Communication and Impact Oriented Programme Management
This
course provides and overview of key issues in individual, group and organizational
behavior using information learned from research into the topic of human behavior from
several social science disciplines. Topics
include motivation, learning, feedback, perception, personality, attribution, identity,
decision-making, communication, job satisfaction, team work, organizational culture,
conflict management, negotiations, leadership and change management. The course is designed to keep the language simple
while acknowledging that human behavior is very complex.
Our intent here is to assist you in distinguishing the situations in which
your intuitive hunch will be your best guide, from situations where you may be more
effective using guidance based in systematic research.
Modules:
This
module presents the principles and concepts underlying human behavior at three levels: the
individual, the group, and the organization. Using
an interdisciplinary social science approach presented in a jargon-free format, learners
move easily from their “comfort zone” into their “learning zone” as
they acquire (1) the basic guidelines for assessing behavior accurately, and (2) the
levels of analysis available for identifying and resolving individual, group, and
organizational problems. These concepts form a foundation for the text and methods of the
sections that follow.
This
section presents the basic components of motivation through a comparison of widely
accepted theories related to individual needs and their consequent outcome-seeking
behaviors. Relevant elements from these theories are used as a springboard for identifying
one’s motivational profile in a work context.
Employee
Learning and Development: In the Information Age, where knowledge is valued for its
competitive advantage, individual and organizational learning are critical components of
success. This section focuses on different
ways individual employees learn in response to motivation, expectations, observation,
experience, context, reinforcement, and feedback.
Perception
and personality affect how people relate to each other and their work. Managers will learn how selective attention,
stereotypes, and other attitudinal distortions are formed and may contribute to group
dynamics, interpersonal conflict and inequity in the workplace. Understanding the fundamentals of social identity
theory, perception and personality can assist managers in managing and maximizing
diversity, coaching employees and teams, and reducing stress in the workplace.
Employee
job satisfaction involves a complex set of personal and situational variables. Equipped with an understanding of the personality
traits, interests, abilities, skills, and values of employees, managers can design jobs
and practices that enhance performance and maximize job satisfaction.
There
has been much discussion in project/programme purpose organizations and academic literature on the changing
nature of the employer-employee relationship. This
section explores the fundamentals of relationship management based on a knowledge of
unwritten psychological contracts and an overview of the trends that are currently
redefining the employment relationship.
This
section presents a conceptual framework for understanding the elements of organizational
culture as well as the internal and external forces that shape its evolution. A discussion
of the pitfalls of evaluating and diagnosing an organizational culture are followed by a
basic diagnostic tool (qualitative). The uses and strategies of employee socialization are
discussed as one way to manage organizational culture.
Teams
are widely recognized and used to solve complex problems in organizations. This module introduces the elements of team
effectiveness and the design factors that “make a difference.” Gender differences that produce different
assumptions about the nature of teamwork are examined.
The
types of task and process management needed to maximize team effectiveness are the focus
of this module. Stages of team development, team timing, task and process management
activities are listed. Particular attention is
given to three specific types of team process issues: team norms, minority influence and
groupthink. Strategies for managing each
process are suggested.
In
this module we examine the dynamics of leading, following, and managing. The origins,
nature, and styles of leadership are summarized and contrasted with those of management.
Overviews of gender-related leadership styles and leadership pitfalls are also provided.
This
module focuses on organizations as political systems, beginning with the possible types of
underlying ruling systems. The relationship between interests, conflict, and power is then
explored in the context of positional and personal sources of power. The module concludes
with an overview of how to manage political behavior in organizations.
All
organizational members make decisions. Managers,
in particular must make decisions in response to problems or opportunities by making
choices among alternatives in relation to a desired outcome.
The elements of the decision-making process, the characteristics of
decisions, decision-making tools, and three approaches to decision making are the focus of
this module.
This
module examines the dynamics of conflict in an organizational setting. The reader will learn how to prevent, limit, or
diagnose conflict; how to identity levels of conflict and conflict-escalations behaviors;
and multiple conflict resolution skills and approaches.
Communication
facilitates knowledge sharing, decision making, and work performance. Effective communications engage employees in the
culture and the objectives of the organization. It
promotes teamwork and understanding. This
module presents a model of effective communication and describes types of communication
breakdowns.
The
rate of change in the project/programme purpose environment is rapid due to globalization, technology,
competition and changing demographics. These
external forces for change challenge organizations to respond and adapt quickly on both
organizational and individual levels. This module provides an overview of these two levels
of change and describes ways to enhance the change process at both levels.