UWA Business School

Unit Outline

Organisational Behaviour
MGMT1135
SEM-1, 2014
Campus: Crawley
Unit Coordinator: Dr Catherine Lees

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Copyright Agency Limited (CAL), granted to the University of Western Australia pursuant to Part VB of the Copyright Act 1968
(Cth).
Copying of this material by students, except for fair dealing purposes under the Copyright Act, is prohibited. For the purposes
of this fair dealing exception, students should be aware that the rule allowing copying, for fair dealing purposes, of 10% of the
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the course material itself
The University of Western Australia 2001

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Unit details
Unit title
Unit code
Availability
Location

Organisational Behaviour
MGMT1135
SEM-1, 2014 (24/02/2014 - 21/06/2014)
Crawley

Credit points

Mode

Face to face, Multimode

Contact details
Faculty
School
School website
Unit coordinator
Email
Telephone
Consultation hours
Unit contact hours

Business School
UWA Business School
http://www.business.uwa.edu.au/
Dr Catherine Lees
catherine.lees@uwa.edu.au
6488 2877
By appointment. Do not hesitate to phone or email and we will arrange a time.

Lecture times and

venue:

Please check the current timetable on the UWA website, and note that lectures
are repeated and recorded.
http://www.timetable.uwa.edu.au/
Students will be allocated to lecture streams automatically, so after you enrol in
this unit check your individual timetable to find out which lecture stream you
should attend.

Lecture capture system

Online handbook
Unit website

For standard teaching period: lectures: 2 hrs per week; tutorials: 1 hr per week
LCS is implemented for this unit.
http://units.handbooks.uwa.edu.au/units/MGMT/MGMT1135
https://www.lms.uwa.edu.au/login

Unit rules
Incompatibility

MGMT2235 Organisational Behaviour

Unit description
This unit provides an understanding of individual and group behaviour in organisations, with an emphasis on similarities and differences
in different cultures. Topics that deal with individuals in organisations include personality, perception, motivation, ability, satisfaction,
decision making and stress. Topics relevant to group behaviour include interpersonal relations, group dynamics, group decision
making, leadership, conflict, power, ethics, social justice and social responsibility. The application of theory and research findings to
management practice in organisations is addressed in the coverage of these topics.

Introduction
Welcome to Organisational Behaviour!
Organisational Behaviour is a social science discipline concerned with understanding the behaviour of individuals and groups in
organisations. This unit will introduce you to the concepts, theories and applications of the study of organisational behaviour.
Organisations are composed of people. The study of human behaviour is, therefore, fundamental to understanding organisations and
organisational effectiveness. This also means that organisational behaviour is relevant to all forms of business including businesses
engaged in engineering, education, the arts, and physical and health sciences. Not only is organisational behaviour fascinating, it can
also help us to understand life outside the classroom and in the workplace. This unit is concerned with learning how the study of human
behaviour helps improve organisational, managerial and personal effectiveness. The unit will start you on a journey to understanding,
integrating,and applying knowledge on why people act the way they do in organisations.
The teaching staff for this unit are passionate about Organisational Behaviour. We hope to spark your interest too, as we warmly
welcome you to join us on this fascinating journey.

Unit content
Do you believe workers will generally avoid doing anything unless they have to, and that they must be monitored, enticed, or even
threatened to keep them working up to standard? Or, do you believe workers are generally eager to work hard and concerned about
what they produce and the contribution they make, and that they must be encouraged, trusted, and empowered in order to keep them
working up to standard? Ask some of your friends what they think and you will get a variety of answers; we all have our own opinions
about how people work, and how organisations work.

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Because OB is about people, and we are all people, it is easy to think that our own opinions and experiences provide the best guide to
understanding behaviour. While we would not imagine that our personal experiences and intuitions could give us an adequate
understanding of the complexities of chemistry, genetics or palaeontology, when it comes to human behaviour everyone is an expert!
But, often different people have had different experiences and have developed different opinions. What if your experiences are different
to the experiences of some other people, or do not correspond to the situation at hand? This is when we need to look for research to
help guide our actions and behaviour towards others at work. Evidence-based management is the idea that we lead and manage
ourselves and others based on research and evidence not upon what we think is common sense. Like many CEOs and executives
are now doing, MGMT1135 is based upon the premise of evidence-based management. As such, we will explore ideas around what
makes for good research, as well as constantly touching base with what the research tells us, rather than just relying on our gut feel. Of
course experience is useful, so the lectures and the tutorials encourage you to think about your own experiences but we will always
tie it in to the theory and the research. We do this so that when you are your own business manager, or a manager of others, or just
trying to understand those around you as you travel the world, you can rely on evidence to design practices and procedures, to predict
and analyse management and people problems, and to understand and affect the actions and reactions of the people who make those
organisations work.
Organisational behaviour includes some of the most personal and important issues that will affect your career.
What motivates you, what motivates others?
How do you react to the way you are treated?
How will you treat other people when you have power over them?
How do groups of people behave, and why?
What can a manager do to affect the way people behave and what they do?

Unit goals
Organisational behaviour is a foundation unit for those taking a major in Management or Human Resource Management in the Bachelor
of Commerce. The goal is to provide students with an introduction to the study of organisational behaviour, its history, methods, and
current state of knowledge, as well as to introduce students to how this knowledge is applied to improve the management of
organisations and the well-being of those who work in them.

Educational principles and graduate attributes

In this unit, you will be provided with the opportunity to:
Critically evaluate and develop solutions to organisational behaviour problems.
Develop your communication skills through class discussion in tutorials, and responding to questions that arise about the
discussion topics.
Develop a willingness to question accepted wisdom and be open to new ideas and possibilities, through critical analysis of
competing organisational behaviour theories and active debate in tutorial classes.
Develop self-management and independent learning skills through completion of the regular assigned work in the course.
Develop competencies for working effectively in teams, through full participation in team exercises in the tutorial classes.
Develop awareness of the ethical aspects of organisational behaviour.

Learning outcomes
Students are able to (1) understand organisational behaviour theories and concepts in the areas listed in the schedule of topics, across
cultures and nations; (2) understand the importance of an evidence-based approach to management and organisational behaviour; (3)
master the language and basic technical terms of the organisational behaviour discipline; (4) locate and critique research in the field of
organisational behaviour; (5) interpret organisational problems in terms of individual, interpersonal and group processes; (6) analyse
organisational problems using a number of established theoretical frameworks; and (7) create solutions to managerial problems
through the application of organisational behaviour principles.

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Unit structure
Lectures:
Two 1-hour lectures per week.
Lecture 1 for the week is on Wednesdays, Lecture 2 is on Thursdays.
Each of these two lectures will be repeated later on the same day as it is originally delivered, and students are timetabled to attend
either the original or repeat streams of lectures depending on the number of enrolments in the unit. Check your own timetable on
Student Connect for your assigned lecture times and locations if you are attending the Crawley campus.
Lectures will be recorded and made available to students in the unit through the Learning Management System. Recordings are
solely for the purpose of study by students in the unit, they are subject to copyright and may not be provided to others.

Tutorial:
One 1-hour tutorial per week, commencing in the second week of semester.
You should attend your allocated tutorial session consistently. There will be experiential exercises to illustrate phenomena of
organisational behaviour, and tutorials will also include many opportunities to ask questions and get help to understand topics.
Weekly attendance will be recorded by the tutor, and there are participation marks associated with your contribution to the tutorial
class activities and discussions.
The size of the tutorial classes is limited to 18 per tutor, and to maintain that limit a student may not normally attend any session
other than the one to which the student is allocated. Allocation to tutorials will occur through the On-line Class Registration System
(OLCR), except for students attending in Albany.
Students attending in Albany will be assigned to a tutorial time in Albany by the UWA Albany campus staff.

Unit schedule
Week

Lecture Lecture Topic

Dates

Essential
Readings

26
February
27
February
5 March
6 March
12
March
13
March
19
March
20
March
26
March
27
March
2 April
3 April

Introduction to OB;
Individual differences

Chapters 1 & 2 NO
of McShane et TUTORIAL
al.

Perception in
organisations
Emotions, attitudes,
and stress in the
workplace

Chapter 3

Tutorial 1

Tutorial participation

Chapter 4

Tutorial 2

Tutorial participation

Motivation

Chapter 5

Tutorial 3

Tutorial participation.
Assignment 1 due 4 pm, Thursday 20 March.

Applying motivation to Chapter 6

the workplace

Tutorial 4

Tutorial participation

Decision making and

creativity

Chapter 7

Tutorial participation

9 April
10 April

Teams in
organisations

Chapter 8

16 April
17 April

Theory building and

research methods in
OB

Appendix A

---

---

---

30 April
1 May

MID-SEMESTER
STUDY BREAK
Power and influence

Tutorial 5
Return of
Assignment
1
NO
TUTORIAL Oral tests
instead of
tutorial
NO
TUTORIAL Oral tests
instead of
tutorial
---

Chapter 10

Tutorial 6

Tutorial participation

2
3

Tutorial

Page 4

Assessments

Oral test sessions to be scheduled

Oral test sessions to be scheduled

---

10

7 May
8 May
14 May
15 May
21 May
22 May

Conflict and
negotiation
Leadership in
organisations
Organisational
structure and culture

13

28 May
29 May

Organisational change Chapter 15

Preexamination
study period
Semester 1
examination
period

2-6
June

11
12

Chapter 11

Tutorial 7

Chapter 12

Tutorial 8

Chapters 13 & Tutorial 9

14

Tutorial 10
Return of
Assignment
2

Tutorial participation.
Assignment 2 due 4pm, Monday 5 May.
Tutorial participation
Tutorial participation.
Active Research Experience finishes at 4pm,
Monday 19 May. Alternative research methods
assignments due also at 4pm, Monday 19 May.
Tutorial participation

7 - 21
June

Teaching and learning responsibilities

Teaching and learning strategies
The learning outcomes of this unit are reflected in the teaching and learning strategies used. The lectures define areas, outline key
theories and research in organisational behaviour, contrast alternative perspectives and identify points of debate. You are expected to
participate in assigned activities, and to keep up-to-date with assigned reading so that you can benefit fully from the classes.
Tutorials build on the lecture material and draw upon your knowledge and experiences. Experiential activities and participative
discussions are used to develop your critical thinking skills, creativity, and confidence in speaking on organisational behaviour topics.
The practise opportunities provided in tutorials will help you cope with the oral test later in the semester.
You are expected to listen to the lectures, either in person or online, and to attend your allocated tutorial session. Attendance and
participation in tutorials is expected and tutors will record attendance at each tutorial session. This is to ensure that all students are
participating fully in the course and no one is missing out on the learning opportunities that are provided.
Everyone involved in the unit is expected to show a commitment to professionalism, social responsibility and ethical practice.
Participants are also expected to be sensitive and committed to a better understanding of cultural, diversity-related, and international
issues.

Attendance
Engagement with the course, whether by listening to a lecture or getting involved in other activities, is an important part of the learning
process. Moreover, by its very nature Organisational Behaivour is about how people behave both indiviually, and in their interactions
with each other. It is important that you attend your tutorial classes, where there will be opportunities to engage in experiential
exercises that illustrate OB principles, and to develop your interaction skills. More formally, the University regulations state that to
complete a course or unit students shall attend prescribed classes, lectures, seminars and tutorials.

Teaching and learning evaluation

You may be asked to complete two voluntary surveys on your experience of this unit.; The Student Perception of Teaching (SPOT) and
the Students Unit Reflective Feedback (SURF).
SPOT results are processed by the Universitys Centre for Teaching and Learning before being sent to the academics concerned.
SPOT provides valuable feedback directly to the teachers in the unit on how students view the unit and the teaching methods used.
This is a very helpful and useful source of information for the lecturers and tutors and will be important in their reflection on how to
improve the learning experience for students.
SURF is completed online and is a university-wide survey conducted on every unit, with the same questions for all units. You will
receive an email from the SURF office inviting you to complete the SURF when it is activated later in the semester. We encourage you
to complete these surveys as your feedback is an important source of information to help the University to design units, and to improve
teaching and learning outcomes.

Charter of student rights and responsibilities

The Charter of Student Rights and Responsibilities upholds the fundamental rights of students who undertake their education at the
University of Western Australia.
The University's charter of Student Rights and Responsibilities is available at
http://www.secretariat.uwa.edu.au/home/policies/charter

Student Guild contact details

Contact details for the University Student Guild can be found at http://www.guild.uwa.edu.au/. The Guild Education Officer is available to
provide assistance and advice on a range of issues.
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ACE/AISE/CARS
Your academic orientation includes three online units which you must complete within the first 10 weeks of your enrolment:
AACE1000 Academic Conduct Essentials (ACE)
AISE1000 Indigenous Study Essentials
CARS1000 Communication and Research Skills

Information for students with disabilities

The University has a range of support services, equipment and facilities for students with a disability. If you would like to receive advice
on
these
services
please
email uniline@uwa.edu.au
or
visit
http://www.studentservices.uwa.edu.au/information_about/disability_programme

Assessment
Assessment overview
Assessment information is provided in the unit outline.

Assessment mechanism
# Component

Weight Due Date

Relates To
Outcomes

1 Tutorial contributions and participation

5%

2, 3, 5

2 Active research experience, or research methods written

assignments
3 Assignment 1: Outline, plan, and annotated bibliography for the
individual written assignment
4 Individual oral test
5 Assignment 2: Individual written assignment
6 Final examination

5%

Throughout semester from

second week.
19 May, 4:00pm

10%

20 March, 4:00pm

1, 2, 3, 4 5, 6, 7

15%
25%
40%

To be scheduled
5 May, 4:00pm
Semester 1 examination
period: 7 - 21 June

1, 2, 3
1, 2, 3, 4 5, 6, 7
1, 3, 5, 6, 7

Assessment items
Item Title

Description

#1 - Tutorial contributions and

participation

Participation in tutorial classes, including

getting involved in discussions and other
activities, is an important part of the
learning process. It is important that you
attend tutorial classes (and be on time).

Submission Procedure for Assignments

Marking criteria:
0 For non-attendance, or disruptive or
disengaged attendance, eg. saying nothing
when asked a question by the tutor,
spending the time on one's own computer
or mobile device doing other things, or
talking in the background while others are
presenting to the class.
.25 Attends for the full session time, but
with some lack of engagement or problem
behaviour, or not doing sufficient
preparation work.
.5 Attends for the full session time with full
engagement, cooperative behaviour, and
good preparation.
For students who attend and engage, the
expectation will be a mark of .5 in the
majority of cases. Marks of .25 will be
given where needed to signal to individual
students that they need to put in more
effort. If you attend and receive a mark of
zero or .25, you should seek feedback
from your tutor.
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#2 - Active research experience, or

research methods written assignments

#3 - Assignment 1: Outline, plan, and

annotated bibliography for the individual
written assignment

#4 - Individual oral test

#5 - Assignment 2: Individual written

assignment

#6 - Final examination

Each student can choose either to

participate actively in OB research (up to 5
surveys or experiments) or alternatively,
write answers to 5 essay-style questions
about research methods in OB, each
answer to be 250 words and worth 1 mark.
The active research experience starts
from week 1 (you can sign-up to
participate in surveys/experiments from
then on - this will be explained in Lecture
1). Alternatively, students can choose to
complete the five 250-word essay
questions on Research Methods in OB.
The 5 Research Methods Essay question
topics and required readings will be made
available after the lectures on Research
Methods in week 8.
Students will submit a draft outline for the
individual written assignment (Assignment
2), a diarised plan describing the literature
search and reading work both completed
and planned for the assignment, and an
annotated bibliography of the five most
relevant sources found to-date, explaining
how those sources fit into the draft outline.
Each student will sit the test individually,
not in front of the class. The student will be
asked two unseen questions, and will have
a fixed time of 2 minutes to respond to
each question (total time 4 minutes).
Students will complete one individual 2000
word written assignment. The assignment
will be a scholarly essay and will assess
knowledge of course content and
application of that knowledge to the
assigned topic. Students will be provided
with more detail on the assignment topic
during the first week of the course.
The final examination will cover the
prescribed sections of the textbook,
lectures, and tutorial material from Week 1
to Week 13, inclusive. It may contain both
multiple choice and short answer
questions. Further details of the format of
the exam will be provided towards the end
of the course. The final examination is 2
hours and 10 minutes reading time.
Lecture content may go beyond the
material in the supporting textbook. The
textbook does not define the content of the
unit or the limits of examinable material.
Reading the prescribed sections of the
textbook is essential, but it is not sufficient.

Students can sign-up for the research

experience (surveys/experiments) through
SONA (a link to this website will be
provided on the unit LMS website). The
SONA system opens in week 1, and will
close at the same time as the alternative
Research Methods Essay assignment
needs to be submitted (4pm, Monday 19
May). Electronic submission of these
assignments on the Learning Management
System is required.
Students may only obtain up to a
maximum of 5%. Each 1% of that 5% may
be sourced either from the active research
experience, or by completing one of the
five Research Methods assignments to the
required standard.
Electronic submission of Assignment 1 is
required. Go to the Uniprint website
www.uniprint.uwa.edu.au, and follow the
instructions for submitting student
assignments.

Tests will be conducted individually in time

blocks to be scheduled.

Electronic submission of Assignment 2 is

required. Go to the Uniprint website
www.uniprint.uwa.edu.au, and follow the
instructions for submitting student
assignments.

Academic literacy and academic misconduct

The University of Western Australia takes very seriously the matter of academic misconduct by students and has policies in place that
define misconduct (including plagiarism) and the penalties that apply. The consequences for misconduct can be severe, including
exclusion from the University.
All students are expected to make themselves aware of the definitions and the policies relating to academic misconduct, found at the
websites below, and with any additional requirements or stipulations that may be provided by individual coordinators.
http://www.teachingandlearning.uwa.edu.au/tl4/for_uwa_staff/policies/student_related_policies/academic_conduct
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Appeals against academic assessment

The full regulations governing appeals procedures are available in the University Handbook available online at
http://rules.handbooks.uwa.edu.au/rules/student_rules/

Textbooks and resources

Recommended texts
McShane, S., Olekalns, M., & Travaglione, T. (2012),Organisational Behaviour: Emerging Knowledge, Global Insights, 4th edn.
McGraw- Hill: North Ryde. ISBN 9780071016261.
Students must have regular access to the text as it is essential reading for the course.
The text can be purchased in paperback book form from the Co-op bookshop on campus. It is also available in closed reserve in the
Business Library.
It is also available in a cheaper e-book form, which has the same content as the hard-copy book.
The e-book version (ISBN 9781308030760) can be purchased from the publisher at the publisher's website link below.
https://create.mcgraw-hill.com/shop/#/catalog/details/?isbn=9781308030760
The Connect product, which publisher McGraw-Hill sells in association with the text book under some conditions, will NOT be used as
part of this course.

Additional resources and reading

Topics and prescribed reading from the text are listed in the lecture schedule in this outline. Students should keep up-to-date with the
required reading as the course proceeds.
For Assignments 1 and 2 students will do library research to find and read reference sources relevant to the assignments. A small
number of additional background readings may be made available in Course Materials Online (CMO), through the library web site.

Other important information

Note 1: Results may be subject to scaling and standardisation under faculty policy. As a result of scaling the final mark for the unit is
not necessarily the simple sum of the component parts.
Note 2: Your assessed work may also be used for quality assurance purposes, such as to assess the level of achievement of learning
outcomes as required for accreditation and audit purposes. The findings may be used to inform changes aimed at improving the quality
of Business School programs. All material used for such processes will be treated as confidential, and the outcome will not affect your
grade for the unit.
Note 3: Written work by students may be subject to electronic checking to gauge originality, using tools approved by the Business
School.

Standard of assessment
The Business School must ensure that the processes of assessment are fair and are designed to maintain the standards of the School
and its students. The School follows the UWA marks and grades distribution:
Higher distinction
Distinction
Credit pass
Pass
Fail
Fail
Failed component

(HD)
(D)
(CR)
(P)
(N+)
(N)
(FC)

80-100%
70-79%
60-69%
50-59%
45-49%
0-44%

The scaling of marks to ensure comparability between classes is an acceptable academic practice. The School and Board of
Examiners have the right to scale marks where it is considered necessary to maintain consistency and fairness.

Quality assurance
Your assessed work may also be used for quality assurance purposes, such as to assess the level of achievement of learning
outcomes as required for accreditation and audit purposes. The findings may be used to inform changes aimed at improving the quality
of Business School programs. All material used for such processes will be treated as confidential, and the outcome will not affect your
grade for the unit.

Approved calculators for examinations

The University permits only the use of calculators in examinations when the calculator has an approved sticker and the examiner
permits their use. If the student does not have an approved sticker on their calculator, they will not be permitted to use the calculator.
Calculators can be approved at the Undergraduate Student Centre, the Postgraduate Student Centre or at Student Administration.
Further information is available on the Business School website at http://www.business.uwa.edu.au/students/assessments

Special consideration/alternative arrangements

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If you are unable to attend a class, tutorial or examination due to circumstances beyond your control and are seeking an extension for
submission of an assignment or a deferred exam, please read valid reasons for special consideration
a t http://www.student.uwa.edu.au/life/health/uniaccess/special-consideration, complete the application form and submit at the
Undergraduate Student Centre or Postgraduate Student Centre.
PLEASE NOTE that deferred exams are not available in Summer School units.

Acknowledging Sources of Information and the Business School Policy on Plagiarism

Student Services provides an online plagiarism portal that includes a definition of plagiarism and a link to FAQ
http://www.studentservices.uwa.edu.au/ss/learning/online_services/plagiarism_portal
Turnitin' Originality Checking & Plagiarism Prevention is used in the Faculty to allow both educators and their students check written
work for improper citation or misappropriated content. More information about 'Turnitin' can be found at
http://turnitin.com/static/index.html

Referencing
It is important that the referencing of any sources used in your written work is done properly, if only to substantiate the points you are
making in your assignment or project. The Harvard style is the preferred and there are some notes for guidance which have been
prepared by the library staff: Citing your Sources Harvard Style http://libguides.library.uwa.edu.au/harvard
The EndNote software package is a really good system for building up a database of references. Not everyone will want to invest the
time in using this system but you should consider it if you intend to build up resource materials or plan to undertake extensive research
in a particular area. The library staff have also developed a tutoring package: A Quick Guide to Using EndNote which provides the
basics for using EndNote with an essay http://libguides.library.uwa.edu.au/endnote

Last day to add a unit offered in a semester

From 2014, the final date to add a unit has been changed to the end of week 2 of the semester. For further information on important
dates for 2014, refer to http://www.student.uwa.edu.au/course/dates/important

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