In an increasingly globalized and competitive environment, an organization?s people can be a valuable source of sustained competitive advantage. The way in which people are managed and led can influence organizational performance through its effects on employees? work attitudes, motivation, and performance-related behaviors. Because employee participation, autonomy, and teamwork are on the rise, leadership and organizational behavior skills are important for managers and non-managers alike. This course is about people in organizations: how they think about and judge events in the workplace, and why they behave in the ways they do. Students will learn about contemporary theory, research, and practice in the Organizational Behavior discipline, with emphasis placed on how leadership and motivation affects individuals and teams in the workplace. Students are encouraged to be self-aware and mindful about how they manage and lead others, and to adopt an ethic of continuous self-improvement. This course is experiential and interactive. Students are therefore expected to share in the responsibility for their learning and the collective learning of the class. The capstone of experiential learning in this course is a team case analysis through which students apply course concepts?the theoretical frameworks, models, and research findings covered throughout all three units of the course?to understand employees? reactions to events at work, diagnose practices by managers and leaders, and make decisions in the role of a team leader. This project is designed to foster teamwork, leadership, critical thinking, writing, and presentation skills.

Required Textbook: Organizational Behavior: Improving Performance and Commitment in the Workplace (Loose Leaf, 3rd Edition, with Connect Plus). Colquitt, Lepine, & Wesson, 2013. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. ISBN-13 9780077925109 The 3rd Edition is required for this course. If you purchase a new textbook with the ISBN number listed above, you will also receive Connect Plus at no additional cost, which provides access to an e-version of the text and on-line learning resources; however, Connect Plus is NOT required. The ISBN number listed above (9780077925109) is for the loose-leaf version with Connect Plus, which is available for purchase in the UVM bookstore. For students who purchase their textbook elsewhere, the 3rd Edition in the hardbound version (hardbound ISBN with Connect Plus: 9780078029356) is identical to the loose-leaf version in content and pagination.

Individual Tests 55% Individual Assignment 5% Team Assignment 5% Team Presentation 10% Team Case Analysis 25% Tests: Individual tests comprise a total of 55% of the final course grade: Test 1 = 15%, Test 2 = 15%, and Test 3 = 25%. A document will be posted on Blackboard a week before each test about the test?s format and applicable course content. Assignments: An individual assignment comprises 5% of the final course grade and is designed to give students individualized feedback on their writing and ability to apply course material to understand and analyze the events in a case. Students are expected to apply this feedback to a subsequent assignment competed within their teams worth another 5% of the final course grade. Team Presentation: A team presentation comprises 10% of the final grade in the course. A team grade out of 5% is given to all team members based on the team?s performance, and an individual grade out of 5% is given to each team member based on his or her performance. Specific grading criteria and presentation guidelines and policies will be posted on Backboard. Team Case Analysis: A team case analysis comprises 25% of the final course grade. All team members will receive the same base grade on the team case analysis paper. Each student?s base grade will then be weighted by his or her ?team member evaluation score.? At the end of the semester, all team members will evaluate each other and themselves in terms of their teamwork behavior and contributions to the team. For each student, a team member evaluation score is computed by averaging the evaluations provided by other team members and his or her self-evaluation. This team member evaluation score is then used to weight each student?s base grade on the team case analysis to account for the different contributions among team members. To illustrate, consider a team case analysis paper that receives a grade of 90%. One team member was an exceptional leader of the team and did more than his or her share of the work, which is reflected in this student?s team member evaluation score of 105%. In contrast, another student was a slacker who did less than his or her share of the work, missed several meetings, and was often the source of conflict; this student?s team member evaluation score was 80%. As a result, on the team project paper that received a 90%, the strong team member receives 94.5% and the slacker receives 72%. Thus, it behooves each student to contribute meaningfully to the team and to maintain positive working relationships with all team members. Percentage to Letter Grades: 99-100 = A+ 92-98 = A 90-91 = A- 88-89 = B+ 82-87 = B 80-81 = B- 78-79 = C+ 72-77 = C 70-71 = C- 68-69 = D+ 62-67 = D 60-61 = D- 0-59 = F Final letter grades are determined by applying the above percentage-to-letter conversions and using normal rounding rules, calculated to two decimal places (e.g., an 89.49 is a B+ and an 89.50 is an A-). Out of fairness to all students, the same conversion rules will be applied to all students and no exceptions will be made. Attendance: To do well in this course students must attend class regularly. Attendance is rewarded in several ways: students will have a deeper understanding of the material, which will assist them during and after course; the instructor will often explain in class what material will and will not be tested; and in all classes material will be covered that is not presented in the textbook. Legitimate absences are limited to medical reasons that are accompanied by appropriate documentation and, if discussed with the instructor in advance, athletic obligations, religious holidays, and career opportunities. Religious Holidays: Students have the right to practice the religion of their choice. Each semester students should submit in writing to their instructors by the end of the second full week of classes their documented religious holiday schedule for the semester. Faculty must permit students who miss work for the purpose of religious observance to make up this work. Athletic Obligations: Students participating in inter-collegiate athletics should plan their schedules with special care, recognizing the primary importance of all of their University academic responsibilities. Each semester, members of UVM varsity and junior varsity teams are responsible for documenting in writing any conflicts between their planned athletic schedule and the class schedule to their instructors by the end of the second full week of classes. Students and instructors should then discuss potential conflicts between course requirements and intercollegiate competitions. When an unavoidable conflict exists, the student and instructor should seek a resolution, which permits the student to address the course requirement and participate in the athletic competition. The instructor has final authority on this matter. Career Opportunities: Students who must schedule job interviews and other career related opportunities during class time should inform the instructor in advance in order for the absence to be considered legitimate. Each student is expected to know the UVM policies regarding Student Rights and Responsibilities. Information on all University policies can be found at http://www.uvm.edu/policies/.