MGMT330 Organizational Behavior

***Apologies in advance for how Blackboard formats announcements.
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I am looking forward to meeting you for my course Organizational Behavior (MGMT

330).This is a discussion-based course. The discussions are primarily based on
assigned textbooks, cases, activities, and videos. I have found that many
students have limited experience with discussion-based teaching and might feel a
little bit apprehensive about what is going to happen. This
note contains some advice on how to prepare for a discussion-
based course (as a student) and how toconduct yourself during
the classroom discussions.
Discussion-Based Teaching
Discussion-based teaching differs from regular lectures in that the bulk of

the speaking is done by the students, who discuss theories/concepts and/or a
case (a written description of a problem),bringing their individual experiences and
their understandings of the relevant material as presented in the course.
This teaching method is used in business studies, but also in law and medicine. These
are disciplines where students,after graduation, will be faced with problems that
require understanding a complicated situation, applying
relevant theory and common sense to it, and formulating and testing one or more
solutions. Much like in real life, the discussions that we will have and the cases that
we will cover often have no correct solution. You will find that you and your
classmates may have radically different ideas during our discussions. That’s fun, and
that is where the learning is.
I use discussion-based teaching because it allowsme to make teaching

relevant, lets the students apply theory and judgment to real
questions/problems, and enables students to learn
from each other and not just from the instructor.This is especially true for cases (for
a greatarticle on the history of the case method by a greatcase instructor, see David
Garvin’s "Making thecase: Professional education for
the world of practice." Harvard Magazine 106(1): 56ff. To seewhy understanding
theory is important in terms ofpractice, I recommend Clayton M. Christensen
and Michael E. Raynor’s "Why Hard-
nosed Executives Should Care about ManagementTheory." Harvard
Business Review September2003: 67-74.)
Preparation
As implied in the title, discussion-based teaching is based on discussions, and if you

are going todiscuss theories/concepts and/or a case, you will have to come prepared.
We will typically cover approximately 20 - 30 pages of theories/concepts each week.
Be prepared to set aside at least three hours per week to cover theories/concepts.
A good procedure to prepare for our discussions related to theories/concepts is:
1. First, read the texts quickly to get an overview of the theories/concepts.

2. Next, read the texts carefully, answering the study questions that I
provide. These questions are designed to make you think reflectively,
critically, and analytically about the theories/concepts. You will notice
that these study questions will very quickly decrease in number each
week (and, ultimately, will not be provided at all) as you become
acclimated to the expectations of our discussions (you are expected to
eventually ask yourself reflective, critical, and analytical questions as
you read the texts).
3. Make a sheet of notes with your answers (or alternative answers) and
possible consequences of those answers.
4. Come to class – and now you are prepared!
We also typically cover one case each week. A typical

case has 10 - 20 pages plus exhibits, so setaside at least three hours per case. Some go
od resources on how to do a case analysis are:
1. Bill
Ellet’s The Case Study Handbook: How to Read, Discuss,and Write Pe
rsuasively About Cases(HBS Press, 2007)
2. Case Analysis Coach (cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/4380-HTM-
ENG), an onlineresource developed by Robert D. Austin
and Robert L. Kelley.
3. Cases: How to prepare for them and learn from them, a five-
episodevideo by Espen Andersen and Hanno Roberts of
the NorwegianBusiness School, available atappliedabstractions.com/20
16/06/19/cases-how-to-prepare-for-and-learn-from-them-2/.
A good procedure to prepare a case is thefollowing:
1. First, read the case quickly byyourself to get an overview and understa
nd the company/individuals,industry, and exhibits.
2. Next, read the case carefully,answering the study questions that I
provide. These questions are designed
to highlight salient portionsof the case and make you do needed
analyses.
3. Make a sheet of notes with yoursuggested answers/solutions (or
alternative answers/solutions) and the possible consequences of those
suggested answers/solutions.
4. Before class, meet with your team and/or a study group
and discuss thecase with them. Chances are you willfind
that your preferred answers/solutions are but one ofmany and
that they might requiresome adjustment.
5. Come to class – and now you areprepared!
(If, for some reason, such as illness, you have notbeen able to fully prepare for our
discussions, butstill want to come to class, you must
tell me beforeclass starts. I expect to be able to call on anystudent during
the class discussions, and anunprepared student breaks the flow and
reducesthe quality of the discussions.)
In the classroom
Many students worry about the discussions in theclassroom and how to do it.
The most importantthing to remember when in class is that ourdiscussions are not a
competition in who can saythe most. Rather, it is a collaborative undertaking to bring
as much insight as possible towardstheories/concepts and/or a
case. To do this, somerules of conduct will have to be observed. For example,
a normal case class may proceed likethis:
1. A team opens the discussion through a presentation, answering the case

analysis questions posed by myself.
2. When the team presentation is
done,the floor is open for comments/questions and/or
alternative solutions, from as manystudents as possible.
3. You may speak only when given thefloor. You
ask for the floor byholding your hand up, but as soon assomeone
is given the floor, you should take your hand down and
keep it down until the speaker isfinished.
4. I will take notes on
the board and guide the discussions, but ideally,almost all of the talking
should be done by the students.
Grading
A significant portion of your course grade will bebased on participation (i.e., your
oral contributionsin the classroom). Many students worry abouthaving enough “air
time.” Remember, I amlooking for quantity and quality. Others would prefer

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***Apologies in advance for how Blackboard formats announcements.

I am looking forward to meeting you for my course Organizational Behavior (MGMT

Discussion-based teaching differs from regular lectures in that the bulk of

I use discussion-based teaching because it allowsme to make teaching

As implied in the title, discussion-based teaching is based on discussions, and if you

1. First, read the texts quickly to get an overview of the theories/concepts.

We also typically cover one case each week. A typical

A good procedure to prepare a case is thefollowing:

1. A team opens the discussion through a presentation, answering the case

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