OB 6305-501 Prof. David L. Ford, Jr.

Managing People in Organizations SOM 4.201

Spring Semester 2005 Phone: 972/883-2015
Tuesdays, 7:00-9:45 PM Office Hrs.: MT 4:00-6:00 PM
SOM 2.116 (Other times by appointment)
Email: mzad@utdallas.edu

Focus of the Course

This course is designed as an advanced elective for those who wish to

know more about the determinants of individual behavior, performance
and effectiveness in today's work organizations. The content will
focus on the basic psychological processes of work motivation, job
performance, absenteeism, turnover, and organizational stress
associated with careers in organizations, within the context of the
"new" employee-employer psychological contract. As organizations
reshape themselves to survive and compete in a global economy, the
familiar employee-employer contract has been broken. The drastically
changing world of work demands a new social contract -- one that says
we are all self-employed whether we work inside or outside of
organizations. This new employee-employer contract will be examined
within the context of the students' own work lives and careers.

The course itself will be conducted in a seminar-type format and each

student will be expected to be a discussion leader for one of the
class sessions. First-rate participation from all will be expected.
My role will be to serve as a "facilitator" of discussion and to
frame the discussion, as needed, around key issues. Beyond that, the
class itself will determine its specific agenda for discussion and
learning and will engage one another in constructive dialogue.

Required Course Materials

Ford, David (Ed.)(2005). Managing People In Organizations. Pearson

Custom Publishing CoursePack. (F).

Hall, Douglas T. (2002). Careers In and Out of Organizations.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. (H)

Noer, David (1997). Breaking Free: A Prescription for Personal and

Organizatioinal Change. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass (N)

Inscape Publishing (2000). Role Behavior Analysis Instrument

(purchase at Off-Campus Bookstore).
Recommended Materials

Wall Street Journal

Student Evaluation

Group Project Paper and Oral Presentation

(Due April 26, 2005) 50%
Class Participation and Class Discussion Leader 20%
Job Search Benchmarking Report (Due Feb. 15, 2005) 30%
______
100%

Date Discussion Topic/Reading Assignment

1/11 Introduction to the Course and Getting Acquainted

Explanation of course objectives and requirements;
Motivation/Career Exercise (Handout); sign up for
discussion leader dates; Formation of project groups.

1/18 New Career Realities and Work Behavior

Introduction and Chapter 1 (N); CoursePack Reading #1 (F)

1/25 Dealing with Change: The Overwhelmed and Entrenched

Response Types
Chapters 2, 3 (N); CoursePack Readings #5, #11 (F)

2/01 Dealing with Change: The BSer and Learner Response Types
Chapters 4, 5 (N); CoursePack Readings #7, #13 (F)

2/08 NO CLASS - LIBRARY WORK

Library research for discussion articles and group project
Topics

2/15 Relating Individual and Organizational R-Types

Chapters 6, 7 (N); CoursePack Reading #16 (F)
Benchmarking Report Due

2/22 Learning How to Learn

Chapters 8, 9 (N); CoursePack Reading #14
Video: "Transitions"

3/01 Breaking Free

Chapter 10 and Appendix A (N); CoursePack Readings #6, #12,
& #15 (F)
Video: "C and the Box"
3/08 NO CLASS - SPRING BREAK

3/15 Careers and The Psychological Contract: Issues,

Alternatives & Measures
Chapters 1-2 (H); CoursePack Readings #8 - #10 (F)
Video: TBA

3/22 Career Decision Making and learning Stages

Chapters 3-4 (H); CoursePack Readings #18, #19 (F)
Video: "Chain Saw Al"

3/29 Career Effectiveness and Adaptability

Chapters 3, 7 (H); CoursePack Reading #3 (F)
Role Behavior Analysis Instrument (bring to class)

4/05 Protean Career Identity and Life Roles

Chapters 6, 8, 9 (H)

4/12 Strategic, Self Directed, and Spiritual Careers

Chapters 10, 11 (H); CoursePack Readings #2, #4, #17 (F)

4/19 NO CLASS - Group Project Work

4/26 Oral Project Reports

Group Project Papers Due

Note: Each student will select a contemporary article from the

Recent 2000, 2001, 2002) business literature (e.g., Wall
Street Journal, Time, Newsweek, Business Week, Fortune
Magazine, Working Woman, Essence Magazine, Black Enterprise
Magazine, Hispanic Business, etc.) that relates to the course
material. The student will prepare a 1-2 page written summary
of the article and provide copies of the summary (and article
if possible) for the other class members and instructor on the
night for which he or she has signed up to be discussion
leader. The student will provide a brief oral summary of the
article and its relationship to the assigned readings for that
evening.

In addition to summarizing the article, the discussion leader

should address the following issues:

1. What are the key issues raised by the assigned readings

for that evening and what information in the summarized
article also relates to the assigned reading, if any?
 2. What events from your own personal work experiences or
those of a close personal friend relate to the assigned
readings?

The role of the class in responding to the discussion leaders is the

following:

1. Pose questions of the discussion leaders that raise issues

of a paradoxical, ethical, or controversial nature.

2. Develop "pro" arguments to support the assigned readings.

3. Develop "con" arguments to counter the points made in the

assigned readings.
 CoursePack Readings

1. D. Feldman (2000). The Dilbert syndrome: How employee cynicism

about ineffective management is changing the nature of
careers in organizations. American Behavioral Scientist, 43
(8), 1286-1300.

2. DeFillippi, R.J. & M.B. Arthur (1994). The boundaryless career:

A competency-based perspective. Journal of Organizational
Behavior, 15, 307-324.

3. Sullivan, S. E. (1999). The changing nature of careers: A review

and research agenda. Journal of Management, 25 (3), 457-484.

4. Seibert, S. E., Kramer, M. L., & Liden, R. (2001). What do

proactive people do? A longitudinal model linking proactive
personality and career success. Personnel Psychology,
Winter, 845-874.

5. Hall, D. T. (1996). Protean careers of the 21st century.

Academy of Management Executive, 10, 8-15.

6. Allred, B., Snow, C., & Miles, R. (1996). Characteristics of

managerial careers in the 21st century. Academy of
Management Executive, 10 (4), 17-27.

7. Kinland, N. & Bailey, D. (1999). Telework: The advantages and

challenges of working here, there, anywhere, and anytime.
Organizational Dynamics, Autumn,

8. Anderson, N. & Schalk, R. (1998). The psychological contract

in retrospect and prospect. Journal of Organizational
Behavior, 19, 637-647.

9. Rousseau, D. (1998). The ‘problem’ of the psychological

contract considered. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 19,
665-671.

10. Rousseau, D. & Tijoriwala, S. (1998). Assessing psychological

contracts: Issues, alternatives, and measures. Journal of
Organizational Behavior, 19, 679-695.

11. Porter, L., Pearce, J., Tripoli, A., & Lewis, K. (1998).
Differential perceptions of employers’ inducements:
Implications for psychological contracts. Journal of
Organizational Behavior, 19, 769-782.
12. Seibert, S., Kraimer, M., & Liden, R. (2001). A social capital
theory of career success. Academy of Management Journal, 44,
219-237.

13. de Janasz, S., Sullivan, S., & Whiting, V. (2003). Mentor

networks and career success: Lessons for turbulent times.
Academy of Management Executive, 17 (4), 78-91.

14. L. Martins, K. Eddleston, & J. Veiga (2002). Moderators of the

relationship between work-family conflict and career
satisfaction. Academy of Management Journal, 45 (2), 399-
409.

15. Davis-Blake, A., Broschak, J., & George, E. (2003). Happy

together? How using nonstandard workers affects exit, voice,
and loyalty among standard employees. Academy of Management
Journal, 46 (4), 475-485.

16. E. Ensher, et al. (2002). Reel women: Lessons from female TV

executives on managing work and real life. Academy of
Management Executive, 16 (2), 106-121.

17. S. Kim & D. Feldman (2000). Working in retirement: The

antecedents of bridge employment and its consequences for
quality of life in retirement. Academy of Management
Journal, 43, 1195-1210.

18. Baruch, Y. (2004). Transforming careers: From linear to

multidirectional career paths. Career Development
International, 9 (1), 58-73.

19. D. Hall & J. Moss (1998). The new protean career contract:
Helping organizations and employees adapt. Organizational
Dynamics, Winter, 22-37.
 OB 6305-501

Managing People In Organizations

Instructions for Job Search Benchmarking Report

This two-part assignment is rather simple but will require some

forethought and self-reflection to complete. First, think back over
the course of your career and the times you have conducted a search
for a new or different job. Identify, if you can, two successful job
searches, i.e., the outcomes were pretty close to what you were
searching for, and two unsuccessful job searches, i.e., you did not
get any offers or the job you desired, or the offers you received
were not exactly what you wanted. Compare and contrast the
successful and unsuccessful job searches and then identify four
lessons that you have learned about conducting job searches.

Next, benchmark your job search process with two other students of
your choosing – either in this class or a different class. What
things do they do that are different as well as similar to your
search process?

In your write-up, please develop a 4-6 page paper that discusses the
lessons learned from comparing your successful and unsuccessful job
searches. Also, the paper should summarize the similarities and
differences in your approach to job search and that of your two
benchmark students.

The paper should be typewritten and double-spaced.

 OB 6305-501

Managing People in Organizations

Instructions for Group Projects

The project is to culminate in a 15-20 page paper of near publishable

quality that applies the ideas and readings covered in this course to
some problem, case, organization, issue, or other topic of interest
to you. You should attempt, if possible, to cover additional
literature beyond what is on the assignment syllabus. You will be
expected to include references to the course readings and discussion-
leader topics in your paper.

The project should show evidence of familiarity with the research in

the area of work attitudes and behavior, especially as it relates to
organizational commitment, job involvement, psychological ownership,
and career success, in light of the “redefined” employer-employee
relationship or social contract.

Any of the major topics covered during the course, as well as others
you might suggest, can be a relevant basis for the project. It will
be up to you as project groups to determine what kind of project you
will undertake. The project itself could take a variety of forms:

1. A case study of a particular organization or company that has

recently had morale problems as a result of reorganization,
downsizing, etc.

2. A major literature review concerning some aspect or topic of the

course.

3. Development of a skit or role play exercise that highlights a

particular issue of concern to you.

4. An empirical study whereby you either run an experimental study

or develop a survey questionnaire and administer it, collect and
analyze the data.

5. A theoretical analysis whereby you attempt to develop a model or

theory concerning careers, workplace commitment, or other topic. Or,
you might indicate how existing theories need to be changed or
modified to be more applicable to certain diverse groups of workers
(e.g., immigrant workers imported for work in the U.S.).

The paper should be typewritten and double-spaced. Attach appendices

as needed. Grading will be based on: Writing Style (30%), References
to the Literature (20%), and Content (50%).