Organizational Behavior

OB 6152 Executive Coaching (1 semester credit hour) Executive Education Course. This is a one-on-one, developmental experience with a professional, ICF certified executive coach. The goal of the coaching experience is to develop the soft skills required for leadership positions including executive presence, strategic self-awareness, social networking, political intelligence, and social intelligence. Instructor consent required. (1-0) Y

OB 6155 Capstone in Organizational Behavior and Coaching (1 semester credit hour) Executive Education Course. The capstone course is the culmination of the program in which students further develop their knowledge of organizational behavior and executive coaching through application of field experiences. Students conduct research across different subject areas, integrate and apply the major theories and principles they have learned during the program to develop a cohesive and multifaceted output. Department consent required. (1-0) S

OB 6248 Coaching Practice Lab I (2 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. 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. This course is offered in an online format only. Corequisite: OB 6350. (2-0) S

OB 6249 Coaching Practice Lab II (2 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. 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. This course is offered in an online format only. Prerequisite: OB 6248. Corequisite: OB 6351. (2-0) S

OB 6253 Coaching Practicum (2 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. 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. Instructor consent required. This course is offered in an online format only. Pass/Fail only. Corequisite: OB 6352. (2-0) T

OB 6255 Capstone in Organizational Behavior and Coaching (2 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. 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. Department consent required. (2-0) S

OB 6301 (SYSM 6333) Organizational Behavior (3 semester credit 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 credit 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. (3-0) Y

OB 6304 Human Resource Management (3 semester credit hours) This course covers various human resource management issues including workforce planning, talent acquisition, employment law, performance management, job/competency analysis, training/learning, leadership and career development, compensation and benefits, and labor relations. The course also examins how the human resource function contributes to execution of the company's business strategy, business performance, and competitive advantage. (3-0) Y

OB 6307 Strategic Human Resource Management (3 semester credit 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. (3-0) T

OB 6321 Principles of Leadership (3 semester credit 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. (3-0) Y

OB 6329 Current Topics in Negotiation and Mediation (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. A combination of lectures, readings, group discussions, and individualized study. This course is designed to meet the individualized interests of students within the domain of Negotiations and Mediation. Academic scholars from around the globe present their thinking on current topics in this field, and these will be discussed both in class and through written and presentation assignments. In addition to students' specific individual interests, selected readings that present current thinking, approaches, and practices will be discussed. Additional prerequisites may be required depending on the specific course topic. (3-0) Y

OB 6331 Power and Politics in Organizations (3 semester credit 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 (HMGT 6324 and MECO 6352 and SYSM 6313) Negotiation and Dispute Resolution (3 semester credit 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 6334 Foundations of Organizational Development (3 semester credit hours) Explores the foundations and role of organizational development. Topics include: emergence and development of the field and its role in twenty-first century organizations; major macro-level organizational concepts such as organizational strategy, structure, culture, innovation, and globalization; and the role of organizational development in change management, intervention strategies and group process. (3-0) R

OB 6337 Motivational Leadership in Organizations (3 semester credit 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 credit hours) Executive Education Course. 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 6339 Negotiations and Contracts (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course addresses contracts and 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. Instructor consent required. (3-0) Y

OB 6340 Leading Strategic Change Processes in an International Environment (3 semester credit 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. Prerequisite: OB 6301. (3-0) T

OB 6341 Organizational Change From Theory to Practice (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course covers models of organizational change that are used to transform organizational functioning, executional capabilities, and ultimately business performance. Focus will be on bridging the gap between theory and practice. Topics include a theoretical overview of the organizational change discipline, common change models used in practice, and their strengths and weaknesses. (3-0) Y

OB 6342 Organizational Diagnosis (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course focuses on gaining theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary to diagnose the operating effectiveness of a firm, business unit, or business function. The course covers how to design a diagnostic approach, gather fact-based information, how to analyze the information, draw actionable conclusions, and how to create a set of actions necessary to impact organizational performance. Additionally, a case study approach will be used. (3-0) Y

OB 6343 (ENTP 6343) Strategy and Management in the Craft Brewing Industry (3 semester credit hours) This course focuses on the actual business of craft brewing and examines the competition, strategy, operations, production, financing, sales and marketing, supply, distribution, and regulation. The course provides a comprehensive perspective on the dynamics of an emerging industry, with detailed information on managing the business aspects of craft brewing, with insight into potential jobs and careers in this industry, and challenges of starting and operating a small business. (3-0) S

OB 6344 Organizational Development: Bridging Theory and Practice (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. The discipline of applied organizational development (OD) is broadly concerned with the application of empirically supported theoretical frameworks that, when applied, improves the performance capability and effectiveness of individuals, teams, and entire organizations. This course covers a range of models and practices spanning all three domains with a focus on how they translate to and apply in practice. Topics range from improving individuals' performance, to improving the effectiveness of work teams, to large-scale system and organizational behavior diagnosis and change. The course is designed to bridge the gap between OD theory and research and actual practice. (3-0) Y

OB 6345 The Dynamics of Interpersonal Relationships (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. Applying evidence-based concepts, models, and principles, this course explores the dynamics of interpersonal relationships. Self-awareness and "other" awareness will be facilitated by examining behavioral styles and key motivational drivers that influence interpersonal interactions in varied contexts. Examination of dynamics that underscore productive and counterproductive communications will support the student to read and proactively manage communications well before they become problematic. Students learn how to apply skills for effective interpersonal influence in personal and organizational contexts. Skills learned in the course supports continuing interpersonal growth and development as the student encounters new and challenging personal and organizational circumstances. This course also emphasizes practical application of course material through individual and group assignments. (3-0) Y

OB 6346 Leading Organizational Change (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course explores how real change happens in organizations including setting a business strategy, using change models, and showing leadership throughout the change process. Topics include the linkage of business strategy and organizational change, driving and resisting forces to change, frameworks helpful in guiding the change process, and the types of leadership most critical at different stages of the change process. (3-0) Y

OB 6348 Leadership Concepts and Practices (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course explores theories and techniques of leadership and approaches from antiquity to the present time with emphasis on complementary roles of management and leadership in organizations. The course covers various aspects of developing such approaches and its critical analyses. The course also addresses emotional intelligence, leadership styles, communications practices and with specific focus on how leaders turn challenging opportunities into successes and achieve extraordinary results. Self-assessment exercises will focus on the development of individual leadership skills. (3-0) Y

OB 6350 Executive and Professional Coaching (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. 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. This course is offered in an online format only. Corequisite: OB 6248. (3-0) T

OB 6351 Coaching in the Business or Organizational Setting (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course prepares coaches to work with individuals and teams in a corporate or business environment. Topics include coaching and organizational behavior theories and models that facilitate client change within an organizational setting, coaching executives with an emphasis on achieving business results, coaching methods for groups, and research practices. This course is offered in an online format only. Prerequisite: OB 6350. Corequisite: OB 6249. (3-0) T

OB 6352 Advanced Coaching Models and Methods (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. The course provides students with advanced principles and practices for coaching individuals within the corporate setting. Topics include appreciative inquiry models and techniques, a practical lab in team coaching, a survey of evidence-based coaching models, the use of language to promote change, research practices, and evidence based positive psychology. This course is offered in an online format only. Prerequisite: OB 6351. Corequisite: OB 6253. (3-0) T

OB 6355 Capstone in Organizational Behavior and Coaching (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. 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. Department consent required. (3-0) S

OB 6356 Leadership Decision Making (3 semester credit hours) This course develops leaders in the cutting-edge science and research around decision making in an organizational setting. Students are exposed to the Normative and Behavioral models of decision making. From these models, a thorough examination of the five methods of decision making are covered, including Solo, Inform, Discuss, Recommend, and Consensus. Additionally, measuring constructs are examined that evaluate decision effectiveness quantitatively and qualitatively. These constructs include role clarity, quality, speed, yield, effort, and economic performance correlations. This course provides a broad educational foundation in decision sciences as well as developing the Leader's ability to select appropriate decision models and methods to maximize his or her overall leadership effectiveness. (3-0) S

OB 6357 Small Group Dynamics (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course discusses and analyzes the dynamics of group communication, interactions, and decision-making, particularly as subgroups of organizations. The course also discusses related theories to better understand the opportunities and challenges of group work to enhance organizational effectiveness. Students will be involved in a number of group activities on team-building aspects and presentation effectiveness to augment lectures and readings. (3-0) Y

OB 6358 Leading in Complex Environments (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. To succeed in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment, leaders must know how to lead using a variety of tools and styles. This course presents a framework for operating in a complex environment that is uncertain, ambiguous, and volatile. It will explore design thinking and complexity as one way to solve problems in this dynamic world. The course will explore the role of the "Learning Organization." The course will review models for turning vision into action. (3-0) Y

OB 6367 Followership and Ethics (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course will explore the importance of followers and why the leader must exhibit the right behaviors to influence followers. The course reviews and analyzes various ethical decision-making frameworks and barriers to effective decision-making, and how leaders can best overcome the challenges of ethical leadership. (3-0) Y

OB 6369 Leadership Models and Decision Making (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course will address the role of decision-making in leadership, review various decision-making models, and highlight decision-making styles and other tips. The class will explore creative and problem solving as it relates to leadership. Finally, the class will explore leadership models using a series of contemporary examples. (3-0) Y

OB 6370 Foundations of Organizational Consulting (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course explores the foundations of organizational consulting and the roles of internal and external consultants. Topics include the history of consulting, scoping and pricing projects, writing proposals and preparing contracts, and successfully navigating the consulting cycle from client entry to diagnosis and from development to implementation and exit. This course is offered in an online format only. (3-0) Y

OB 6371 Theory and Practice of Organizational Consulting (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course explores the theories, frameworks, and applications of organizational consulting interventions. Topics include organizational structure and culture, change management, workflow and job design, employee engagement, selection and on-boarding, performance management, workforce planning, leadership development, succession planning, high performance teams, and individual development and coaching. This course is offered in an online format only. (3-0) Y

OB 6372 The Business of Consulting (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course explores the challenges of building a successful consulting practice and being an effective organizational consultant. Topics include creating a value proposition, building a brand, setting a strategy, and implementing an operating model for a consulting practice as well as consulting competencies, ethical guidelines, and professional development strategies for consultants. This course is offered in an online format only. (3-0) Y

OB 6373 Organizational Consulting: Theory and Practice of System-Wide Interventions (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course explores theories, frameworks, and applications of organizational consulting interventions at the organization level for human capital consultants and general business consultants. Human capital consulting topics include organizational design, job design, process and workflow design, workforce analytics and planning, organizational culture, change management, and employee engagement. General business consulting topics include deploying agile frameworks, building technical competency models, acting with social responsibility, linking consulting solutions to business strategy, and consulting in sales, marketing, operations, risk management, non-profit and public sector organizations. Case studies will be used throughout the course to highlight effective and integrated system-wide organizational consulting practices. (3-0) Y

OB 6374 Organizational Consulting: Theory and Practice of Individual and Team Interventions (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course explores theories, frameworks, and applications of organizational consulting interventions at the individual and team level for human capital consultants and general business consultants. Human capital consulting topics include consulting frameworks, selection and on-boarding, performance management, high-performance teams, individual development and coaching, succession planning and career development and leadership development. General business consulting topics include operating globally and cross-culturally, working with Boards of Directors, interacting with CEOs, understanding entrepreneurs and high growth businesses, delivering work through leadership teams, communicating with stakeholders, flexing to individual personalities and setting up training and learning networks. Case studies will be used throughout the course to highlight effective individual and team consulting practices. (3-0) Y

OB 6375 Mediation Process and Practices (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course explores the dynamics of third-party mediation as a strategy to assist two or more parties in reaching agreement on a course of action to resolve a dispute or to address some other challenge. Building on an understanding of mediation methods that have appeared in history and in many cultures, students will review and critique modern methods, and have an opportunity to practice a generic model that can be customized to fit organizational, community, and family topics. Ethics and professional practice topics will equip students to introduce new skills in settings where mediation skills can be used to help parties control costs and increase satisfaction in dispute situations. This course is offered in an online format only. (3-0) Y

OB 6377 The Neuropsychology of Leadership (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. Exploration of the manner in which advances in the neurosciences inform organizational interventions in the area of leadership. This course explores basic neural structures and functions and how these are activated within interactions between leaders and their teams as indicated by research. Of particular importance will be the relevance to workplace dynamics, particularly how the research can be translated into leadership practices that can augment productivity and engagement as well as research exploring which practices can derail organizations. (3-0) Y

OB 6378 Business Models and Systems (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course orients students to commercial value chains, business models, and viewing business as systems. This course explores value chains to understand how they deliver goods and services into the marketplace to derive both value-in-consumption and value-in-profitability for firms. The course explores both supply systems and go-to-market systems. Finally, the course provides students with the ability to read business financial statements in real case studies. Students learn to assess a firm's level of health and to derive workforce implications. (3-0) Y

OB 6379 Culture and the Employee Value Proposition (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course reviews the dimensions of organizational culture and the use of culture surveys in an international context. The role of leadership and HR in establishing, managing, and changing culture is explored. The concept of the employee value proposition is established along with its impact on the organization's ability to attract, develop, and retain talent in the global marketplace. A course capstone project is completed where the student defines current and future cultural elements along with an employer brand. (3-0) Y

OB 6380 Viewing Organizations as Systems (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course is designed to help students view and think about organizations from a systems vantage point. Systems thinking is a core skill that is developed using rich case studies. Organizational design methods are studied to ground the student in the discipline and to place the design engagement in the context of viewing the organization as a system. Case studies are used to explore global uses and differences and how they impact the business systems. (3-0) Y

OB 6381 Strategic HR Application (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course leverages the concepts from the entire program and facilitates the student through case applications. The processes, practices, and tools are applied to a student selected project. The student assesses a business and recommends human capital improvements to include the areas of culture, people, talent, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness. (3-0) Y

OB 6382 Transformational Leadership (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course explores Transformational Leadership as it relates to workforce dynamics and practices. Students will investigate the history of this theory, including the variety of approaches to Transformational Leadership as well as salient cultural, gender, and business forces influencing its development over time. Course assignments include the applicability of Transformational Leadership to challenges inherent in both present and future workplaces. Case studies in Transformational Leadership will integrate theory with practice. Academic literature will be reviewed introducing relevant issues surrounding the application of this model in a variety of settings. (3-0) Y

OB 6383 Current Topics in Organizational Behavior and Development (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course.This course is a combination of lecture, readings, group discussion, and individualized study. It is designed to meet the individualized interests of students within the domain of contemporary Organizational Behavior and Development. Academic scholars from around the globe present their thinking on current topics in this field, and these will be discussed both in class and through written and presentation assignments. In addition to students' specific individual interests, selected readings that present current thinking, approaches, and practices will be discussed. Additional prerequisites may be required depending on the specific course topic. (3-0) S

OB 6384 Managing Conflict in Personal and Professional Settings (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course examines the leading theories of conflict and conflict management strategies. The relationship between personality and conflict styles will also be addressed. Practical, theoretical, and critical analyses of conflict in a variety of contexts, including organizations, families, and interpersonal relationships are studied. (3-0) Y

OB 6398 Contemporary Issues in Organizational Development (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. A combination of lecture, readings, group discussion, and individualized study. This course is designed to meet the individualized interests of students within the domain of contemporary Organizational Behavior and Development. Academic scholars from around the globe present their thinking on current topics in this field, and these will be discussed both in class and through written and presentation assignments. In addition to students' specific individual interests, selected readings that present current thinking, approaches, and practices will be discussed. (3-0) Y

OB 6V99 Special Topics in Organizational Behavior (1-6 semester credit hours) May be repeated for credit as topics vary (6 semester credit hours maximum). Additional prerequisites may be required depending on the specific course topic. Instructor consent required. ([1-6]-0) S

OB 7300 Organization Theory (3 semester credit hours) Survey of major theoretical perspectives and current research in organization theory. Prerequisite: International Management Studies PhD majors only and instructor consent required. (3-0) Y

OB 7302 Organization Behavior (3 semester credit 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 required. Instructor consent required. (3-0) Y

OB 7306 Macro-Organizational Empirical Investigation (3 semester credit hours) PhD 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. Topics may vary. Additional prerequisites may be required depending on the specific course topic. Prerequisite: OB 7300 or equivalent or instructor consent required. (3-0) R

OB 7310 Group and Intergroup Processes (3 semester credit 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 or OB 6303) and OB 6322 or instructor consent required. (3-0) R

OB 7312 Social Network Theory (3 semester credit 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 course provides a systematic introduction to social network theory by reviewing its basic history, philosophy, theories, and methodologies. The course also explores 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 Organizational Decision Making (3 semester credit hours) This seminar provides a systematic and up-to-date literature background for academic research in this area. This course covers normative, descriptive, and non-rational aspects of decision making at the individual, group, and organizational/strategic levels. The course 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