This course aims to provide an evidence-based understanding of human behaviours and decision-making in organizations. Specifically, the topics of this class are designed to enhance students’ appreciation of theories and theory-informed practices on human performance, work satisfaction, work motivation, organizational teams, group decision-making, and leadership. This class equips students with the fundamental theoretical understanding of human behaviours in the workplace, which can be used to resolve the most common workplace issues and problems. 

 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. List relevant theories, models, and methods for organizational behaviours. (Remember + Ask)
2. Accurately define different theories, models, and methods for organizational behaviours. (Remember + Ask)
3. Critically discuss human behaviours in the workplace from a relevant theoretical standpoint. (Acquire + Analyse)
4. Recall the weaknesses and strengths of different theories relevant to organizational behaviour.(Understand + Aggregate)
5. Gauge the impacts of their own experience from the relevant theoretical framework. (Appraise + Analyse)
6. Apply theoretical models and concepts to current organizational practices, problems, and issues. (Apply + Adapt)
7. Develop a research proposal in the area of organizational behaviour. (Apply + Create)
8. Devise evidence-based strategies and recommendations to address an organizational problem. (Assess + Create)

Research-Led Teaching

This course is informed by current research from Management, Organizational Behaviour, and other related academic disciplines. In additional to classic theories and research, students have the opportunity to be exposed to contemporary and cutting edge research on important management topics. I believe this will help students develop a more thorough and sophisticated understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with behaviour in organizational context. The lectures may be streamed live or pre-recorded and

made available on Echo360 and Wattle.

Field Trips

There are no field trips for this class.

Additional Course Costs

There are no additional costs for this class.

Examination Material or equipment

There is a final examination for this course held during the end of semester examination period. All examination information will be communicated directly to students by the ANU Examinations Office. Further advice will be provided by end of Week 10.

Required Resources

The readings will be from the open textbook.

https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/organizational-behavior

Any further readings will be made available via the course Wattle site as necessary.

Recommended Resources

Journals:

Academy of Management Journal

Academy of Management Review

Administrative Science Quarterly

Harvard Business Review

Journal of Applied Psychology

Journal of Management

Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology

Journal of Organizational Behaviour

Journal of Vocational Behaviour

Management and Organisation Review

Organizational Behavior & Human Decision Processes

Organization Science

Personnel Psychology

Note: most of these journals are available in full text through the ANU Library on-line site:

http://anulib.anu.edu.au/search/e-resources/index.html

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Week 1: Introduction to Organisational Behaviour	Reading: Class summary (available on Wattle) Weekly Assessment 1
2	Week 2: Reward, Reinforcement, and Punishment	Reading: Available on Wattle Weekly Assessment 2
3	Week 3: Goals and Goal-setting	Reading: Available on Wattle Weekly Assessment 3
4	Week 4: Self-Efficacy and Self-regulation	Reading: Available on Wattle Weekly Assessment 4
5	Week 5: Job Characteristics	Reading: Available on Wattle Weekly Assessment 5
6	Week 6: Work Motivation Case Review	Reading: Available on Wattle Weekly Assessment 6
7	Week 7: Fairness	Reading: Available on Wattle Weekly Assessment 7 Team Paper Due - Friday 5pm
8	Week 8: Social Influence and Group Performance	Reading: Available on Wattle Weekly Assessment 8
9	Week 9: Personality and Individual Difference	Reading: Available on Wattle Weekly Assessment 9 Individual Paper Due - Friday 5pm
10	Week 10: Human Performance	Reading: Available on Wattle Weekly Assessment 10
11	Week 11: Team Presentation	Reading: Available on Wattle Team Presentation Slides Due - Monday 6pm
12	Week 12: Final Exam Review	Reading: Available on Wattle

Tutorial Registration

No tutorial for this course. Weekly seminar-style classes.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Weekly Assessment Quiz (10 x 2%)	20 %	*	*	1,2,3
Team Paper	15 %	21/04/2023	05/05/2023	1,2,3,4,5,6
Individual Paper	20 %	05/05/2023	19/05/2023	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Team Presentation	15 %	19/05/2023	02/06/2023	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Final Examination	30 %	*	29/06/2023	1,2,3,4,5,6,8

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Attendance and participation are expected in all classes and assessments. The students will engage in live discussion activities (via zoom) for every class. This course will be in dual delivery (via zoom) mode that supports remote learning.

Examination(s)

There is a final examination for this course held during the end of semester examination period. More information will be made available by the ANU Examinations Office in due course.

Assessment Task 1

Weekly Assessment Quiz (10 x 2%)

Marks: 20%

Assessment

type: Individual

Suggested

length: up to 300 words. Any portion above the word limit will not be read and marked.

Instructions: During each seminar, students will be taking an assessment quiz (20 mins) based on the learning materials and activities on that week. Submission will be via Wattle.  

 

For up to two quizzes, a student has an option to replace the quiz with the lowest score with 2 hours of SONA experiment participation credits. Note, however, that the SONA experiment participation must be concluded by end of week 12. The SONA experiment gives students opportunities to engage in the actual research process from a participant's point of view. The materials to help students to reflect on and learn from the SONA experiment will be available on the course Wattle site. SONA participation gives students opportunities to better understand an application of experimentation used to better understand and solve problems relevant to the field of organizational behaviour (SONA experiment is relevant to Learning outcomes 1,3,6).

 

Marking Criteria: Details on marking criteria including rubric will be available in Week 1 and explained to the student in Week 1.

Feedback by: within two weeks of the submission.

Note: Late submission of this assessment task is not permitted

Assessment Task 2

Team Paper

The overarching goal of this assignment is to integrate relevant OB concepts and apply them to a real problem faced by an organization. This assignment has 3 components – two team-based and one individual-based. Teams of 4-5 per team will self select in week 2 of semester.

 

PART I: Identification of Organizational Problem and Synthesis of Research Evidence (team-based).

Marks: 15%

Assessment type: Team Paper

Suggested length: up to 1500 words. Any portion above the word limit will not be read and marked.

Instructions: Each team will be responsible for finding an organization to study for this project. The organization can be either for-profit or not-for-profit and can operate in any sector or industry. The task of your team is to use appropriate methodology, such as interviews, observations, and/or surveys, to identify a current problem faced by this organization. The final product of this component of the assignment is a team-based report that 1) provides a brief overview of the organization, 2) discuss the nature of the problem faced by this organization, 3) provide evidence that the problem exists and summarize the methodology your team used to search and obtain this evidence, 4) review and synthesize relevant OB concepts and research to analyze the likely causes of this problem.

Marking criteria will be made available on the course wattle site at least two weeks before due date.

Due date: Week 7, Friday 5 pm via Turnitin on the course Wattle site

Return of Assessment Date: two weeks after submission

Late submission is not allowed. 

Assessment Task 3

Individual Paper

PART 2: Synthesis and Application of OB Concepts to Organizational Problem (individual-based)

Marks: 20%

Assessment type: Individual 

Suggested length: up to 1200 words. Any portion above the word limit will not be read and marked.

Instructions: Each member of the team will individually apply relevant OB concepts and findings to devise recommendations to address the problem. The final product of this component of the assignment is an individual-based report that 1) clearly identifies the key problems faced by organizations, 2) discusses their specific recommendations and the evidence used to support their recommendations, 3) elaborate on multi-perspective implications of their devised recommendations.

Marking criteria will be made available on the course wattle site at least two weeks before due date.

Due date: Week 9, Friday 5pm Turnitin on the course Wattle site

Return of Assessment Date: two weeks after submission

Late submission is not allowed. 

Assessment Task 4

Team Presentation

PART 3: Team Oral Presentation (team-based)

Marks: 15%

Assessment type: Team

Suggested length: up to 15 slides, up to 15 minutes

Instructions: In the last component of this assignment, your team will present your research and findings to the class. The Oral presentation should include 1) a brief overview of the organization and the problem it faces and 2) the causes of and solutions to the problem based on the integration of your individual analysis in part II. Each team has approximately 15 minutes for its presentation, followed by a 5-10 minutes discussion session (this schedule may be adjusted based on the size of the class). As we are restricted in time, please ensure to finish your presentation and discussions within the allocated time. An unfinished presentation will result in losing points of your grade. All members of a group should be involved, but they may take different roles. You should use powerpoint slides for your presentation. Before class: a soft copy of the power point should be sent to the lecturer via email. In class: A hard copy of the power point should be presented to the lecturer.

Footnote: Each team is also required to provide the completed Teamwork Contribution Form (template provided on Wattle) at the time of the presentation (more information will be provided in class). The oral presentation will be video recorded for review purposes.

Marking criteria will be made available on the course wattle site at least two weeks before due date.

Due date: Week 11 during seminar

Return of Assessment Date: two weeks after presentation

Late submission is not allowed. 

Assessment Task 5

Final Examination

Marks: 30%

Assessment

type: Individual, Open-book

Portions covered: Case analysis questions applying OB concepts covered in the entire course.

Instructions: 70 minutes exam. ANU Examinations to communicate further information. Detailed information about the Final Examination for this course will be provided in class and on Wattle at Week 1.

Due date: It will be conducted during the end of the semester examination period on a date and time which are to be announced. The answers need to be submitted through Turnitin.

Marking criteria: Details on marking criteria including rubric will be available on the course Wattle site at least two weeks before the exam period (Week 9).  

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

All requests for extensions to assessment in RSM courses must be submitted to the RSM School Office with a completed application form and supporting documentation. The RSM Extension Application Form and further information on this process can be found at https://www.rsm.anu.edu.au/education/education-programs/notices-for-students/extension-application-procedure/

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

Please see relevant assessment task details above. All assignments will be marked and where appropriate feedback will be provided either: in class, or in person by appointment with the course lecturer, or via the course Wattle site.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Unless specified otherwise in the assessment requirements, resubmissions are permitted up until the due date and time, but not allowed afterwards.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students