Week 1 learning activity
Please read the “Instructor Notes” prior to
attempting any Learning Activities. Post initial responses to all learning
activities for the week in one post to make it easier for classmates to respond
to your posts. You must provide your initial response by Thursday night, and
provide responses to more than two classmates by Sunday night for full credit.
All responses are to be substantive, showing critical thinking. They must also
be free from grammatical and spelling errors (there is a spell check readily
available in the response box to assist you). Here are the guidelines:
– Responses must be in paragraph format and be interactive
to promote further discussion unless the activity requires otherwise;
– Respond to at least two other class members using these
same requirements (full credit will only be issued for more than two responses
to other class members);
– Responses must demonstrate critical thinking and be fully
justified;
-Use resources from any assigned course material or your own
research;
-Use APA formatting for any in-text citations and
references. Any information that was not personally researched and originated
by you (i.e. surveys you conducted, interviews, observances, etc.) or is
‘common knowledge’ should have in-text citations and references.
Please see our syllabus for a participation rubric,
participation instructions, and the “Learning to Use APA” directions
for our course (especially for the “How to cite the ebook for this
course”).
Learning Activity #1
Please think about the best and worst jobs you have ever
had. If you have never had a job, think of a school project instead. What made
the job or project great or horrible?
After seeing what other students have posted (go back and
edit your response after your initial post), what do you think are the most
common features of the best jobs? What are the most common features of the
worst jobs?
Learning Activity #2
Often our own stereotypes get in the way when opening our
minds to new and creative ideas. So, for this learning activity, please state
one stereotype you believe exists towards yourself (cultural, religious, or
other) and two stereotypes that exists towards people whom are different from
you. Why do you think the stereotypes exist? Do you feel these stereotypes
should be changed? If so, how would you change them in a workplace?
Learning Activity #3
Do you think younger and older people are similar in what
makes them happier at work and committed to their companies? Do you think there
are male and female differences? Research this using our course materials and
explain your answers. Remember to cite and reference using APA format. Please
reference at the end of the post, rather than attaching a separate reference
page.
Week 2 learning activity
Please read all “Instructor Notes” prior to
attempting the learning activity questions. Post responses to both learning
activities in one post to make it easier for classmates to respond to your
posts. You must provide your initial response by Thursday night, and provide
responses to more than two classmates by Sunday night for full credit. All
responses are to be substantive, showing critical thinking. They must also be
free from grammatical and spelling errors (there is a spell check readily
available in the response box to assist you). Here are the guidelines:
– Responses must be in paragraph format and be interactive
to promote further discussion unless the activity requires otherwise;
– Respond to at least two other class members using these
same requirements (full credit will only be issued for more than two responses
to other class members);
– Responses must demonstrate critical thinking and be fully
justified;
-Use resources from any assigned course material or own
research;
-Use APA formatting for any in-text citations and
references.
Please see our syllabus for a participation rubric,
participation instructions, and the “Learning to Use APA” directions
for our course (especially for the “How to cite the ebook for this
course”).
Learning Activity #1
Take a look at the video posted in the “Instructor’s
Notes” section of our “Content” area. Then, follow the link
immediately below that states “Take the test at:”. Once you have
completed the true colors test, please answer the following questions:
What color are you primarily? Are there secondary colors, or
did you tie on two colors? Does this surprise you? If so, in what way? How do
you think you would use this information in finding jobs, or in hiring a
potential candidate?
By the way, as you can see, I am rather green! 🙂
Learning Activity #2
a) Which types of emotions are most socially accepted in the
workplace? Why do you think this is?
b) What are factors that affect your emotions?
c) Share an example of either positive or negative emotional
contagion. How did it start and stop?
Week 3 learning activity
Please read all “Instructor Notes” prior to
attempting the learning activity questions. Post responses to both learning
activities in one post to make it easier for classmates to respond to your posts.
You must provide your initial response by Thursday night, and provide responses
to more than two classmates by Sunday night for full credit. All responses are
to be substantive, showing critical thinking. They must also be free from
grammatical and spelling errors (there is a spell check readily available in
the response box to assist you). Here are the guidelines:
– Responses must be in paragraph format and be interactive
to promote further discussion unless the activity requires otherwise;
– Respond to at least two other class members using these
same requirements (full credit will only be issued for more than two responses
to other class members);
– Responses must demonstrate critical thinking and be fully
justified;
-Use resources from any assigned course material or own
research;
-Use APA formatting for any in-text citations and
references.
Please see our syllabus for a participation rubric,
participation instructions, and the “Learning to Use APA” directions
for our course (especially for the “How to cite the ebook for this
course”).
Learning Activity #1
To absolutely ensure you read the instructor notes and class
announcements, please do this first. Then, copy the learning activity described
in the instructor notes and proceed with the activity in this discussion.
Remember to use the instructions and rubric to ensure a good grade!
Learning Activity #2
Please complete the first case study and submit in
accordance with the instructions found in the week 3 content area. This is a
major grade, so please follow the instructions and rubric carefully!!!
Week 4 learning activity
Please read all “Instructor Notes” prior to
attempting the learning activity questions. Post responses to both learning
activities in one post to make it easier for classmates to respond to your
posts. You must provide your initial response by Thursday night, and provide
responses to more than two classmates by Sunday night for full credit. All
responses are to be substantive, showing critical thinking. They must also be
free from grammatical and spelling errors (there is a spell check readily
available in the response box to assist you). Here are the guidelines:
– Responses must be in paragraph format and be interactive
to promote further discussion unless the activity requires otherwise;
– Respond to at least two other class members using these
same requirements (full credit will only be issued for more than two responses
to other class members);
– Responses must demonstrate critical thinking and be fully
justified;
-Use resources from any assigned course material or own
research;
-Use APA formatting for any in-text citations and
references.
Please see our syllabus for a participation rubric,
participation instructions, and the “Learning to Use APA” directions
for our course (especially for the “How to cite the ebook for this
course”).
Learning Activity #1
For the Chapter Eight discussion, take a look at
http://www.takingontobacco.org/intro/funny.html to see a list of some cultural
misunderstandings. Pick one dealing with communication that especially appealed
to you and discuss it. How do you think the misunderstanding could have been
avoided? Do you have another example of a cultural misunderstanding dealing
with communication?
Learning Activity #2
Think about a time or times in which you were a member of a
team, whether in school or in another type of organization or workplace. Was it an informal team or a formal one? Looking back on the experience or
experiences, how do you feel about working in teams? Have you experienced the 80/20 effect or
“groupthink”? If so, how did
you deal with it? Remember to check
back often to respond to other students’ postings.
Week 5 learning activity
Please read all “Instructor Notes” prior to
attempting the learning activity questions. Post responses to both learning
activities in one post to make it easier for classmates to respond to your
posts. You must provide your initial response by Thursday night, and provide
responses to more than two classmates by Sunday night for full credit. All responses
are to be substantive, showing critical thinking. They must also be free from
grammatical and spelling errors (there is a spell check readily available in
the response box to assist you). Here are the guidelines:
– Responses must be in paragraph format and be interactive
to promote further discussion unless the activity requires otherwise;
– Respond to at least two other class members using these
same requirements (full credit will only be issued for more than two responses
to other class members);
– Responses must demonstrate critical thinking and be fully
justified;
-Use resources from any assigned course material or own
research;
-Use APA formatting for any in-text citations and
references.
Please see our syllabus for a participation rubric, participation
instructions, and the “Learning to Use APA” directions for our course
(especially for the “How to cite the ebook for this course”).
Learning Activity #1
a. Has there been a time in which you have had a conflict
either at work or at school? Describe the conflict and state what type of
conflict it was.
b. To what extent do you attempt to satisfy your own
concerns when you’re trying to resolve a conflict?
c. To what extent do you attempt to satisfy the other party’
concerns when you’re trying to resolve a conflict?
Learning Activity #2
a. What evidence did you see of creativity in the decision
making process used in designing the Boeing 787? What process would you have
used to improve creativity in the process?
b. Passengers interviewed in the clip all seemed to want
bigger seats, yet the seats in the 787 Dreamliner are not any bigger. Since it
seems unlikely that Boeing was not aware of the desire for bigger seats, why do
you suppose larger seats were not included in the design, yet larger restrooms
were?
Week 6 learning activity
Please read all “Instructor Notes” prior to
attempting the learning activity questions. Post responses to both learning
activities in one post to make it easier for classmates to respond to your
posts. You must provide your initial response by Thursday night, and provide
responses to more than two classmates by Sunday night for full credit. All
responses are to be substantive, showing critical thinking. They must also be
free from grammatical and spelling errors (there is a spell check readily
available in the response box to assist you). Here are the guidelines:
– Responses must be in paragraph format and be interactive
to promote further discussion unless the activity requires otherwise;
– Respond to at least two other class members using these
same requirements (full credit will only be issued for more than two responses
to other class members);
– Responses must demonstrate critical thinking and be fully
justified;
-Use resources from any assigned course material or own research;
-Use APA formatting for any in-text citations and
references.
Please see our syllabus for a participation rubric,
participation instructions, and the “Learning to Use APA” directions
for our course (especially for the “How to cite the ebook for this
course”).
Learning Activity #1
Please take the Leadership Self-Assessment Activity found in
the Week 6 content page and discuss your findings in the discussion area. Were
you surprised at your score? What are your strengths? What are your
opportunities for growth?
Learning Activity #2
Once you’ve seen the video in the instructor’s notes and
read the Change Leadership section of Chapter 14, please respond to the
following questions:
1. What does the cheese represent?
2. What does the maze represent?
3. What does the cartoon say to you in relation to change?
4. What type of decisions were made by each of the
characters (use the book to help you with the answer)?
5. If you had these 4 people working for you (if they were
actual people), how would you supervise each personality?
Please use as many specifics from our chapter as you can in
answering these questions. Use ideas such as: planned or unplanned change,
change agents, and/or resistance to change.
Learning Activity #3
Discuss the organizational culture of one of the
organizations in which you have worked or volunteered. Did it encourage
cultural unity? Were there problems in the organization because of its culture?
What problems could you see with the culture of The Scooter Store? How would
you resolve these problems (either in the organization you worked for or The
Scooter Store?
Week 7 learning activity
Please read all “Instructor Notes” prior to
attempting the learning activity questions. Post responses to both learning
activities in one post to make it easier for classmates to respond to your
posts. You must provide your initial response by Thursday night, and provide
responses to more than two classmates by Sunday night for full credit. All
responses are to be substantive, showing critical thinking. They must also be
free from grammatical and spelling errors (there is a spell check readily
available in the response box to assist you). Here are the guidelines:
– Responses must be in paragraph format and be interactive
to promote further discussion unless the activity requires otherwise;
– Respond to at least two other class members using these
same requirements (full credit will only be issued for more than two responses
to other class members);
– Responses must demonstrate critical thinking and be fully
justified;
-Use resources from any assigned course material or own
research;
-Use APA formatting for any in-text citations and
references.
Please see our syllabus for a participation rubric,
participation instructions, and the “Learning to Use APA” directions
for our course (especially for the “How to cite the ebook for this
course”).
Learning Activity #1
Consider a job you held in the past. Analyze the job using
the framework of the job characteristics model.
Learning Activity #2
Take a look at the various types of power listed in Chapter
13. I’d like each of you to think of a leader whom you feel has truly
influenced your life directly (not someone whom you have heard of
“secondhand”).
Describe the types of power this leader used and the impacts
that were achieved through this use of power. Is there someone who has
influenced you in the opposite way, by abusing their power? If so, how?
Week 8 learning activity
Please read all “Instructor Notes” prior to
attempting the learning activity questions. Post responses to both learning
activities in one post to make it easier for classmates to respond to your
posts. You must provide your initial response by Thursday night, and provide
responses to more than two classmates by Sunday night for full credit. All
responses are to be substantive, showing critical thinking. They must also be
free from grammatical and spelling errors (there is a spell check readily
available in the response box to assist you). Here are the guidelines:
– Responses must be in paragraph format and be interactive
to promote further discussion unless the activity requires otherwise;
– Respond to at least two other class members using these
same requirements (full credit will only be issued for more than two responses
to other class members);
– Responses must demonstrate critical thinking and be fully
justified;
-Use resources from any assigned course material or own
research;
-Use APA formatting for any in-text citations and
references.
Please see our syllabus for a participation rubric,
participation instructions, and the “Learning to Use APA” directions
for our course (especially for the “How to cite the ebook for this
course”).
Learning Activity #1
1. What three things are you going to do this week to make
your work/school/team environment better?
2. What did you learn the most from this course?
3. What do you wish you learned more of during this course?
Assignment 1: Individual Level Analysis Instructions
Instructions
Assignment 1:
Individual Level of Analysis – Reach for the Stars (15% of course grade)
Purpose:
To recognize and better understand the effect of individual
characteristics and behavior (individual level of analysis) on organizational
performance and effectiveness.
Related to the following course objective:
Maximize individual contributions to the organization based
on an understanding of individual behavior
Deliverable:
Single-spaced paper 1200-1500 words in length, in addition
to a cover page (containing your name, the course name, the date, and the
professor’s name) and bibliography. See template provided.
Introduction to Assignment
For this assignment, you will read and analyze Case Study 1:
Reach for the Stars—Developing Salespeople, Achieving Organizational Success.
The case describes information and key observations concerning manager and
worker behavior. You will identify and analyze the critical incidents
(problems, situations, issues, and consequences) in the case influencing
individual and organizational performance and effectiveness, making appropriate
recommendations to improve problems, meet challenges, and take advantage of
opportunities. Overall, your analysis
should include:
Identification and explanation of all relevant OB concepts
and theories, using examples where appropriate
Explanation of the specific case characteristics, incidents
and/or situations that addresses the concepts or theories
Analysis of the relevance of understanding individual
characteristics
Analysis of pros and cons of key incidents or situations
(i.e., what are the drawbacks and/or positives associated with the situation as
it related to individual performance and/or organizational productivity and
effectiveness?)
Specific recommendations to address problems, challenges,
and opportunities, and a proposed follow-up or evaluation
Read and follow all the Instructions carefully. The paper must clearly demonstrate your
ability to understand how and why individual characteristics and behavior (e.g.
personality, values, attitude, perception) influence organizational performance
and effectiveness. As a 400-level
course, critical thinking should be demonstrated. For a helpful explanation of
the expectations at this level, see Level D of Bloom’s Taxonomy
https://www.uvic.ca/services/counselling/assets/docs/Blooms%20taxonomy.pdf . To
demonstrate critical thinking, we look to see how skillfully students logically
conceptualize the material through application of theories and concepts, and
analysis of it to reach an answer or conclusion. It is to read the scenario
through the lense of our course content and, with that understanding, interpret
the scenario. Strive to be original along with applying data, information, and
ideas from the required reading and outside research. Use examples and research information to
support claims. Use American
Psychological Association (APA) format for in-text citations and the reference
list. Use the comprehensive outline
format described in Instruction 9 to present your research findings, analysis,
recommendations, and significant personal learning.
Instructions
1) Review the
above assignment purpose, course objective, and introduction as well as the
Assignment Grading rubric.
2) Read the
case below, Reach for the Stars—Developing Salespeople, Achieving
Organizational Success. Your analysis
must evidence understanding of the case’s specific characters, context, and
circumstances. Avoid generalizations that might apply to similar cases
available on the Internet or in previous courses.
3) Compose a
brief abstract (no longer than a paragraph) synthesizing case highlights,
putting the characters and incidents in context, and generally setting the
scene for the detailed analysis to follow.
4) Identify
and analyze at least three critical incidents (problems, situations, issues,
and consequences) in the case that influenced individual and organizational
performance and effectiveness. Explain
how and why you think the incidents influenced individual and organizational
performance and effectiveness. Discuss
the pros and cons of key incidents or situations (i.e., what are the drawbacks
and/or positives associated with the situation as it related to individual
performance and/or organizational productivity and effectiveness?)
5) Make
appropriate recommendations to address problems, meet challenges, and take
advantage of opportunities, and propose follow-up or evaluation.
6) Draw data,
information, and ideas from at least six required resources (at least two from
each of Weeks 1, 2, and 3) listed in the weekly Schedules, plus at least two
credible, authoritative, relevant outside sources for a total of at least eight
references. Your outside references should show a mix of scholarly and
applied/practical sources, largely drawn from ’s Information Library System
(ILS), and including classic writings. Review APA citation materials and Tips
on Research Sources in Course Content.
Cite research sources within the paper’s body using APA in-text
formatting. Include in the Reference
list with complete source information at the end of the paper. See specific formatting and heading template
instructions below in Instruction 9.
Include publication date within in-text citations. You are expected to
write your own unique thoughts, using quotes only when the source’s verbatim
statements uniquely enhance meaning and understanding. Deductions will be taken
when quotes are overused and found to be unnecessary. Don’t reword passages from your resource.
Instead, explain to your reader its meaning and importance. WRITE IN OBJECTIVE
THIRD PERSON VOICE.
In-text citation:
(Casey, 2002, p. 50). [Include publication date]
Reference citation:
Casey, C. (2002).
Critical Analysis of Organizations: Theory, practice, revitalization. London:
Sage.
7) Identify
and present in bold font at least six different OB concepts, theories, methods,
strategies, or practices in your analysis. Demonstrate through context and/or
endnotes your understanding of the terms’ definition and meaningfulness to the
meet the assignment’s purpose and course objectives. Note: to quote the
definition is not the same as demonstrating your understanding of it.
8) Determine
what significant learning and understanding you gained from your research and
analysis. Identify and evaluate at least
three valuable take-aways you learned from your organization change analysis,
and how you envision specifically applying them to your job or career.
9) Use the
outline below for headings and subheadings.
Your deliverable will use a comprehensive outline format with expository
content under each heading to present your analysis, evaluation and
recommendations in standard composition style. Feel free to add other headings,
subheadings or make modifications as your findings, ideas, and assertions
dictate. Use examples and cite support sources as presented above.
Title page (your name, the course name, assignment, the name
of the organization, the date, and instructor’s name)
Case abstract
I. Brief introduction
II. Critical incidents (occurrence, fact, change, e.g.,
product diversification and market growth as reflected by “expanded its product
line from aging-related to sports injury-related medical supplies and
equipment” in the case study)
Critical incident 1
Critical incident 2
Critical incident 3
[and so forth]
III. Recommendations
(e.g., offer workshops or individual coaching with personality tests to more
effectively identify, validate, share, and utilize personality traits,
preference strengths, job-fit methods, and interactionist perspectives—see
Saylor/OB section 3.1)
Include follow up (or evaluation—this is an area in which
outside research and resources would be a plus; e.g., how will management
determine if the intervention recommended above actually worked? Perhaps assessing personality trait-based
problem behavior during performance refers could work, or including manager
reports from the personality tests referred to, say, three and six months after
the intervention would provide useful results…?)
IV. Significant learning (see Instruction 8 for details
about take-aways)
Learning or Take-away 1
Learning or Take-away 2
Learning or Take-away 3:
…and so forth
References (required
course materials and outside research sources) listed on their own separate
page in APA style.
10) Use the
outline template provided to submit your report. WRITE IN OBJECTIVE THIRD PERSON VOICE. The
document should be approximately 1200-1500 words in length single spaced
(excluding cover page and references), but rest assured that substance is more
important than length. Again, APA
reference format is required.
11) Submit the
papers an attachment in your Assignment Folder by the due date, as well as to
the Turnitin folder created by your instructor.
Assignment 2: Group Level Analysis Instructions
Instructions
Assignment 2:
Group-Level of Analysis – BVS PetGourmand (25% of course grade)
Purpose:
Explore and understand the effect of group behavior,
specifically cross-cultural team development and success, on organizational
performance and effectiveness, and to learn new or to enhance leading edge
presentation skills
Related to the following course objective:
Learn about successful team behavior, how to lead teams, and
manage independent teams to accomplish specific goals and objectives
Deliverable:
The Portfolio is comprised of two parts:
Part 1–OB research findings from which the presentation
(Part 2) will be created. Part 1 should
be a comprehensive outline, with expository content under headings and
subheadings containing data and information, analyzed, synthesized, assessed
and explained in essay form. The outline will have broader and more intensive
content—that is, OB-related data, information, concepts, theories, models,
methods, practices—than Part 2 because Part 1 will reflect your research and
what you have learned about group-level organizational behavior from required
weekly resources, outside research, and the weekly discussions. Think of Part 1 as the report you leave with
the client after your presentation.
Part 2–Graphic presentation: the distillation of Part 1
into visual form. Included in Assignment
2’s purpose is learning new skills or enhancing existing skills to create
innovative presentations applicable to real-world workplace and other professional environments. You may do
this by using Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT) or Prezi (an innovative replacement
for PPT). For information, go to https://prezi.com/signup/public. Or feel free to use other options such as
video (e.g., YouTube) or other innovative graphical presentation application
suitable for illustrating synthesized, key data and information from the
comprehensive content generated in Part 1. Consider integrating audio or
animated elements or a concept map, SWOT analysis, or narration into the
presentation to increase impact, meaningfulness and persuasiveness.
The Introduction and additional instructions below provide
detailed steps and directions for creating, packaging, and submitting your
Portfolio.
Introduction to Assignment Content
For this group-level analysis assignment, you will wear the
hat of a rising-star organizational behavior (OB) consultant. You will create a
portfolio that includes a written analytical report (Part 1) designed to
convince BVS to adopt your recommendations. To do so, you will create a graphic
presentation (PPT, Prezi, etc.) that distills the analysis from your report
into the most important points you wish to make. Your presentation (Part 2)
should demonstrate your ability to interpret and synthesize information,
communicate, and your personal style/approach to business. The written analysis
is what you would leave behind for them to review after you’ve gone.
Case Study 2: Going Global:
What Does it Take to Make Cross-cultural Teams Successful? will serve as
the central organizing influence of your Portfolio. The case describes issues, problems, and
challenges related to developing high-performing cross-cultural teams in an
organization integrating new employees after an acquisition. This project is designed around the following
hypothetical situation:
You recently launched an organizational behavior consulting
practice, specializing in cross-cultural group and team dynamics and problems.
Having done an environmental scan, you know the competition for clients in your
niche is stiff. Since the 2008
recession, a number of top-notch OB professionals have established consulting
services targeting organizations challenged by cultural diversity, virtual work
environments, communication technology, and issues related to restructuring
traditional organizations into flatter systems with team-centered processes.
One such company is Bon Vivant Specialties (BVS), run by Daniel Chinn, a CEO
you met at an international education and development program for
high-potential mid-level professionals. Case Study 2,Going Global: What Does it Take to Make Cross-cultural
Teams Successful?, represents what you know from talking with Chinn,
professional networking, and business and management news and other media. Chinn has widely expressed his interest in
hiring an OB practitioner to identify, document, analyze and assess behavioral
issues and problems, and recommend intervention strategies, methods, and tools
to successfully restructure the company, enhance team performance and
effectiveness, and hence organizational performance. To convince Chinn that you are the OB
consultant for the job, your report and presentation must be innovative,
original, and fresh to distinguish you from your competitors. It must demonstrate your ability to sift
through information about workplace behaviors and find the root cause that bind
many of these issues, all through the lense of our OB theories. This will give
your recommendations the expert command that enable BVS to reach its
cross-cultural team restructuring and organization performance goals.
Instructions
1) Review the
Assignment 2 Portfolio Grading Rubric, and the assignment purpose, course
objective, and introduction above.
2) Read the case,
Going Global: What Does it
