34434 - Organisational Behaviour (Graduate Course) (A-K)

Learning outcomes

Aim of the course

This class is aimed at teaching the basic principles necessary to grasp individuals' behavior and people management in organizations from a managerial perspective. Lessons, discussion of case studies, and practice focus on topics concerning individuals, groups, and organizations in work settings, as well as human resources management. More specifically, this class is meant to provide theoretical concepts and managerial tools to (a) understand and analyze the main theories underlying organizational behavior and people management; (b) develop critical skills in decision making; c) identify problem solving strategies through discussion of case studies and meetings with human resources management professionals and consultants.

Course contents

Syllabus of ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR (6 ECS)

Course Contents and Overview

1. Introduction to Organizational Behavior

1.1. What do we mean by organizational behavior?

1.2. The different levels of analysis of organizational action

1.3. Other fields inspiring organizational behavior

1.4. Role and function of management

2. Individual in Organizations

2.1. Individual differences: personalities and skills

2.1.1. Definition of personality

2.1.2. The Big Five model

2.1.3. The most relevant personality traits

2.1.4. How to appraise one's personality

2.1.5. Cognitive and physical skills

2.1.6. Sources and appraisal of skills

2.1.7. Emotional intelligence

2.1.8. How to manage skills in organizations: Selection, positioning, and development

2.2. Values, attitudes, and moods and emotions

2.2.1. The nature of values, attitudes, and moods

2.2.2. The relationships between values, attitudes, and moods and emotions

2.2.3. Job satisfaction

2.2.4. The main theories of job satisfaction

2.2.5. How to measure job satisfaction

2.2.6. Potential consequences of job satisfaction

2.2.7. Organitazional and permanence commitment and their consequences

2.2.8. Organizational identification and its consequences

2.3. Perception and attribution

2.3.1. Perception process

2.3.2. Characteristics of the perceiver, target, and situation

2.3.3. Perception biases

2.3.4. Attribution theories

2.3.5. Attribution biases

2.4. Organizational learning

2.4.1. Learning in organizational settings

2.4.2. How to increase the likelihood of positive behavior and decrease the likelihood of negative behaviors (Skinner's model)

2.4.3. Theory of social learning

2.5. How to create motivating work settings

2.5.1. Motivation in work settings: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

2.5.2. Why people act the way they act: Motivational theories

2.5.3. Maslow's theory of needs

2.5.4. Expectancy theory

2.5.5. Equity theory

2.5.6. Procedural justice theory

2.6. Job design and goal setting as motivational tools

2.6.1. Hackman and Oldham's job characteristics model

2.6.2. Salancik and Pfeffer's model of social information processing

2.6.3. Goal setting

2.7. Performance appraisal, compensation, and career as motivational tools

3. Group and Team Processes

3.1. Work groups

3.1.1. Different kinds of work teams and the 5-stage development model

3.1.2. Team characteristic

3.1.3. Rules, norms, and roles in team

3.1.4. Socialization processes

3.2. Team effectiveness

3.2.1. How to measure team effectiveness

3.2.2. Team dysfunctional processes

3.2.3. The relationship between team characteristics and team performance

3.2.4. The relationship between team cohesiveness and team performance

3.2.5. The main work groups operating in organizations

3.3. Leadership

3.3.1. Personal trait theory and behavioral theories

3.3.2. Fiedler's contingency theory

3.3.3. Path-goal theory

3.3.4. Vroom e Yetton's theory

3.3.5. Leader-follower exchange theory

3.3.6. The factors replacing and lessening leadership

4. Managing globally distributed teams

4.1. The drivers of division of labor on an international basis

4.2. The process of offshoring of high-value activities

4.2.1. The main reasons for offshoring

4.2.2. Carmel and Agarwal's IT offshoring stage model

4.2.3. The main design choices in offshoring: Location; governance; evolutionary path.

4.3. Characteristics and criteria for identifying virtual teams

4.4. Collaborative technologies

4.4.1. A taxonomy of collaborative technology

4.4.2. The principal collaborative technologies: Electronic Messaging Systems; sistemi audio e video; Knowledge Sharing and Management Systems; Collaboration Supporting Systems

4.5. Intercultural management

4.5.1. Comprehending national cultures

4.5.2. Hofstede's model

4.5.3. Managing national specificities (personality and skills; values and attitudes; perceptions; learning; motivation; communication; decision making)

4.6. Leadership in virtual teams

4.6.1. Facing leadership in virtual work settings

4.6.2. Different types of leadership in virtual teams (permanent leadership; leadership on rotation; permanent leadership with project leader on rotation; facilitators/coordinators; distributed leadership)

4.6.3. Transformational leadership in virtual work settings

4.7. Social processes in virtual teams

4.7.1. Status differences

4.7.2. Conflicts

4.7.3. Trust

4.7.3.1. Swift Trust

4.7.3.2. Communication modalities to increase trust among parties

Readings/Bibliography

Textbook

• The handbooks for this course are:

o Robert Kreitner, Angelo Kinicki. (2004). Comportamento Organizzativo. Milano: Apogeo. (Chps. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 17).

o Elisa Mattarelli (2011). I Team Virtuali. Milano: McGraw-Hill Companies (Chps. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6)

• Case studies, literature (book chapters and international papers), and further material available on the Internet will be provided in the website on https://campus.cib.unibo.it, handed or suggested during class activities.

Additional References for the Overall Course

Knights, D., Willmott H. (2009). Il comportamento organizzativo. Organizzazione aziendale e management. Milano: ISEDI.

Tosi, H.L., Pilati, M., Mero, N.P., Rizzo, J.R. (2002). Comportamento Organizzativo. Persone, gruppi e organizzazione. Milano: Egea.

Jones, G.R., (2007), Organizzazione. Teoria, progettazione, cambiamento, Milano: Egea.

Grandori, A., (1999). Organizzazione e Comportamento Economico, Bologna: Il Mulino.

Brown, R., (2000). Psicologia sociale dei gruppi, Bologna: Il Mulino.

Daft, R. L. (2001). Organizzazione aziendale, Milano: Apogeo.

Assessment methods

The final exam for Organizational Behavior + Organization and Management Theory and Human Resources Management is made up of two written tests: one concerning Organizational Behavior and the other concerning Organization and Management Theory and Human Resources Management. Each test will last 1,5 hour approximately and will consist of three sections: 30 multiple-choice questions; 1 or 2 open questions on theoretical topics; the discussion of a short case study. The final grade is the average of the two separate grades.

Students can pass the two tests at different times ALBEIT within two subsequent sessions (e.g., winter and spring sessions). Should students not pass their tests within the said time frame, the grade achieved in the previous test will be automatically ruled out and students will have to undertake that test again. The final grade must be recorded on AlmaEsami within three months from passing the second test.

Test dates will be set based on the official calendar, and will be communicated on AlmaEsami ( https://almaesami.unibo.it ). Students are required to sign up for each test on AlmaEsami exclusively (no email or other sign up will be acknowledged).

Office hours

See the website of Maria Rita Tagliaventi