Discussion: View Thread

Hi all,
I find this effort to share people's experieces at teaching OB at the PhD level
across the division quite problematic for two reasons. One, it might create an
unwarranted uniformity of style and contents, and as a consequence stifle
novelty. The great virtue of PhD courses used to be their organic and
independent nature. Two, it seems odd that in 2006 after years of extensive
research into the "darker" sides of organizational behavior (unethical,
deviant, counterproductive, dysfunctional, etc.), the list of reading
practically ignores it. Thus, we might continue to portray OB as a positively
(ie., unrealistic) biased discipline.

Yoav Vardi
Quoting "E. Williams" <ewilliam@FAU.EDU>:

> Hi:
>
>
>
> Thank you to all who shared their syllabi for a PhD Organizational Behavior
> course with me. I am also interesting in finding a repository (if one
> exists for the OB division) or receiving samples of comprehensive exam type
> OB questions that anyone might be willing to share. The research methods
> division has a repository that I have found very helpful at:
> http://division.aomonline.org/rm/courses/comps.html
>
>
>
>
>
> A number of people shared their advice on the PhD OB syllabus with the list.
> Some other recommendations that I received included:
>
>
>
> 1) The key elements for evaluating students seem to include seminar
> discussion, discussion leadership, exams, theoretical/empirical paper, and
> paper presentation. Options also include requiring article summaries, book
> reviews and critiques.
>
>
>
> 2) One PhD student emailed me to suggest that she found her course that used
> articles and the following text really helpful: Organizational Behavior
> Theory" authored by John B. Miner, Publisher: Oxford University Press.
> There also seems to be an updated version:
> http://www.mesharpe.com/mall/resultsanew.asp?Title=Organizational+Behavior+1
> %3A+Essential+Theories+of+Motivation+and+Leadership
>
>
>
> 3) Reading lists for OB courses. I have summarized these reading lists by
> topic in an excel spreadsheet and attached it here in the hope that members
> of the list might find it helpful (sheet 1 contains mainly articles and
> sheet 2 contains books).
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
>
> Ethlyn Williams
>
>
>
>
>
> Ethlyn A. Williams, Ph.D.
>
> Florida Atlantic University
>
> College of Business
>
> Department of Management, International Business & Entrepreneurship
>
> 777 Glades Road
>
> Boca Raton, FL 33431
>
> Phone: (561) 297-2357
>
> Department: (561) 297-3653
>
> Fax: (561) 297-2675
>
> Website: www.fau.edu/~ewilliam
>
>
>
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> This Mail Was Scanned By Mail-seCure System
> at the Tel-Aviv University CC.




----------------------------------------------------------------
This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program.

Uniformity will never happen. Look on the bright side.

Steve



-----Original Message-----
From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
[mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Yoav Vardi
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 4:16 PM
To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
Subject: Re: PhD level Organizational Behavior syllabus and
comprehensive type questions

Hi all,
I find this effort to share people's experieces at teaching OB at the
PhD level
across the division quite problematic for two reasons. One, it might
create an
unwarranted uniformity of style and contents, and as a consequence
stifle
novelty. The great virtue of PhD courses used to be their organic and
independent nature. Two, it seems odd that in 2006 after years of
extensive
research into the "darker" sides of organizational behavior (unethical,
deviant, counterproductive, dysfunctional, etc.), the list of reading
practically ignores it. Thus, we might continue to portray OB as a
positively
(ie., unrealistic) biased discipline.

Yoav Vardi
Quoting "E. Williams" <ewilliam@FAU.EDU>:

> Hi:
>
>
>
> Thank you to all who shared their syllabi for a PhD Organizational
Behavior
> course with me. I am also interesting in finding a repository (if one
> exists for the OB division) or receiving samples of comprehensive exam
type
> OB questions that anyone might be willing to share. The research
methods
> division has a repository that I have found very helpful at:
> http://division.aomonline.org/rm/courses/comps.html
>
>
>
>
>
> A number of people shared their advice on the PhD OB syllabus with the
list.
> Some other recommendations that I received included:
>
>
>
> 1) The key elements for evaluating students seem to include seminar
> discussion, discussion leadership, exams, theoretical/empirical paper,
and
> paper presentation. Options also include requiring article summaries,
book
> reviews and critiques.
>
>
>
> 2) One PhD student emailed me to suggest that she found her course
that used
> articles and the following text really helpful: Organizational
Behavior
> Theory" authored by John B. Miner, Publisher: Oxford University Press.
> There also seems to be an updated version:
>
http://www.mesharpe.com/mall/resultsanew.asp?Title=Organizational+Behavi
or+1
> %3A+Essential+Theories+of+Motivation+and+Leadership
>
>
>
> 3) Reading lists for OB courses. I have summarized these reading
lists by
> topic in an excel spreadsheet and attached it here in the hope that
members
> of the list might find it helpful (sheet 1 contains mainly articles
and
> sheet 2 contains books).
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
>
> Ethlyn Williams
>
>
>
>
>
> Ethlyn A. Williams, Ph.D.
>
> Florida Atlantic University
>
> College of Business
>
> Department of Management, International Business & Entrepreneurship
>
> 777 Glades Road
>
> Boca Raton, FL 33431
>
> Phone: (561) 297-2357
>
> Department: (561) 297-3653
>
> Fax: (561) 297-2675
>
> Website: www.fau.edu/~ewilliam
>
>
>
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> This Mail Was Scanned By Mail-seCure System
> at the Tel-Aviv University CC.




----------------------------------------------------------------
This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program.

Dear all,

I agree totally with the second point raised by Yoav. Concerning the
first point, my impression is that such sharing can be beneficial if
(and only if) there is some diversity -or even conflict- between the
various options put forward by participants from all around the world.

In this line of thought, may I suggest a critical OB textbook that I
may want to experiment in the coming year?
Introducing Organizational Behaviour and Management 1e
David Knights, and Hugh Willmott, ISBN: 1844800350

Best regards,

Ismael



On 28/07/06, Yoav Vardi <yvardi@post.tau.ac.il> wrote:
> Hi all,
> I find this effort to share people's experieces at teaching OB at the PhD level
> across the division quite problematic for two reasons. One, it might create an
> unwarranted uniformity of style and contents, and as a consequence stifle
> novelty. The great virtue of PhD courses used to be their organic and
> independent nature. Two, it seems odd that in 2006 after years of extensive
> research into the "darker" sides of organizational behavior (unethical,
> deviant, counterproductive, dysfunctional, etc.), the list of reading
> practically ignores it. Thus, we might continue to portray OB as a positively
> (ie., unrealistic) biased discipline.
>
> Yoav Vardi
> Quoting "E. Williams" <ewilliam@FAU.EDU>:
>
> > Hi:
> >
> >
> >
> > Thank you to all who shared their syllabi for a PhD Organizational Behavior
> > course with me. I am also interesting in finding a repository (if one
> > exists for the OB division) or receiving samples of comprehensive exam type
> > OB questions that anyone might be willing to share. The research methods
> > division has a repository that I have found very helpful at:
> > http://division.aomonline.org/rm/courses/comps.html
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > A number of people shared their advice on the PhD OB syllabus with the list.
> > Some other recommendations that I received included:
> >
> >
> >
> > 1) The key elements for evaluating students seem to include seminar
> > discussion, discussion leadership, exams, theoretical/empirical paper, and
> > paper presentation. Options also include requiring article summaries, book
> > reviews and critiques.
> >
> >
> >
> > 2) One PhD student emailed me to suggest that she found her course that used
> > articles and the following text really helpful: Organizational Behavior
> > Theory" authored by John B. Miner, Publisher: Oxford University Press.
> > There also seems to be an updated version:
> > http://www.mesharpe.com/mall/resultsanew.asp?Title=Organizational+Behavior+1
> > %3A+Essential+Theories+of+Motivation+and+Leadership
> >
> >
> >
> > 3) Reading lists for OB courses. I have summarized these reading lists by
> > topic in an excel spreadsheet and attached it here in the hope that members
> > of the list might find it helpful (sheet 1 contains mainly articles and
> > sheet 2 contains books).
> >
> >
> >
> > Sincerely,
> >
> >
> >
> > Ethlyn Williams
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Ethlyn A. Williams, Ph.D.
> >
> > Florida Atlantic University
> >
> > College of Business
> >
> > Department of Management, International Business & Entrepreneurship
> >
> > 777 Glades Road
> >
> > Boca Raton, FL 33431
> >
> > Phone: (561) 297-2357
> >
> > Department: (561) 297-3653
> >
> > Fax: (561) 297-2675
> >
> > Website: www.fau.edu/~ewilliam
> >
> >
> >
> > +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> > This Mail Was Scanned By Mail-seCure System
> > at the Tel-Aviv University CC.
>
>
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program.
>


--
Ismael Al-Amoudi
Judge Business School & Wolfson College
University of Cambridge
ismaelalamoudi@gmail.com
+44 7 86 22 19 008
http://www.csog.group.cam.ac.uk/Al-Amoudi/

Yoav, I agree that we want to maintain creativity in presenting Ph.D.-level
OB courses, however, I don't share your concern that sharing approaches is
going to result in some kind of unanimity; rather, I think it is a creative
approach.

On your second point, I agree. We need to be sure to present the 'darker
sides' of the OB discipline. To be sure, these are important topics of
discussion.

Good luck!

Karl Strandberg

Dear Colleagues,

I've found this discussion quite interesting. It raises a number of
interesting questions. For example, what should be the "core"
understanding of organizational behavior for a "doctor" in the field?
What are the "classics" in the field?

And I especially find interesting the recent comments in the stream
below about a repository for syllabi to be shared. My colleague,
Randolph New (@University of Richmond) and I have just submitted an
article describing the need for just such a place/site for publication.
Clearly, there is a need. We hope it will be published and add to this
conversation in a more formal way.

While I agree with the need for creativity, I think we need both: some
consistency in the core classics and some creativity on the new trends
and themes being pursued by the field. It's such a huge, broad, and to
me mesmerizing field. So many wonderful things to learn on so many
different fronts. Life's too short.

Cheers,
Jim
James G. Clawson
Professor of Business Administration
Chair, First Year Program Committee
Darden Graduate School of Business Administration
University of Virginia
Box 6550
Charlottesville, VA 22906
Tel: 434-924-7488
Web: http://faculty.darden.virginia.edu/clawsonj

-----Original Message-----
From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
[mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Steve Stanard
Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2006 12:26 AM
To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
Subject: Re: PhD level Organizational Behavior syllabus and
comprehensive type questions

Uniformity will never happen. Look on the bright side.

Steve



-----Original Message-----
From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
[mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Yoav Vardi
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 4:16 PM
To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
Subject: Re: PhD level Organizational Behavior syllabus and
comprehensive type questions

Hi all,
I find this effort to share people's experieces at teaching OB at the
PhD level
across the division quite problematic for two reasons. One, it might
create an
unwarranted uniformity of style and contents, and as a consequence
stifle
novelty. The great virtue of PhD courses used to be their organic and
independent nature. Two, it seems odd that in 2006 after years of
extensive
research into the "darker" sides of organizational behavior (unethical,
deviant, counterproductive, dysfunctional, etc.), the list of reading
practically ignores it. Thus, we might continue to portray OB as a
positively
(ie., unrealistic) biased discipline.

Yoav Vardi
Quoting "E. Williams" <ewilliam@FAU.EDU>:

> Hi:
>
>
>
> Thank you to all who shared their syllabi for a PhD Organizational
Behavior
> course with me. I am also interesting in finding a repository (if one
> exists for the OB division) or receiving samples of comprehensive exam
type
> OB questions that anyone might be willing to share. The research
methods
> division has a repository that I have found very helpful at:
> http://division.aomonline.org/rm/courses/comps.html
>
>
>
>
>
> A number of people shared their advice on the PhD OB syllabus with the
list.
> Some other recommendations that I received included:
>
>
>
> 1) The key elements for evaluating students seem to include seminar
> discussion, discussion leadership, exams, theoretical/empirical paper,
and
> paper presentation. Options also include requiring article summaries,
book
> reviews and critiques.
>
>
>
> 2) One PhD student emailed me to suggest that she found her course
that used
> articles and the following text really helpful: Organizational
Behavior
> Theory" authored by John B. Miner, Publisher: Oxford University Press.
> There also seems to be an updated version:
>
http://www.mesharpe.com/mall/resultsanew.asp?Title=Organizational+Behavi
or+1
> %3A+Essential+Theories+of+Motivation+and+Leadership
>
>
>
> 3) Reading lists for OB courses. I have summarized these reading
lists by
> topic in an excel spreadsheet and attached it here in the hope that
members
> of the list might find it helpful (sheet 1 contains mainly articles
and
> sheet 2 contains books).
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
>
> Ethlyn Williams
>
>
>
>
>
> Ethlyn A. Williams, Ph.D.
>
> Florida Atlantic University
>
> College of Business
>
> Department of Management, International Business & Entrepreneurship
>
> 777 Glades Road
>
> Boca Raton, FL 33431
>
> Phone: (561) 297-2357
>
> Department: (561) 297-3653
>
> Fax: (561) 297-2675
>
> Website: www.fau.edu/~ewilliam
>
>
>
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> This Mail Was Scanned By Mail-seCure System
> at the Tel-Aviv University CC.




----------------------------------------------------------------
This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program.

Yoav's comment is a provocative one for me. There was that report last
year in the LA Times about the relative proportion of psychological
research that showed overwhelming focus on pathology and very little on
positive profiles--just the opposite of what Yoav is positing in OB.
Also, I wonder what Yoav is referring to. Are we mixing up leadership
and/or management and OB? IF we include all human behavior in
organizational life as part of OB, whew, that would be a task to try to
master that field. I guess I wouldn't count Ken Lay's or Jeff
Skilling's behavior as "organizational behavior" per se. Maybe.
Cheers,

Jim
James G. Clawson
Professor of Business Administration
Chair, First Year Program Committee
Darden Graduate School of Business Administration
University of Virginia
Box 6550
Charlottesville, VA 22906
Tel: 434-924-7488
Web: http://faculty.darden.virginia.edu/clawsonj


-----Original Message-----
From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
[mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Yoav Vardi
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 5:16 PM
To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
Subject: Re: PhD level Organizational Behavior syllabus and
comprehensive type questions

Hi all,
I find this effort to share people's experieces at teaching OB at the
PhD level
across the division quite problematic for two reasons. One, it might
create an
unwarranted uniformity of style and contents, and as a consequence
stifle
novelty. The great virtue of PhD courses used to be their organic and
independent nature. Two, it seems odd that in 2006 after years of
extensive
research into the "darker" sides of organizational behavior (unethical,
deviant, counterproductive, dysfunctional, etc.), the list of reading
practically ignores it. Thus, we might continue to portray OB as a
positively
(ie., unrealistic) biased discipline.

Yoav Vardi
Quoting "E. Williams" <ewilliam@FAU.EDU>:

> Hi:
>
>
>
> Thank you to all who shared their syllabi for a PhD Organizational
Behavior
> course with me. I am also interesting in finding a repository (if one
> exists for the OB division) or receiving samples of comprehensive exam
type
> OB questions that anyone might be willing to share. The research
methods
> division has a repository that I have found very helpful at:
> http://division.aomonline.org/rm/courses/comps.html
>
>
>
>
>
> A number of people shared their advice on the PhD OB syllabus with the
list.
> Some other recommendations that I received included:
>
>
>
> 1) The key elements for evaluating students seem to include seminar
> discussion, discussion leadership, exams, theoretical/empirical paper,
and
> paper presentation. Options also include requiring article summaries,
book
> reviews and critiques.
>
>
>
> 2) One PhD student emailed me to suggest that she found her course
that used
> articles and the following text really helpful: Organizational
Behavior
> Theory" authored by John B. Miner, Publisher: Oxford University Press.
> There also seems to be an updated version:
>
http://www.mesharpe.com/mall/resultsanew.asp?Title=Organizational+Behavi
or+1
> %3A+Essential+Theories+of+Motivation+and+Leadership
>
>
>
> 3) Reading lists for OB courses. I have summarized these reading
lists by
> topic in an excel spreadsheet and attached it here in the hope that
members
> of the list might find it helpful (sheet 1 contains mainly articles
and
> sheet 2 contains books).
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
>
> Ethlyn Williams
>
>
>
>
>
> Ethlyn A. Williams, Ph.D.
>
> Florida Atlantic University
>
> College of Business
>
> Department of Management, International Business & Entrepreneurship
>
> 777 Glades Road
>
> Boca Raton, FL 33431
>
> Phone: (561) 297-2357
>
> Department: (561) 297-3653
>
> Fax: (561) 297-2675
>
> Website: www.fau.edu/~ewilliam
>
>
>
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> This Mail Was Scanned By Mail-seCure System
> at the Tel-Aviv University CC.




----------------------------------------------------------------
This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program.

Jim, I think that Ken Lay's and Jeffrey Skilling's unethical behavior is
most appropriate for and OB class; we need to share the good, the bad and
the ugly. That's why we have ethical decision making models; their behavior
matches the egoist.

The Enron case would make a good compare and contrast question/exercise for
a group of postgraduate students to deal with. Some way we have to reveal
and discuss the 'gap' that that Jeffrey Pheffer and Robert Sutton (2004)
discuss in the "Knowing - Doing Gap." We have to enlist students, at all
levels, to develop ways of closing the gap - reverse the trend.

Good luck!

Karl Strandberg

Dear Colleagues,

For those of you who like to read something worth reflecting on and to look
at both sides of organisational behaviour, I can recomment E. Eriquez
(1997). Les jeux de pouvoir et du désir dans l'entreprise. Paris: Desclée De
Brouwer. I don't know whether it has been translated into English, but for
some of you reading French must be possible.
In general, you get a more balanced perspective -not backed up by
quantitative data- but qualitively excellent work from French
sociopsychology
Cordially,
Leopold Vansina

-----Original Message-----
From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
[mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU]On Behalf Of Karl Strandberg
Sent: 29 July 2006 23:37
To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
Subject: Re: PhD level Organizational Behavior syllabus and
comprehensive type questions


Jim, I think that Ken Lay's and Jeffrey Skilling's unethical behavior is
most appropriate for and OB class; we need to share the good, the bad and
the ugly. That's why we have ethical decision making models; their behavior
matches the egoist.

The Enron case would make a good compare and contrast question/exercise for
a group of postgraduate students to deal with. Some way we have to reveal
and discuss the 'gap' that that Jeffrey Pheffer and Robert Sutton (2004)
discuss in the "Knowing - Doing Gap." We have to enlist students, at all
levels, to develop ways of closing the gap - reverse the trend.

Good luck!

Karl Strandberg

You are right, Leopold. Eugene ENRIQUEZ is a friend of mine. He is fairly
famous in France. And there are others interesting theorists such as Max
Pagès, Gérard Mendel, etc. For those who can read French, I have published a
book dedicated to this school of thought: "Psychanalyse et organisations"
(Psychoanalysis and Organizations) in 2004, with short presentations, case
studies, etc.

Best,

Gilles ARNAUD
(Doctorat / PhD)
Doyen du Corps Professoral / Dean of Faculty
Professeur de Psychosociologie des Organisations / Professor of
Organizational Behavior and I/O Psychology
Groupe ESC Toulouse
Toulouse Business School
20, boulevard Lascrosses BP7010
31068 Toulouse cedex 7 FRANCE
www.esc-toulouse.fr
Telephone +33 (0)5 61 29 49 17
Fax +33 (0)5 61 29 49 94
g.arnaud@esc-toulouse.fr








-----Message d'origine-----
De : Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU]
De la part de Leopold Vansina
Envoyé : dimanche 30 juillet 2006 09:57
À : OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
Objet : Re: PhD level Organizational Behavior syllabus and comprehensive
type questions

Dear Colleagues,

For those of you who like to read something worth reflecting on and to look
at both sides of organisational behaviour, I can recomment E. Eriquez
(1997). Les jeux de pouvoir et du désir dans l'entreprise. Paris: Desclée De
Brouwer. I don't know whether it has been translated into English, but for
some of you reading French must be possible.
In general, you get a more balanced perspective -not backed up by
quantitative data- but qualitively excellent work from French
sociopsychology
Cordially,
Leopold Vansina

-----Original Message-----
From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
[mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU]On Behalf Of Karl Strandberg
Sent: 29 July 2006 23:37
To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
Subject: Re: PhD level Organizational Behavior syllabus and
comprehensive type questions


Jim, I think that Ken Lay's and Jeffrey Skilling's unethical behavior is
most appropriate for and OB class; we need to share the good, the bad and
the ugly. That's why we have ethical decision making models; their behavior
matches the egoist.

The Enron case would make a good compare and contrast question/exercise for
a group of postgraduate students to deal with. Some way we have to reveal
and discuss the 'gap' that that Jeffrey Pheffer and Robert Sutton (2004)
discuss in the "Knowing - Doing Gap." We have to enlist students, at all
levels, to develop ways of closing the gap - reverse the trend.

Good luck!

Karl Strandberg