University of Alberta School of Business Department of Strategic Management and Organization

SMO 500 Managing People1

Fall 2011 Class Information
Section: A1 A2 X01 Day: Tuesday Thursday Tuesday Room: Bus 4-5 Bus 4-5 Bus 1-10 Time: 2:00pm 4:50pm 2:00pm 4:50pm 6:30pm 9:30pm

Contact Information
Instructor: Office: Telephone: Fax: Email: Course website: Office hours: Andrew Luchak Business 4-30C 780-492-4304 (office) 780-492-3325 andrew.luchak@ualberta.ca https://ulearn.ualberta.ca/webapps/login By appointment or just drop-in

______________________________________________________________________________ Course Description and Objectives People can be an organizations greatest asset and an important source of competitive advantage if managed properly. This is most likely to occur when people clearly understand and accept responsibility for those role behaviours required for organizational success, and when they are equipped with the knowledge, skills, motivation, opportunity and support needed to implement those same behaviours. This course introduces students to principles in the effective management of people at work, with emphasis on the application of theory via real world case study analyses. Specific core competencies that will be developed throughout the course include, communication skills (e.g., oral and written communication, presentation skills), leadership skills (e.g., decision-making, strategic thinking), knowledge management skills (e.g., creativity and innovation, critical thinking), interpersonal skills (e.g., teamwork), management skills (e.g., change management, implementation skills), and organizational awareness and understanding (e.g., understanding the realities of organization life, power and politics). Course Materials 1. SMO 500 Course Package. Custom Courseware, Students Union in cooperation with the University of Alberta (Fall 2011). Other assigned readings, including materials presented in class discussions, cases, videos, in-class exercises, guest speakers, class presentations, etc.

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Policy about course outlines can be found in Section 23.4(2) of the University Calendar.
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SMO 500, Sections A1, A2 & X01 Fall Term 2011

Instructional Format2 Since the topics covered in this course span a variety of traditionally distinct disciplines (e.g., organizational behaviour, human resource management, organizational theory), several different pedagogical techniques are used to achieve the course objectives. Each week we will follow a grounded approach by making sense of research evidence and recommendations and applying this knowledge to real world management issues through discussion of current research, case analyses, presentations, and exercises. For some topics, it is desirable to enrich our understanding and perspective by inviting recognized experts to class to share their views on the world of work (via video lectures); Preparation for and attendance in class is crucial to understanding, applying and getting the most out of the course content. Method of Evaluation3 This course offers students several opportunities to demonstrate their understanding of course material. Performance in the course will be evaluated on the following basis:
Contribution Group Presentation Individual Article/Case Write-Up Individual (In-Class) Midterm Exam (week 6) Individual (In-Class) Final Exam (week 14) Total 15% 15% 10% 25% 35% 100%

Contribution: Contribution is worth 15% of the course mark and may be defined as active class participation through written or oral expression with the aim of promoting learning in class. Some examples of effective contribution include written and/or oral comments that demonstrate knowledge and familiarity with assigned readings, exposes the strengths &/or weaknesses of readings, makes connections within or between readings, provides alternative or unique insights, maintains discussion or pushes discussion in new and thought provoking directions, suggests unanswered questions or avenues for future research, etc. Each week, students are expected to carefully read the assigned readings, case or exercise prior to class and have given some thoughtful consideration to some preliminary questions listed on the course website (further questions may be presented for discussion and analysis during the class). Contribution will be primarily assessed through a group learning model. To facilitate this end and depending on class size, students will be arranged in 3 person discussion groups. Groups will be expected to thoughtfully answer questions, present solutions and typically hand in written work at the end of each class. There will be a variety of ways for students to contribute to the group process, including facilitating within-group discussion, contributing ideas, problem-solving, recording answers, and acting as group spokesperson. At the end of each class, each groups contribution will be assessed on the basis of a 3 point scale:
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Recording is permitted only with the prior written consent of the professor or if recording is part of an approved accommodation plan. 3 The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at www.ualberta.ca/secretariat/appeals.htm) and avoid any behaviour that could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in expulsion from the University.
SMO 500, Sections A1, A2 & X01 Fall Term 2011 2

1=Needs improvement Contribution is below the level normally expected for this class

2=Meets expectations Contribution meets the level normally expected for this class

3=Exceeds expectations Contribution exceeds the level normally expected for this class

In some cases, there may be insufficient class time to effectively use the group learning model. When this happens, contribution will be assessed on an individual basis according to the same scale above. Only students in attendance may receive credit for contribution in any given class. Students absent from class without a reasonable explanation will not receive credit for contribution in that class (i.e., they will receive a score of zero). Where students are able to provide a reasonable explanation for missing class, a written solution to the case questions may be submitted for credit in lieu of in-class participation. It is expected this option will be used sparingly, and except in emergencies, approval prior to class is needed to avail of this option. At the end of the semester, weekly scores for contribution will be summed for each student and a mark out of 15 assigned based on relative standing in the class. Group Presentation: Each discussion group will make one 25 minute presentation (this includes facilitating/leading a 10 minute interactive class discussion) on one of the reflection papers listed on the course outline. To do this, we will have approximately 1 presentation per week starting in week 3 of the course. This assignment represents 15% of the course mark. Assessment will be weighted on the basis of the following areas of presentation content and style:
Presentation Content (15 marks): Organization and sequence of content (1) Coherence of explanations/arguments (4) Extensions, insights beyond article content (3) Use & integration of course resources (5) Originality of thought or content (2) Presentation Style (15 marks): Audience connection (level, pitch, eye contact) (2) Use of audio, visual materials & aids (2) Stimulation of interest & enthusiasm (3) Ability to facilitate/lead discussion & answer questions (5) Stays within time limits (3)

Presentations must provide: (i) a summary of the main points of the reflection paper; (ii) a critique of the information presented in the paper (e.g., What your group does or does not find particularly compelling, novel, or insightful about the paper and the conclusions being drawn by the author); (iii) a list of lessons drawn from the paper (&/or your critique, personal experience) about the effective management of people at work; and (iv) a list of questions raised for class discussion. This assignment does not require outside sources but efforts to link your analysis of the reflection paper to course content (i.e., articles, cases, etc.) will be an important determinant of group success. Groups are expected to make a PowerPoint of their presentation that will be posted to the course website. All presentations should be prepared using MS Office PowerPoint 2007 and be emailed to the instructor at least 12 hours prior to the class presentation. Individual Article/Case Write-Up: Each student will submit one write-up involving one of the cases found in the SMO 500 Course package (Fall 2011). (Note that cases under the same organization name but divided into different parts [e.g., A, B] are treated as one case for the purposes of this exercise). The written argument of the individual article/case write-up (excluding cover page, references and any tables) shall not be more than 3 double spaced pages of typed text using 12 point font and one inch margins on the sides, top and bottom of each page. These requirements should lead to a text not more than 800 words in length. Students submitting papers suspected of not meeting these requirements will be asked to submit an electronic copy for assessing word count. All papers not meeting these requirements will be returned to students unmarked. In this assignment, students will select one of the articles assigned for reading in a
SMO 500, Sections A1, A2 & X01 Fall Term 2011 3

given week (note: this does not include reflection papers) and together with the case assigned for that same week do the following: (i) concisely identify any (but only one) major hypothesis, argument or theme (HAT) developed by the author in the article(s); (ii) highlight why you think the HAT is or potentially is significant for the practice of managing people; (iii) using specific examples, discuss how and in what way the HAT helps to (fails to help) explain, predict or understand some phenomena of interest in the case; and (iv) based on all of the foregoing, what lessons about the strengths or limitations of the HAT you have learned and how, if at all, the HAT needs to be revised to better serve management practice. (Note: While the rules regarding the choice of article/case in a given week are fixed, this does not prevent use of other applicable course resources to develop ones arguments and students are encouraged to do so). Write-ups will be marked as follows:
Concise statement of authors hypothesis, argument or theme (HAT) Discussion of significance or potential significant of HAT for the practice of managing people Analysis of explanatory power, predictive validity or helpfulness of the HAT in understanding case issue(s) Lessons learned about strengths/limits of HAT and how it might be revised to better serve management practice Total 1.5 2.5 3.0 3.0 10.0

The individual article/case write-up is worth 10% of the course mark and must be submitted to the instructor before the chosen article and case is taken up in class. Students can submit more than one write-up of a different article and case with a view to improving their mark in this category. (Write-ups should be submitted at the start of the class in which the case is scheduled for discussion; in exceptional circumstances and only with prior approval of the instructor, writeups may be submitted electronically using MS Office Word 2007.) Examinations: There are two individual (in-class) examinations scheduled in this course. The midterm exam is in week 6 and is worth 25% of the course mark. The final exam is worth 35% of the course mark at a date, time and location yet to be announced. Each exam will be approximately 2 hours in length. Students will be permitted to use one, double-sided cheat sheet that is no more than 8.5 by 11 inches in dimension for each exam. In theory, the final exam will be cumulative but in practice, the emphasis will be on material covered since the midterm examination. The specific format of each exam will be discussed in detail in a subsequent note but each exam will generally involve answering a series of true/false (T/F), short and long answer questions related to the course materials and discussions. The articles and reflection papers will be particularly relevant to the T/F questions, while all course resources will be relevant to short/long answer questions. All exam questions will have an applied focus. Meeting Schedule, Readings, Resources and Topics Aside from the casebook, all reading materials in this course can be obtained online through the UofA library system (e.g., web of science). Please make copies of the readings or otherwise access them in order to have them when we meet. All readings and resources noted below are required to be read by all students. (Note to abbreviated journal titles: AME=Academy of Management Executive; AMP=Academy of Management Perspectives; BH=Business Horizons; CMR=California Management Review; HBR=Harvard Business Review; HRM=Human Resource Management; JBV=Journal of Business Venturing; JLR=Journal of Labor Research).

SMO 500, Sections A1, A2 & X01 Fall Term 2011

Wk 01 Sep 08 Sep 13

Competing Strategically Through People. The Role of Human Resources in Fostering Sustainable Competitive Advantage. Articles: Barney, J. & Wright, P. (1998) On becoming a strategic partner: The role of human resources in gaining competitive advantage HRM (pp 31-46); Schweitzer, L. & Lyons, S. (2008) The market within: A marketing approach to creating and developing high-value employment relationships BH (pp 555-565) Implementing Strategy: Creating a Culture of Empowerment and Growing with it. Articles: Chatman, J. & Cha, S. (2003) Leading by leveraging culture CMR (pp 20-34); Greiner, L. (1998) Evolution and revolution as organizations grow HBR (pp 55-67) Casebook: West Jet: Building a High-Engagement Culture (24p) The Psychological Contract of Employment: Implications for Work Behaviour. Articles: Rousseau, D. (2004) Psychological contracts in the workplace: Understanding the ties that motivate AME (pp 120-127); Allen, D., Bryant, P., & Vardaman, J. (2010) Retaining talent: Replacing misconceptions with evidence-based strategies AMP (pp 48-64). Reflection #1: Mills, M. & Culbertson, S. (2009) High-involvement work practices: Are they really worth it? AMP (pp 93-95) Casebook: Microsoft: Competing on Talent A & B (30p) Thinking and Acting Like an Owner: Regulatory Focus and Entrepreneurial Orientation. Articles: Brockner, J., Higgins, T. & Low, M. (2004) Regulatory focus theory and the entrepreneurial process JBV (pp 203-220); Certo, S., Moss, T. & Short, J. (2009) Entrepreneurial orientation: An applied perspective BH (pp 319-324) Reflection #2: Zuckerman, A. (2002) Strong corporate cultures and firm performance: Are there tradeoffs? AME (pp 158-160) Casebook: Knight the King: The Founding of Nike (20p) Getting the Right Talent for the Job: When to Use Insiders and Outsiders. Articles: Fernandez-Araoz, C., Groysberg, B. & Nohria, N. (2009) The definitive guide to recruiting in good times and bad HBR (pp 74-84); Zhang, Y. & Rajagopalan, N. (2010) CEO succession planning: Finally at the center stage of the boardroom BH (pp 455-462) Reflection #3: Wyld, D. (2011) Nature plus nurture: Do teenage activities predict entrepreneurial success? AMP (pp 100-101) Casebook: GEs talent machine: The making of a CEO (28p) Individual (In-Class) Midterm Exam Ethical Issues: Managing a Diverse Workforce Articles: Dietz, J & Hamilton, L (2008) Subtle biases and covert prejudice in the workplace (see casebook, 21p) Reflection # 4: Santora, J. (2004) Passing the baton: Does CEO relay succession work best? AME (pp 157-159) Casebook: IBMs diversity strategy: Bridging the workplace and the marketplace (27p) Performance Management (Rewards) Articles: Harder, J. (1999) Organizational rewards (see casebook, 17p) Reflection # 5: Wyld, D (2008) How do women fare when promotion rules change AMP (p 83-5) Case: Harrahs Entertainment Inc: Rewarding Our People (16p)

Wk 02 Sep 15 Sep 20

Wk 03 Sep 22 Sep 27

Wk 04 Sep 29 Oct 04

Wk 05 Oct 06 Oct 11

Wk 06 Oct 13 Oct 18 Wk 07 Oct 20 Oct 25

Wk 08 Oct 27 Nov 01

SMO 500, Sections A1, A2 & X01 Fall Term 2011

Wk 09 Nov 03 Nov 08

Performance Management (Giving Feedback) Articles: Latham, G. (2004) The motivational benefits of goal-setting AME (pp 126-129); Moss, S. & Sanchez, J. (2004) Are your employees avoiding you? Managerial strategies for closing the feedback gap AME (pp. 32-44); Cravens, K., Oliver, E. & Stewart, J. (2010) Can a positive approach to performance evaluation help accomplish your goals BH (pp 269-279) Reflection # 6: Santora, J. & Esposito, M. (2010) The psychology of defined-benefit pension plans. AME (pp 85-86) Case: Elise Smart (7p) Performance Management (Executive Compensation). Articles: Bebchuk, L. & Fried, J. (2006) Pay without performance: Overview of the issues AMP (pp 5-24). Reflection #7: Martin, M. & Coombs, J. (2011) Better sooner than later: What triggers early CEO dismissal? AMP (pp 82-83) Case: Attention Shoppers: Executive Compensation at Kroger, Safeway, Costco and Whole Foods (27p) Management of Change. Articles: Kotter, J. (1995) Leading change: Why transformation efforts fail HBR (pp 59-67); Kotter, J. & Schlesinger, L. (2008) Choosing strategies for change HBR (pp 130-139) Reflection #8: Coget, J. (2010) Performance orientation or learning orientation: Which helps salespeople better adapt to organizational change? AMP (pp 106-107) Reflection #9: Sidle, S. (2003) Best laid plans: Establishing fairness early can smooth organizational change AME (pp127-128) Case: Gordon Bethune at Continental (34p) Career Planning. Articles: Larsson R., Brousseau, K., Driver, M., Holmqvist, M., & Tarnovskaya, V. (2003) International growth through cooperation: Brand-driven strategies, leadership, and career development in Sweden AME (pp 7-21) Reflection #10: McCarthy, J. (2002) Does having a proactive personality lead to career success? AME (pp 168-169) Video: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams (Randy Pausch) Case: Wal-Mart Through an Associates Eyes: Ria Kumars MBA Summer Internship A&B (22p) Labour Relations. Articles: Bennett, J. & Kaufman, B. (2004) What do unions do? A twenty-year perspective JLR (pp 339-349). Case: People Management Fiasco in Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India Ltd. (17p) Individual (In-Class) Final Exam: Date, time and location TBA

Wk 10 Nov 15 Nov 17

Wk 11 Nov 22 Nov 24

Wk 12 Nov 29 Dec 01

Wk 13 Dec 06 class only

Wk 14 TBA

SMO 500, Sections A1, A2 & X01 Fall Term 2011