Organizational Behavior

OB 6150 Functions of the Executive (1 semester hour) Executive Education Course. This course is based primarily on the work of Harvard's legendary Professor Chester Barnard and utilizes case studies. It seeks to help students identify, understand and apply the various mindsets, decisions and actions that effective executives employ. (1-0) Y

OB 6248 Coaching Practice Lab I (2 semester hours) Small group practice sessions for the purpose of applying and deepening the principles and techniques learned throughout the coaching classes. The purpose of this class is to engage in applied learning through peer-to-peer interaction with instructor feedback. (2-0) S

OB 6249 Coaching Practice Lab II (2 semester hours) Small group practice sessions for the purpose of applying and deepening the principles and techniques learned throughout the coaching classes. The purpose of this advanced class is to engage in applied learning through peer-to-peer interaction with instructor feedback. (2-0) S

OB 6253 Coaching Practicum (2 semester hours) Individual sessions with a supervising coach and small-group supervised sessions. For the individual sessions, students will be required to submit recordings for review or provide for real-time attendance by the supervising coach so that an evaluation of their coaching competence can occur. Feedback and guidance will help students develop their coaching skills. A comprehensive exam will be used to evaluate coaching competency. The exam will test for their knowledge, skills, and abilities as an executive and professional coach. (2-0) T

OB 6260 Executive Coaching (2 semester hours) This is a one-on-one, developmental experience with a professional, executive coach. The goals of the coaching experience are: to help the student learn as much as possible from the EMBA program and from working in student teams; to identify the student's strengths and weaknesses and to develop the person in relevant areas; to focus on career development issues unique to the individual; and to instruct the student on the principles and practices of coaching as a leadership style. Executive Education Course. (2-0) Y

OB 6261 Executive Workshop (2 semester hours) Executive Education Course. New students begin the Executive MBA program by attending this workshop and completing the follow-up assignments. The course focuses primarily on lectures and experiential learning exercises conducted by the Leadership Center at UTD and other Centers of Excellence from our School of Management. (2-0) Y

OB 6301 (SYSM 6333) Organizational Behavior (3 semester hours) The study of human behavior in organizations. Emphasizes theoretical concepts and practical methods for understanding, analyzing, and predicting individual, group, and organizational behavior. Topics include work motivation, group dynamics, decision making, conflict and negotiation, leadership, power, and organizational culture. Ethical and international considerations are also addressed. (3-0) S

OB 6303 Managing Organizations (3 semester hours) Macro-management: managing internal organizational processes such as restructuring, and external network relationships such as strategic alliances. Applications to current management issues. Prerequisite: OB 6301 or consent of instructor. (3-0) Y

OB 6305 Foundations of Work Behavior (3 semester hours) Individual work behaviors such as organizational choice, motivation, performance, turnover, and absenteeism. Motivational processes which support such behaviors and the personal reactions of persons to them. Prerequisite: OB 6301. (3-0) Y

OB 6307 Strategic Human Resource Management (3 semester hours) Theories, concepts, and procedures involved in managing human resources. Examination of the correspondence between organizational strategies and human resources needed to carry out those strategies. Topics include job analysis, compensation and benefits, performance management, succession planning, career development issues, legal considerations, and international issues. Prerequisite: OB 6301 or consent of instructor.(3-0) T

OB 6308 Contemporary Business Ethics and Social Responsibility (3 semester hours) The purpose of the course is to enable students to engage in a systematic examination of current ethical issues and problems relevant to the decision making in the organization and management of business enterprises in a complex, dynamic, and global environment. Students will be expected to reflect on question-raising situations that demand careful, informed moral deliberation and examine whether business decisions/practices have ethical consequences. The course combines readings, guest speakers, lectures, and activities that focus on the roles, activities, and ethical choices of managers as they direct organizations within the context of our contemporary society. (3-0) Y

OB 6321 Principles of Leadership (3 semester hours) Theories and techniques of leadership, emphasizing the complementary roles of management and leadership in organizations. The course will address emotional intelligence, leadership styles, communications and leadership processes, focusing on how leaders turn challenging opportunities into successes and get extraordinary things done in organizations. Self-assessment exercises will focus on the development of individual leadership skills. Prerequisite: OB 6301 or consent of instructor. (3-0) Y

OB 6322 Interpersonal Dynamics (3 semester hours) Structures and processes governing interactions among persons in small groups, linking individuals into social units. Structures of power, leadership, norms, roles and status. Processes of intimacy, influence, communication, decision making, cooperation/conflict and change. Prerequisite: OB 6301. (3-0) T

OB 6326 Organizations and Organizing (3 semester hours) Means by which people create, maintain, and change organized work structures. Resulting alternative organizational forms are examined. Prerequisite: OB 6301, or consent of instructor. (3-0) T

OB 6331 Power and Politics in Organizations (3 semester hours) Political processes and the development and use of power in organizations including the role of power in decision-making, sources of power, conditions for the use of power, assessing power in organizations; political strategies and tactics; political language and symbols, and applications to budgeting, careers and organizational structure. (3-0) T

OB 6332 (OPRE 6396, HMGT 6324, SYSM 6313) Negotiation and Dispute Resolution (3 semester hours) This course explores the theories, processes, and practical techniques of negotiation so that students can successfully negotiate and resolve disputes in a variety of situations including interpersonal, group, and international settings. Emphasis is placed on understanding influence and conflict resolution strategies; identifying interests, issues, and positions of the parties involved; analyzing co-negotiators, their negotiation styles, and the negotiation situations; and managing the dynamics associated with most negotiations. Practical skills are developed through the use of simulations and exercises. (3-0) Y

OB 6333 Managerial Decision Making (3 semester hours) Normative and descriptive examination of managerial decision making at the individual, group, and organizational levels. Exploration of cognitive heuristics, rational and non-rational decision making, temporal decision processes, and strategic decision processes under the influence of uncertainty and ambiguity of organizational contexts. Prerequisite: OB 6301 or consent of instructor. (3-0) T

OB 6334 Foundations of Organizational Development (3 semester hours) Explores the foundations and role of organizational development. Topics include: emergence and development of the field and its role in 21st Century organizations; major macro-level organizational concepts such as organizational strategy, structure, culture, innovation, and globalization; and the role of OD in change management, intervention strategies, and group process. (3-0) R

OB 6335 Organizational Development Process and Practice (3 semester hours) Explores the functions and practices of organizational development. Topics include: establishing vision and mission and strategic alignment; conducting inquiry and addressing resistance; engaging leaders and supporting participants; and, small scale change - individuals and groups. Prerequisite: OB 6334 or consent of instructor. (3-0) R

OB 6336 Individual Difference, Self-Motivation and Employee Development (3 semester hours) This course starts with a survey of personality theories with a special emphasis on cognitive models of learning and motivation at work. Relevant topics of personality psychology and social psychology will be introduced to clarify the applied concepts which are useful in employee and organizational development. This will prepare students and practicing managers to be more effective in areas such as general management, consulting, self-development, coaching & mentoring, team building and organizational development. This course will take students one level above what is covered under OB 6301 and also gives them a deep grounding in social and cognitive psychology of organizational behavior. Special attention will be given to Humanistic/ Existential theories and Cognitive Social Learning theories and will relate this to our current understanding of organizational neuroscience. Prerequisite: OB 6301. (3-0) Y

OB 6337 Motivational Leadership in Organizations (3 semester hours) Analyzes the types of behaviors which lead to high performance within healthcare organizations. Topics include individual behavior and motivation, behavioral job requirements and job/person matching, the differences between leadership and managerial behavior; and how to establish and maintain a high performance work climate. (3-0) Y

OB 6338 Coaching as a Leadership Style (3 semester hours) Develops highly effective coaching skills for fostering positive change in both individuals and teams. Topics include developing an effective coaching relationship through intelligent listening and authentic feedback, assessing an individual's readiness for change and helping to increase colleagues' personal and professional effectiveness. (3-0) Y

OB 6340 Leading Strategic Change Processes in an International Environment (3 semester hours) This course emphasizes practical skills required to be an effective change agent. Topics include entry in change projects, negotiating role expectations, contracting, diagnostic interviewing, motivating system change and overcoming resistance, group dynamics and large group interventions, and intercultural differences in leadership expectations. All participants will be involved in a change project as part of the course. Prerequisite: OB 6301 or consent of instructor. (3-0) T

OB 6347 Performance Management Systems (3 semester hours) A systematic approach is taken to show how performance management adds value to the organization. Emphasis is on the manager-employee communication process involved in establishing clear expectations and understanding about the job. Job functions, the role of the job in reaching organizational goals, performance appraisal techniques and uses, and performance improvement issues are addressed. Prerequisite: OB 6301 or consent of instructor. (3-0) T

OB 6350 Introduction to Executive and Professional Coaching (3 semester hours) The class provides students with a study of the origins and structure of coaching. Topics include the current status of coaching, the history of coaching as a profession, basic coaching principles, ethics and standards, the core competencies of coaching, and basic coaching techniques and practices. It also addresses the role of personal style in coaching and how to adjust coaching behavior to fit the coaching requirements of clients. (3-0) T

OB 6351 Coaching in the Business or Organizational Setting (3 semester hours) This class prepares coaches to work with individuals and teams in a corporate or business environment. Topics include: 1) coaching and organizational behavior theories and models that facilitate client change within an organizational setting; 2) coaching executives with an emphasis on achieving business results; 3) coaching methods for teams and groups; and 4) coaching clients through career transitions. (3-0) T

OB 6352 Advanced Coaching Models and Methods (3 semester hours) The course provides students with advanced principles and practices for coaching individuals within the corporate setting. Topics include appreciative inquiry models and techniques, a survey of evidence-based coaching models, the use of language to promote change, research practices, the basics of clinical diagnosis and how to respond as a coach when clients display clinical symptoms. (3-0) T

OB 6354 Organizations and Environments (3 semester hours) Analysis of organization- environment relations, with special emphasis on managing the organization for strategic advantage. Theories and concepts will be drawn from the fields of organizational sociology, industrial organization economics, and strategic management. Topics include mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; regulation and deregulation; the role of boards of directors; the diffusion of organizational innovations; collective organizational actions such as joint ventures, the formation of trade associations, and industry evolution. (3-0) R

OB 6355 - Capstone in Organizational Behavior and Coaching (3 semester hours) The capstone course is the culmination of the program. Students are required through research to integrate the major theories and principles of the entire curriculum. Students further develop their knowledge of organizational behavior and executive coaching through application of field experiences. (3-0) S

OB 6360 Information Processing and Interpersonal Skills (3 semester hours) Communication theory and application including decoding/listening, processing/analyzing, and encoding/speaking and writing. Prerequisite: OB 6301. (3-0) R

OB 6v99 Special Topics in Organizational Behavior (1-4 semester hours) May be lecture, readings, or individualized study. May be repeated for credit. ([1-4]-0) S

OB 7300 Organization Theory (3 semester hours) Survey of major theoretical perspectives and current research in organization theory. Prerequisite: admissions to OSIM Ph.D. program or consent of instructor. (3-0) Y

OB 7302 Organization Behavior (3 semester hours) This course is designed to expose students to a variety of Organizational Behavior/Human Resource Management (OB/HRM) topics and data gathering techniques. Different procedures for gathering research data, usually within the context of the papers will be critiqued and a term paper is mandatory. (3-0) Y

OB 7303 Research Methodology in Behavioral Sciences (3 semester hours) Advantages and disadvantages of research based on field experiments, field studies, survey analyses, laboratory experiments, participant observation, content analyses, interviewing, cross-cultural studies, simulations, demographic and data archive methods. Integration of research designs and multimethod techniques. Topics may vary. (3-0) T

OB 7306 Macro-Organizational Empirical Investigation (3 semester hours) Ph.D. seminar in the process of empirical research on organizations including formulation of a research question; the development and application of theory leading to the construction of models and the formulation of hypotheses; the design of a study; identification of data sources and the collection of data; computer analysis of data to test hypotheses; and the presentation of the study in a research paper. Emphasis will be given to linear models, archival data, and regression analysis, but other approaches will be discussed. Prerequisite: OB 7300 or equivalent, or consent of instructor. Topics may vary. (3-0) R

OB 7310 Theory and Research in Group and Intergroup Processes (3 semester hours) Current theories of group processes and group development in different social contexts. Work and non-work, intergroup relationships, group task and process issues, stages of group development, group norms, group roles, group structure, leadership, group cohesion, intergroup conflict and cooperation, intergroup interdependencies and organizational structure, boundary roles, intergroup communication, power, organizational politics, and managing intergroup differences. Prerequisites: OB 6301, OB 6303, and OB 6322, or consent of instructor. (3-0) R

OB 7312 Social Network Theory (3 semester hours) Social network theory focuses on structural relations among people and organizations. As one of the fastest growing paradigms originated from anthropology and sociology, it has gained enormous popularity within the broad field of organizational management. This Ph.D. level course intends to provide a systematic introduction to social network theory by reviewing its basic history, philosophy, theories, and methodologies. We will also explore how social network theory can be applied to addressing various management issues such as knowledge diffusion, social capital, strategic alliance, and network dynamics. (3-0) R

OB 7313 Seminar on Organizational Decision Making (3 Semester Hours) This seminar on decision-making in organizations provides a systematic and up-to-date literature background for academic research in this area. The course covers normative, descriptive, and non-rational aspects of decision making at the individual, group, and organizational/strategic levels. It also examines the impact of contextual factors such as uncertainty, ambiguity, environment, structure, process, information technology, international culture, and ethics on organizational decision making. (3-0) R