Organizational Behaviour

ADM 2336 (SECTION G)

Fall 2020
Professor Yanhong Li MSc
Office DMS, Room 5127

E-Mail yli201@uottawa.ca

By appointment. We will also have Zoom Q&A sessions throughout

Office Hours
the semester.

Class Location BrightSpace + Zoom

Class Hours Monday 13:00-14:20; Wednesday 11:30-12:50

Prerequisite(s) ADM1100 or ADM1300

Program of Study BComm mandatory course

Course evaluation November 23 – December 4

Weight on Final
Course Deliverables* Due Date
Grade
Case analysis 1 October 7, 2020 5%
Saturday October 17, 2020
Mid-term Exam 35%
9:30-10:20 (50 mins)
Case analysis 2 October 21, 2020 5%
Case analysis 3 November 4, 2020 5%
Case analysis 4 November 18, 2020 5%
Case analysis 5 November 25, 2020 5%
0/25 on cases if not
Compulsory Peer Feedback November 30, 2020
completed.**
Final Exam Date and time TBA 40%
*To pass this course, students must have a minimum average of 50% on the individual
component of the grade REGARDLESS of any other marks received in the course.
*Important: The last day to withdraw from courses is November 20, 2020. Although we

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strive to provide midterm feedback by the withdrawal date, delays in grading may occur.
Should this happen you will know less than 50% of your final grade. Please also be aware
of the “Individual Grade Course Policy” described below. Keep this in mind when making
course-related decisions.

** The peer feedback assessment at the end of the term is compulsory. Failure to evaluate
your peers by the due date will result in a mark of 0/25 on the cases.

Course Description
This course explores theoretical and practical knowledge of individual and group behaviour
within organizational contexts. Our focus throughout the semester will be on three different
levels of analysis. We will begin by focusing our attention on the roots of individual behaviour in
the workplace. Then, we will progressively move toward studying the interpersonal and group
aspects of organizational life. We will end the semester by focusing on the organization as a
whole. You will be repeatedly encouraged to link the course material to personal experiences and
practical applications.

A variety of learning methods will be used, including lectures, group discussion, case analyses,
videos, in-class exercises and debates. You are expected to participate actively in all class
activities, including interaction in small groups and discussions. You are encouraged to share
your own work experiences during class discussions and lectures.

Course pedagogy
Given this is an online course, Brightspace will be the main platform used for this course. Please
make sure to check “Announcement” section on Brightspace regularly. Also, make sure to
activate “Notifications” on brightspace so you don’t miss out on anything posted online. As a
professor, I can not activate it for you, each student has to do it through his/her own account. For
all live meetings, I will use Zoom and meeting links will be sent a few days in advance. To
access those meetings you only have to click the link I will be sending you.

Weekly Modules will be created to organize weekly tasks. With each required case study, I will
post pointers in the folder (copied from your course outline) related to what is due on the due
date. Please make sure to read course outline and instructions online for each submission in each
relevant folder!

If at any time something seems unclear to you, please ask during live class sessions or post it in
the Discussion Forum.

Course Learning Objectives

Regardless of your present educational specialization and future career plans, it is guaranteed
that you will encounter many if not most of the issues discussed in this course in your
professional life. Organizations are social entities in which individuals must interact. Thus, a
good understanding of organizational behaviour is essential. The broad purpose of this course,
therefore, is to enhance your capability to effectively assess and manage organizational
behaviour, as it will be helpful for you regardless of your intended organizational position. The

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main objectives of the course are to ensure that students:

- Understand the influence of individual factors (e.g., personality, attitudes, perceptions,

motivation, and attributions) on individual and group behaviour in organizations.
- Understand the influence of interpersonal factors (e.g., social dynamics, power and
politics, leadership, and decision-making) on individual and group behaviour in
organizations.
- Understand the influence of organizational characteristics (e.g., its structure) on
individual and group behaviour in organizations

Course Contribution to Program Learning Goals

LG1 Understand, Apply and Integrate Core Management Disciplines
LG2 Demonstrate Critical Thinking and Decision Making Skills
LG3 Demonstrate Leadership, Interpersonal and Communications Skills
LG4 Apply high standards of Integrity, Ethics and Social Responsibility
LG5 Demonstrate the Ability to Perform in a Culturally Diverse Environment
LG6 Pursue Self-Development and Exhibit a Commitment for Life-long Learning
LG7 Provide Value to the Business Community in a chosen Area of Specialization

This course contributes to the Bachelors of Commerce Program by focusing specifically on four
of its seven learning goals. First, because this course is a prerequisite to more advanced ones, it
will allow students to gain an understanding of one of the core management disciplines.
Attention will be paid to ensuring that students understand how organizational behaviour is
integrated with other core disciplines, in particular human resources management (LG 1).
Second, the case analyses are specifically designed to develop students’ critical thinking skills.
Students will be required to apply the material they have learned to descriptions of organizational
issues. In addition, an entire chapter will focus on critical thinking and decision making. As such,
students will be able to apply the material to gain insight into their own decision making styles
(LG 2). Third, students will be required to work as part of small groups for the semester. In these
activities, students will have the opportunity to hone their leadership and interpersonal skills
(LG3). Finally, many of the topics studied in this course have direct personal relevance to
students (e.g., personality, communication styles, values, attitudes, leadership). A number of
confidential experiential exercises will allow students to gain additional self-insight into these
topics, fostering self-development (LG6).

Required Textbook
Colquitt, J.A., Lepine, J.A., Wesson, M.J., & Gellaty, I.R. (2019). Organizational Behaviour, 4th
Canadian edition, Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson. ISBN: 9781259654978

Instructional Methods
This online course contains both synchronous and asynchronous activities, purposefully designed
to provide flexibility in your learning process. The course is designed in a sequential module
structure in Brightspace, with resources and complete assignment instructions to be provided for
each topic and due dates noted. Synchronous activities will be completed during the scheduled

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Q&A online class sessions using Zoom, while asynchronous activities can be completed online
at any time once made available in Brightspace (Content modules and discussion forums).

It is your responsibility to read the assigned chapters and view the asynchronous material for
each week prior to the synchronous “in class” session.

Expectations for Student Participation

We will be using Zoom to connect synchronously. Please follow the same conduct of politeness
and professionalism when engaging in class discussions or with your team members. As an
essential aspect of academic integrity, do not share any of the details (i.e., link, sign-in
information) with anyone outside this section of the course.

Recording of Sessions
Class sessions may be recorded, and your image, voice and name may be disclosed to
classmates. Note that by remaining in sessions that are being recorded, you are agreeing to the
recording. Also note that these recordings will only be available for viewing, but never for
downloading, with the aim of helping those students who wish to review the asynchronous
sessions.

Technical Requirements and Support

The course requires that you to have a laptop or desktop computer with a reliable, high-speed
Internet connection that allows you to watch videos, participate in discussion forums, upload
images and use your uOttawa Google Drive.

Video conferencing software (Zoom) is used for meeting with the instructor-- so you will need to
have a webcam and audio/voice capabilities through your computer. Zoom works on
mobile/smart phones as well.

If you experience difficulties with Brightspace or with logins to any uOttawa systems, please
immediately contact the IT support in place at the University.

For all questions related to Brightspace, call the support line between 8 AM and 8 PM (Eastern)
at 1-866-811-3201 OR submit an online request form 24 hours a day.

For any other IT related issues, please contact IT services. They have a helpdesk that you can
call, or you can submit a service ticket with a specific request 24 hours a day.

Methods Used to Evaluate Student Performance

Course evaluation will be based on the following criteria:
(a) Team-based case analyses: 25%
(b) Midterm exam 35%

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 (c) Final exam (cumulative) 40%

***Please note that it is not possible to submit extra course work in order to improve your
mark.

Individual Course Grade Policy

Important, please be sure to understand:

In this course, 25% of your final grade is based on group-work and 75% of your final grade is
based on individual-work (midterms and exam total). In order to pass this course, you must
receive a passing grade in the course as a whole AS WELL AS a passing grade on the
individual-work component of your final grade. A passing grade is 50% or more. In other
words, you must achieve 50% or more in the entire course AND 50% or more (or 37.5 out of the
possible 75 grade points) on the individual-work component of your final grade.

Should you fail the individual component of this course, your final grade will be your grade on
the individual component converted to a percentage. In other words, grades on the group-work
deliverables will be ignored and 100% of your final mark will be based on the individual
component of this course.

Team-based case analyses (25%)

Five team-based case analyses will take place throughout the semester. Students will be
assigned to teams randomly. Teams will be composed of 4 to 6 students.

Each group is expected to analyze the assigned case and to work together to produce a written
case analysis report. Cases will be made available to students in advance. You will have 24hrs
from the date your professor provides you with the case questions to complete and submit the
case.

Please submit all of the following materials in Brightspace in the specified order, saved as a
PDF:
- Cover page including your assigned team number, and all team members’ name and
student numbers in alphabetical order by last name. You must use the template provided
by the professor.
- Case analysis with the answer to each question, preferably starting on a new page
- Team’s ethical statement containing all the required information in the same order as
specified above. Please be advised that signing for another team member is
considered academic fraud. Also, failing to sign this form will result in a grade of
“0.” A copy of the statement is appended.

Reports that do not follow the above guidelines (including following stated order) will be
subjected to a 10% penalty.

You are required to take team membership seriously. If some members of a team are not pulling
their weight (i.e., free-riding), one or more members of the team should encourage the free-

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rider(s) to work harder by suggesting how each member can specifically contribute to the team’s
work (such as everyone in the team having a distinct set of tasks to fulfill) and, when
appropriate, by suggesting deadlines by which each member should hand something in to the
team. If this does not work, one or more team members should alert the professor who will then
take the necessary steps to resolve the situation and potentially penalize the free-rider(s). If you
are experiencing trouble with a team member, it is the team’s responsibility to contact the
professor before the date of the evaluation. Team problems that are brought to the
professor’s attention after the evaluation will not be considered.

Required peer feedback

In this course you will be invited to provide feedback to your team members on their behavior as
it relates to five teamwork competencies and on the overall team dynamics and functioning of
your team toward the end of the term. These assessments are research based and feedback is a
robust predictor of behavior change and performance; accordingly these tools are meant to
support you and your team’s development and success. Comments you provide should be
constructive, specific, balanced, polite, and respectful. Once all students have provided
feedback, your professor will release the evaluations providing you access to the results in an
individual as well as overall team functioning report. You are encouraged to review this
information carefully and reflect on how to incorporate it to better perform. While all the
feedback you provide to your team members will be anonymous (i.e. your name will not be
linked to your feedback), your professor will be able to view all individual responses. Your
professor may use this feedback to make adjustments to group grades, determine participation
grades, or simply to allow you the opportunity to give and receive feedback to your peers.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Failure to complete the Peer Feedback form by the due date stated
in class will result in a score of “0” on the case assignment portion of your final grade. In
other words, your mark for the Team Case Assignments will be scored as 0.

Exams
One midterm exam (worth 35%) will be 50 minutes long and will consist of questions which will
cover material from lectures and readings discussed before the midterm exams. The content and
format of the exams will be announced in class.

The final exam (worth 40%) will be 2 hours long. The date of the final will be determined by the
Undergraduate Office later in the semester. The content and format of the exam will be
announced in class.

Midterm and the Final Exam will appear online as per the Time zone in Ottawa EDT. If
you are taking the course from a different time zone, it is your own responsibility to make
sure you have the correct time marked in your personal calendars. If you show up late
(which is logged in on Brightspace) for any exam, you will not be allowed extra time.

Anything covered in the classroom and in the assigned readings is subject to examination.
Attendance is a key determinant of students’ success. Regardless of your personal attendance

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decisions, you are responsible for any information, material, or announcements given in class. If
you decide not to attend class, be sure you are willing to accept the consequences of your
actions. In addition, university policy stipulates that attendance at lectures is mandatory and that
a student can be excluded from taking a final exam he or she has missed four or more lectures.

What to do if you miss a case or an exam?

If you miss one case you will be allowed one opportunity to write the case individually.

If you miss more than one case: If you miss a second (or more) cases due to medical reasons or
a passing in your family, it is your responsibility to contact the professor within 24 hours of the
beginning of the time assigned for that case. You will only be allowed to do a make-up case
upon providing an official document (e.g., doctors note) detailing the reason for your absence.
It is also your responsibility to contact your team members. The make-up will consist of an
individual case. Failing to contact the professor along with an official document detailing the
reasons for your absence will result in a grade of “0.”

If you miss a midterm or final exam: The Student Services Center (SSC) is the only body that
can approve and manage the deferred midterm and final exams. Students must contact the SSC if
they missed their midterm or final exam in order to complete the appropriate form, within the
deadlines specified on the SSC website listed below. Absence because of illness must be justified
by a valid medical certificate and given to the SSC. Students who write an examination during
the period specified on this certificate may not plead illness to appeal their examination results.
Please note that the SSC usually only accepts deferrals for medical reasons (with a valid medical
certificate), for death in the immediate family (with a death certificate) or for religious reasons
(see policy on accommodations for religious observances). The School reserves the right to
accept or reject the reason offered. Travel, employment and misreading the examination schedule
are not accepted.

Finally, note that students must complete the deferred mid-term examination before the date of
the final examination period. In situations where a deferred mid-term examination has not been
completed before the date of the final examination period, the weight of the mid-term
examination will be automatically added to the weight of the final examination – in this situation,
the combined weight of the final examination and mid-term examination may exceed 60 percent
of the course grade.

Please inform your professor that you have missed the examination and have contacted the SSC.

More information, including the form that you will need to fill out, can be found here
https://telfer.uottawa.ca/en/bcom/your-academic-world/exams/

Grade Revision Policy

From time to time, students have legitimate concerns about marks they have received on a case
or exam. It is important to understand that you do have recourse if you feel that any paper
handed back to you has not been marked appropriately for the work you have submitted.

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If you ever feel this way during this course, you must embark upon the following procedure
within one week of the paper being handed back in class:

1) Indicate in writing specifically what your concern(s) is (are). This does NOT mean that you
simply say “I think I deserve more marks.” You must clearly indicate where the marker made a
mistake in his/her marking of the paper. In this regard, you must refer to the class notes, excerpt
in the textbook, etc., supporting your claim.

2) After completing #1 above, you must submit the deliverable with your comments back to the
Professor within one week of the deliverable grade being posted.

3) If a paper is not resubmitted following the above guidelines, the Professor will regard the
mark as originally assigned to be Final.

No marks will be changed at a later date. It is important to note that the Professor reserves the
right to remark the entire paper in question and to either leave the mark as is or to change it
positively or negatively as required.

No make-up activity or assignment can be undertaken in order to improve your midterm,

cases, final exam, or course marks. The weight on final grades of the exams and the cases
cannot be changed from what is outlined above.

Email Guidelines
• Please be professional.
• Always use your university account. E-mail from other domains (Hotmail, Gmail) often
are treated as spam.
• Always identify the course number and section in the subject line
• Please use proper greetings. You can refer to your instructors as “Professor X” or “Dr.
X.” Any other title (Ms., Mrs., Miss, or Mr.) is less appropriate given the classroom
context. As business students, it is imperative that you learn to use proper titles.
• Always sign your email with your first and last names and include your student number.

Intellectual Property
All materials prepared by the course professor, including PowerPoint slides, class handouts and
exam papers, are protected by copyright. Copying, photographing, or scanning them is therefore
a violation of copyright and is illegal. Furthermore, recording (video or audio) of the lectures is
prohibited without the previous permission of the Professor. Finally, posting any class material
on the web is a violation of copyright and is illegal.

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 COURSE AGENDA SECTION G

READINGS Approach to Online Delivery

Topic / Class Activities
& Date of Delivery
Week 1 Introduction to BrightSpace September 9
Chapter 1
(September 7-13) Organizational Behaviour (Wednesday)
Week 2 Job Performance / Chapters 2, 3 BrightSpace September 14
(September 14-20) Organizational (Monday)
Commitment Zoom Q&A September 16
(Wednesday)
Week 3 Personality, Cultural Chapters 4, 5 BrightSpace September 21
(September 21-27) Values, and Ability / Job (Monday)
Satisfaction

Practice case analysis Practice Case

* Team membership TBA
finalized. Teams should Zoom Q&A September 23
turn in a list of member (Wednesday)
names and contact
information for the team
leader.
Week 4 Stress / Motivation Chapters 6, 7 BrightSpace September 28
(September 28– (Monday)
October 4) Zoom Q&A September 30
(Wednesday)
Week 5 Trust, Justice, and Ethics Chapter 8 BrightSpace October 5
(October 5-11) (Monday)
Case analysis 1 Case TBA Zoom October 7
Midterm (Wednesday)
Review
Week 6 No new content – No new October 12
(October 12-18) Thanksgiving Monday content (Monday,
Thanksgiving)
Zoom Q&A October 14
(Wednesday)
Saturday October * Midterm Exam (Note:
October 17
17, 9:30–10:20 am The Midterm is held on
(Saturday)
(50 mins) Saturday)
Week 7 Learning and Decision Chapter 9 BrightSpace October 19
(October 19-25) Making (Monday)
Zoom Q&A October 21
Case analysis 2 Case TBA (Wednesday)
Week 8 Reading week. No class. October 26 –
(October 26- November 1
November 1)
Week 9 Communication Chapter 10 BrightSpace November 2
(November 2-8) (Monday)
Case analysis 3 Case TBA Zoom Q&A November 4
(Wednesday)

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Week 10 Team Characteristics and Chapters 11, BrightSpace November 9
(November 9-15) Processes / Power, 12 (Monday)
Influence, and Zoom Q&A November 11
Negotiation (Wednesday)
Week 11 Midterm Feedback BrightSpace November 16
(November 16-22) (Monday)
Case analysis 4 Case TBA
Zoom Q&A November 18
(Wednesday)
Week 12 Leadership Styles and Chapter 13 BrightSpace November 23
(November 23-29) Behaviour (Monday)

Case analysis 5 Case TBA Zoom Q&A November 25

(Wednesday)
Week 13 Organizational Structure, Chapters 14, BrightSpace November 30
(November 30- Organizational Culture 15 (Monday)
December 6) and Change Zoom Q&A December 2
(Wednesday)

Week 14 Exam Review Zoom exam December 7

(December 7-13) review (Monday)
Individual Make Up Case
Analysis

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Beware of Academic Fraud

Academic Regulation 14 defines academic fraud as “any act by a student that may result in a
distorted academic evaluation for that student or another student. Academic fraud includes but
is not limited to activities such as:
a) Plagiarism or cheating in any way;
b) Submitting work not partially or fully the student’s own, excluding properly cited
quotations and references. Such work includes assignments, essays, tests, exams,
research reports and theses, regardless of whether the work is written, oral or another
form;
c) Presenting research data that are forged, falsified or fabricated;
d) Attributing a statement of fact or reference to a fabricated source;
e) Submitting the same work or a large part of the same piece of work in more than one
course, or a thesis or any other piece of work submitted elsewhere without the prior
approval of the appropriate professors or academic units;
f) Falsifying or misrepresenting an academic evaluation, using a forged or altered
supporting document or facilitating the use of such a document;
g) Taking any action aimed at falsifying an academic evaluation.”1

The Telfer School of Management does not tolerate academic fraud. Please familiarize yourself
with the guidance provided at: http://web5.uottawa.ca/mcs-smc/academicintegrity/home.php

Requesting an Accommodation Based on Religious

Observance
A student who wishes to make a request for an accommodation based on his or her religious
observance must do so by submitting a written or electronic request to the professor responsible
for the course. The request for accommodation must identify the nature of the religious
observance and the requested accommodation. The student is expected to assist the professor in
efforts to implement reasonable accommodation, including in identifying solutions that may be
reasonably pursued to address the request. The following timelines should be observed when a
request for accommodation is initiated:
• for an academic requirement published in the course syllabus or otherwise communicated
during or before the first class: within two weeks of the start of the course;

• for an academic requirement communicated after the first class: within five working days of
the requirement being communicated to the class; and

• for a final examination: within five working days of the publication of the final examination
schedule.

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Access Service for students who need adaptive measures
Students who have a disability or functional limitation and who need adaptive measures (changes
to the physical setting, arrangements for exams, learning strategies, etc.) to progress or
participate fully in university life should contact Access Service right away:
• By visiting our office on the third floor of the Desmarais Building, Room 3172
• By filling out the online registration form
• By calling us phone at 613-562-5976
Access Service designs services and implements measures to break down barriers to learning for
students with physical or mental health problems, visual impairments or blindness, hearing
impairments or deafness, permanent or temporary disabilities, or learning disabilities.

Code of Conduct
The University of Ottawa will not tolerate any act of sexual violence. This includes acts such as
rape and sexual harassment, as well as misconduct that take place without consent, which
includes cyberbullying. The University, as well as various employee and student groups, offers a
variety of services and resources to ensure that all uOttawa community members have access to
confidential support and information, and to procedures for reporting an incident or filing a
complaint. For more information, please visit http://www.uOttawa.ca/sexual-violence-support-
and-prevention/

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 Personal Ethics Statement Concerning Telfer School
Assignments

Group Assignment:
By signing this Statement, I am attesting to the fact that I have reviewed not only my own work,
but the work of my colleagues, in its entirety.

I attest to the fact that my own work in this project meets all of the rules of quotation and
referencing in use at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa, as well as
adheres to the fraud policies as outlined in the Academic Regulations in the University’s
Undergraduate Studies Calendar. Academic Fraud Webpage

To the best of my knowledge, I also believe that each of my group colleagues has also met the
rules of quotation and referencing aforementioned in this Statement.

I understand that if my group assignment is submitted without a signed copy of this Personal Ethics
Statement from each group member, it will be interpreted by the Telfer School that the missing
student(s) signature is confirmation of non-participation of the aforementioned student(s) in the
required work.

______________________________ __________________________
Signature Date
______________________________ __________________________
Last Name (print), First Name (print) Student Number
______________________________ __________________________
Signature Date
______________________________ __________________________
Last Name (print), First Name (print) Student Number
______________________________ __________________________
Signature Date
______________________________ __________________________
Last Name (print), First Name (print) Student Number
______________________________ __________________________
Signature Date
______________________________ __________________________
Last Name (print), First Name (print) Student Number
______________________________ __________________________
Signature Date
______________________________ __________________________
Last Name (print), First Name (print) Student Number

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