Welcome to BUS209: Organizational Behavior

Specific information about this course and its requirements can be found below. For more general information about taking Saylor Academy courses, including information about Community and Academic Codes of Conduct, please read the Student Handbook.

Course Description

Study how individuals and groups behave and interact in the workplace and the key factors that affect organizational behavior. Topics include how to manage individuals, understanding group dynamics, how to manage conflict, and how to initiate change.

Course Introduction

There is no shortage of quotes in which inspirational business leaders describe the sources of their success. Their reasons are often diverse, but almost everyone comes back to the same thing: people. The people are the company; they create success. Even so, there is more to successful business leadership than managing human capital, since you must also have a suitable structure and culture at your firm. Imagine the U.S. military: it boasts some of the best-trained soldiers in the world, but that talent would be wasted without a structure designed to appropriately deploy forces. In other words, the military would not be as successful without streamlined organizational behavior. Organizational behavior (OB) is the study of how people interact in organizations. These interactions are governed by a number of factors, including your personal life, the personality of your boss or your boss's boss, a direct report, the team you have been assigned to, or the direction that the top of the organization has given to you. OB researchers carefully monitor these dynamics within an organization, because any time there is friction, money is lost. A certain level of friction is to be expected (and often even desired), but most of the friction that occurs within an organization is counterproductive and detrimental to the bottom line. In this course, you will study the factors that have the greatest impact on organizational behavior. From managing individuals and understanding group dynamics to managing conflict and initiating change, organizational behavior affects everyone in a firm.

This course includes the following units:

Unit 1: Organizations in Business. Unit 2: Managing Individuals, Personalities, and Motivation. Unit 3: Managing Groups and Teams. Unit 4: Leadership, Influence, and Leveraging Power. Unit 5: Conflict Management and Negotiations. Unit 6: Organizational Culture, Diversity, and Managing Change

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

[1] Define organizational behavior at three levels within organizations: the individual, the group, and the organization as a whole; [2] Define basic organizational behavior principles; [3] Identify how diversity and globalization affect behavior in the workplace; [4] Explain how environments, attitudes, and perception influence behavior in organizations; [5] Identify the effects of motivation as a means for improving work performance and organizational effectiveness; [6] Identify the elements of group behavior, including identity, group dynamics, and communication, and how these affect workplace productivity; [7] Explain the dynamics of teams and their impact on organizational success; [8] Explain various leadership approaches and the impact of power and politics in organizations; [9] Explain how to effectively manage conflict and to resolve conflict with others; [10] Identify characteristics of organizational structure and the impact of different structures on workplace behavior; [11] Explain how organizational culture and diversity build a meaningful work environment

Throughout this course, you will also see learning outcomes in each unit. You can use those learning outcomes to help organize your studies and gauge your progress.

Course Materials

The primary learning materials for this course are articles, lectures, and videos.

All course materials are free to access and can be found in each unit of the course. Pay close attention to the notes that accompany these course materials, as they will tell you what to focus on in each resource and will help you understand how the learning materials fit into the course as a whole. You can also see a list of all the learning materials in this course by clicking on Resources in the navigation bar.

Evaluation and Minimum Passing Score

Only the final examination is considered when awarding you a grade for this course. To pass this course, you will need to earn 70% or higher on the final exam. The exam will be password-protected and requires a proctor.

Your score on the exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. There is a 14 days waiting period between each attempt. You may only attempt the final exam a maximum of 3 times. Be sure to study in between each attempt! If you do not pass the exam after 3 attempts, you will not complete this course.

There is also a practice exam that you may take as many times as you want to help you prepare for the final exam. The course also contains end-of-unit assessments in this course. The end-of-unit assessments are designed to help you study and do not factor into your final course grade. You can take these as many times as you want to until you understand the concepts and material covered. You can see all of these assessments by clicking on Quizzes in the course's navigation bar.

Tips for Success

BUS209: Organizational Behavior is a self-paced course, meaning you can decide when to start and complete the course. We estimate the "average" student will take 48 hours to complete. We recommend studying at a comfortable pace and scheduling your study time in advance.

Learning new material can be challenging, so here are a few study strategies to help you succeed:

  • Take notes on terms, practices, and theories. This helps you understand each concept in context and provides a refresher for later study.
  • Test yourself on what you remember and how well you understand the concepts. Reflecting on what you've learned improves long-term memory retention.

Technical Requirements

This course is delivered entirely online. You will need access to a computer or web-capable mobile device and consistent internet access to view or download resources and complete auto-graded assessments and the final exam.

To access the full course, including assessments and the final exam, log into your Saylor Academy account and enroll in the course. If you don’t have an account, you can create one for free here. Note that tracking progress and taking assessments require login.

For additional guidance, check out Saylor Academy's FAQ.

Optional Saylor Academy Mobile App

You can access all course features directly from your mobile browser, but if you have limited internet connectivity, the Saylor Academy mobile app provides an option to download course content for offline use. The app is available for iOS and Android devices.

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Fees

This course is entirely free to enroll in and access. All course materials, including textbooks, videos, webpages, and activities, are available at no charge. This course also contains a free final exam and course completion certificate.

Last modified: Monday, 7 April 2025, 5:28 PM