UMAB School of PharmacyUMAB School of PharmacyRegina Bento, M.D., Ph.D. - Associate Professor, Merrick School of Business, University of Baltimore
| (410) 837-5073 | e-mail: rbento@ubmail.ubalt.edu. | URL: http://home.ubalt.edu/rbento/ |
This course examines the impact of human behavior on organizational effectiveness. Attention is given to quality, team work, job satisfaction and commitment, building and exercising organizational power, the role of leadership, sustaining motivation, participatory decision making, and the process for change, development and continuous improvement.
As part of the Management Pathway, this course should help Pharmacy students develop a solid understanding of the individual, interpersonal and organizational processes taking place in the complex and dynamic workplaces of the 1990's and beyond. By understanding how such processes may affect individual, group and organizational effectiveness, students should be able to make a positive impact in the various environments where their pharmacy careers will unfold (community, chain, health service organizations, industry). Specific educational outcomes will be defined for each class.
The purpose of the course is to develop not only the students' understanding of the concepts and theories of Organizational Behavior, but also their team-work, problem-solving, communication and life-long learning skills.
Robbins, Stephen P. Organizational Behavior: Concepts, Controversies and Applications. 8th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1997 (includes CD-ROM with text, video and Internet access). URL:http://www.prenhall.com/robbinsorgbeh/
Marx, R., Jick, T. & Frost, P. Management Live! The Video Book. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1991.
"Merck & Co., Inc.: Addressing Third World Needs." Harvard Business School cases # 9-991-021 through 024.
A broad array of learning opportunities will be used in this course, ranging from lectures to innovative uses of information technology and multimedia. Instruction methodologies will include lectures, seminars, videos, student presentations, role-plays, experiential exercises (done individually and in group), field and bibliographic research, as well as a combination of case studies and case discussion. Supporting materials and exercises are on the World Wide Web.
Just as in real life, students may be penalized or rewarded to the degree that they hinder or improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their organization -- in this case, the course. Class participation is a basic assumption: without it, the course will not work. Students should come to class having read the assigned materials, prepared the written assignments (from the texts or the textbook's Web site) and ready to engage in active debate and cooperative learning. The instructor will behave as a facilitator and as a resource, not as a "talking head." Participation points can be gained or lost according to the quality and quantity of individual contributions to in-class discussions and group activities. The work in this course will be fun and exciting. It will also, however, be challenging and intensive.
Student performance will be assessed on the basis of:
- Participation (20 points): individual contributions to the class (10 points, awarded by the instructor) and to one's team (10 points, representing the average evaluation received from team members).
- "OB Reports" (30 points): ten OB Reports (see schedule), corresponding to the chapter(s) covered in the previous class meeting. Each report may consist of any one of the following options: a) one of the Internet exercises in the corresponding chapter(s) in the Robbins textbook's Web site at http://www.prenhall.com/robbinsorgbeh/html/toc.html ; b) one of the Case Incidents at the end of the corresponding chapter(s) in the Robbins textbook; c) one of the "Mirror Talk" exercises at the end of the corresponding chapter(s) in the Management Live Video book; d) or a discussion of a real- life situation involving concepts or theories covered in the assigned chapters. (Note the single exception to these rules: OB Report # 5 should refer to the Merck Case and is due in the beginning of the class where the case is discussed). Each OB Report submitted in a timely way is worth 1 point, adding up to a total of 10 points for the 10 OB Reports. At any time in the semester, students may choose 2 of the Reports to be graded on a 10-point scale, thus earning the remaining 20 points (10 points x 2 reports).
- "Side Effects" Field Study (20 points): students should identify and analyze a managerial situation, in a pharmacy environment, that requires the understanding and application of OB concepts and theories. The output of the field study will be a case (10 points) and the corresponding analysis (10 points). The case should describe the situation, its context, and the actors and decisions involved, following the general format of the many cases that will be discussed during the course. The analysis should apply OB concepts and theories to discuss the situation described in the case. (Option: create a video case and show it in class!). The field study case and analysis can be turned in at any time during the semester, or on the day of the Final Exam.
- Exam (30 points): will assess the students' understanding of OB concepts and theories, as well as the ability to apply them to specific situations.
| Date | Topic | Readings (*) | OB Report: Chapters |
| 9 / 05 | Introduction to OB and Course Overview | R1
V1, V2 |
-- |
| 9 / 12 | Individual Characteristics: Biographical, Ability, Personality | R2
V14 |
-- |
| 9 / 19 | Perception, Values, Attitudes, Job Satisfaction | (R3), R4
V17 |
# 1: R2 or V14 |
| 9 / 26 | Learning, Motivation | (R2), R5, R6
V13 |
# 2: (R3), R4 or V17 |
| 10/ 03 | Individual Decision-Making, Creativity, Ethics | R3
V7, V16 |
# 3: (R2), R5, R6 or V13 |
| 10/ 10 | Introduction to group dynamics (video) | -- | # 4: R3, V7 or V16 |
| 10/ 17 | Case: "Merck & Co., Inc.: Addressing Third World Needs" | HBS case | # 5: Merck Case |
| 10/ 24 | Groups, Teams, Group Decision-Making | R7, R8
V8 |
-- |
| 10/ 31 | Communication, Pharmacy and the World Wide Web | R9
V9, V10 |
# 6: R7, R8 or V8 |
| 11/ 07 | Leadership | R10
V6 |
# 7: R9, V9 or V10 |
| 11/14 | Power, Politics, Conflict, Negotiation, Intergroup Behavior | R11, R12
V5 |
# 8: R10 or V6 |
| 11/ 21 | Organizational Culture, Organizational Change and Stress | R16, R17
V3, V18 |
# 9: R11, R12 or V5 |
| 11/ 28 | Thanksgiving - University Closed | -- | -- |
| 12/ 05 | Work Design, Organization Structure | R13, R14
V4, V11 |
# 10: R16, R17, V3 or V18 |
| 12/ 12 | Human Resources and Performance Management | R15
V12 |
-- |
(*): "R": chapter in the Robbins textbook; "V": chapter in the Video Book (Management Live)