Units

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Sample subject outline - 6 Week Teaching Period - 5 2013

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

The success of an organisation depends primarily upon the actions of the people within it. One of the greatest challenges for leaders within an organisation is how to harness the power, knowledge, expertise and creativity of individuals, to help them to effectively work together as a high performing team capable of achieving the goals of the organisation.

To meet this challenge, it is critical that leaders within an organisation are able to identify, assess and understand the factors that influence the thoughts, feelings, motivations and actions of individuals in the workplace. It is only through this insight into human behaviour within organisations that leaders are able to determine the most effective strategies and courses of action for maximising the potential of individuals and to lead and build high performing teams.

This unit is offered at this point in the program to build upon the earlier work completed in GSZ497 Personal Leadership Development and Change, and to lay the foundations for the later leadership work in GSZ415 Leadership and Complexity.

Aims

The mission of the MBA and associated programs is to provide world class, graduate business education and stimulating real world learning opportunities to develop current and future business leaders and managers to confidently lead in complex environments.

This aim of this unit is to develop your theoretical and applied knowledge of human behaviour at work and how to develop and lead face-to-face and virtual high performing teams.

Objectives

Course Learning Goals (Postgraduate)

The QUT Business School has established the Assurance of Learning (AoL) Goals to meet contemporary industry needs and standards. Achieving these learning outcomes will assist you to meet the desired graduate outcomes set at QUT - aligned with other internationally renowned business schools.

Have knowledge and skills pertinent to a particular discipline (KS)

1.1 Well-researched knowledge and critical understanding applied to issues at the forefront of a specialised discipline area
1.2 Ability to select and use effectively a range of tools and technologies to locate and/or generate information appropriate to the disciplinary context

Be critical thinkers and effective problem solvers (CTA)

2.1 Apply logical, critical and creative thinking and judgement to generate appropriate solutions to problems in the disciplinary context

Be professional communicators in an intercultural context (PC)

3.1 Ability to create and present professional documents and/or reports using high levels of analysis/synthesis/evaluation for a range of contexts and audiences
3.2 Ability to orally communicate and justify ideas and information, at a professional level, for a variety of contexts and audiences, including peers and discipline specialists

Be able to work effectively in a Team Environment (TW)

4.1 Operate effectively and with flexibility to achieve common goals in collaborative settings, using a range of skills, including leadership, negotiation, reflection, proactivity and support for team members

Have a Social and Ethical Understanding (SEU)

5.1 Apply knowledge of the ethical, social and cultural dimensions relevant to business situations, including appropriate standards or codes of practice, to provide courses of action

Discipline Knowledge

On completing this unit, you will be able to:

1. Critically analyse the behavior of individuals and teams in a given situation to determine the factors within an organisation that have shaped or impacted the behavior exhibited. KS 1.1 (MBA 1), CTA 2.1 (MBA 4), SEU 5.1 (MBA 2).
2. Critically evaluate a number of organisational theories and their appropriateness for informing practice in particular situations. KS 1.1(MBA 1), CTA 2.1 (MBA 4)
3. Recommend a range of effective people management strategies for leading and empowering individuals and teams to seek an opportunity or to manage an issue. KS 1.1 (MBA 1), CTA 2.1 (MBA4) PC 3.2 (MBA 3)
4. Create a People Management Plan identifying how to manage a specific people related workplace opportunity or issue. KS 1.1 (MBA 1), CTA 2.1 (MBA 4), PC 3.1 (MBA 3).

Content

In keeping with QUT's commitment to internationalisation of its programs, the issues explored in this unit will focus on both the Australian and International perspectives.

• Understanding and managing individuals - ability, personality, values, attitudes, perception, cognition, motivation and emotions.


• Managing stress and conflict in interpersonal relationships and teams.


• Leading and empowering teams (including virtual teams)

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

This unit adopts a blended learning approach and as such, includes a variety of teaching and learning approaches.

Three hour face-to-face class sessions are supplemented by a textbook and a range of online materials that are designed to support and extend learning prior to, during and after class sessions. Online materials are available in the unit Blackboard site. Given the importance of the unit Blackboard site to the teaching and learning strategy used in this unit, a computer and tablet device with internet access is strongly recommended for all students.

The principal purpose of the lectures and readings is to build upon the key concepts that were introduced through the Preparation for Class activities and readings. The purpose of the case study work, experiential learning tasks and all assessment tasks is to help the student develop their understanding of the concepts and enable them to be applied within a range of business contexts.

There is an expectation that the student will participate in class sessions, to take advantage of the opportunity to discuss important issues with their instructor and their peers in an informal environment. These sessions also provide students with an opportunity to hone important generic skills that are in high demand in the business.

It is expected that students have completed all Preparation for Class activities and readings identified in the unit Blackboard site prior to coming to class to be able to maximise the learning opportunities of the class sessions.

A variety of learning activities designed to engage students in their learning will be incorporated into the lectures/workshops. Such learning activities may include short lectures, class discussions, debates, role plays, group work, guest speakers, student presentations, simulations, case study analysis, videos, readings, wikis, media/current events reports, web searches, etc.


There is a commitment to critical inquiry and intellectual debate in regard to the material covered. Students are encouraged to relate the theories and research discussed to situations known to them and will be encouraged to share their experiences relating to the topics explored in this unit with the class to enrich the overall learning experience of all students.

Expanding the awareness of Australian management policies and practices into intercultural and international perspectives is fostered within this unit. Typically, students enrolling in this unit have extremely varied backgrounds. There is diversity of professional background and socio-cultural background. Students are reminded that this is to their advantage and they have much to learn from one another. To this end, students are strongly encouraged to be sensitive to cultural, gender-related and international issues.

Assessment

A further Guide to the Assessment Items is available from the unit Blackboard Site: http://blackboard.qut.edu.au

At the end of the teaching period the Faculty Academic Board determines students' grades. The Unit Coordinators provide the detailed assessment results to the Board, working through the relevant School. These results are advisory in nature and do not necessarily constitute the final grades awarded by the Board. In its decision the Board compares results both within units and programs, using as a guide a set of standard distribution criteria. These criteria enable the Board to systematically compare student performance, but are not applied in a prescriptive fashion.Students will receive a variety of formative feedback throughout this unit.
Informally, feedback will be given verbally in class through class discussions and during the debriefing of learning activities.
Direct feedback will be available to those students who request a private or group consultation session with the lecturer.
Formal feedback will be received on both formative and summative assessment tasks through a Criterion Reference Assessment sheet which will also include written feedback on the assessment task. The Criterion Reference Assessment Sheet will be available in the unit Blackboard site at the commencement of the unit. Students will receive feedback on their formative assessment task prior to their summative assessment task being submitted.

Assessment name: Case Analysis
Description: Each group will critically analyse a case using specific organisational behaviour theories covered in the first three sessions of class. The group will submit one report to the instructor. You will form groups in the first session of class. If you are unable to attend the first session, please contact other members of your cohort to join a group.
Length/Duration: 2,000
Formative/Summative: Formative and Summative
Relates to objectives: Unit Objectives 1, 2 and 3
AOL goals: KS (1.1), CTA (2.1), PC (3.1) and TW (4.1) and SEU 5.1 (MBA 2)
Weight: 40%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Group
Due date: After Module 3

Assessment name: People Management Plan
Description: Identify an opportunity or issue preferably with a team in your workplace that is related to the topics explored in GSZ409 and provide a plan that outlines strategies to address and manage the people opportunity or issue.

The strategies included in the plan need to emerge from an analysis of the Organisational Behaviour literature and be referenced accordingly.
Length/Duration: 2,500
Formative/Summative: Summative
Relates to objectives: Unit objectives: 1,2, 3 and 4
AOL goals: KS 1.1, CTA 2.1, PC 3.1, SEU 5.1
Weight: 60%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: After Module 6

Academic Honesty

QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.

A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.

Resource materials

Prescribed text

Wood, J., Zeffane, R.M, Fromholtz, M. and Fitzgerald, J. (2010) Organisational Behaviour: Core concepts and applications, 2nd Aust. ed., Brisbane: John Wiley & Sons.

Other Resources

GSZ409 Blackboard site

Risk assessment statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit. You should, however, familiarise yourself with evacuation procedures operating in the buildings in which you attend classes and take the time to view the >Emergency video.

Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Last modified: 16-Jan-2013