• Develop theories, perspectives and applications of organizational behavior to successfully analyze complex organizational situations, diagnose problems and identify critical success factors.
• Evaluate alternative solutions and recommend appropriate course of action.
• Increase your capabilities to rationally and successfully apply critical, creative and innovative thinking skills within today's demanding financial, operational, technical and managerial global economy.

1. Gain an "act locally, think strategically" working foundation to increase awareness and application of meaningful leadership and management practices for business and personal growth.
2. Provide a complete and practical system view and approach to fundamental leadership and management applications in a group or team environment.
3. Increase your understanding and working knowledge of course concepts to improve your ability to develop lasting strategies and actions to build and sustain individual, group and organizational high performance.
4. Develop and apply knowledge and skills to assess, analyze, diagnose, and successfully act within rapidly changing environments and situations to create a more direct link between job behaviors, performance, and the bottom line.
5. Increase and enhance your personal skills as a leader and manager.

1. Understand the framework and fundamentals of organizational behavior as the foundation for building and sustaining high performance and effectiveness.
2. Focus on "best practice" leading and managing methods as critical success factors for continuous individual and group high performance.
3. Demonstrate the ability to analyze and apply critical thinking and learning skills related to "real life" problems and situations.
4. Identify and apply structures, processes and methods that can improve individual and group performance and business effectiveness.
5. Provide practical and useful guidelines to successfully lead and manage.

1. The ability to learn and apply knowledge faster and more effectively than others is your number one competitive advantage.
2. No matter what job you have, this course supports the working principle: you are a leader and a manager.
3. Leadership effectiveness is a critical determinant of individual, manager, group and organizational high performance.
4. Leaders and managers achieve their goals and objectives through skillful application of organizational behavior knowledge, critical thinking skills and productive interaction practices with other people acting individually and in groups.

• Key principles and characteristics of organizational behavior are identified and examined to understand how these factors influence the performance of organizations and their members.
• Leadership styles, behaviors and challenges of a high performance organization or group is examined.
• The critical roles a leader and manager have in realizing change in complex organizations is examined.
• The human side of organizational change is then explored with a focus on understanding how and why people react to organizational change and identifying actions for increasing change implementation effectiveness.
• Creating high performance teams and building commitment to sustain productivity concepts, structures and techniques are explained and demonstrated.
• The process, content issues and tools of team work and work groups are explored including organizational culture, types of teams, stages of development, interpersonal/group relations, problem solving, decision making and conflict resolution.
• Transforming business processes using continuous performance improvement methods and learning strategies are examined and discussed.
• Finally, the course explores and demonstrates specific applications of continuous improvement as we participate in leading and managing organizations.

1. Organizational Behavior: eleventh edition, Stephen P. Robbins, 2004, Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 07458, ISBN: 0131914359 (hard cover).

2. The Seven habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey, Simon and Schuster, New York, New York, 10020, Library of Congress ISBN: 0671708635 (soft cover).

3. The Team Handbook, Second edition, Oriel Incorporated, 3800 Regent St., Madison, WI 53705, 800-669-8326, ISBN: 1884731112 (soft cover).

1. Topics in the course schedule are generally related to a section in the text(s) or assigned reading.
2. Assignments will be posted by weeks online in the Assignments area (course website classroom). Assignment changes will be available each Sunday by 5:00 p.m. EDT. All assignments are do back to me for review and feedback via email by 3:00 p.m. EDT the following Saturday, unless changed and approved.
3. Submit all assignment content for a specific week together in one email.
4. Assignments more than two days overdue will not be accepted.
5. Assignment responses must include in the email subject line: your name (last, first) course title and assignment week, name and number: Example-Jones, Mary, BU560-week1, Question for Critical Thinking #2
6. It is each participant's responsibility to send emails properly with or without attachments

Week #           Schedule             Assignments Due Date/Time

1. Send your work within the body of all your emails or use attachments.
2. To ensure your email was sent, send a copy to yourself. Use "confirmation option" if available.
3. Save your work frequently.

1. Having someone complete any part of your assignments.
2. Using information from on-line information services without proper notation on the source and author.
3. Submitting work done by others.
4. Communicating private course content to others.

                            Total Points Offered          1000 points

1. Summing all points earned
2. Applying the traditional 100% point scale:

• 1 day late - highest possible score is 90% of total
• 2 days late - highest possible score is 70% of total
• No credit for assignments over 2 days late