POST GRADUATE PROGRAMME IN MANAGEMENT

Academic Year 2021-22 | Term I

Micro Organisational Behaviour
Credits: 03
Course instructors: V. Vijaya | vijaya@iimtrichy.ac.in | 0431.2505009
Abhishek Totawar | abhishek@iimtrichy.ac.in | 0431.2505019
Consultation hours: Please write (email) for an appointment.

Introduction
Before coming to a business school, you would have worked as individual contributors, where your foremost
responsibility was to perform (and complete) a specific task, for instance, engineering, data analysis or coding,
etc. Such contribution depended largely on what you could harness from your individual expertise. If you are like
most IIM graduates, you will be charged with ‘managerial’ responsibility within three or four years of your
graduation. Typically, this will involve managing and leading a team, coordinating with co-workers and/or
subordinates, running a business sub-unit, or possibly owning and managing a firm as an entrepreneur.
OB-1 is crafted to address several fundamental aspects of managing and leading people, specifically the micro
aspects of behaviour in an organization. It aims to provide you with critical concepts and competencies of
managing people. It aims to help you grow and make transition from an ‘individual contributor’ to a ‘manager’,
and over time build a career of increasing responsibility as a business leader.
An organisation is a formal context where the employer agrees to offer work or take services from an employee
who is an individual, understanding the individual is fundamental to understanding the employees who have their
separate identity, needs and goals. The employee also works with others as a team, in which people work for a
common goal together. This micro organisational behaviour course focuses on understanding the individuals,
groups and teams in organisations and the behavioural processes that occur along with working on the job.

Objectives / Learning Outcomes

The OB-1 course design presents various challenges that a manager encounters, and addresses following goals
and themes:
1. Understanding a ‘realistic preview’ of managing people and differentiate the elements of a formal and
informal organisation.
At its core, it is about realizing that manager is not merely a position of responsibility, instead it’s about
‘interdependence’ within the organization (amongst peers, seniors, juniors) and outside it (suppliers,
competitors, customers, investors, governments).
2. Integrating both task learning and personal learning in becoming a manager.
Most debutant managers anticipate the need for task learning (acquiring new management
competencies), they are often amused by the demand for personal learning (knowing oneself, coping with

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 stress and managing emotions). Effective managers know themselves, their personal style, its impact,
personal motivations and values.
3. Developing an understanding of what it takes to be an effective leader in evolving and turbulent business
environment.
With a continuously transforming business environment, the demand for effective leaders at all stages in
the organization is escalating. Leadership may entail building, growing, maintaining, and changing a
company/organization, sometimes incrementally and sometimes radically. Managers, future leaders,
must be astute change agents who are able to have an eye on the future, know the change coming,
understand how to overcome resistance to change, able to address inevitable organizational stressors
emanating from change, and are able to craft and implement appropriate change strategies.

S# Course Learning Outcomes Programme Goals Achieved by the Course

1 Understanding a ‘realistic preview’ of Demonstrating ability to identify the central

managing people and differentiate the problem/issue in a decision-making situation, gather
elements of a formal and informal relevant information, and apply appropriate tools to
arrive at a solution.
organisation.

2 Integrating both task learning and Demonstrating an ability to work in teams.

personal learning in becoming a Engaging effectively in groups comprising members
manager. from diverse backgrounds and interests to work
towards a unified purpose.

3 Developing an understanding of what it Displaying skills required to lead and manage in

takes to be an effective leader in organizational contexts.
evolving and turbulent business
environment.

Pedagogy
We will use a mix of interactive methods which are largely based on case studies and simulations, at times
supplemented with a multimedia/video. These cases will provide a common context to learn from opportunities
and challenges faced by managers and leaders. By analysing common dilemmas that managers face, we’ll learn
how to anticipate and avoid problems, and see challenges as emerging opportunities. The course will engage you
in role-play, simulation, and self-assessment exercises. To supplement the classroom interaction, you will have
reading material to refine and integrate the concepts that emerge in classroom discussion. Needless to say, coming
prepared with the pre-reads and assignment questions is critical element of the course pedagogy.

Reference Textbook
Robbins, S. P., Judge, T. A., & Vohra, N. 2013. Organizational Behavior (15 ed.). New Delhi: Pearson.

Steven McShane, Mary Glinow. 2015.Organisational Behaviour: Emerging Knowledge. Global Reality.
McGrawHill Indian edition. 6e.

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 Evaluation Scheme

Class Participation Individual component

15 per cent In-class discussion: Refers to an individual’s contribution in facilitating the class discussion –
case discussions and other classroom activities

Class 4
Participation ▪ Answers others’ questions constructively
Marking ▪ Keeps the analysis focused
Scheme ▪ Responds to others by cooperative argument
building
(0 – 4) ▪ Suggests alternative perspective(s)
3 2
▪ Participates voluntarily and goes ▪ Participates voluntarily
beyond basic facts to present ▪ Quotes basic facts
thought thru insights/implications
▪ Able to ‘connect the dots’ from the
ongoing classroom discussion, and
take the class further
1 0
• Speaks only when called upon • Absent or ‘present – but no input’
• Doesn't goes beyond giving case facts • Makes irrelevant point and suggestions that belies
knowledge of the case/readings

Mid Term Individual component

20 per cent MCQs (including short descriptive questions).
No make-up or compensatory exam will be conducted.

Project Group component.

25 per cent The purpose is to understand any form(s) of organizational behavior – by doing a project
– in your group. Identify and analyze a behavioral situation – which is measurable – you
should be able to present at least one finding and learning to the class after studying this
behavior. Preferably, this should align to any of the topics that we discuss in this course.
This will be a submission in form of a brief case study. Group size of 5-7 members.
Submission due on/before the first end term exam of Term-I.

End Term Individual component.

40 per cent Case-based exam. No make-up or compensatory exam will be conducted.

The following table shows mapping of course learning outcomes to the various evaluation
components in the course.
Evaluation Component CO1 CO2 CO3
Class Participation - Individual ✓
Mid-term assessment - Individual ✓ ✓
End-term assessment - Individual ✓ ✓
Project - Group ✓ ✓ ✓

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 Session Plan

Session Textbook
Session Theme Pre-Reads for the Sessions
No Chapters
Case Bridging the two worlds – The
Organisational Dilemma
Introduction to Organisations and
1-2 1
Organizational Behavior (OB) Shifting from Star Performer to Star
Manager [HBR, 2015]

3 Attitudes and Values Just clean your hands! [CASE] 3, 5

4-5 Perception Simmon Laboratories [CASE] 6

Alex Montana at ESH Manufacturing

6 Emotions 4
company [CASE]

Self-Awareness Can Help Leaders [HBR,

7-8 Personality 5
2018]

Zero wage increase again [CASE]

9-10 Motivation On the folly of rewarding A while hoping 7, 8
for B [An Academy Classic, 1995]

11 Interpersonal Effectiveness To be announced 1

Internal Competition: A Course for

12-13 Groups and Teams 9
Team Performance [CASE]

14-15 Individual decision making In-class activity 6

James Burke: A Career in American

16-17 Leadership 12
Business (A) [CASE]

18 Conflict Resolution To be announced 14

19 Power and Politics Videos: to be assigned 13

20 Guest Lecture / Capstone - -

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 Academic Integrity
Being future leaders and holding the baton of knowledge, demonstration of academic integrity is of utmost
importance. This requires leading by example; any intentional or deliberate attempt of not adhering to academic
procedures will bracketed as academic dishonesty and will be dealt accordingly. Copying in assignments and
exams can be penalised with an incompletion status of the course.

Class participation
It includes reading all the cases, articles and being adequately prepared for the session; and raising thought
provoking arguments in the class.

Special student requirements

If any student is differently-abled, kindly get connected with the course instructor so that appropriate arrangements
can be made timely. If any student needs some explanations outside class, please feel free to get in touch with
faculty for the same

Contact hours
This course has 30 classroom contact hours spread over 20 sessions. Since the course outline and expectation
from the students are well laid out kindly refrain from making request to reschedule classes and seeking extension
for assignments. However, in view of pressing situation modification in the schedule will be informed to the
students by the PGP office.

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