Organizational Behaviour (ORGB) 326

Overview

ORGB 326 focuses primarily on structural aspects of organizations, although it also reflects on the relationship between structure and behaviour. Students should come to an understanding of the ways in which managers seek to promote organizational effectiveness through internal structures and processes.

Students will analyze how organizations are structured within the context of the larger social, political, and economic environment. They will also explore the reasons that systems of control and coordination vary across organizations and change over time; and consider how organizational theory contributes towards improving the design and management of organizations.

Several lesson notes within the course focus on the relationship between gender, structure, and organizational outcomes. This adds another dimension to the analysis of how the larger social environment affects organizational cultures and processes.

Outline

Lesson 1: Organizations and Theory

Lesson 2: Goals, Effectiveness, and the External Environment

Lesson 3: Technology, Information, and the Organization

Lesson 4: Organization Size, Life Cycle, and Decline

Lesson 5: The Design of Organizations

Lesson 6: Innovation and Change

Lesson 7: Decision Making

Lesson 8: Organizational Conflict, Politics, and Power

Lesson 9: Corporate Culture and Ethics

Evaluation

Your final grade for ORGB 326 is determined by a weighted average of the grades you receive on three written assignments and your Final Examination. To receive credit for this course, you must receive an alpha grade of “D” (50 percent) or better on the examination, and an overall course grade of at least a “D” (50 percent). The following chart summarizes the evaluation activities:

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.