GRA 2205 Organisational Behaviour
GRA 2205 Organisational Behaviour
Organisational behaviour (OB) is the study of how individuals and groups of individuals behave within an organisational context, and the structures and processes that shape this behavior. It is a discipline that draws heavily from the behavioral and social sciences, most notably psychology. Through the study of OB, we can better explain and predict human behavior in organizations and manage others – and ourselves – more effectively in these contexts.
This course is designed to give an overview of the most important topics and concepts within the field of OB. It provides a foundation for many of the specialization courses in the Leadership and Organizational Psychology programme.
By the end of the course, students should be able to
- Describe and critically assess important OB theories and research
- Explain human behavior in organizational settings, and implications of this behavior, using relevant OB theories and models
- Understand the drivers and implications of one’s own behavior in organizational settings
Students completing the course should be able to:
- Communicate and discuss main theories and research from this field, taking into account both strengths and limitations.
- Apply knowledge gained in the course to analyze human behavior in actual organizational settings as well as diagnose and address problems arising in this context.
- Monitor and mold their own organizational behavior to become a more effective colleague, team member, or leader.
As a result of this course, students should:
- Develop a deeper understanding about the relevance of OB for the functioning of organizations.
- Develop a better understanding of how and why different forms of behavior unfold in organizational settings, and what positive actions can be taken to improve the effectiveness of this behavior.
- Develop a deeper awareness of one’s own organizational behavior and how it could affect others.
Topics covered in the course include:
- Personality and perception
- Motivation and performance
- Learning and self-management
- Group formation and team functioning
- Work design, culture and climate
- Leadership processes
- Power and politics
- Decision making
- Conflict management
The course is structured as a combination of lectures, class discussions, activities, and assignments. It requires preparation ahead of class (i.e., readings), active involvement during class (i.e., contributing to class discussions and participating in group activities), and work outside of class (i.e., completing hand-in assignments). Class attendance is not compulsory, but the learning and academic performance of students who do not attend class will be hindered by missing these interactive sessions. It is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that they missed as a result of absence, or that is not included on It’sLearning or in the text book.
This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam components) and one final exam code. Each exam component is graded by using points on a scale from 0-100. The components will be weighted together according to the information in the course description in order to calculate the final letter grade for the examination code (course). Students who fail to participate in one/some/all exam elements will get a lower grade or may fail the course. You will find detailed information about the point system and the cut off points with reference to the letter grades when the course starts.
At resit, all exam components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course.
All courses in the Masters programme will assume that students have fulfilled the admission requirements for the programme. In addition, courses in second, third and/or fourth semester can have spesific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.
| Assessments |
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Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Written submission Weight: 20 Grouping: Individual Duration: 1 Semester(s) Comment: Self-reflection assignment Exam code: GRA 22051 Grading scale: Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade Resit: All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course |
Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Written submission Weight: 30 Grouping: Individual Duration: 1 Semester(s) Comment: Organisational diagnosis assignment Exam code: GRA 22051 Grading scale: Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade Resit: All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course |
Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Multimedia production Weight: 50 Grouping: Group (3 - 5) Duration: 1 Semester(s) Comment: Group project aimed at applying course concepts and theory to address an OB problem Exam code: GRA 22051 Grading scale: Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade Resit: All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course |
A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of at least 160 hours.