ORG 530
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
PROFESSOR HOWARD SCHWARTZ
WINTER 2005

Office: 345 EH Home Phone: 684-5345
Office Phone: 370-2122 Email: Schwartz@Oakland.edu
Office Hours: 3:00-5:00 Wednesday, Thursday

Introduction:

Organizations of the present are not like organizations of the past. They make demands on all of their employees that, in earlier times, were made only upon people at high levels. Specifically, they require all of their employees to manage each other and themselves. This is not a matter of simply having abstract knowledge about people and about management. People need to be able to do something with what they know. What they need to be able to do is learned only by doing it.

This class is structured to permit, and to demand, a high degree of interpersonal and group interaction. The class is structured rather like an organization, with students divided into groups. The work of the groups is to learn about organizations. The specific tasks of the groups is to do exercises, analyze cases, and write written reports on the analyses. The groups need to organize themselves in order to perform these tasks most productively. This means learning about themselves and applying what they have learned to their own processes. This is the most important learning that takes place in the class.

The main function of the reading is to provide theoretical understanding that will be of use both in case analysis and in group self-understanding. The text is Effective Behavior in Organizations, Seventh Edition, by Cohen and Fink. I also recommend Neurosis and Human Growth, by Karen Horney and my own Narcissistic Process and Corporate Decay: The Theory of the Organization Ideal.

Grading

My experience has been that the OU grading system presumes an unrealistic capacity to express differences quantitatively. The difference, for example, between a 3.2 and a 3.3, unless it is based on a numerical scale, is often not based on a distinction that can be reliably made. But students take such differences very seriously, which puts the grader in a very awkward position.

Accordingly, I use the grading system in use by almost all other colleges and universities, based on the grades A, B, C, D, F. These will be augmented, as they usually are, by + and - . These grades have quantitative equivalents as follows. A=4.0, A-=3.7, B+=3.3, B=3.0,B-=2.7, C+=2.3, C=2.0, C-=1.7, D+=1.3, D=1.0, F=0.0

Grading will be determined as follows: (1) three written group analyses. The first analysis will be worth 10 points. The second will be worth 11 points. The third will be worth 12 points. (2) an individual term paper, up to 3000 words long, on the process your group has been through during the term, worth 34 points; (3) Two examinations, consisting of both multiple choice and essay questions, worth 15 and 18 points.

Grading for the group analyses will center around a group grade. Individual grades will be based on group members' assessments of other members' contributions. Specifically, each group member will be assigned 100 points for every other member in the group. They will then be able to allot these points to other members, subject to a maximum of 125 points and a minimum of 75. When the group grade is assigned, individual grades will be calculated by expressing the mean assignment of points to individual members as a percentage of the group grade. The groups will each decide the basis upon which individual grades are to be assigned. They will do this at the time they formulate the group's statement of its ideals. Individual grade assessments will be due at the time the case analyses are due.

An example may be useful. Suppose that a group contains six members. So each member gets 500 points to distribute among the others. The group decides to use a certain set of criteria in evaluating each other. On this basis, suppose that members Arthur, Barbara, Cathy, Diogenes, and Elliot give Frank 80, 100, 85, 100, and 90 points respectively. The mean of these is 91. Now suppose that the group grade is B+. Then Frank gets an individual grade of 91% of 3.3, which is 3.0, or B. The only exception to this is that if a person has contributed nothing at all to the paper, and has not given a justification that is acceptable to the group, that person should be given a grade of 0 on the case, which will not be averaged in with the rest of the grades.

Note that if the group grade is A+, and an individual gets a mean score of over 100, this may convert to an individual grade of over 4.0. This will be permitted, and the grade will be averaged in with the rest of the individual's grades. Grades of over 4.0 for the course will not be assigned, however.

Subjective grading

There is always an element of subjective judgment in grading written assignments. This element is often overestimated by students. Matters like organization, rigor, and clarity are actually much more straightforward than many students imagine, and will be readily agreed upon by most experienced graders. Assessments of depth, insight, and originality may be more variable, but there will still be substantial agreement among experienced graders. Where the "subjective" element shows up most importantly is in judgments of what is important in a case, what the crucial elements are.

I try to keep these judgments to a minimum by trying to understand how well a paper succeeds within its own perspective, but a subjective element will always be present. The best way for students to deal with this subjective element is to come to an understanding of what the instructor thinks is important by understanding the point of view of the instructor. This is never a matter of learning a few simple rules that the instructor can state, but is more a case of learning to see the world as the instructor sees it. This may seem a burden, but it is, in fact, the reason that there are instructors.

I think of grades as having five levels, with pluses and minuses, indicating that the paper deserves more or less than the basic grade, but has not reached the next higher or lower level. An F grade means that the person has not been to class or has not fulfilled the assignments. A D is a grade for individuals who have come to class, for the most part, and completed the assignments, but have not done so in a serious fashion. A D grade is for a blow-off, in which the work just does not represent a serious engagement with the material. A C is given to a paper that represents a serious engagement, but that is seriously flawed, in one or more ways. Perhaps it is badly organized to the point where the reader cannot make good sense of it, perhaps it glaringly omits important facts, perhaps it has little analytic depth, and simply recites the facts of the case or discusses them in a superficial way. In any of these cases, there will be something wrong with the paper and I will tell you what it is. A B paper is a good paper. It is reasonably well organized, addresses the important facts, and uses sound, relevant theoretical material. There is not necessarily anything wrong with it; it just does not stand out. An A paper is an excellent paper. The key word here is "excel." An A paper will be one that has something extra: originality, depth, comprehensiveness... something. You do not have to excel over the other groups in the class. I have a clear sense of what the average level for these papers is. It is entirely possible for every paper in the class to be excellent. Nevertheless, every excellent paper will stand out in one way or another. An A+ paper is simply a standout. This grade will rarely be given.

Case Analysis

In analyzing a case, you should convey the important features of the case in order to establish a framework within which you will conduct your explanation. Then you should analyze the case. Analysis is not the same as simply describing the facts of the case. It does not only address the question of what happened, but also, and more important, answers the question why what happened happened. It should go beneath the surface, making good use of theoretical material. This material will come from the text and/or from the lectures. It should be properly referenced. You may use outside sources if you wish, but then you will be responsible for the quality of those sources. When a recommendation is made, the recommendation should be rooted in your analysis. This means that your recommendations will be directed toward solving the problems you identify in your analysis. There is no such thing as a good answer by itself. A good answer is always an answer to a specific question. You have to say what the question is and show that your answer is the best possible answer to that question.

Length of Paper Submissions

Text for group papers should not exceed 2000 words, excluding title page and references, if any. A count of the number of words in the text should be given on the title page.

Assignment to the Foreign Legion

By two-thirds vote of other group members, other group members at a time may be reassigned to a potential group called the Foreign Legion. The Foreign Legion, however many members it contains, will be responsible for the same work as other groups, with the same deadlines. Individual members may also decide, for their own reasons, to quit their group and join the Foreign Legion. If the Foreign Legion becomes too large, it may be broken up into two or more Foreign Legions.

Assignment to the Foreign Legion, whether on the initiative of the group members or of an individual, must be done with proper notice, including notification of and consultation with the instructor.

Reflection

During the course of the term, individuals and groups will be asked to reflect upon themselves and each other and contribute the results of these reflections. These reflections will take the form of statements about oneself, about others, and about the group and its ideals. They will serve the purpose of group and individual development and will be a critical part of the course. To assist in these reflections, students are urged to keep a journal of their thoughts and feelings about their group's process and on their own involvement. In order to be useful, journals should be started as early as possible. The final reflection will be the term paper.

The Term Paper

Your group will go through a fixed sequence of events. It will form, it will write a statement of ideal, it will write its first analysis, it will reflect upon itself and its ideals between cases, and so on. Your term paper should use these events as a framework. A good paper will show how your group developed through this sequence of events, and why it developed as it did.

A term paper should show good use of theoretical material. I value a paper that reflects the fact that the student has learned something. I do not value a paper that could have been written by a person before entering the course. Term papers should run around 2500 words.

The term paper, should be done in the reflective spirit. In this spirit, you look at your group, others within your group, and yourself as dispassionately and objectively as possible. You need to consider your emotions here, but distance yourself from them. Look at them as if they belonged to someone else. Try to understand where your emotions came from; do not simply express them. Learning to do this is absolutely essential to growth and to a proper understanding of organizational behavior.

It is worth mentioning that if you are going to write a reflection, you have to have something to reflect upon. If you are going to write about a group, you need to have a good sense of what the group has been through. You cannot have that without experience and engagement within the group. For that reason, the value of the term paper is usually closely related to the effort individuals have put into their groups. You cannot simply abdicate from the group and expect to make up your grade by writing a good paper. Specifically, If you do not know how your group went through the sequence of events during the term, the adequacy of your paper will suffer.

Instructor consultation

The instructor will be available for consultation on group process. Groups may invite the instructor to observe group meetings or to help the group work through any problems of process it may be having. The instructor will not, however, help specific groups to formulate their approach to a paper.

Group liaisons

Each group will appoint one of its members to serve as liaison between the instructor and the group, if required. Most contact will be by email.

Date	Topic	Reading	Group Work
Jan 10 Jan 17	No Class		Group Formation
Jan 24	The Organizational System	Chs. 1 and 2	Statement of Ideals
Jan 31	Basic Concepts	Ch. 3	Practice Case
Feb 7	The Group System 1	Ch. 4	Begin Case 1
Feb 14	The Group System 2	Ch. 5	Continue Case 1
Feb 21	The Group System 3	Ch. 6	Case 1 due, group self-assesment
Feb 28		Midterm Exam	Revise Statement of Ideals
Mar 7	Spring Break
Mar 14	The Personal System 1	Ch. 7	Begin Case 2
Mar 21	The Personal System 2	Ch. 8	Continue Case 2
Mar 28	The Interpersonal System	Ch. 9,10	Case 2 due, group self-assessment
Apr 4	Power and Leadership 1	Ch. 11	Begin Case 3
Apr 11	Power and Leadership 2	Ch. 12	Continue Case 3
Apr 18	Intergroup Relations	Ch. 13, 14	Case 3 due, Term paper due, Legacy statement
Apr 25		Final Exam