BUS311 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Module 1 Assignment
Organizational Culture Paper
Organizational culture—the system of shared values and assumptions that guide behavior within an organization—has a strong influence on employee behavior and performance. For this assignment, you will be the head of a department within a larger organization. Your department has its own highly effective organizational culture. Write to the company leadership to describe your department’s culture, why it’s effective, and what strategies you think the company as a whole might adopt in order to foster your organizational culture company wide.
Include the following:
The type of culture your department exhibits, and why it encourages employee effectiveness
Examples of artifacts, values, and assumptions that support your department’s culture
A suggested plan for creating culture change in the company as a whole
Your paper should be 2-3 pages long, have a title page, and include a minimum of 3 references formatted in APA style.
BUS311 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Module 2 Assignment
Review and Application of Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Paper
For this assignment, you will be applying Hofstede’s cultural dimensions to organizational behavior in the United States and a country of your choosing - you may not select China since that was covered in this week's discussion forum (to select a country, check Hofstede Insights: Country Comparison (Links to an external site.)).
Synthesize what you learned from Hofstede’s website about both the U.S. and the country you selected.
What cultural practices intrigued you? Why these?
Analyze the cultural dimensions identified by Hofstede in the country you selected. What dimensions in this country do you believe the US can learn from? Provide a rational for your choice.
Justify 5 recommendations you have for training expatriates from the US to work in this country.
Defend 5 recommendations you have for training repatriates upon return to the US from this country.
Your paper should be 2-3 pages long, have a title page and include a minimum of 3 references formatted in APA style.
BUS311 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Module 3 Assignment
Milestone 1: Topic Selection
By now, you have learned that organizational behavior is the study of individual and group performance within an organization. There are many topics of study in organizational behavior, including: stereotypes, attitudes, change management, generational similarities and differences, and the impact of human behavior in a work environment (e.g., leadership, communication, motivation, job structure, performance).
What topic has intrigued you at this point in the course? For this assignment, you are being asked to select a topic and identify 5 peer-reviewed journal articles related to this topic. Throughout the remainder of the course you will be asked to develop an outline of your paper and then to write a 5 page paper in week 8.
This assignment will be useful to you throughout your career. You will engage in library research and critical thinking, skills that you will use in everyday life.
What topic do you want to study in more detail?
Write a brief What you would say to a company President about the need to consider this topic for her/his organization?
List 5 peer-reviewed journal articles you want to read to write your research paper. Use the library research guides for locating resources: http://libguides.excelsior.edu.vlib.excelsior.edu/human-resources (Links to an external site.). Cite these sources in APA format.
BUS311 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Module 4 Assignment
Decision Making Case Study Paper
For this assignment, you will be asked to read a case study and then answer some questions related to the case. This case deals with making decisions under pressure, especially when information is insufficient.
The Case
Authors: Lauren Ankeles, Marine Lea Graham, Roberta Pittore and Priyanka Ramamurthy
From: MIT Sloane
After 11 months of planning, the Sloan Women in Management (SWIM) club co-presidents and two conference directors faced a difficult decision. The club's 3rd annual conference, aptly named "Dare to Fail: Taking Risks When it Matters Most", was scheduled to begin around the time a winter storm, fortified with up to 50 inches of snow, was predicted to hit the Boston area. At 2:00pm the day before the conference was to begin, the leadership team needed to decide whether the show would go on, be modified, or be canceled altogether.
How could a sunny February afternoon take such a turn for the worse? The clock ticked in the MIT Sloan Student Life Office (SLO), where the three Sloan Wome?n in Management (SWIM) club co-presidents and two conference directors were gathered.1 (Links to an external site.) SWIM's 3rd annual conference, 11 months in the making, was scheduled to take place the next day. A winter storm was looming, with weather predictions varying widely from three to 50 inches of snow in the next 48 hours. It was almost 2:00pm and a decision had to be made – setup was slated to begin in minutes, and speakers were boarding their flights for Boston. Should the conference be canceled, modified, or go forward as planned?
SLO Associate Director Marco Esquandolas looked at the five women seated in front of him and asked, "Ladies, what is your final call?"
During the many months of planning, each member of the leadership team had visualized dozens of possible scenarios for the conference. In some, there were no attendees, the food never arrived, or the speakers forgot their talking points. In others, the room was packed and the crowd was on their feet giving thunderous applause for a life- and career-changing event. After so many setbacks, it was finally all within reach, and it was going to be glorious. Except now, there was a new and unprecedented scenario to consider – canceling the conference for a potentially monstrous snowstorm, when there was not a cloud in the sky or a snowflake on the ground.
At 1:30pm on Thursday, February 7, SWIM's three co-presidents and two conference directors, who had been in varying states of misalignment and frustration for so long, met with Marco in his office to sort through their options. Weather reports had been monitored from different networks. Now, there was every indication that a storm would hit Boston at some point, but most networks expected the storm to hit after 12:00pm on Friday, while others said it could be as late as Friday night. It was simply too early to tell.
Janet and Merrill collected a status update of where each speaker was, and when planes would begin taking off toward Boston. They confirmed that all 15 speakers were unfazed by weather reports and were ready to attend the conference the next day, regardless of the potential snowstorm. One had already changed her ticket to fly in earlier to avoid any airport closings, and a second could not be reached as she was already on a flight from London.
At precisely 2:00pm, vendors would begin setting up the venue and SWIM would be liable for the costs. Further, if MIT closed, the rental fees would triple from a one-day rental to daily rentals through the weekend, when the rentals could be picked up. Lea did a back of the envelope calculation and quickly saw that if the conference was canceled after vendors arrived, the costs could increase significantly. The catering company had already warned her that it was too late to cancel the perishable food items that had been prepared for the conference – it was unclear what percentage of the $13,000 catering bill would be recoverable. Lea knew what her vote was, but she was curious to see which way her two co-presidents were leaning.
The MIT administration had not yet closed the Institute, and would not comment on if they would. MIT rarely closed its doors, but if it did no events would be allowed on campus, including the conference.
What would happen if the conference was not canceled, and MIT closed later that night? What if the conference was canceled, MIT did not close, and the storm only hit Friday night? What would be the fallout with attendees and corporate sponsors? Rachel was particularly concerned about the ramifications for the sponsors, whom her team had worked so hard to secure. Would SWIM's reputation be impacted? Would they be able to secure sponsorship funds in the future? Tarini wondered if attendees would show up for the conference, even if it was not canceled, and if they did, was there a risk of them being snowed in? If the team opted to cancel the conference, would they be forced to give back ticket revenue, and, if so, how would that affect the bottom line? Could they really give up on the event that they had sacrificed for and had devoted the last year of their lives to? The entire conference revolved around the theme of coming to the brink of failure and still finding a way to succeed. With graduation around the corner, there would be no second chances.
Given that most weather forecasts suggested that snowfall would only begin at 12:00pm Friday, and would not escalate until early evening, Merrill began championing the idea of a half-day conference. Could they run the events concurrently instead of sequentially, giving attendees the option to choose which speaker to hear from? Since the event space would be set up for one speaker at a time, would it even be feasible? Would attendees show up for a conference that only lasted three hours, and if not, would low attendance be disrespectful to the high profile speakers?
The conference directors and co-presidents narrowed it down to three choices:
Cancel the conference before 2:00pm, thus saving operational costs that would otherwise be incurred.
Hold a half-day conference with concurrent speakers.
Wait until Thursday night to make a decision, based on more accurate forecasts and updates on speaker travel plans.
While initially on the table, rescheduling was not an option for the team. With only three months left before the conference leadership team graduated it would be impossible to find a date that worked for all, or even most, of the speakers. Additionally, because the venue had no availability in March, April, or May, the team would need to find a new location for the conference. They would in effect be planning an entirely new conference in one-quarter of the time it took to plan the initial conference. For these reasons they knew rescheduling would not work.
In his facilitator role, Marco Esquandolas remained an impartial observer, telling them,
The way I look at clubs on campus is that it is your chance to practice management. You put this all together. You know best if you should cancel or go forward. In all my years here, this situation is unprecedented. If it is canceled, it will be devastating. If there is a storm, it will be devastating. If there is no storm, it will be devastating. I will support whatever decision you make.
The women discussed their options at a rapid pace, knowing the minutes were winding down. How would speakers react if the conference had to be canceled after they had already flown in? Would companies expect sponsorship money to be returned? What was best for the safety of attendees? How much of the setup cost would be sunk if they postponed the decision? If first year students never got to see a conference executed, what would a cancelation mean for the legacy of SWIM? What alternate venues could accommodate the conference if MIT closed? Would it even snow?
The only thing they were sure of was that whatever decision they made would have a long-lasting impact on the event and organization that they were so dedicated to.
Case Analysis:
As a consultant to this group, what would you recommend they do? Provide the rationale for your choice.
Identify 3-5 issues that will result as a consequence to the resolution you recommend.
What suggestions do you have for this group on ways to develop contingency plans in the future?
Explain why you believe it is difficult to engage in decision making in organizations.
Your paper should be a minimum of 4 pages, with a title page and a maximum of 5 references in APA style.
BUS311 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Module 5 Assignment
Milestone 2 Outline and Resources for Final Paper
For assignment M3A1, you were asked to identify a topic of your choice in organizational behavior that you would like to study in more detail this term. You were also asked to list five peer reviewed journal articles to use in your research. Finally, you were asked to identify ways you would inform the President of an organization about the importance of this issue for her/his organization.
For this assignment, you are asked to continue working on your research paper. Specifically:
Provide an outline to develop the paper. Add the thesis statement/purpose of your paper in the introduction
What issues will you address in your research paper?
Write a brief sentence or thesis statement for each item.
Aligned your resources (journal references) with each of the items in your outline. Be sure to insert APA in-text citations to pair the item and resource.
Application to Professional Practice: Add an item to your outline to identify the application to professional and add three ways how the findings of this research can be useful for the organization or president of the organization.
Your outline should be a minimum of 2 pages, and your paper should include at least 4 references out of the 5 you identified earlier.
BUS311 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Module 6 Assignment
Workplace Engagement Paper
Studies on workplace engagement have identified that while drivers for engagement may depend on generations, position and other factors, there are some drivers that emerge as important for all employees, regardless of these differences: the way in which senior managers communicate with employees and employee voice.
As the CEO of an organization, discuss how you would integrate these findings in your day-to-day functions (staffing, training, motivation and communications). Specifically, what is your strategy for:
Making the link between employees’ work and the broader organizational goals?
Ensuring that employees have a voice—so as to express their views, opinions and recommendations and have them taken seriously?
Sharing the vision of the organization and inspire employees to fulfill that purpose and achieve the vision?
Your paper should be a minimum of 3 pages long, with a title page and maximum of 5 references in APA style.
BUS311 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Module 7 Assignment
Strategic Planning Case Study Paper
For this assignment, you will be asked to read a case study and then answer some questions related to the case. This case deals with assessing and evaluating programs within an organization.
Title: Case Study: Strategic Planning for a Youth Services Organization (Links to an external site.)
Robert Morris University Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management
Case Analysis
Based on this case answer the following questions:
What strategies used in this case do you believe can be used by other organizations?
If you had to consult with this organization, what 3 recommendations would you offer them on what to learn from this incident and apply it to subsequent issues with which they are dealing?
Identify 3 reasons you believe board members shifted into “true governance.”
Your paper should be a minimum of 3 pages and formatted according to APA style.
BUS311 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Module 8 Assignment
Milestone 3: Final Paper
In Modules 3 and 5 you were asked to begin the preliminary work for your research paper. For this assignment, you are to complete writing a 5-page academic essay paper on the topic you selected in Module 3. Note this is not a letter to a president. This is a research business paper. This means it should written in formal English, your statements should be supported with evidence, and should give you an opportunity to apply concepts and theory learned in class.
For your research paper, be sure to include:
Title page (not included in the 5-page limit)
Introduction: a brief overview of topic selected, including why this topic is of importance to organizations (you may reuse the rationale in paper M3A1, but you need to edit the language to fit the introduction of your essay. Include a thesis statement/purpose for the paper.
Body of research paper: Develop the outline that you designed in M5A1. Make sure to use in-text citations in APA style.
Conclusion: Write a brief summary of your findings and a call to action. A call to action for at least one action or step you want the President to take after reading your research paper (you may use the items identify in the application for professional practice).
References: Insert a page with the references used for your paper, in APA style.
