Credits: 3, Lecture Hours: 48
Organizational Behaviour Syllabus | MBS First Semester
Course Objectives
The major objectives of this course is to provide students with an in-depth understanding of behavioral processes and thereby enable them to function more effectively in their present or future roles as managers of human resources.
Course Description
This course intends to familiarize students with different dimensions of organizational behavior. The course contains the introduction, foundations of individual behavior, perception and attribution, personality and attitudes, positive organizational behavior, motivation and stress management, groups and teams in organizations, leadership, communication and conflict and organizational change and development.
Course Details
Unit 1: Introduction ( LH 7)
- Concept of organizational behavior,
- foundations of OB,
- the contextual perspective of OB – HR approach, productivity approach, interactionalism approach, contingency approach, system approach,
- the environmental context of OB- globalization, diversity, and ethics
- theoretical frameworks- cognitive framework, behaviouristic framework, social cognitive framework.
Unit 2: Foundations of Individual Behaviour (LH 2)
- Personal factors,
- environmental factors,
- organizational systems and resources,
- models of individual behavior.
Unit 3: Perception and Attribution ( LH 7)
- Meaning and definition of perception,
- nature and importance of perception
- sensation versus perception
- sub-processes of perception,
- perceptual selectivity and organization – attention factors in selectivity,
- perceptual organization,
- social perception – characteristics of perceiver and perceived,
- stereotyping,
- halo effect,
- attribution – attribution theory,
- locus of control attributions,
- other attributions,
- attribution errors,
- impression management – concept; a process of impression management,
- employee impression management strategies,
- the link between perception and decision-making in organizations
- individual differences and organizational constraints.
Unit 4: Personality and Attitudes ( LH 9)
- Concept of personality,
- Hofstede’s framework of personality,
- approaches to understanding personality traits and dimensions – Cattel’s 16 personality factors (16PF),
- The “Big Five” personality theory,
- personality profiling using DISC (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Compliance) methodology,
- fundamental interpersonal relations orientation behavior, personality traits-locus of control, authoritarianism, dogmatism, Machiavellianism, risk propensity, self-esteem, self-monitoring
- concept of attitudes,
- components of attitudes,
- functions of attitudes,
- changing attitudes – barriers to changing attitudes, providing new information, use of fear, resolving discrepancies, the influence of friends or peers, co-opting approach,
- organizational commitment – meaning and dimensions (Affective, Continuance, and Normative),
- guidelines to enhance organizational commitment,
- organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs): concept.
Unit 5: Positive Organizational Behaviour ( LH3)
- Concept,
- optimism-dimensions of optimism, optimism in the workplace, hope, subjective well-being (SWB), resiliency,
- emotional intelligence – the role of emotion, the role of intelligence, the meaning of intelligence, emotional intelligence in the workplace,
- self-efficacy – meaning, process, and impact of self-efficacy, sources of self-efficacy, implications for self-efficacy in the workplace.
Unit 6: Motivation and Stress Management ( LH 4)
- Work motivation theories,
- motivational application through job design,
- motivational application through goal setting, meaning, and definition of stress,
- work stress model individual level stressors, group level stressors, organizational level stressors, extra-organizational stressors,
- stress management- individual strategies, organizational strategies, employee assistance programs (EAPs),
- stress and performance.
Unit 7: Groups and Teams in Organizations ( LH 4)
- Concept of groups and group dynamics,
- stages of group development,
- group structure roles, norms, status, size, cohesiveness,
- group decision making
- concept and nature of teams,
- types of teams,
- creating effective teams.
Unit 8: Leadership (LH 5)
- Concept of leadership,
- traditional theories of leadership – trait theories, from traits to states and skills development, group and exchange theories of leadership, contingency theory of leadership, Path-Goal leadership theory,
- Modern theoretical processes of leadership – charismatic leadership, transformational leadership, social cognitive approach, substitutes for leadership, authentic leadership,
- contemporary issues in leadership.
Unit 9: Communication and Conflict ( LH 4)
- Interactive communication organizations,
- Interpersonal communication, written communication, nonverbal communication,
- organizational communication- concept, factors influencing organizational communication,
- communication roles,
- communication policies and communication audit,
- current issues in communication, concept, and nature of conflict; changing views of conflict,
- Functional and dysfunctional conflict,
- process of conflict,
- levels of conflict,
- conflict resolution strategies.
Unit 10: Organizational Change and Development ( LH 3)
- Concept,
- forces of change,
- resistance to change,
- approaches to managing organizational change,
- concept and characteristics of organization development (OD),
- OD values,
- OD interventions at the individual, group, and organizational levels.
