LUBS2895 – Organisational Behaviour in Practice

LUBS2895 – Organisational Behaviour in Practice

University of Leeds | Leeds University Business School

🎯 Course Overview

This course explores the principles and practices of organizational effectiveness, focusing on how managers and employees can create and sustain high-performing organizations. Topics include well-being, job design, recruitment and selection, change management, motivation, and the impact of global and environmental factors. Through case studies and theoretical frameworks, students will gain insights into the challenges and strategies for achieving organizational effectiveness.

📅 Weekly Lecture Themes

  • Week 1: Introduction to Organizational Effectiveness
  • Week 2: Importance of an Effective Organization (Part 1) – Well-being and Workforce Health
  • Week 3: Importance of an Effective Organization (Part 2) – Committed and Engaged Workforce
  • Week 4: Approaches to Creating an Effective Organization (Part 1) – Recruitment and Selection
  • Week 5: Approaches to Creating an Effective Organization (Part 2) – Change Management
  • Week 6: Approaches to Creating an Effective Organization (Part 3) – Motivation and Reward
  • Week 7: Challenges of Creating an Effective Organization (Part 1) – Employment Relationship
  • Week 8: Challenges of Creating an Effective Organization (Part 2) – Global and Environmental Factors
  • Week 9: Challenges of Creating an Effective Organization (Part 3) – Decision Making
  • Week 10: Challenges of Creating an Effective Organization (Part 4) – Individual Factors
  • Week 11: Review and Integration of Key Concepts

📚 Key Readings

  • John Child (2005), Organization: Contemporary Principles and Practice
  • Kotter & Lewin – Change Management Frameworks
  • Nadler & Tushman (1995), Typology of Change
  • Dunphy & Stace (1988), Model of Change
  • New Economics Foundation Report on Well-being at Work
  • Semco – Case Studies on Radical Organizational Practices

📝 Assessment

The course assessment includes a 2-hour essay-style examination where students must answer questions on organizational effectiveness. Key topics likely to appear in assessments include:

  • Definitions and dimensions of organizational effectiveness
  • Approaches to recruitment and selection
  • Change management strategies and resistance
  • Motivation theories and reward systems
  • Challenges in employment relationships and global factors
  • Decision-making processes and biases
  • Individual factors like intelligence, personality, and values

Workshops and case studies will support the application of theoretical concepts throughout the module.

🔍 Exam Preparation Guide

Key Concepts to Master

  • Organizational Effectiveness: Definitions, dimensions, and contradictions
  • Job Design: Job Characteristics Model, job enlargement, and enrichment
  • Change Management: Kotter/Lewin frameworks, resistance, and strategies
  • Motivation: Intrinsic vs. extrinsic rewards, process theories
  • Global Factors: Demographic changes, diversity management, discrimination

Exam Answer Structure

For high marks, follow this structure:

  1. Introduction: Define key concepts and outline the answer structure
  2. Main Body:
    • Describe concepts in detail with examples
    • Discuss advantages/disadvantages
    • Analyze relationships between different elements
    • Critically evaluate limitations
  3. Conclusion: Summarize key points and implications

📝 Mock Exam Questions

1. Define organizational effectiveness and discuss the various approaches managers and employees can take to achieve it.

 

Assessment Criteria:

  • Definition of organizational effectiveness (30%)
  • Discussion of managerial and employee approaches (40%)
  • Examples and critical evaluation (30%)

2. Critically analyze the challenges of change management in organizations, using relevant theoretical frameworks.

 

Assessment Criteria:

  • Explanation of change management frameworks (40%)
  • Analysis of resistance and strategies (30%)
  • Case study examples (30%)

3. Discuss the role of motivation and reward systems in creating an effective organization.

 

Assessment Criteria:

  • Explanation of motivation theories (40%)
  • Discussion of intrinsic vs. extrinsic rewards (30%)
  • Examples and limitations (30%)

📝 Mock Exam Paper (2 Hours)

Instructions: Answer any three questions. Each question has a strict 650-word limit. All questions carry equal marks.

1. Recruitment & Selection

“Traditional interviews are poor predictors of job performance.” Critically evaluate this statement by comparing at least three selection methods used in modern organizations, with reference to the Apple/Foxconn case where applicable.

Key Assessment Points:

  • Analysis of interview limitations (e.g., bias sources)
  • Evaluation of alternative methods (e.g., work samples, psychometrics)
  • Linkage to organizational effectiveness

2. Wellbeing at Work

Using the Demands-Resources Model, design an intervention program for a call center experiencing high stress-related absenteeism. Your answer should distinguish between challenge and hindrance stressors.

Key Assessment Points:

  • Application of DRM theory
  • Practical intervention strategies
  • Cost-benefit analysis of proposals

3. Job Redesign

Compare job enrichment and job enlargement as strategies for improving motivation in routine manufacturing roles. How might these approaches need adaptation for Generation Y employees?

Key Assessment Points:

  • Theoretical grounding in JCM
  • Practical implementation challenges
  • Generational differences analysis

4. Psychological Contracts

“The ‘job for life’ contract is obsolete but not replaced by anything equally effective.” Critically discuss with reference to both traditional careers and boundaryless careers.

Key Assessment Points:

  • Historical vs contemporary contracts
  • Employer/employee perspective balance
  • Evidence of effective alternatives

5. Change Resistance

Using either Kotter’s 8-step model OR Lewin’s change theory, analyze why British Airways cabin crew resisted workforce reductions and propose how resistance could have been minimized.

Key Assessment Points:

  • Theoretical model application
  • Case-specific analysis
  • Practical mitigation strategies

6. Diversity Management

Compare the ‘business case’ vs ‘moral case’ for diversity management in multinational corporations. Illustrate with examples of where each approach might be most appropriate.

Key Assessment Points:

  • Theoretical framework comparison
  • Contextual appropriateness
  • Critical evaluation of limitations

7. Motivation Theories

Contrast Maslow’s hierarchy with Adams’ equity theory in explaining the motivation (or demotivation) of remote workers. Which theory provides more practical managerial guidance?

Key Assessment Points:

  • Theoretical comparison
  • Application to remote work
  • Managerial implications

8. Decision Making

A CEO must choose between: 1) Algorithmic hiring system 2) Traditional interviews 3) Employee voting system (like Semco). Analyze this decision using rational choice theory and behavioral biases.

Key Assessment Points:

  • Rational model application
  • Identification of relevant biases
  • Evidence-based recommendation