Public Organization Management

Spring 2014

The University of Virginia

School of Continuing and Professional Studies

Hampton Roads Center

 

Professor:                   Celeste Murphy Greene, Ph.D.

E-mail:                        cmg7u@virginia.edu

Dates                           January 6-March 16^th 2012

 

Required Course Materials

Rainey, H.  (2009).  Understanding & Managing Public Organizations. 4^rd Edition.  San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.   

Morgan, G.  (2006).  Images of Organization.  Updated ed. Thousand Oaks, CA:

Sage.                                                                                                                                                  

Course Description

This online course is designed to familiarize students with the literature of organization theory and behavior as it pertains to public and quasi-public organizations.  The literature to be read covers historically important works in the field, major current schools of thought and writers in organization theory and behavior.  In this course we will examine a number of different ways of viewing organizations.  Each way provides a "lens" that highlights different aspects of organizational theory and behavior. 

Teaching Method

            This is a Web-based course. I see myself as the facilitator of your learning.  We will be using several types of learning tools and new technology.  UVACollab (or Collab) for short serves as the learning platform for the course.  All course interaction will take place on Collab.  Weekly review questions and all assignments will be posted on Collab under the “Assginments” heading.  Once you click on the “Assignments” heading you will see View/Complete.  Click on this to view and complete the assignment.  Weekly discussion questions will be posted each week under the heading “Discussion Board”.    The discussion board allows for students to interact each week by responding to each other’s responses to the readings.  BbCollab will be used to conduct the live discussion session.  You can click on the live discussion link from the main course webpage. The course will be taught in an asynchronous format, meaning students can work at their own pace each week, following the assigned weekly due dates.  We will meet on four evenings using BbCollab, a form of technology that allows us all to talk to each other as if we were in a real classroom.  We will be using the audio format.  A combination of teaching methods will be used in this course.  These methods include online and live class discussions, lectures, and written assignments.

Course Educational Resources

All written assignments must be written following the format of the American Psychological Association (APA) Style Manual or the Chicago Manual of Style.  It is strongly recommended that each student purchase the small pocket size guide to writing style and grammar titled A Pocket Style Manual by Diana Hacker.   This is available at Amazon.com.                                                          

This course will utilize UVaCollab (http://collab.itc.virginia.edu/portal).  All course interaction will take place on UVaCollab.  Specific links to activities and assignments are contained on the interactive syllabus.

Communication:  Each week you will have an announcement concerning the week’s activities. Frequent contact by email and discussion forums is essential. You can call by phone Monday – Friday (9AM-5PM EST). My electronic office hours are by email appointment during the week from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST via BbCollaborate. Send an email and ask for a specific time to meet during these hours.

2. Assignments:  Assignments will be posted in UVaCollab for student’s reference
3. Course Evaluations:  Course evaluations are distributed online. Prior to the end of the semester, evaluations will be emailed to students.
4. Technical Support Contacts: 

• Login/Password: scpshelpdesk@virginia.edu
• UVaCollab: collab-support@virginia.edu
• BbCollaborate (Elluminate) Support: scpshelpdesk@virginia.edu
• BbCollaborate (Elluminate) Training: scps_academic_faculty@virginia.edu

Instructional Design and Technology Enhanced Learning for course design and development: scps_academic_faculty@virginia.edu

Technical Requirements:  This course will use UVaCollab and BbCollaborate (Elluminate):

UVa Computing IDs and Passwords (for all students)

Recommended Browsers:
PC: Firefox 3.6 or Internet Explorer 7 or 8
Mac: Firefox 3.6 or Safari 4 or 5
Bb Collaborate Requirements:
Java requirements:
PC: Sun Java 1.5.0_17 or Sun Java 1.6.0_12  or greater is recommended
Mac: Apple Java 1.5.0_16 (J2SE5)
Please visit Bbcollaborate to check your computer’s compatibility automatically:
http://support.blackboardcollaborate.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=8336&task=knowledge&questionID=1473Headset/

Recommend Headset with Logitech USB

Learning Objectives

The chief objectives of the course are:

1. to assist students in expanding and questioning the ways in which they think about and act in public or quasi-public organizations;
2. to enable students to distinquish between different types of public organizations;
3. to provide students with the opportunity to link contributions by researchers and theorists to the study and analysis of organizations;
4. to engage students in learning experiences designed to expand their creative abilities to permit them to see organizational factors, conditions, and variables differently;
5. to engage students in class discussions on ethical issues and ethical decision making as they pertain to public and quasi-public organizations;
6. to facilitate individual research and information location through class assignments, involving Internet and library research.

Topical Outline

1. Overview of Organization Theory and Behavior
2. Historical Development of Organization Theory/Behavior
3. Review of Major Contributors to the Field
4. Organizational Structures and Environment
5. Summary of Public Organization

Student Expectations

            As an online course it is important to respect each other's viewpoints and perspectives.  Please be respectful of your fellow classmates and only use appropriate language during online and audio discussions. 

Students are expected to be active participants in the learning process.  All writing assignments must be typed and double-spaced, using page numbers, and title pages.  The use of headings and subheadings is also recommended. 

            If a student can not meet class assignment deadlines, future arrangements must be made with the professor.  Late assignments will result in the reduction of one assignment grade for each day late, unless advance notice is given and approved by the instructor.  If you are unable to attend one of the four course discussions, please provide advanced notice to me. 

Students are expected to participate in online discussions weekly.  Your online postings must be:

1. Substantive-reflecting your knowledge of the readings .
2. Professional-respectful  and appropriate
3. Pertinent
4. Clearly expressed

All assignments are due by midnight on Sunday of the week the assignment is due.

Grading

Grading is done on a point system.  Each assignment is assigned a point value.  The book review and case study will be graded using the Grading Rubric.  Please review the rubric, found on the last page of the syllabus, to understand what criteria serve as the basis of grading. 

1. Class participation:  Class participation counts for 15% of the total course grade.   As part of the class participation grade, students are expected to be active participants in online class discussions on the discussion board, the BbCollab live discussions, and to turn in assignments on time.  As the professor, I will serve as the facilitator of the discussion by posting weekly discussion questions and leading the Elluminate Live discussions.  Each week student recieve a maximum of 3 points for participation for a total of 30 points.
2. Book Review:  The book review is based on a book from the liste at the end of the syllabus.  Students will select a book and write a 5-7 page review.  Some of the questions students should answer are:  What are the main themes of the book?  What is the author’s message?  What are the strengths and weaknesses of the book?  How does this book contribute to the field of public administration?  The book review will account for approximately 25% of the overall course grade and 50 points.
3. Case Study in Organizational Analysis:  The purpose of this case study is to use the ideas and concepts discussed in class and in the readings in the analysis of a real organizational situation.  The situation may be drawn from your own personal experience or from some public event on which there is information readily available in the newspaper, online etc. 

This case study invites you to do the following:

1. Identify an organizational situation for the purpose of analysis (the situation must be sufficiently complex to generate enough material to satisfy the specifications described below).
2. Consider how concepts and general ideas discussed in class help make sense of the situation.
3. Write up as a case study in a way which relates evidence to theory, to provide an appropriate analysis and explanation of the situation described.

A successful organizational analysis rests on an ability to examine an organization or organizational situation so that its fundamental characteristics are made clear.  Students will apply the concepts from the reading, including the metaphors from the Morgan book, to make sense of the organizational situation they are analyzing.  It is not simply a question of spotting problems and applying appropriate solutions.  Instead, students should ask: What is going on in the situation that I am analyzing?  How can I account for its characteristics and the way they're changing?  In essence, how can I make sense of the situation and arrive at an understanding which allows me to make sense of the situation.  Students should get an early start on thinking about what organizational situation they will analyze. 

This report should be approximately 10 pages in length and should be written in a professional manner, using APA or Chicago Style format.  The case study is worth 30% of your overall course grade and 60 points.

4. Weekly Review Questions:  Each week several discussion questions will be posted on the discussion board.  Students are required to respond to the review questions and post a response on the discussion board.  Students will also respond to other students’ postings.   This is worth 30% of your overall course grade and 60 points. 

The midterm and the case study will be graded using the grading rubric located on page six of the syllabus.  The rubric identifies the main points that are used to evaluate student papers.  Please read over the rubric to understand how papers will be evaluated.

Course Schedule

Week 1 1/6-1/12	Personal introductions, course overview, review syllabus	Complete assignment #1	Collab under the “Assignment” and “Discussion Board” tabs
Week 2 1/13-1/19	Topic: Historical Review of Org. Theory and Org. Behavior Read: Rainey chapter 1 & 2; Morgan Ch. 1 & 2	Complete assignment #2 1st BbCollab Live Discussion Mon., Tues., Wed., or Thurs.   7:00-8:30 p.m.	Collab “Assignment” and “Discussion Board” Discussion found under “Live Discussion” tab.
Week 3 1/20-1/26	Topic:  Characteristics of Public Organizations Read:  Rainey chapter 3 & 4; Morgan Ch. 3	Complete assignment #3	Collab “Assignment” & “Discussion Board”
Week 4 1/27-2/2	Topic:  Power & Public Organizations Read: Rainey chapter 5; Morgan Ch. 4 & 5	Complete assignment #4 2nd BbCollab Live Discussion 7:00-8:30 p.m.	Collab “Assignment” & “Discussion Board” and “Live Discussion “ Tabs
Week 5 2/3-2/9	Topic:  Organizational Structures Read: Rainey Ch. 6-8; Morgan Ch. 6	Complete assignment #5 Midterm Posted	Collab “Assignment,” “Discussion Board”
Week 6 2/10-2/16	Book Review due and Discussed	3rd LiveDiscussion Wednesday or Thursday 7:00-8:30 p.m.	Collab “Assignment” & “Discussion Board” and “Live Discussion “ Tabs
Week 7 2/17-2/23	Topic:  People and Public Organizations Read:  Rainey Ch. 9 & 10; Morgan Ch. 7 & 8	Complete assignment #6	Collab “Assignment,” “Discussion Board”
Week 8 2/24-3/2	Topic:  Leadership and Organizational Culture Read:  Rainey Ch. 11 & 12; Morgan Ch. 9 & 10	Complete assignment #7 on Blackboard	Collab “Assignment,” “Discussion Board”
Week 9 3/3-3/9	Topic:  Organizational Group Dynamics Read:  Rainey Ch. 12-14; Morgan Ch. 11 & 12	Complete assignment #8 on Blackboard 4th Live  Discussion 7:00-8:30 p.m.	Collab “Assignment”& “Discussion Board” and “Live Discussion “ Tabs
Week 10 3/10-3/16	Organizational Analysis Due	Organizational Analysis Due	Collab “Assignment”