NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE NUS School of Business Department of Management & Organization MNO1001X Management and Organization Lecturer

and Coordinator: Dr. Daniel J. McAllister Office: MRB #08-58 Phone: 6516-1009 Email: bizdjm@nus.edu.sg Tutors: GAO Xiangyu LI Xian LU Qian Mavis McALLISTER WANG Nan Session: Semester 1, 2011/2012 Course Overview The focus of this course is on developing your understanding of modern organizations and the tools you will need to contribute effectively in them. Much of your success as leaders, managers, and professionals will depend on how well you work with and get things done through others. The organizations best prepared to succeed in the competitive global marketplace are those that engender full participation and promote teamwork through enabling and responsible leadership. This course will provide you with a framework for understanding what it takes to make this happen, and challenge you to see the roles that you can play in the process. Given the lecture-tutorial format of this class, modes of instruction vary widely, including lecture materials, videos, case analyses, simulations and role-play exercises. Come to class prepared to think, to test ideas out, to make good mistakes, and to discover more about your own capabilities as managers and leaders. Required Textbooks: Bauer, T. N., & Erdogan, B. (2010). Organizational Behavior (Version 1.1). Nyack, NY: Flat World Knowledge. (ISBN: 978-1-4533-0085-5). Free online access available. Additional required readings are made available online through the course web site (IVLE). Please consult the detailed course outline below for a listing of these materials, and make sure that you have no difficulty in viewing, downloading, or printing them. Assessment: Team CA Assignment Team ProjectVIA Video Assignment Individual CA Assignments Teamwork Analysis & Feedback Reflected Best Self Analysis Subject Pool Participation (or Individual Learning Report) Class Contribution Final Examination 20% 7% 8% 10% 15% 45%

MNO1001X MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION PAGE 2

TEAM ASSIGNMENT: Virtues in Action (VIA) Video Assignment Above all else, the field of organizational behavior is concerned with unleashing human capabilities, bringing out the best in people and the organizations in which they work. The focus of this team project is on learning about human virtuesstrengths and qualities of characterand the role they play in enabling organizations to thrive. You will be working together as a team to communicate your learning about Virtues in Action in video form to an audience of managers and professionals. Your task is to select one human virtue that you believe is poorly understood or under-appreciated in the business world, but is highly relevant for students of management and organization, and communicate the importance of that virtue in a manner that is meaningful, memorable and motivating! This will require background research and reflection on the topic of interest, creativity in developing material to present, resourcefulness in bringing your vision to life, and teamwork throughout. You can prepare your VIA Videos in genre of your choicenews bulletins, case studies, documentaries, parables/fantasies/fables, and video essays are all welcome. You want to align the medium with the message you wish to convey. VIA Videos will be evaluated on the basis of four equally weighed criteria: 1) substance (going beyond the obvious, and showing deeper insight), 2) engagement (connecting with the audience both in the moment and motivating a response), 3) creativity, and 4) professionalism (the quality of the final product). This assignment is worth 20% of the course grade and is to be submitted to your tutor by Monday, the 24th of October. VIA Videos will be presented during tutorial sessions for the week (26-28 Oct). Additional Information: Teams for this project will be randomly assigned by your professor, and consist of 5-7 people. All team members should participate in the video as cast members. Locating and gaining access to the materials needed to complete the assignment is the responsibility of the team as a whole. Be resourceful and plan ahead! VIA Videos should be between 5-7 minutes in length. Teams will be penalized 10% of their final grade for each minute (or portion thereof) below or above these limits. VIA Videos should be prepared to meet YOUTUBE specifications (www.youtube.com). Video submission consists of uploading the file to Youtube, verifying that it is online, and forwarding the Youtube URL to your tutor by email. Teams are free to bring higher resolution copies for class presentation, but it is each teams responsibility to ensure that its video will project on the classroom equipment. VIA Video teams are responsible for establishing and affirming in writing that the work they upload to YOUTUBE complies with legal requirements for acceptable use of any copyrighted material or intellectual property incorporated into the presentation.

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS: Teamwork Analysis and Feedback In this multi-part assignment you reflect upon your teamwork experiences from the course in general, and your experiences with your VIA video team, using course concepts to make sense of it. Follow the guidelines outlined below for this assignment. Teamwork Analysis: Prepare a progress report, no more than two pages in length, on your teamwork experiences to this point in the course. Analyze the group to which you have been assigned, and your role in it. To what extent is it a high-performance-team? What steps might you take to help the team be more effective? Your analysis will be submitted at the beginning of your tutorial session, the week of 7-9 September. Teamwork Feedback: You will be completing an online survey (October 29-31), providing feedback to your peers on their teamwork contributions. Your feedback should provide practical insight into each persons strengths and areas for development. You will be asked to substantiate the points you make, using descriptions of incidents/events that have occurred during team interaction. Feedback is most effective when it is specific, concrete, and developmental in focus. While feedback sources will be kept confidential, each team member will receive a summary report of the feedback that peers provide concerning their team contribution.

The Teamwork Feedback and Analysis assignments account for 7% of your course grade (5% for Analysis; 2% for Feedback). Graded assignments will be returned to students together at the end of the semester.

MNO1001X MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION PAGE 3

The Reflected Best Self (RBS) Assignment The goal of this activity is to get people who know you well to help you understand yourself when you are at your best, and how you can better leverage your strengths. The article entitled How to play to your strengths (Roberts and colleagues, 2005) provides a good overview of what this project entails and what you can hope to accomplish. This article is included in your assigned readings for the course. We will complete this project in four stages. First, you will identify contacts and approach them for input (tutorial activity for 14-16 Sept). Second, you will analyze the information you receive and compose a reflected best self portrait (tutorial activity for 5-7 Oct). Third, you will analyze your data to better understand the factors influencing your ability to be at your best, and develop an action plan for personal development (tutorial activity for 5-7 Oct). Fourth and finally, you will submit a summary report (5-pages, 12-point font, double-spaced, single-sided) of your learning both from the results of the exercise and from the process itself. (due 19-21 Oct at the beginning of class). Further guidelines for completing this project and preparing reports will be distributed in class. The reflected best self assignment accounts for 8 % of your course grade. Assignments will be assessed on three criteria, equally weighed: 1) level of engagement in the exercise, 2) thoroughness and coherence of reflections, and 3) clarity of writing. Tutorial Participation/Contribution: I expect students to attend lecture and tutorial sessions regularly, except where precluded by emergencies, religious holidays, or other extenuating circumstances. Much of the learning for this course takes place in the classroom, and tutorial exercises are planned with full attendance in mind. I expect each student to do her or his best to contribute to the learning experience of peers. This means coming to class prepared to participate, and doing your part to ensure the success of team-based exercises and assignments. Overall grading of class participation will reflect tutor assessments of your tutorial contributions throughout the semester. Note regarding one-pagers: Preparing for tutorial sessions usually involves some combination of reading assigned materials in advance and completing short hand-in assignments called one-pagers. One-pagers challenge you to do some thinking before class or to make some decision about an assigned case (prior to and in preparation for class discussion). Once you are mentally ready for class, one-pagers should take no more than 15-30 minutes to complete. One-pagers are due at the beginning of class, and signify your attendance for that day. Late and electronic submissions are not accepted, and I encourage you to plan ahead to avoid inevitable last-minute printer problems. Note regarding team contribution: Peer assessments of participation on team projects are completed during this course, the focus of which is on providing peers with constructive feedback on their teamwork strengths and areas for development. However, where clear evidence of effort/contribution imbalance is observed, the professor reserves the right to alter project and class contribution grades for individual team members.

Subject Pool Participation Requirement (Or Individual Learning Assignment) Each student enrolled in MNO1001 is required to fulfill a 3-hour commitment to serve as a participant in the Subject Pool administered by the Department of Management & Organisation, for which they receive course credit. While this assignment has been designed to provide you with direct exposure to management and organization research, your participation also facilitates work to acquire knowledge that is ongoing within the department. You will be awarded 10 marks for full participation. Those who serve less than 2.5 hours will receive marks weighted by their contribution. Detailed information regarding the SPP is provided in the Subject Pool Participants Guide. Those who, for one reason or another, cannot serve in the subject pool may undertake the writing of an Individual Learning Report. OR

MNO1001X MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION PAGE 4

Individual Learning Report (Instead of Subject Pool Participation) For this assignment, select TWO related articles from the popular press (e.g. newspapers, magazines, reports, journals, the Internet) that reflect a theme relevant to this course. Insightfully critique and analyze them, using perspectives and information covered in class and/or in the text. In your analysis, be sure to include the following: (a) the issue or theme reflected in the articles; (b) point out and discuss examples of "good" and/or "bad" management of human resources as reflected in the articles; (c) explain why the practice or approach is good or poor. If the articles present opinions or points of view, discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with what the authors say, explaining the basis for your agreement or disagreement; (d) the "lessons" implied for you and for organizations/management in general; and (e) raise and discuss any other ideas you feel are relevant to your critique. Please attach a cover page to your critique which should include the following: a title for your Individual Learning report, complete reference information for the selected articles, your name and student matriculation number, your session date and time, and your tutors name. Attach a photocopy of the articles with your report. Individual Learning Report length should be 4 and 5 pages [A-4 paper, double-spacing], excluding cover page and attachments. If you intend to complete this assignment in lieu of subject pool participation, notify your tutor of this intention before September 30. Please submit your report to your tutor during tutorial class time. McAllisters Criteria for Evaluating Written and Presented Work Managers and professionals have to communicate in a way that is clear, precise, and informative. They have to be convincing, organizing their thoughts clearly and making their points with logic and supporting rationale. I look for similar elements when evaluating the written work you submit: Discipline: Make sure written work is organized and readable. Convey main points clearly to readers and in a logical manner. Dont gloss over the foundationsspell words correctly and adhere to rules for grammar and usage. Justified Arguments: Support your assertions with evidence from relevant sources (e.g., text, reading, interviews). Be sure to acknowledge sources. Specificity and Accuracy: Make specific rather than vague assertions. You will have greater difficulty in justifying general observations/statements. Also, note that accuracy in the use of technical terminology is critical. It is better to use an everyday word you do understand than to use a nice-sounding technical term inappropriately. Wisdom: Think through the implications of your recommendations (well beyond the obvious). Recognize potential unintended consequences and inherent trade-offs that must be considered. Originality: The quality of your ideas is important. Show creative, independent thinking as much as possible. Other things being equal, I reward attempts at creativity and thinking outside-the-box. Academic Integrity: Signing your name to an exam or quiz signifies that the work is your own. In written reports, give credit where credit is due, acknowledging sources for both ideas and direct quotations. Follow accepted standards for citing and referencing sources (e.g., APA or MLA format).

MNO1001X MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION PAGE 5

Summary Lecture/Tutorial Outline Date 9 Aug 16 Aug 23 Aug Foundations for Effectiveness No ClassNational Day! In Search of Excellence: Managing and Leading People in Organizations 17-19 Aug 24-26 Aug 31 Aug-2 Sept 30 Aug 6 Sept 13 Sept 20 Sept No Tutorial (Tutorial registration period) Stretch Experience Young Chickens in Space Leading and Following: Pathways to Participation

No ClassHari Raya Puasa Working Together: Team Processes and Creativity 7-9 Sept 14-16 Sept Negotiating Team Contracts RBS Project Initiation Social Perception and Understanding No ClassRecess Week (17-25) Bringing Out the Best in People

27 Sept 4 Oct 11 Oct 18 Oct 25 Oct

Understanding Individual Differences 28-30 Sept 5-7 Oct 12-14 Oct 19-21 Oct 26-28 Oct Case Discussion: The Forgotten Group Member RBS analysis and reflection Team Decision Making Exercise Mistakes at work VIA Team Video Presentations Motivation Theories and Applications Job Attitudes and Emotions Enabling Work Environments I: Structural Imperatives Enabling Work Environments II: Organizational Culture and Values

Integrative Perspective on Organizational Challenges 1 Nov 8 Nov 15-16 Nov TBA Leading Change with Power 2-4 Nov 9-11 Nov Risks and Returns Exercise Winter Oak Case Discussion Decision Making and Ethics! In Search of Relevance: Making a Difference Final Examination

Detailed outline of readings available at the beginning of the semester.