Microsoft Word - Document1 Assignment Instructions Create a Learning Journal, a place where you collect your thoughts and provide your reflections on topics related to Organizational Behavior. The...

Microsoft Word - Document1
Assignment Instructions
Create a Learning Journal, a place where you collect your thoughts and provide your
eflections on topics related to Organizational Behavior. The Learning Journal should
contain:
 Answers to at least three (3) of the Learning Journal questions or topics found
at the end of each of Modules 1-4.
 You will have a minimum of 12 entries (three (3) per module).
 Each entry should be XXXXXXXXXXwords.
 Clearly identify which questions you are answering by module and topic. (TIP:
Copy and paste the questions you are answering into your online journal.)
 If you use outside sources beyond the ones mentioned in the journal prompts,
or if you use direct quotations from the prompts, you will need to cite the
sources using APA format.
 Just as in the Final Project for this course, if you mention a cu
ent or previous
employer or co-worke
manager in your journal, please change the name(s).
 Additional notes or reflections (optional)
Unlike other assignments you may have had in other college courses, this journal can
e informally written. It is perfectly acceptable, even encouraged, to say "I" or "we" in
this assignment. Parts of the journal may even be hand-written or drawn (flow charts,
mind maps, etc.); if you choose to do this for parts of your journal, you can use
photographs of handwritten material.


Length/Formatting Instructions
Length XXXXXXXXXXwords per entry (three (3) journal entries for each Module 1-4 =
12 total)
Font 12 point font
Program/File
Type
Submit through the assignment textbox
Attachments

Referencing
system
APA referencing system is necessary in assignments, especially material
copied from the Internet.
For examples of co
ect citations, visit the following links:
http:
owl.english.purdue.edu/owl
esource/560/01

Microsoft Word - Document1
Module 1: Introduction to Organizational Behavior

Learning Styles
What is your learning style? Are you someone who likes to read the directions to figure
something out? Would you rather watch a video? Look at a diagram? Or maybe you want to
talk with another person who is experienced in the subject?

There are four basic types of learners: visual, aural, read/write and kinesthetic. Knowing
what kind of learner you are may help you learn more quickly. And knowing what kind of
learners work for and with you can help you help them to get up to speed more quickly.
Visit The VARK Questionnaire: How Do I Learn Best? and complete the 16-question
assessment, then click OK to find your results. You may find that you are strongly one
specific style, or that you are like I am, a multi-modal learner.

NOTE: The VARK website offers a paid version of your results, but for this course, you do
not need to purchase anything. Just use the free resources it offers.

What is Organizational Behavior?
So what IS "organizational behavior"? According to Ro
ins and Judge (2019),
organizational behavior is "a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals,
groups, and structure have on behavior within organizations for the purpose of applying
such knowledge toward improving an organization’s effectiveness."

Let's say that more simply. Organizational behavior studies what we (as individuals and as
groups) do to help make our organizations more effective.

What is Organizational Communication? (full version)
This video was developed by Matthew Koschmann, a professor in the Department of
Communication at the University of Colorado Boulder. The purpose is to introduce and
explain the field of organizational communication for students and those outside the
communication discipline.
VIEW ON YOUTUBE

Functions and Process of Communication
Webster's Dictionary (Me
iam-Webster) defines communication as "a process by which
information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs,
or behavior." Without communication- back it up- without EFFECTIVE communication,
organizations simply fall apart.
Communication and Your Brain
Have you every stopped to think what happens inside your
ain when you are
communicating? Neuroscientist Uri Hasson has, and it's fascinating. Read his article "This is
your
ain on communication" to see what he has to say.
Improving Your Listening Skills
The most basic of human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way
to understand people is to listen to them.
Ralph Nichols

In 1957, Ralph Nichols, often described as "the father of listening," wrote an article
describing ten ways to improve your listening skills. The International Listening
Association received permission to reprint this article in the form of a booklet, which they
published at their website. Please take a few moments to review this short booklet.

Learning Journal
In your Learning Journal, reflect on at least three of the questions or topics below
 How can studying OB (Organizational Behavior) help you to be a more
effective manager?
 Four behavioral sciences contribute to the understanding of OB:
psychology, social psychology, sociology and anthropology. How does
understanding each of these help managers?
 Select one of the OB concepts given in the chapter and apply it to a
situation in your work or school life. How did this concept help with the
situation or if it was not applied, how could it have helped in the outcome?
 Think back to a time at work where there was a miscommunication. What
led to it? What was the outcome? How can you avoid a similar
miscommunication in the future?
 Imagine that you are a manager and need to share difficult information at
work (like the possibility of impending layoffs). What channel(s) would
you choose, and why?
 After reading "This is your
ain on communication" (and optionally
watching Uri Hasson's TED Talk on the topic), consider this: how
important is it to take turns speaking and listening? What goes awry when
we don't?
 Ralph Nichols' booklet on listening skills is more than 60 years old now.
Are the tips in it still relevant today? If so, which ones do you believe are
most important and why? If not, why not?

 Write and answer your own question about a topic discussed in this
module.


References
 Hasson, U. (2017, Fe
uary 01). This is your
ain on communication.
Retrieved from https:
ideas.ted.com/this-is-your-
ain-on-
communication/
 Koschmann, M. (2012, May 08). What is Organizational Communication?
[Video file]. Retrieved
from https:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5oXygLGMuY Complete script
available
at http:
docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/740670_369364a68a154f929ed9cce8d
15b4727.pdf
Video length: 17:05 Closed captioning available.
 Lyon, A. (2017, June 16). Transmission Model of Communication: Shannon
and Weaver [Video file]. Retrieved
from https:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY1JsGFZprc
Video length: 3:47 Closed captioning available.
 Me
iam-Webster. (n.d.). Communication. Retrieved September 17, 2018,
from https:
www.me
iam-webster.com/dictionary/communication
 Nichols, R. (n.d.). Listening a 10 Part Skill. Retrieved
from https:
www.listen.org/10_Part_Skill
(Original work published July 1957)
 VARK Learn Limited. (n.d.). The VARK Questionnaire: How Do I Learn
Best? Retrieved September 17, 2018, from http:
vark-learn.com/the-
vark-questionnaire/?p=questionnaire


Module 2: Behavior and Decision Making

IQ vs. EQ
In the battle royale between your intelligence quotient (how smart you are) and your
emotional intelligence quotient (how well you understand and manage your emotions and
empathize with the emotions of others), which one becomes the victor in the workplace?
For decades, people believed that how smart you are has the biggest impact on your
success in the workplace. But not any longer. Read more about how your EQ can help
define your success in the short article What is Emotional Intelligence (EQ)?

What is Your Type?
One of the classic assessments for personality style is the Myers-Briggs Personality Type
Indicator. Watch this video by MBTI expert Jean Kummerow for a short description of the
16 types.

In the workplace, extroverts tend to be prized (or maybe just noticed) more than
introverts. Writer, former lawyer and negotiations consultant Susan Cain goes against the
grain and suggests that there is power in introverts. Whether your Myers-Briggs type is
extrovert or introvert, this is a video worth watching. It will help you better understand
oth yourself and those you work (and live) with.

Empathy in the Workplace
Though the words sound similar, sympathy and empathy are quite different. In
ief, with
sympathy, you feel so
y for the other person, while with empathy, you do your best to put
yourself in the other person's shoes. Dustin Hoffman quite literally did this in the early
1980s movie Tootsie, where he recreated himself as "Dorothy Michaels," all the way down
to wearing women's high heels. Nancy Duarte, co-author of the book Illuminate: Ignite
Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols, shares her thoughts on the
importance of empathy in the workplace and how it can be used to win people over.


Learning Journal
In your Learning Journal, reflect on at least three of the questions or topics below
 What is the relationship between attitudes and behavior? Have you ever
experienced cognitive dissonance? What happened?
 As a manager, how can you help increase job satisfaction in your
employees? What are the organizational consequences when there are
high or low levels of job satisfaction?
 There are four potential employee responses to dissatisfaction in the
workplace: exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect. Have you ever found yourself
expressing one of these responses? If so, provide some context and
examples.
 Find the opportunity to meet someone new. Try using one of the tips in Do
These 5 Emotionally Intelligent Things Within 5 Minutes Of Meeting
Someone, and share your reactions.
 Of the eight sources of emotions and moods identified in your text
(day/time, weather, stress, social activities, sleep, exercise, age, or
gender), which do you feel is the most critical and why?
 How important do you believe empathy in the workplace is? Offer several
examples.
 Briefly describe the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality framework.
Based on the framework, what would you think was your