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Course profile

Managing Organisational Behaviour (MGTS7601)

Study period
Sem 1 2025
Location
St Lucia
Attendance mode
In Person

Course overview

Study period
Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
Study level
Postgraduate Coursework
Location
St Lucia
Attendance mode
In Person
Units
2
Administrative campus
St Lucia
Coordinating unit
Business School

This course discusses relevant issues in the management of people, including motivation, groups and teams, emotions and stress, individual differences, leadership and organisation change.

Organisations are complex and dynamic. This course provides you with analytical skills and tools to help you understand human behaviour at the individual, group, and organisation level. Theories, ideas, and research will be discussed and applied through seminars and assignments, as well as through reflection on work experience. Each topic has been selected to help you better manage yourself, other people, groups and organisations.

Students should actively engage with the learning resources, including this course profile, the course Blackboard page, and communications from the course staff to keep up with course content on a weekly basis, to be aware of assessment requirements, and to be aware of key dates including deadlines for assignments. Do not rely on fellow students to pass on information.

Course requirements

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

MGTS1601

Restrictions

Quota: Minimum of 15 enrolments

Course contact

Lecturer

Dr Nasreen Sultana

Course staff

Tutor

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Please note: Teaching staff do not have access to the timetabling system to help with class allocation. Therefore, should you need help with your timetable and/or allocation of classes, please ensure you email business.mytimetable@uq.edu.au from your UQ student email account with the following details:

  • Full name
  • Student ID
  • Course Code

Aims and outcomes

This course examines research on the management of people, at the individual, interpersonal, and organisational levels. A major focus of the course is to introduce different perspectives for managing people, understanding the nature of organisations, and the determinants of of productive and unproductive behaviour in organisations.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

LO1.

Identify prominent theories and models about human behaviour in organisations, and critically discuss their application to management.

LO2.

Identify prominent theories and models of group functioning in organisations, and critically discuss their significance in workplaces.

LO3.

As an individual and in groups, explain how organisations function as institutions including issues of structure, power, politics, and change.

LO4.

Critically examine your own behaviour as a manager, and identify strategies for improving your skills in people management.

LO5.

Reflect on the ethical and social impact of managing people within organisations.

Assessment

Assessment summary

Category Assessment task Weight Due date
Presentation Group Presentation
  • Team or group-based
  • In-person
25%

Week 6 Tue - Week 8 Thu

Presentation will be during your workshop on your scheduled presentation date. Presentation slides are due 1pm the day before your presentation workshop (e.g. Your presentation is on Tuesday Week 6, your slides are due 1pm Monday Week 6.

Essay/ Critique, Reflection Individual Reflection Essay 35%

9/05/2025 4:00 pm

Examination Final Exam
  • Identity Verified
  • In-person
40%

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Assessment details

Group Presentation

  • Team or group-based
  • In-person
Mode
Oral
Category
Presentation
Weight
25%
Due date

Week 6 Tue - Week 8 Thu

Presentation will be during your workshop on your scheduled presentation date. Presentation slides are due 1pm the day before your presentation workshop (e.g. Your presentation is on Tuesday Week 6, your slides are due 1pm Monday Week 6.

Other conditions
Peer assessed.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes
L01, L02, L05

Task description

This is a group assignment that will be delivered during a workshop. Due to diversity of learning processes, groups will be created randomly by the course coordinator/facilitator. Each workshop will be divided into groups of 4-5 students and presentation dates will be allocated randomly by the workshop course coordinator/facilitator.

It consists of a 10-minute oral presentation using no more than five (5) power point slides.

The aim of this Group Presentation is to demonstrate your ability to work in a small team to apply key organisational behaviour theories to a real-world organisational problem/opportunity of the team's own choice.

To complete this assignment:

  1. Review the key concepts/theories from the first five lecture topics: (1) individual behaviour, personality, and values, (2) emotions, attitudes, and stress, (3) motivation, (4) groups and teams, and (5) decision making and creativity.
  2. Discuss a current real-world organisational issue with your learning team (formed in week one) and prepare a 10-minute presentation covering the following:
  3. The organization and its problem/opportunity.
  4. A brief summary of the key issues using two or more concepts/theories from the first five lectures.
  5. Recommendations, based on your chosen concepts/theories, to address these key issues.
  6. Please select an organisation and problem/opportunity that has recently appeared in the media (i.e., within the last twelve-months).
  7. Further information for this assignment will be provided during the lecture immediately prior to the workshop.
  8. This is a group assignment and will be presented during the workshop. All learning team members must contribute toward the group presentation.

Please Note:

  • The presentation will be recorded for marking purposes. If a student is absent from the scheduled presentation without a valid excuse, they will receive no marks for the assignment.
  • Students will be required to complete a Peer Review Evaluation, reflecting on their own and their member's contributions during the development of the group assessment items. A student's final grade for this assessment item could be altered based on feedback from the Peer evaluations.
  • All students in the group will receive the same mark. Therefore, group members are expected to contribute equally, fulfilling the tasks agreed on early in the semester. If there are disagreements in relation to team members' contributions that cannot be resolved, students must bring the problem to the attention of the Course Coordinator/Tutor/Facilitator as early as possible. It is expected that any problems that arise will be brought to the Course Coordinator's attention well before the assessment submission deadlines.
  • Group members that work in good faith will not experience grade adjustments, while individuals that perform below expectations or fail to pull their weight will experience a negative grade adjustment. The Course Coordinator reserves the right to adjust peer evaluations to ensure fairness.
  • Students are advised to be proactive and make expectations of one another clear from the start. Poor communication is often the source of discrepancies.
  • Each group will be required to submit details of the contributions of each member. Contributions will be used to adjust students' individual group assignment results. 

Criteria & Marking

Details about this assessment item and the Marking Criteria rubric are available on the course Blackboard site.

AI Statement:

Academic integrity policy is in effect in this course. It is the responsibility of each individual and group to adhere to academic integrity. Any work that has been copied from any other source or person except where due acknowledgement is made will receive zero marks. Remember the use of AI in assessments for this course is not permitted.

This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Submission guidelines

One submission per group for group presentation. You must submit (only one copy) your group presentation slides and transcript on Blackboard by 1pm the day before your presentation in a Power Point and Word format (not in PDF format). If your slides are not submitted by the due date, then a late penalty will be applied.

Additional details are on the course Blackboard site, under the "Assessment" folder. Also refer to regular announcements on Blackboard.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Extensions are not available for an in-class presentations. An extension may be available for the submitted material only.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

10% Late Penalty applies to submitted material only. Late submissions are not accepted for in-class presentations. Failure to present at the scheduled time will result in a mark of zero for the presentation portion of this assessment.

Individual Reflection Essay

Mode
Written
Category
Essay/ Critique, Reflection
Weight
35%
Due date

9/05/2025 4:00 pm

Learning outcomes
L01, L03, L04, L05

Task description

This is an individual assignment.

The word limit is 1,500 words, +/- 10% (excluding references, appendices, tables)

The aim of this assignment is to reflect on what you have learned from preparing and delivering the Group Presentation with your learning team.

To complete this assignment:

  1. Identify 3 incidents that has happened in preparing and/or delivering the presentation to reflect upon the presentation performance.
  2. Reflect on and critically analyse the effectiveness of the contribution to the Group Presentation by using three or more concepts/theories from the first eight weeks of the course (up to and including conflict and negotiation). Be sure to include specific situation or event examples to support your analysis.
  3. Specifically address the following questions with reference to the concepts/theories you have chosen:
  4. How would you describe your performance and contribution toward the Group Presentation?
  5. How would you describe the performance of your learning team in preparing and delivering their presentation? For example, what did they do well, and where could they improve?
  6. What issues or challenges arose and how did you address these? You must refer to the concepts/theories you have chosen.
  7. Finally, what did you do well, and where could you improve? Identify at least 2 relevant developmental activities you will undertake to become a better performer as an individual and team.

Additional details are on the course Blackboard site, under the "Assessment" folder. Also refer to regular announcements on Blackboard.

Criteria & Marking:

Details about this assessment item and the Marking Criteria rubric are available on the course Blackboard site.

AI Statement:

This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. Academic integrity policy is in effect in this course. It is the responsibility of each individual to adhere to academic integrity. Any work that has been copied from any other source or person except where due acknowledgement is made will receive zero marks.

Submission guidelines

Upload assignments via the Turnitin link provided in Blackboard.

NOTE: If you have successfully submitted your file, you should print your digital receipt or take a screenshot of your submission. If you do not see a screen stating your submission is complete or a receipt, then you have NOT successfully submitted your assignment. It is your responsibility to make sure that you have successfully submitted your assignment. 

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Final Exam

  • Identity Verified
  • In-person
Mode
Written
Category
Examination
Weight
40%
Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Other conditions
Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes
L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Task description

This is In-person written examination.

You will undertake an exam during the exam period at the end of the semester. The exam will take the form of MCQs and short essay questions based on all materials covered in the course from Weeks 2 to 12. This is not an open-book exam.

You will need to answer the questions using information based on your weekly lectures, workshops, and readings. A good essay will not be based on your opinions as it must include a demonstrated understanding of organisation behaviour theories/concepts and be based on evidence using examples from the course case studies to support your arguments. The questions may have multiple parts (e.g., A, B, C, D). You must answer all parts of each question to receive full marks. A good essay will be between 400-600 words for each whole question.

You must use prose style with well-structured sentences and paragraphs. Dot points will be worth a fraction of the marks allocated. You do not need to provide references, but you will need to write using English academic language that is concise and clear for your marker to understand.

Missing the examination without legitimate reason will result in zero marks. 

Only answers in the English language will be marked.

Plagiarised materials will be marked zero.  

Criteria & Marking:

The examination will be assessed on its completeness and correctness. Knowledge of organisational behaviour theories, applying theory to practice, and evidence and analysis are the key criteria for assessment, besides answering all parts of the questions. Further details will be made available on Blackboard.

AI Statement:

This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Exam details

Planning time 10 minutes
Duration 120 minutes
Calculator options

No calculators permitted

Open/closed book Closed Book examination - no written materials permitted
Exam platform Paper based
Invigilation

Invigilated in person

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Grade Cut off Percent Description
1 (Low Fail) 0 - 29

Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.

2 (Fail) 30 - 46

Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.

3 (Marginal Fail) 47 - 49

Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes

4 (Pass) 50 - 64

Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes.

5 (Credit) 65 - 74

Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes.

6 (Distinction) 75 - 84

Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes.

7 (High Distinction) 85 - 100

Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes.

Additional course grading information

Grades will be allocated according to University-wide standards of criterion-based assessment.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Own copy required

You'll need to have your own copy of the following reading resources. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Item Description
Book Organisational behaviour: emerging knowledge, global insights
by McShane; Steven Lattimore; Olekalns; Mara; Newman; Alex H.; Martin; Angela - 2019
Edition: 6th Asia-Pacific edition
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education Australia
ISBN: 9781760421649; 9781760423384

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

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Learning period Activity type Topic
Week 1
Lecture

Introduction to Managing Organisational Behaviour

Readings/Ref: McShane et al. (Ch 1)

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04

Week 2
Workshop

Introduction to Managing Organisational Behaviour

Note: presentation groups will be formed this week

Readings/Ref: McShane et al. (Ch 5 & 6)

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04

Lecture

Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values

Readings/Ref: McShane et al. (Ch 2)

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04

Week 3
Workshop

Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values

This week groups will be finalised. You will work with this group to plan, prepare and deliver your Group Presentation (Assignment One) in assigned Week (weeks 6-8).

Readings/Ref: McShane et al. (Ch 2)

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04

Lecture

Emotions, Attitudes, and Stress

Readings/Ref: McShane et al. (Ch 4)

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04

Week 4
Workshop

Emotions, Attitudes, and Stress

Readings/Ref: McShane et al. (Ch 4)

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04

Lecture

Motivation

Readings/Ref: McShane et al. (Ch 5 & 6)

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04

Week 5
Workshop

Motivation

Readings/Ref: McShane et al. (Ch 5 & 6)

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04

Lecture

Groups and Teams

Readings/Ref: McShane et al. (Ch 8)


Learning outcomes: L01, L04, L05

Week 6
Workshop

Groups and Teams

Group Presentations (Group Work): Assessment One

Learning outcomes: L01, L04, L05

Lecture

Decision Making and Creativity

Readings/Ref: McShane et al. (Ch 7)

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04

Week 7
Workshop

Decision Making and Creativity

Group Presentations (Group Work): Assessment One

Decision Making and Creativity (Workshop)

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04

Lecture

Power, Influence, and Ethics

Readings/Ref: McShane et al. (Ch 10, Ch 2 pp. 59-65)


Learning outcomes: L03, L04, L05

Week 8
Workshop

Power, Influence, & Ethics; Individual Assignment Information

Tuesday – Thursday: Group Presentations (Group Work): Assessment One

Friday: No workshops on Friday (18 April) due to public holiday.

Learning outcomes: L03, L04, L05

Lecture

No Lecture - Public Holiday

No Lecture on Friday due to Easter Public holidays

Mid-sem break
No student involvement (Breaks, information)

In-Semester Break

Week 9
Workshop

Workshop (Mon-Thurs)

Power, Influence, and Ethics (Workshop)

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L05

Lecture

Conflict and Negotiation

Readings/Ref: McShane et al. (Ch 11)


Learning outcomes: L03, L04, L05

Week 10
Workshop

Conflict and Negotiation

Readings/Ref: McShane et al. (Ch 11)

Learning outcomes: L03, L04, L05

Lecture

Leadership

Readings/Ref: McShane et al. (Ch 12)


Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Week 11
Workshop

Leadership

Readings/Ref: McShane et al. (Ch 12)

Assignment Two due this week

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Lecture

Organisational Culture

Readings/Ref: McShane et al. (Ch 14)


Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Week 12
Workshop

Organisational Culture

Organisational Culture (Workshop)

Readings/Ref: McShane et al. (Ch 14)

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Lecture

Organisational Change

Readings/Ref: McShane et al. (Ch 15)


Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Week 13
Workshop

Organisational Change

Readings/Ref: McShane et al. (Ch 15)

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Lecture

Course Summary & Final Exam Preparation

Readings/Ref: McShane et al. (Entire text)

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.