Syllabus for APS-602
MANAGING PEOPLE IN TECHNOLOGY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS
Regardless of the size and purpose of the organization and the level of technology involved, people are the common denominator when managing in an information-based global economy. Success or failure hinges on the ability to attract, develop, retain, and motivate a diverse array of appropriately-skilled employees. The purpose of this course is to help students appreciate the value of effective management of people in technology-based organizations as well as to provide the approaches, tools, and methods for doing so. The course will aid students in influencing performance in technological organizations by showing the linkages between contemporary organizational behavior theories and their application. The course has a pragmatic perspective, and the theory-practice link relies on real-life examples, current events, and case studies. Students will both understand organizational behavior concepts and be able to apply them to technology-based organizations. The course focuses on three levels of managing behavior in organizations: managing individual employees; managing groups and relationships effectively; and managing behavior across the organization. In addition, the course will also cover emerging organizational behavior topics facing technology-based organizations, such as managing a global workforce, virtual organizations and teams, motivating for creativity/innovation, designing high performance work systems, developing learning organizations, self-efficacy, transformational leadership, work-life balance, the linkage of motivation theory to practice, creating a culture for high performance, and change management.
After completing this course, you should be able to:
CO1 Evaluate the impact of individuals, teams, and organizational structure on performance.
CO2 Examine the skills required to deal with issues such as the link between personality and job performance, the effects of group dynamics, and motivation of workers in technology-based organizations.
CO3 Analyze the key characteristics of high-performance work teams and organizations in the design of jobs for technology-based organizations.
CO4 Appraise the basic organizational design dimensions managers must consider in structuring a technology-based organization.
CO5 Integrate leadership theories and contemporary leadership issues into the design of effective leadership systems.
CO6 Evaluate the concepts of organizational culture and their relationship to organizational performance.
CO7 Develop strategies for change in highly dynamic technology-based organizations.
You will need the following materials to complete your coursework. Some course materials may be free, open source, or available from other providers. You can access free or open-source materials by clicking the links provided below or in the module details documents. To purchase course materials, please visit the University's textbook supplier.
ISBN-13: 978-0-13-410398-3
Students may purchase an ebook at a lower cost through VitalSource.
Students must set up an account and purchase these case studies at $8.95 each from Harvard Business School/HBR-org.
Directions for Obtaining Case Studies
Managing People in Technology Based Organizations is a three-credit online course consisting of six modules, a midterm case assessment, and a final project. Students will participate in online discussions, complete written assignments, and analyze case studies within selected modules.
For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments and case studies, complete a midterm case assessment and a final case assessment, and complete a final project. See below for details.
Consult the Course Calendar for due dates.
One or more of your course activities may utilize a tool designed to promote original work and evaluate your submissions for plagiarism. More information about this tool is available in this document.
You are required to participate in twelve graded discussion forums within modules. Discussion forums are on a variety of topics associated with the course modules.
There are also two ungraded but required forums in Module 1: one is an introductions forum and the other allows you to choose the companies you will profile in your final project.
You are required to complete five (5) case studies. The case studies are on a variety of topics associated with the course modules.
Midway through the course, as well as at the end, you will complete case assessments (one set of midterm case assessments and one set of final case assessments) that allow you to integrate concepts you have covered, using materials you have been assigned as well as sources you may find outside of the class. Since each assessment consists of case studies, it is important to state your assumptions and support your position on each of the questions. The assessments will be a measure of both your grasp of the course concepts and your ability to apply them. Make sure that you use what you have learned in the modules and include references/citations in your responses to support your work.
You will be working on a major project throughout the course, a paper of at least 2500 words (at least 10 pages). At the beginning of the course you will select two companies from the latest edition of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to work for. One company must be technology-based and the other service-based. After completing in-depth analyses of the two companies, you will prepare and submit your paper as well as share it with the class.
The final project area of the course site explains the project in detail.
Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:
A | = | 93–100 | B | = | 83–87 | |
A– | = | 90–92 | C | = | 73–82 | |
B+ | = | 88–89 | F | = | Below 73 |
To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., assignments, discussion postings, projects, etc.). Graduate students must maintain a B average overall to remain in good academic standing.
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:
Consider the following study tips for success:
To ensure success in all your academic endeavors and coursework at Thomas Edison State University, familiarize yourself with all administrative and academic policies including those related to academic integrity, course late submissions, course extensions, and grading policies.
For more, see:
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