Organizational Behavior Concentration MBA Courses
- BOAH 2401—Organizational Behavior: Leadership and Group Effectiveness—3 credits
- The effective management of people is a critical component of organizational competitiveness. This course addresses problems and issues concerning leadership, interpersonal effectiveness, and challenges for managers in the 21st century. The student is prepared to manage himself or herself and others in a rapidly-changing global environment. Topics covered include employee empowerment, teamwork, managing diversity, cross-cultural management, personal effectiveness, organizational change, organizational analysis, decision making, negotiation, conflict resolution, power, politics, and influence.
- Prerequisites: none.
- BOAH 2411—Human Resources for Competitive Advantage—3 credits
- This course examines the design and use of organizational human resources systems to achieve market advantage. Emphasis is placed on exploring the decisions managers must make to obtain an appropriate number of qualified employees and to motivate them to achieve organizational competitive objectives. Participants examine the influences of changing technologies, public policy directives, and international competitive requirements as they affect decisions relating to staffing, compensation, employee relations, and human resource development.
- Prerequisites: BOAH 2401 recommended.
- BOAH 2517—Interpersonal Skills 1—1.5 credits
- This course offers explicit training in interpersonal skills, presenting oneself to others, effective verbal and nonverbal communication, persuasion, and the use of interpersonal resources to become an effective manager and leader.
- Prerequisite: none.
- BOAH 2519—Negotiations 1—1.5 credits
- Chester Karrass titles his most recent book In Business as in Life, You Don't Get What You Deserve, You Get What You Negotiate. Negotiating is an important quality that can improve your ability to lead and manage effectively. Effective negotiating requires that you communicate, persuade, listen, and empathize. In this class, you will learn and apply the tools needed to make you an effective negotiator. You will negotiate in a variety of situations, including buyer-seller, employee-manager, and executive-to-executive. You will also appreciate how to use teams effectively to conduct a negotiation. The emphasis is on understanding your real negotiating power, how to use it, and how to achieve mutual gains, or at least find the zone of possible agreement.
- Prerequisites: BOAH 2401.
- BOAH 2520—Negotiations 2—1.5 credits
- A continuation of BOAH 2519.
- Prerequisites: BOAH 2519.
- BOAH 2521—Staffing Organizations—1.5 credits
- This course is designed to develop an advanced understanding of the process of attracting and selecting qualified personnel to implement the organizational competitive strategy. The staffing function is examined as a core human resources activity and a critical organizational function. Specific topics that are generally considered include job analysis, theory and practice of recruitment, predictor instruments (e.g., psychological tests, interview, work sample, etc.), measurement issues (e.g., validation and reliability), and organizational socialization. The emphasis is on developing both understanding possible application and basic technical competency.
- Prerequisites: BOAH 2411.
- BOAH 2421—Human Resources for Competitive Advantage—1.5 credits
- The effective management of human resources is critical to sustained competitive advantage in an increasingly deregulated, global, and knowledge-driven corporate environment. This course identifies the key role of human resources management in the organization's effort to create value and explores its link with competitive strategy. Environmental and legal factors that affect decision-making and utilization of human resources are examined. Special emphasis is placed on effective organizational staffing, strategically directed performance management, and compensation and incentive systems that focus employees' efforts on organizational success. We will also examine programs and policies that encourage employee learning and development, facilitate the use of distributed know-how, and leverage the associated skill and knowledge for organizational advantage.The course will frame the issues and student learning around the needs of general middle and senior managers.
- Prerequisites: BOAH 2401 Organizational Behavior
- BOAH 2522—Compensation—1.5 credits
- This course is an exploration of the basic concepts and methods in managing organizational pay and incentive systems. Compensation is viewed as a key variable in the implementation of organizational competitive strategy. Topics frequently covered in this course include pay as a strategic factor, methods of job evaluation, compensation policy choices and issues, pay equity and competitiveness, merit pay and variable pay systems, administration of a compensation system, and emerging compensation and incentive issue.
- Prerequisites: BOAH 2521.
- BOAH 2523—Human Resources Planning and Strategy 1—1.5 credits
- The organizational human resource system is examined as a key factor in the development and implementation of the organizational competitive strategy. The human resources function is viewed as a key business partner. The role of human resources in creating a sustainable competitive advantage is covered in detail. Topics often include organizational factors (e.g., cultures, values) that impact HR planning and strategy, HR environmental analysis and competitor analysis, internal analysis of the HR system for competitive initiatives, HR contributions to business strategy formulation, and the nature and use of HR strategy.
- Prerequisites: BOAH 2411.
- BOAH 2524—Human Resources Planning and Strategy 2—1.5 credits
- This course, a continuation of BOAH 2523, focuses on implementation of HR strategy and managing key HR issues that affect the organizational business strategy. Typically, the topics include such subjects as human resources forecasting and planning, HR strategy implementation, succession planning, facilitating organizational change, downsizing and restructuring the organization, and HR aspects of mergers and acquisitions.
- Prerequisites: BOAH 2523.
- BOAH 2532—Negotiations, Teamwork and Change 1
- This is the first half of a two-part course on negotiations, teamwork, and change. This course will introduce you to effective techniques for negotiating and collaborative decision making in dyads, as well as in groups. It will further cover the methods for negotiating, facilitating, and leading change in organizational contexts. This is an experiential course and you will be involved directly in negotiating, leveraging team dynamics, and facilitating change in a range of contexts. These experiences will involve a host of tangible and not-so-tangible outcomes, ranging from monetary terms and conditions to matters of goodwill, trust, and information-sharing. Because this is an experiential course involving collaborative exercises, class attendance is critical and students must commit to attend all parts of the course to obtain course credit. >Please note: enrollment is limited.
- Prerequisites: BOAH 2401
- BOQH 2533—Negotiations, Teamwork and Change 2
- We negotiate daily in a variety of contexts: business, family, and social. Negotiation serves several purposes: (1) establishing new or renewing old relationships; (2) changing behaviors and expectations; and (3) resolving disputes. A key goal of this course is to learn the techniques of effective negotiating and collaborative problem solving. Successful negotiations reduce costs, improve outcomes, and build constructive relationships. Negotiations are part of a broader set of exchanges that take place within and across organizational contexts.
- This is the second half of a two-part course on negotiations, teamwork, and change. This course will build on existing knowledge to further refine your skills and introduce new techniques for negotiating and collaborative decision making in dyads, as well as in groups. It will further cover the methods for negotiating, facilitating, and leading change in organizational contexts. This is an experiential course and you will be involved directly in negotiating, leveraging team dynamics, and facilitating change in a range of contexts. These experiences will involve a host of tangible and not-so-tangible outcomes, ranging from monetary terms and conditions, to matters of goodwill, trust, and information-sharing. Because this is an experiential course involving collaborative exercises, class attendance is critical and students must commit to attend all parts of the course to obtain course credit. Please note: enrollment is limited.
- Prerequisites: BOAH 2532
- BOAH 2537—Conflict Resolution in the Workplace 1—1.5 credits
- Negotiating or bargaining, individually and/or collectively is one tool used to address and resolve conflict in a mutually acceptable and violence-free environment. Collective bargaining is a form of conflict resolution community identified with unionized settings, but it is only one form of union participation in decision making. To function effectively as a business person, manager, or in any professional capacity, having a command of negotiations involving multiple persons and alternative dispute resolution procedures is critical. Understanding how these procedures operate and how they can improve individual and organizational performance is vital to developing a successful business and professional career. By the end of this course, students will (a) understand the theory and practical benefits/costs of conflict resolution techniques; (b) have practiced using these techniques; and (c) have developed a conflict resolution policy and program for an organization (chosen from your current employment or a "hypothetical" firm).
- Prerequisite: BOAH 2411.
- BOAH 2538—Conflict Resolution in the Workplace 2—1.5 credits
