Postgraduate Course: Organisational Behaviour (CMSE11089)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 15 |
ECTS Credits | 7.5 |
| Summary | Organisational behaviour (OB) focuses on how people behave in organisations and how a variety of organisational characteristics affect organisational performance. OB considers the impact that individuals, groups, structures and routines have on behaviour. Managers usually need to get things done by working with and through others, so a good understanding organisational behaviour is essential. Good social and analytical skills complement the technical skills derived from subjects such as economics, accounting and finance. |
| Course description |
This course is about organisations and the factors that make them work effectively - and about why, in some cases, organisations fail to work effectively. The course starts from the position that organisations are about harnessing human effort and ingenuity to produce particular outcomes - and that, under certain conditions, this can be a formidable challenge. A wide range of topics relevant to effective organisation are covered, including: perceiving and making sense of reality; making effective decisions; building and operating high performance teams; coping with pressure; guiding and directing others; energizing and mobilizing people; setting the tone of the organisation (culture); managing organisational politics; and designing the right organisation for the task in hand. The course is delivered via a mix of lectures, workshops and case-based exercises.
Syllabus:
Introduction to the course and to organisational behaviour
The individual in the organisation: perception and personality
Decision-Making
Group behaviour and team working
Leadership
Managing stress in the workplace
Motivation, incentives and commitment
Organisational Configuration and Control
Culture, Power and Conflict
Key Lessons, Course Overview and Examination Briefing
Student Learning Experience:
Learning will take place through a variety of methods. These will include: formal lectures, interactive workshops, analyses of case studies, analysis of a cinematic case study and guest speakers from industry. The lectures are designed to provide an introduction to the topics covered, and to outline key ideas in a clear, structured format that enables students to understand key concepts and frameworks. Cases will be used to illustrate how particular ideas apply in practice. Workshops offer students the chance to apply concepts and frameworks to their own experiences and case study examples. Guest speakers provide illustration of real-world problems and situations. The emphasis throughout the course is on enabling students to apply the ideas analytically.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | For Business School PG students only, or by special permission of the School. Please contact the course secretary. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
150
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 10,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 3,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
115 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Individual Essay (50%)
Exam (50%) |
| Feedback |
All students will be given at least one formative feedback or feedforward event for every course they undertake, provided during the semester in which the course is taken and in time to be useful in the completion of summative work on the course. Such feedback may be at course or programme level, but must include input of relevance to each course in the latter case.
Feedback deadlines
Feedback on formative assessed work will be provided within 15 working days of submission, or in time to be of use in subsequent assessments within the course, whichever is sooner. Summative marks will be returned on a published timetable, which has been made clear to students at the start of the academic year.
Students will gain feedback on their understanding of the material when they discuss their answers to the tutorial questions in the tutorials. Students may also ask questions in Lectures to assess their knowledge.
In-class feedback on class exercises and discussions
Summary of general performance in the examination
Written feedback on individual essay
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| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | Organisational Behaviour | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Explain and discuss key concepts from the field of Organisation Behaviour
- Understand and critically discuss the importance of underlying assumptions to problem-solving
- Understand and critically evaluate models and major theories of phenomena such as motivation, commitment, group dynamics, decision-making, organisational structure, culture and conflict and how these are put into practice by organisations
- Compare and contrast alternative perspectives on organisational issues
- Synthesise and critically evaluate debates in the field.
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Reading List
| Huczynski A A & Buchanan D A (2013) Organisational Behaviour (8th edition), FT/ Prentice Hall, Harlow |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Cognitive Skills:
After completing this course, students should be able to:
-Understand how different models and assumptions may be used to analyse organisational issues and make interventions
-Stand back and view complex situations from different perspectives
-Summarise key theories and debates, synthesise the results of research, communicate ideas to others, and apply their knowledge to address real organisational problems.
Subject Specific Skills:
After completing this course, students should be able to:
-Understand how to operate effectively within group settings
-Apply different models of decision-making to different contingencies
-Debate and critically evaluate the characteristics of effective leadership
-Recognize the key shapers of organisational structures and processes
-Diagnose the root cause of a variety of organisational problems
-Produce well-informed analyses of issues of contemporary significance within the subject area.
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| Keywords | MGMT-OB |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Nick Oliver
Tel: (0131 6)50 3811
Email: nick.oliver@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Peter Newcombe
Tel: (0131 6)51 3013
Email: Peter.Newcombe@ed.ac.uk |
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