GRA 2205 Organisational Behaviour

GRA 2205 Organisational Behaviour

Course code: 
GRA 2205
Department: 
Leadership and Organizational Behaviour
Credits: 
6
Course coordinator: 
Elizabeth Solberg
Course name in Norwegian: 
Organisational Behaviour
Product category: 
Master
Portfolio: 
MSc in Leadership and Organisational Psychology
Semester: 
2018 Autumn
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

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.

Learning outcomes - Knowledge

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
Learning outcomes - Skills

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.
Learning Outcome - Reflection

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.

 

Course content

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
Learning process and requirements to students

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.

Software tools
No specified computer-based tools are required.
Qualifications

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.

Exam categoryWeightInvigilationDurationGroupingComment exam
Exam category:
Submission
Form of assessment:
Written submission
Exam code:
GRA 22051
Grading scale:
Point scale
Grading rules:
Internal examiner
Resit:
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
20No1 Semester(s)Individual Self-reflection assignment
Exam category:
Submission
Form of assessment:
Written submission
Exam code:
GRA 22051
Grading scale:
Point scale
Grading rules:
Internal examiner
Resit:
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
30No1 Semester(s)Individual Organisational diagnosis assignment
Exam category:
Submission
Form of assessment:
Multimedia production
Exam code:
GRA 22051
Grading scale:
Point scale
Grading rules:
Internal and external examiner
Resit:
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
50No 1 Semester(s)Group (3 - 5)Group project aimed at applying course concepts and theory to address an OB problem
Exams:
Exam category:Submission
Form of assessment:Written submission
Weight:20
Invigilation:No
Grouping (size):Individual
Duration:1 Semester(s)
Comment: Self-reflection assignment
Exam code:GRA 22051
Grading scale:Point scale
Resit:All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam category:Submission
Form of assessment:Written submission
Weight:30
Invigilation:No
Grouping (size):Individual
Duration:1 Semester(s)
Comment:Organisational diagnosis assignment
Exam code:GRA 22051
Grading scale:Point scale
Resit:All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam category:Submission
Form of assessment:Multimedia production
Weight:50
Invigilation:No
Grouping (size):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
Resit:All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam organisation: 
Continuous assessment
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Total weight: 
100
Sum workload: 
0

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.