GRA 2205 Organisational Behaviour

GRA 2205 Organisational Behaviour

Course code: 
GRA 2205
Department: 
Leadership and Organizational Behaviour
Credits: 
6
Course coordinator: 
Irina Nikolova
Course name in Norwegian: 
Organisational Behaviour
Product category: 
Master
Portfolio: 
MSc in Leadership and Organisational Psychology
Semester: 
2021 Autumn
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

Organizational behaviour (OB) is a field of study focused on understanding, explaining, and improving how individuals and groups behave within an organizational context. It is a discipline that draws heavily from the behavioral science disciplines, notably psychology, social psychology, and sociology. Through the study of OB, we can better explain, predict, and influence individual and group 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 a broad range of OB concepts and explain in detail the more central concepts
  • Analyze their own and other’s organizational behavior using relevant theories and models
Learning outcomes - Skills

Students completing the course should be able to:

  • Apply knowledge gained in the course to identify and develop solutions for OB-related issues
  • Apply knowledge gained in the course to monitor and mold their own organizational behavior, in order to become a more effective colleague, team member, or leader
General Competence

As a result of this course, students should be able to:

  • Theorize how and why different attitudes and behavior unfold in organizational settings
  • Evaluate and improve the ways in which individual and group behavior is influenced in organizations
  • Reflect on and improve their own way of working with and leading others
Course content

Topics covered in the course include:

  • Employee performance, engagement, and well-being
  • Perceptions and attributions
  • Workplace learning and self-regulation
  • Person-environment fit and workplace stress and coping
  • Employer-employee exchange and organizational justice
  • Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation
  • Work design
  • Organizational culture and climate
  • Power and influence processes
Teaching and learning activities

The course is structured as a combination of lectures, class discussions, activities, and assignments. Course reading includes both textbook chapters and research articles. Students are expected to prepare ahead of class, participate during class, and complete follow up work after each class session. This work will contribute to a participation portfolio that will serve as an individual assessment component in the course. Students will also work on a group assignment in assigned groups of 2-3 on a case-based project that spans the semester. 

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 ItsLearning.

Software tools
No specified computer-based tools are required.
Additional information

Please note that while attendance is not compulsory in all courses, it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class.

The exam for this course has been changed from autumn semester 2021. The course now has one exam instead of two. It is not possible to retake one of the old exam versions. If you want to improve your grade in the course you will have to retake the new 100% exam. The code for the new exam is GRA 22055.  

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.

Covid-19 

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there may be deviations in teaching and learning activities as well as exams, compared with what is described in this course description.

Teaching 

Information about what is taught on campus and other digital forms will be presented with the lecture plan before the start of the course each semester.

Exam categoryWeightInvigilationDurationGroupingComment exam
Exam category:
Submission
Form of assessment:
Written submission
Exam code:
GRA22055
Grading scale:
ECTS
Grading rules:
Internal and external examiner
Resit:
Examination when next scheduled course
100No 1 Semester(s)Group (2 - 3)In this assignment, students will work in assigned groups to identify, analyze, and develop a plan for resolving a key OB problem that a self-selected organization is facing.
Exams:
Exam category:Submission
Form of assessment:Written submission
Weight:100
Invigilation:No
Grouping (size):Group (2-3)
Duration: 1 Semester(s)
Comment:In this assignment, students will work in assigned groups to identify, analyze, and develop a plan for resolving a key OB problem that a self-selected organization is facing.
Exam code: GRA22055
Grading scale:ECTS
Resit:Examination when next scheduled course
Type of Assessment: 
Ordinary examination
Total weight: 
100
Student workload
ActivityDurationComment
Teaching
30 Hour(s)
Feedback activities and counselling
6 Hour(s)
Student's own work with learning resources
30 Hour(s)
Group work / Assignments
50 Hour(s)
Submission(s)
50 Hour(s)
Sum workload: 
166

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.