman, size 11, line spacing 1,5, justified alignment- Put the name of your seminar tutor on the cover sheet- Feedback will be provided during seminar session

Questions to choose from:

Question 1“The one best way to increase work motivation for an organisation is through financial rewards”. Discuss.

Reading list:Buchanan, D. A., & Huczynski, A. A. (2010). Organizational behaviour (7th ed.) [Chapter 9]. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

Cameron, J., & Pierce, W. D. (2002). Rewards and intrinsic motivation: resolving the controversy. Westport, CT: Bergin and Garvey.

Colquitt, J. A., LePine, J. A., & Wesson, M. J. (2011). Organizational behavior: improving performance and commitment in the workplace (2nd ed.) [Chapter 6]. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Hollyforde, S., & Whiddett, S. (2002). The motivation handbook. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Kohn, A. (1999). Punished by rewards: the trouble with gold stars, incentive plans, A's, praise, and other bribes. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Latham, G. P. (2007). Work motivation: history, theory, research, and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Reeve, J. (2005). Understanding motivation and emotion (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Stajkovic, A. D., & Luthans, F. (1998). Self-efficacy and work-related performance: a meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 124(2), 240-261.

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Question 2To what extent can we attribute high individual performance to employee training?

Reading list:Alliger, G. M., Tannenbaum, S. I., Bennett JR., W., Traver, H., & Shotland, A. (1997). A meta-analysis of the relations among training criteria. Personnel Psychology, 50, 341-358.

Buchanan, D. A., & Huczynski, A. A. (2010). Organizational behaviour (7th ed.) [Chapter 5]. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

Chen, G., Gully, S. M., Whiteman, J-A., & Kilcullen, R. N. (2000). Examination of relationships among trait-like individual differences, state-like individual differences, and learning performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(6), 835-847.

Colquitt, J. A., LePine, J. A., & Noe, R. A. (2000). Toward an integrative theory of training motivation: a meta-analytic path analysis of 20 years of research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(5), 678-707.

Colquitt, J. A., LePine, J. A., & Wesson, M. J. (2011). Organizational behavior: improving performance and commitment in the workplace (2nd ed.) [Chapter 2 & 8]. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Saks, A. M. (1995). Longitudinal field investigation of the moderating and mediating effects of self-efficacy on the relationship between training and newcomer adjustment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 80(2), 211-225.

Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. (2004). General mental ability in the world of work: occupational attainment and job performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86(1), 162-173.

Tracey, J. B., Tannenbaum, S. I., & Kavanagh, M. J. (1995). Applying trained skills on the job: the importance of the work environment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 80(2), 239-252.

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Summative essay of 2,000 words (40%)Essays need to address the task in an appropriate academic fashion, i.e. your arguments need to be based on theoretical and empirical evidence and actually answer the question –this is crucial! If you fail to answer the question in your essay you will fail the entire essay even though your essay might have touched upon the subject. Some lecturers give marks for spelling, referencing and structure among others. This is not the case in this module. If you do not follow the guidelines (we will have a session on this) you will lose marks. However, if you follow the guidelines, you will not be given marks for this as this is what you are expected to do anyway. In other words, your performance will be judged merely on content and not on style. You can compare this to a football match you went to see –just because people kicked the ball around the pitch is unlikely to impress you when you evaluate the quality of the match afterwards. What is likely to impress you, however, is the players’ skill of handling the football, the pace of individual players, the creativity with which players created chances and goals and so on. This precise line of reasoning lies behind the assessment of your essay in this module too.

- To be submitted to student office by 09.01.2012- To be uploaded onto OASISPlus ‘Turnitin online assessment’ function at same deadline- OASISPlus plagiarism report needs to be attached to hard copy –please note that system

requires at least 24 hours to be updated before second submission can be made- Choose only one of the following essay topics- Do not put your name on essay; student number is sufficient- Put the name of your seminar tutor on the cover sheet- Deviation from word limit is accepted at level of +/- 10%- Use font Times New Roman, size 11, line spacing 1,5, justified alignment- Individual feedback will be provided by appointment and/or during office hours

Questions to choose from:

Question 1“If you want your employees to perform at soaring levels, you must create high levels of job satisfaction”. Discuss.

Reading list:Colquitt, J. A., LePine, J. A., & Wesson, M. J. (2011). Organizational behavior: improving performance and commitment in the workplace (2nd ed.) [Chapter 2 & 4]. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Iaffaldano, M. T., & Muchinsky, P. M. (1985). Job satisfaction and job performance: a meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 97(2), 251-273.

Judge, T. A., Thoresen, C. J., Bono, J. E., & Patton, G. K. (2001). The job satisfaction-job performance relationship: a qualitative and quantitative review. Psychological Bulletin, 127(3), 376-407.

Lapierre, L. M., & Hackett, R. D. (2007). Trait conscientiousness, leader-member exchange, job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviour: a test of an integrative model. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 80, 539-554.

Motowidlo, S. J., & Van Scotter, J. R. (1994). Evidence that task performance should be distinguished from contextual performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 79(4), 475-480.

Spector, P. E. (2006). Industrial and organizational psychology: research and practice (4th ed.) [Chapter 9 & 10]. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Van Scotter, J. R. (2000). Relationships of task performance and contextual performance with turnover, job satisfaction, and affective commitment. Human Resource Management Review, 10(1), 79-95.

Williams, L. J., & Anderson, S. E. (1991). Job satisfaction and organizational commitment as predictors of organizational citizenship and in-role behaviors. Journal of Management, 17(3), 601-617.

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Question 2To what extent does personality predict employee performance? How do personality traits translate into individual’s professional careers?

Reading list:Barrick, M. R., Mount, M. K. & Strauss, J. P. (1993). Conscientiousness and performance of sales representatives: test of the mediating effects of goal setting. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(5), 715-722.

Barrick, M. R., Stewart, G. L., & Piotrowski, M. (2002). Personality and job performance: test of the mediating effects of motivation among sales representatives. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(1), 43-51.

Hurtz, G. M., & Donovan, J. J. (2000). Personality and job performance: the big five revisited. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(6), 869-879.

Judge, T. A., Higgins, C. A., Thoresen, C. J., & Barrick, M. R. (1999). The big five personality traits, general mental ability, and career success across the life span. Personnel Psychology, 52, 621-652.

Lapierre, L. M., & Hackett, R. D. (2007). Trait conscientiousness, leader-member exchange, job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviour: a test of an integrative model. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 80, 539-554.

Motowidlo, S. J., & Van Scotter, J. R. (1994). Evidence that task performance should be distinguished from contextual performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 79(4), 475-480.

Spector, P. E. (2006). Industrial and organizational psychology: research and practice (4th ed.) [Chapter 10]. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Stewart, G. L. (1999). Trait bandwidth and stages of job performance: assessing differential effects for conscientiousness and its subtraits. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84(6), 959-968.

Summative partner/small group presentation of 10 minutes (plus app. 5 minute discussion) (25%)- To be held in seminars 15 and 16- All groups need to be ready to present in seminar 15- Choose only one of the following presentation topics- In-class presentation order will be chosen randomly- Two to three people per group maximum- Articles need to be spread out over seminar group evenly

Journal articles to choose from:

Article 1Barrick, M. R., Shaffer, J. A., & DeGrassi, S. W. (2009). What you see may not be what you get: relationships among self-presentation tactics and ratings of interview and job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94:6, 1394-1411.

Question 1: What is the article by Barrick et al (2009) about? Question 2: What are the justifications of the hypotheses and what are the actual findings of the study? Question 3: How can organisations use the findings of this study in their selection process?

Article 2Binnewies, C., Sonnentag, S., & Mojza, E. J. (2009). Daily performance at work: feeling recovered in the morning as a predictor of day-level job performance. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 30, 67-93.

Question 1: What is the central research proposition of this article?Question 2: Illustrate the findings of this research article. How are they explained by existing research?Question 3: How can organisations translate Binnewies et al’s (2009) findings into practice?

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Article 3Bommer, W. H., Miles, E. W., & Grover, S. L. (2003). Does one good turn deserve another? Coworker influences on employee citizenship. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24, 181-196.

Question 1: What are the central arguments and findings of the article?Question 2: Illustrate the psychological mechanisms and theories of their hypotheses. Question 3: What are the implications of this article for organisations?

Article 4Heslin, P. A. (2009). Better than brainstorming? Potential contextual boundary conditions to brainwriting for idea generation in organizations. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 82, 129-145.

Question 1: What is the difference between brainstorming and brainwriting? What are the limitations of brainstorming?

Question 2: What is the evidence that brainwriting may be a more effective tool for idea generation than brainstorming in organisations? Why may this be the case?

Question 3: Illustrate the main contextual factors under which brainwriting is most effective in organisational life?

Article 5Judge, T. A., Hurst, C., & Simon, L. S. (2009). Does it pay to be smart, attractive, or confident (or all three)? Relationships among general mental ability, physical attractiveness, core self-evaluations, and income. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94:3, 742-755.

Question 1: What is this article all about?Question 2: What are the findings of this study?Question 3: How can individuals make use of them?

Article 6Ng, T. W. H., & Feldman, D. C. (2010). Human capital and objective indicators of career success: the mediating effects of cognitive ability and conscientiousness. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 83, 207-235.

Question 1: What is this article all about?Question 2: What are the findings of this study?Question 3: What are the implications of this study for individuals and for organisations?

Article 7Robinson, S. L., & O'Leary-Kelly, A. M. (1998). Monkey see, monkey do: the influence of work groups on the antisocial behavior of employees. Academy of Management Journal, 41:6, 658-672.

Question 1: What is this article all about?Question 2: Illustrate the main psychological mechanisms and theories underlying Robinson and O’Leary-

Kelly’s (1998) study. Question 3: Why is this article important for organisations?

Article 8Romero, E., & Pescosolido, A. (2008). Humor and group effectiveness. Human Relations, 61:3, 395-418.

Question 1: What are the central arguments of this article?Question 2: What are the main mechanisms as to why class two humour is likely to positively affect group

effectiveness?Question 3: How can organisations make use of Romero and Pescosolido’s (2008) propositions?

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Article 9Vignovic, J. A., & Foster Thompson, L. (2010). Computer-mediated cross-cultural collaboration: attributing communication errors to the person versus the situation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95:2, 265-276.

Question 1: What is the article by Vignovic and Foster Thompson (2010) all about? Question 2: What are the findings of the article? Question 3: What are the implications of the findings for your communication at university and when

searching for a job after graduation?

Article 10Webster, J. R., Beehr, T. A., & Christiansen, N. D. (2010). Toward a better understanding of the effects of hindrance and challenge stressors on work behavior. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 76, 68-77.

Question 1: What is the article by Webster et al (2010) about? Question 2: What did the authors find in their study? Question 3: What are the implications for organisations of this article?

Marking criteriaThe marking criteria for this summative assessment are as follows:

Excellent+70%

Good60-69%

Average50-59%

Pass40-49%

Fail-39%

Delivery Professional appearance Introduction Clarity Vocabulary Volume Speed/timing Visual aids Structure ConclusionContent Questions addressed Logical arguments Questions handledOverall

Summative online test (20%)- To be held week commencing April 15th 2012- Further instructions will be given closer to the actual time of the test

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60%

40%

Middlesex University 20-point assessment scaleThe overall grade is made up of weighted averages of the essay mark, the presentation mark, the in-class test mark and the participation mark. To create the weighted average, each element is marked as a percentage and combined to create an overall percentage grade. This grade is then converted to the 20-point scale according to the following conversion:

Percentage 20 point scale Degree class

Missed assessment 20

Fail0 – 29 19

30 – 34 18

35 – 39 17

40 16

Third class41 – 43 15

44 – 46 14

47 – 49 13

50 12

Lower second class51 – 53 11

54 – 56 10

57 – 59 9

60 8

Upper second class61 – 63 7

64 – 66 6

67 – 69 5

70 4

First class71 – 74 3

75 – 79 2

80 – 100 1

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Communication and admin issues

Office hours – Module Tutor : Susan Soliman

I am available before and/or after the lecture for questions respecting the module. Alternatively, you can contact me via email ([email protected]). If you would like to see me in person during the term, please come to my office hours (Room 304 – Block 16):

Sunday (11 a.m. - 01 p.m.)Sunday (02 p.m. - 04 p.m.)Monday (02 p.m. - 04 p.m.)

Please leave me a message on my university telephone (04 369 3965) if I am not available to take your call. In general, I prefer to be contacted during my consultation hours or via email. If you have a content-related question please put it into an email, as I know from my own experience as a student that many of your peers are likely to have a similar question and I can then answer that question during the lecture for everybody. If you email me, however, you need to do so in a professional manner (no mobile phone abbreviations, informal language or spelling mistakes). If your email is not written in a professional manner, I will simply not respond to it –regardless of how important the issue might be!

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Seminar activitiesSeminar 1Introduction to module and Organisational Behaviour and AnalysisThis seminar will introduce you to the module and to some core areas of Organisational Behaviour and Analysis.

Outline:Overview of content and structure of module.Clarification of assessment scheme.Why study Organisational Behaviour and Analysis?The nature of analytical thinking: descriptive, argumentative and analytical accounts: a group task.

Seminar 2Methods in the study of Organisational Behaviour and Analysis and job performanceIn this seminar we will look in more detail at the concept of studying attitudes and behaviours in organisations and the role of job performance.

Outline:Understanding crucial methods in Organisational Behaviour and Analysis, including correlations, inferential statistics and concept relationships.Exercise: ‘Churrascaria Botafoguense’ [distributed during seminar]. Clarification of the concepts of task and contextual performance and counterproductive behaviour.

Seminar 3Learning Resource Centre on search toolsThe purpose of this crucial seminar is to gain a better understanding of how to research all the academic material you will need for your studies.

Seminar 4Learning and developmentThis seminar will consider the material discussed in the lecture on learning and development and will introduce you to the concept of the learning curve.

Outline: Why study learning in organisations?What are the main learning theories?Exercise 1: the learning curve (in Huczynski & Buchanan, 2007: 133-134) [distributed during seminar].Discussion: what can we take away from this exercise for our academic and professional careers?

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Seminar 5Work motivationThis seminar will consider the material discussed in the two lectures on motivation and the academic worth and applicability of one core work motivation theory, namely Hackman et al’s (1975) job characteristics model.

Outline: Why study motivation at work?What are the main motivation theories?Clarification of Hackman et al’s (1975) job characteristics model.Exercise 2: job characteristics and growth need (in Huczynski & Buchanan, 2007: 272-275) [distributed during seminar].Discussion: why are not all jobs re-designed if this leads to positive outcomes such as higher internal work motivation and lower absenteeism among others?

Seminar 6Stress and employee healthThis seminar is concerned with the concept of stress and employee health in organisations.

Outline:What are the main concepts of stress and employee health?Exercise: managing stress (in Colquitt el at (2011: 168-169) [distributed during seminar].

Seminar 7Academic essay writing and effective scientific readingThe purpose of this crucial seminar is to prepare you for your first assignment. We will discuss all the relevant issues so that you have a realistic chance of getting a decent mark in your summative essay. In addition, we will look at how to do effective reading of journal articles by evaluating Skarlicki and Folger’s (1997) paper on the relationship between perceived organisational justice and retaliation in the workplace. This will be crucial for both your summative essay and your summative presentation.

Seminar 8Feedback session on formative essayThe line of reasoning behind this seminar is that you receive the essay feedback, reflect on it and then incorporate the suggestions into your summative essay.

Seminar 9Dispositional factorsIn this seminar we will look into the idea of how individuals differ and how this is likely to affect organisations and their functioning.

Outline:What are the main concepts of personality and individual ability in the study of Organisational Behaviour and Analysis?Exercise: comparing interpersonal skills (in Bloisi et al, 2007: 434-435; 416-419) [distributed during seminar].Give concrete examples from the world of work as to why the results of this exercise are important?

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Seminar 10Group formation and processesThis seminar will be of more practical nature than other seminars. We will look in great detail at practicalities of different types of task interdependence. In this seminar the seminar tutor will also allocate you to your partner/small group for the summative presentation.

Outline:What do we mean by the concept of task interdependence?What are the different conceptualisations of task interdependence?Exercise: paper plane corporation (in Colquitt et al, 2011: 400-402) [distributed during seminar].

Seminar 11Group structureIn this seminar we discuss the journal article by Nielsen (2009) on homogeneity of top management teams. Please have it read for the seminar and prepare the questions below.

Outline: What is Nielsen’s (2009) article all about?Illustrate the main psychological mechanisms as to why top management teams might be highly homogenous.What are the findings of Nielsen’s (2009) study?Why is this article of importance for organisations?

Seminar 12Individuals in groupsIn this seminar we look in more detail at the concept of social loafing in organisations.

Outline:Why study the role of individuals in groups?Clarification of the concept of social loafing.Exercise 2: curtailing social loafing (in Huczynski & Buchanan, 2007: 375).

Seminar 13Work designIn this seminar we will look into greater detail at how work design has changed over the past century and how some of the more traditional elements are still very much in existence in the 21st century.

Outline:Who are the main scholars (and their concepts) of traditional work design?Exercise: job enrichment at Volvo [distributed during seminar].

Seminar 14Organisational cultureIn this session we will apply the notion of organisational culture to Middlesex University.

Outline:What is organisational culture?Why study the notion of organisational culture?Exercise: university culture (in Colquitt et al, 2011: 581) [distributed during seminar].

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Seminar 15Summative presentations 1In this session the entire seminar cohort will listen to the summative presentations.

Seminar 16Summative presentations 2In this session the entire seminar cohort will listen to the summative presentations.

Seminar 17Organisational decision-makingIn this seminar we will investigate whether or not team working provides process gains in decision-making when compared to individual decision-making.

Outline: Exercise: wilderness survival (in Colquitt et al, 2011: 437-440) [distributed during seminar].

Seminar 18Organisational ethicsIn this seminar the emphasis will be on the idea of ethical behaviour in organisations.

Outline: What are the main theories and arguments on organisational ethics?Exercise 1: group activity 12.1 (in Fisher & Lovell, 2009: 506) [distributed during seminar].

Seminar 19Mock in-class testIn this seminar you have the chance to sit a mock in-class test in order to be prepared for the summative in-class test in seminar 21.

Seminar 20Organisational power and politicsIn this seminar we will look at the concept of organisational politics.

Outline:Why study organisational power and politics?What are the main theories and models that scholars have developed to further our understanding of these issues? Exercise: politics in decision-making (in Buchanan & Huczynski, 2010: 723-724) [distributed during seminar].

Seminar 21Summative in-class testIn this last seminar you will have your summative in-class test.

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Module narrative

Short code HRM 1110Title Organisational Behaviour and Analysis

Level UGCredit points 30Start term Autumn 2011/12Subject Human Resource ManagementModule leader Sebastian FuchsModule restrictions Pre-requisite None

Programme restriction NoneLevel restrictions NoneOther restrictions or requirements None

Automatic deferral Not permitted

AimsThis module explores a variety of factors influencing attitudes and behaviour in organisations. It is based on a theoretical framework which aims to answer the question “What factors enable or prevent people in doing a good job at work”. The range of factors explored will firstly relate to individuals and their performance within organisations, secondly to those which relate to groups within the organisation, and thirdly to those which relate to organisations as structures within society at large. Through this the module aims to describe, illustrate, analyse and evaluate concepts, strategies and theories to maximise the potential and resolve problems associated with an organisation’s most significant and valuable resource: its people.

SyllabusConceptual framework of the module and basic methods in Organisational Behaviour and Analysis.Making sense of organisational outcomes such as performance, organisational commitment and job satisfaction.Individuals in the organisation: theories of learning and development, motivation, personality, individual ability, perception and political skill.Groups and teams in the organisation: group formation, group structure, individuals in groups and team-working.Organisation processes and wider contexts: traditional work design, decision-making, conflict in organisations and national culture and institutions.

Learning outcomesKnowledgeBy the end of the module you will be able to: 1) Describe the key concepts and ways of analysing factors relating to individuals, groups and organisations. 2) Distinguish between different types of employee performance, learning, personality and motivational theories.3) Describe the processes of perception and their importance to organisational behaviour.4) Identify the process of group formation, group structure, the role of the individual in groups and team working.5) Identify and explain the historical changes in organisational structure and design and the importance of the concepts of conflict, national culture and institutions for organisations.

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SkillsBy the end of the module you will be able to:1) Be able to select appropriate methods when evaluating organisational situations.2) Make informed recommendations with regard to improving performance and solving problems in organisations.3) Construct a scientific argument for a question posed to you.4) Read yourself into a complex topic with which you are not familiar. 5) Work in groups and participate in group discussions.6) Compare, contrast and evaluate data and information.7) Utilise a range of learning resources.

Learning, teaching and assessment strategyThis module will use a combination of lectures, seminars and on-line activities. Lectures will communicate the knowledge outcomes, accessible to those who have no theoretical background in this subject. Seminars will be based around activities taken from core texts and worked upon in small groups which are designed to consolidate, monitor and test understanding of lecture material.

The assessment scheme for this module consists of both summative assessment elements spread over the academic year supported by formative assessment in the first term.

Assessment weighting100% coursework1) Formative essay construction of scientific argument and application of different organisationally-relevant key concepts2) Seminar participation: 15% application of key Organisational Behaviour and Analysis concepts to different organisational phenomena on individual, group and organisational level of analysis3) Summative essay: 40% construction of scientific argument and application of different organisationally-relevant key concepts4) Partner/small group presentation: 25% work in groups and utilisation of different learning resources5) In-class test: 20% consolidation of key concepts in Organisational Behaviour and Analysis and application to mini case studies

Timetabled examination requiredNo

Length of examN/A

Learning materialsEssentialBuchanan, D. A., & Huczynski, A. A. (2010). Organizational behaviour (7th ed.). Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.RecommendedColquitt, J. A., LePine, J. A., & Wesson, M. J. (2011). Organizational behavior: improving performance and commitment in the workplace. (2nd ed.) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

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Additional reading materialThis is a list of additional readings you might find interesting. If one of the journal articles or books is not available from the Learning Resource Centre, please get in touch with me and I will try to order it through the university for you.

Adler, N. J., & Gundersen, A. (2008). International dimensions of organizational behavior (5th ed.). Mason, OH: Thomson South-Western.

Brown, R. (2000). Group processes: dynamics within and between groups (2nd ed.). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

Cawsey, T., & Deszca, G. (2007). Toolkit for organizational change. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Chhokar, J. S., Brodbeck, F. C., & House, R. J. (2007). Culture and leadership across the world: the GLOBE book of in-depth studies of 25 societies. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Coyle-Shapiro, J. A.-M., & Conway, N. (Eds.). (2004). The employment relationship through the lens of social exchange. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Demers, C. (2007). Organizational change theories: a synthesis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Edwards, T., & Ferner, A. (Eds.). (2005). Managing human resources in multinational companies (4th ed.). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

Edwards, T., & Kuruvilla, S. (2005). International HRM: national business systems, organizational politics and the international division of labour in MNCs. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16(1), 1-21.

Hall, P. A., & Soskice, D. (Eds.). (2001). An introduction to varieties of capitalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

House, R. J., Hanges, P. J., Javidan, M., Dorfman, P. W., & Gupta, V. (Eds.). (2004). Culture, leadership, and organizations: the GLOBE study of 62 societies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

James, L. R., & Mazerolle, M. D. (2002). Personality in work organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Latham, G. P. (2007). Work motivation: history, theory, research, and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

McShane, S., & Travaglione, T. (2005). Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim. North Ryde: McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Limited.

Meyer, J. P., & Allen, N. J. (1997). Commitment in the workplace: theory, research, and application. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Ritzer, G. (2007). The globalization of nothing (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.Ritzer, G. (2008). The McDonaldization of society (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.Rousseau, D. M. (1998). Why workers still identify with organizations. Journal of Organizational Behavior,

19, 217-233.Scott, W. R. (2008). Institutions and organizations: ideas and interests (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:

Sage Publications, Inc.Smith, P. B. (Ed.). (1996). National cultures and the values of organizational employees: time for another

look. London: Thomson Business Press.Smith, P. B., Bond, M. H., & Kağitçibaşi, Ç. (2006). Understanding social psychology across cultures:

living and working in a changing world. London: Sage Publications Limited.Sorge, A. (Ed.). (2004). Cross-national differences in Human Resources and Organization. London: Sage

Publications Limited.Sutton, R. I., & Staw, B. M. (1995). What theory is not. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40(3), 371-384.Triandis, H. C. (1995). Individualism and collectivism: new directions in social psychology. Boulder, CO:

Westview Press.Whetten, D. A. (1989). What constitutes a theoretical contribution? Academy of Management Review,

14(4), 490-495.

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module handbook hrm 1110 201112 (dxb)

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