COURSE SYLLABUS

• Why it's Important to Study Organizations
• Why study OB 
• What is OB 
• Coordination mechanisms
• Bases for Departmentation
• Communication Structure (Leavitt)
• Taylor's Scientific Management
• Fayol and the Classical School
• Weber and Bureaucracy
• Hawthorne Studies
• Introduction to Network Analysis
• Intra-Organizational Networks
• Organizational Theory: Determinants of Structure
• Trends in Organizational Structure
• Global trends
• The Mechanistic vs Organic Dimension
• Network Organizations
• Organizational Culture

• Cultural Differences
• Perception and Attribution
• Gender Diversity
• MBTI dimensions
• Notes on Teams
• Team Manual
• Dependency Theory
• Notes on Negotiation
• Notes on the Challenger Disaster
• Leadership

Course Materials:
The required books for this course are:

• Organizational Behavior by Daft and Noe.
• Liar's Poker, by Michael Lewis
• Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
• Talking from 9 to 5, by Deborah Tannen

The Organizational Behavior book is a typical textbook: dry, but it has the basic stuff that you need to learn. We will not depend on it that much, so I would suggest sharing the book with others in your team rather than each person buying their own copy.
The Liar's Poker book is a paperback description of what it was like to work for Salomon Brothers in the 80's, when they were the top bond house on Wallstreet. It's mostly interesting to read, but has a section in the middle which gets a little tedious (but is very important). The Ender's Game book is a science fiction novel that you must read in the first two weeks. It is about leadership, motivation, and teams.
In addition, there are numerous handouts available on the web. Some are my lecture notes, others are supplementary materials drawn from many sources. It is important that you check the web frequently for changes and additions. If you have any trouble finding the handouts on the web, please contact me right away -- you're probably not the only one!
Assignments:
There are two major tests: a midterm and a final. The midterm exam is half multiple choice and half short answer and essay. It is worth 15% of your grade. The cumulative final, also largely multiple choice, is worth 35%. The rationale here is that, at the beginning of the semester, students are still getting used to the course and what is expected of them, but by the end of the course, everyone understands the course and is ready to be tested on all they have learned.
There is also a consulting project, which is executed by the section. In other words, each discussion section will do one consulting project. The results will be presented before the final exam, in front of the whole class, plus a panel of judges made up of Organization Studies faculty and representatives of the client organizations. The project consists of helping an organization solve an organizational problem.
The homework assignments are very important in this course -- this is where students get to apply concepts learned in class to the real world. The homework assignments consist of short papers (mostly 3-5 pages) and take-home exams called Application Memos. Detailed descriptions of each assignment are available on the class. Papers will be graded on clarity of exposition, insight/depth, use of supporting evidence, and use of course concepts. Each paper by itself is not worth a large percentage of your grade, but together they add up. Having lots of small grading opportunities gives you a chance to experiment a bit without risking a large portion of your grade. It also lets teams divide up the work among different members.
Grading Information:

Individual Activities
            Personal Statement                  2%
              Participation                       18%
              Final examination                   50% 
                                  
Team Activities
            Team led Facilitation               5%
              Term Paper                          25%