BA 448.01 Organizational Development and Change

Wartburg College

Course Syllabus

Fall 2007

Julie Clarkson

Office:  WBC 103

Phone: 319-352-8485 (office)

Email: julie.clarkson@wartburg.edu

 

Class Time:

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 9:00

 

Office Hours:

Office hours are Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 1:00 to 2 :30 and Wednesday from 12:30 to 1:30.

 

Course Description: 

This course overviews the process of planned change strategies in organizations. The focus is on using knowledge of behavioral and social science to help organizations, groups, and individuals improve effectiveness in alignment with strategic objectives. 

 

Required Textbooks:

Cummings, Thomas G. & Worley, Christopher G.  Organization Development & Change, 8th ed.  (Cincinnati, Ohio South-Western, 2005).

 

Course Objectives:

 

Participation and Attendance:  Attendance is required.  If you must be absent, inform me before class.  It is your responsibility to see me for handouts and assignments given during your absence.  If you must miss more than three class periods a doctor’s excuse is required or it may adversely impact your grade.  Being in attendance is not the same as participation.  There is a great deal of discussion in class and your participation is vital to your success in class.  There is no makeup for in-class quizzes or assignments if you are absent without an excuse. 

 

Late Penalties:  Late assignments are subject to a full letter grade penalty for each day they are late.  Assignments are always due at the beginning of class on the due date.

 

Commitment to Students with Disabilities: Wartburg College seeks to maintain a supportive academic environment for students with disabilities.  To ensure their equal access to all educational programs, activities, and services, Federal law requires that students with disabilities notify the College, provide documentation, and request reasonable accommodations.  If you need accommodations in this course, please notify the Dean of Students.

 

Course Requirements:

There will be two midterms and a final exam covering concepts in the text.  Students are also required to identify examples from current business literature of organizational development and change activities and offer critical evaluation of those efforts.  Cases from the text will be assigned for discussion and for write up.  The cases assigned for discussion will be used to assess participation.

 

Grading:

Midterm One:                                                                                                   100 points

Midterm Two:                                                                                                  100 points

Final Exam                                                                                                       100 points

Three unannounced quizzes                                                                                 50 points

(lowest score of the three will be discarded for grading purposes)

Case write ups                                                                                                  150 points

(3 at 50 pts each)

Critical evaluation of OD in the literature                                                            100 points

(2 at 50 pts each)

Participation/class discussion                                                                             50 points

 

Grading Scale:

Percentage

Grade

95-100%

A

90-94%

A-

87-89%

B+

83-86%

B

80-82%

B-

77-79%

C+

73-76%

C

70-72%

C-

67-69%

D+

63-66%

D

60-62%

D-

Below 60%

F

 

Honor Code:

You are expected to demonstrate academic integrity in this course.  This includes honesty in test taking, original work in assignments, and citing of sources in papers.  By attending Wartburg College, students are demonstrating their dedication to the Honor Code. The Honor Code reminds students of their responsibilities to promote academic honesty by opposing cheating and plagiarism and reporting dishonest work. 

 

Please note: I may be submitting student work to Turnitin.com.

 

Tentative Course Schedule:

This schedule is subject to changes that will be announced in class and posted on MyWartburg.

 

DATE

Chapters Covered

Assignments Due

September 5

Course Introduction

 

September 7

Chapter 1 – Overview of OD

 

September 10

Chapter 2 – The Nature of Planned Change

Review case process

 

September 12

Chapter 2 cont.

Case discussion

 

September 14

Chapter 3 – The OD Practitioner

 

September 17

Chapter 4 – Entering and Contracting

Case Assignment

 

September 19

Chapter 5 – Diagnosing Organizations

 

September 21

Chapter 5 – Cont.

 

September 24

Criticisms of OD

Assigned Reading

September 26

First Written Case Due

Review OD critique requirements

Written Case Due

September 28

Chapter 6 – Diagnosing Groups and Jobs

 

 

October 1

Chapter 7 – Collecting and Analyzing Diagnostic Information

 

October 3

Chapter 8 – Feeding Back Diagnostic Information

OD Critique Due

October 5

Review

Flex Time

 

October 8

EXAM ONE

Chapters 1-8

Exam

October 10

Chapter 9 – Designing Interventions

 

October 12

Chapter 10 – Leading and Managing Change

 

October 15

Chapter 10 – Continued

 

October 17

Chapter 11- Evaluating and Institutionalizing OD Interventions

 


 

October 19

Chapter 12 – Individual, Interpersonal, and Group Process Approaches

 

October 22

Chapter 13 – Organization Process Approaches

Second Written Case Due

October 24

Chapter 14 – Restructuring Organizations

 

October 26

Fall Break

 

October 29

Chapter 15 – Employee Involvement

 

October 31

Chapter 16 – Work Design

 

November 2

Flex Day – Catch Up

 

November 5

EXAM TWO

Chapters 9-16

Exam

November 7

Chapter 17 – Performance Management

 

November 9

Chapter 18 – Developing and Assisting Members

 

November 12

Chapter 18 – Cont.

 

November 14

Chapter 19 – Competitive and Collaborative Strategies

 

November 16

Chapter 19 – Cont.

 

November 19

Chapter 20 – Organization Transformation

Third Written Case Due

November 21

Chapter 20 – cont.

Shortened class periods due to Thanksgiving

 

November 23

Thanksgiving Holiday

 

November 26

Chapter 21 – OD in global settings

 

November 28

Chapter 21 – Cont.

Second OD critique due

November 30

Chapter 22 – OD in nonindustrial settings

 

December 3

Chapter 22 – Cont.

 

December 5

Chapter 23 – Future Directions in OD

 

December 7

Chapter 23 – Cont.