Organizational Behavior

COURSE SYLLABUS
Korea University
KGM 104, Module 1, Fall 2023

Instructor: Class meetings:

Tai Gyu Kim HM 403
E-mail: kimt@korea.ac.kr Mondays and Wednesdays
Office: LG-POSCO 422 8:30-10:20
Phone: 3290-2828
TA: Yang, Jewon (wpdnjs@korea.ac.kr)
Office Hours: By appointment

Course Overview:
This course focuses on the theory and application of organizational behavior.
Organizational behavior is a study of human behavior in organizations and deals with
three levels of phenomena in the context of workplace – individual, group and
organizational levels.

The overall course objective is to teach you the skills essential to effective management
of individuals, groups and organizations in today’s business environment. This objective
will be achieved by exposing you to a variety of theories and applications of individual
behavior, within-group and between-group interaction, and firm behavior. At the end the
course, you are expected to learn tools, skills and strategies for:
 Enhancing your managerial judgment
 Improving individual and group effectiveness
 Managing organizational units and their activities

Course Material:
The course’s textbook is Organizational Behavior: A Practical, Problem-Solving
Approach 3rd Edition by A. Kinicki & M Fugate, which is available at the bookstore.
There will also be additional readings which will be provided in class.

Assignments and grading:

Your final grade will be based on:
1) Senior Manager Case Analysis 30%
2) Exams (2 @ 25% each) 50%
3) Homework 10%
4) 10% Factor 10%

Senior Manager Case Analysis (30%)

This assignment is designed to apply the knowledge you gain in class to tackle
real issues in real organizations. Each Project Group is required to interview at least one
senior manager regarding their experiences. Your group can choose to interview more
managers. This manager can be from a firm you previously worked for, from firms you
would like to work for, or simply from industries that interest you. The “firm” doesn’t
necessarily have to be a large firm. It could be any organization ranging from a non-profit
organization to a local restaurant.
This is an opportunity for you to explore a person or an industry in which you are
interested. You will want to pay attention to the issues from class. Some topics you
might want to cover include issues of motivation, job attitudes, decision making, conflict
resolution, and organizational change. Please do not attempt to cover too many topics. It
won’t be very feasible. You may want to pick one or maybe two issues that most interest
you.

Presentation & Team Evaluation (10%). Each group will make a maximum 20-minute
presentation of the results of the interview. Also, some background information about the
organization of the manager will be a valuable component of the presentation. Each
member of a group will turn in a team evaluation form that assesses the contribution of
the group members. Self-assessment should be included as well. The form is included in
Appendix A.

Report in Writing (10%). Each group will turn in a maximum 6-page written analysis on
the day of presentation. This could be of free format reporting whatever you have found
from the interviews regarding the theories and practices based on the class concepts and
their applications.

Exams (50%)
There will be 2 exams during the term. No time allowance is available for
students who arrive late. No make-up exam will be available without emergency situation
with supporting evidence.

Homework (10%)
Individual homework accounts for 10% of your grade. Homework ranges from simple
practice on the web (i.e., personality test) to class preparation for specific topic (i.e.,
negotiation exercise). Given the feature of homework, some are graded but some are not.
For example, there is no way to grade personality test. Therefore, timely response for
such homework deserves a full credit.

10% Factor (10%)

The 10% factor reflects your overall dedication and conscientiousness to the
course. The more you contribute and participate in this course, the more you will learn.
Therefore, participation and interaction count. “10% factor” is intended to encourage
interaction and participation. Attendance also plays into this measure, as does
preparedness.
Course Policies:

1) I will do my best to teach you the theories and ideas of Organizational Behavior.
2) I will try to always be fair and straightforward with regard to grading and other
class-related issues.
3) I commit to returning graded assignments and exams in a timely fashion.
4) I commit to having open office hours at least once per week.
5) I promise to find responses to questions related to course content that I do not
already know.
6) Please commit to respecting each other’s opinions, thoughts, and ideas,
particularly those raised in class. Open and useful discussion depends on mutual
respect not only between instructor and student, but also between student and
student.
7) Please contact me in advance if you have any requests, problems, or issues
related to the course. If you have questions about the material—please feel free
to email or call me to set up time to discuss your questions.
8) Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the assigned date. Late
assignments will have one third of a letter grade deducted for each calendar day
they are late.
9) No makeup exams or presentations will be allowed, unless in an extreme case of
emergency.
10) If you have questions about a grade received in class, come to me within one
week of receiving the grade. Be sure to submit a typewritten request explaining
your position (along with the original assignment). Document your points with
the appropriate course material. After reviewing your explanation I will either
award you additional points or schedule a meeting with you to discuss the
disputed issue(s). I reserve the right to re-grade the entire assignment when an
appeal is submitted. This can result in a lower grade.
11) Cheating in any form will not be tolerated—and will be prosecuted to the fullest
extent permitted by the University.
 Course Outline

Date Topic Readings/Assignments Activities

9/4 (Mon) Introduction to OB
-Task, Contextual & Ethical
Performance
9/6 (Wed) Changing Nature of Work
9/11 (Mon) Job attitudes and Personality Chapter 2 (Attitude)
Chapter 3 (Personality)
Obtain your Big 5 scores at
http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/ and
report them via Blackboard by 9/8 midnight
(Homework)
9/13 (Wed) Perceptions and biases Chapter 4 Various
Decision making & heuristics Chapter 11 Exercises
Additional reading by T & K
9/18 (Mon) Team, Power and Influence Chapter 8 & 12
Motivation Chapter 5, 6 & 7
9/20 (Wed) Communication Chapter 9
9/25 (Mon) Leadership Chapter 13
9/27 (Wed) Midterm
10/2 (Mon) Conflict and negotiation Chapter10
10/4 (Wed) Conflict and negotiation (Homework) – Turn in your negotiation plan Negotiation
Exercise
10/9 (Mon) No class (National Holiday)
10/11 (Wed) Negotiation Debriefing Chapter 14 & Chapter 16 Leadership
Learning Organizations Frame
Organizational Culture & Exercise
Change OCAI Survey
10/16 (Mon) Cross-cultural Issues & Chapter 1
Business Ethics
10/18 (Wed) Group Project Presentation Groups 1, 2, 3 & 4
10/23 (Mon) Group Project Presentation Groups 5, 6, 7 & 8
10/25 (Wed) Final
 Appendix A

Senior Manager Project

Team Evaluation Form

Team Number/Name Your Name

_______________ ________________________________________

Rate each group member (including yourself) using the following scale:

1 = poor
2 = needs improvement
3 = satisfactory
4 = very good
5 = excellent

After everyone has completed the assessment sheet, share your ratings with one
another as a basis for more detailed feedback and discussion. You can do this privately
or in the group, depending on your group’s preference.

Definitions:

Teamwork: receptive to others’ input, works well with others, cooperative,

sensitive to group process

Quality of work: knowledgeable about course material, has creative and sound
ideas, produces solid written work

Motivation: participates actively, contributes sufficient effort

Reliability: meets deadlines, is prompt, attends meetings

Overall Contribution: overall assessment of that individual’s contribution to the group.

Group Members Teamwork Quality of Motivation Reliability Overall

(list by name) Work Contribution

Note: Self-assessment should be included.