Unit rationale, description and aim

Achieving sustainable organisational outcomes in the global context requires effective management of organisations operating in a highly competitive global marketplace. If students are able to do this, they will need knowledge and understanding of the complexities of managing individual employees, group and teams, organisational culture and structure of global organisations. In this unit, students will be able to develop their knowledge of management of multi-cultural workforce including expatriates and operating a business in culturally distinct environments. Working in a global environment increases the diversity of the workforce and enables students to focus on the dignity of the individuals within this workforce and management of global teams. 

The aim of this unit is to provide knowledge and understanding of management in a highly competitive global marketplace and to develop the understanding and skills necessary to analyse organisational behavioural global management problems and generate realistic solutions to achieve sustainable business outcomes.

2025 10

Campus offering

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  • Term Mode
  • Semester 1Campus Attendance
  • Semester 2Campus Attendance
  • Term Mode
  • Semester 1Campus Attendance
  • Semester 2Campus Attendance
  • Term Mode
  • Semester 1Campus Attendance
  • Semester 2Campus Attendance
  • Term Mode
  • ACU Term 1Online Unscheduled
  • Term Mode
  • Semester 1Campus Attendance
  • Semester 2Multi-mode Indigenous, Campus Attendance

Prerequisites

Nil

Incompatible

HRMD204 Organisational Behaviour

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

Identify the key organisational behaviour theories...

Learning Outcome 01

Identify the key organisational behaviour theories, concepts and approaches in real world situations to ensure that all persons have inherent worth and are treated with dignity
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC7

Apply using ethical perspectives the determinants ...

Learning Outcome 02

Apply using ethical perspectives the determinants of individual behaviour, group and team dynamics and their impact on effective teams
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC2, GC4, GC7

Evaluate a range of organisational, group, interpe...

Learning Outcome 03

Evaluate a range of organisational, group, interpersonal or individual behavioural issues which may impact on the achievement of sustainable organisational outcomes
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC7, GC8

Apply effective written and oral communication ski...

Learning Outcome 04

Apply effective written and oral communication skills both individually and in groups
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC11, GC12

Content

Topics will include: 

  • What is organisational behaviour?
  • Values and attitudes Perception, Personality
  • Managing emotions in the workplace
  • Group behaviour and work team dynamics
  • Multi cultural workforce and diversity
  • Individual and group decision-making and ethics
  • Understanding power and organisational politics
  • Organisational culture and change
  • Future trends in OB

Assessment strategy and rationale

In order to pass this unit, students are required to achieve an aggregate mark of at least 50%. Marking will be in accordance with a rubric specifically developed to measure student level of achievement of the learning outcomes for each item of assessment. Students will also be awarded a final grade which signifies their overall achievement in the Unit. The assessment strategy for this Unit allows students to sequentially develop knowledge and skills of organisational behaviour to the point where they can develop responsible solutions to resolve various organisational behaviour issues. To develop this level of capability, students will demonstrate their knowledge of organisational behaviour through engagement-led discussions and other activities focusing on the trends related to organisational behaviour unit, and then apply their knowledge and understanding to analyse organisational behaviour case and provide responsible solutions and recommendations in the final assessment task. 

Overview of assessments

Assessment 1: Reflective Report This assessment ...

Assessment 1: Reflective Report

This assessment focusses on the level co-creation of value by students whether on campus or online. 

Submission Type: individual

Assessment Method: Written evidence of value co-creation

Artefact: Assessor generated summary as per rubric

Weighting

30%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO3
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC2, GC7, GC8

Assessment Task 2: Industry Based Group presentat...

Assessment Task 2: Industry Based Group presentation and Peer Review

This assessment requires students to critically analyse respect of the human dignity and human diversity implications when applying organisational behaviour theories, concepts and approaches that contribute to organisational effectiveness and efficiency. Groups will compare employee support advised by organisations and the reality of this within the organisation. Violation of OB theory is the focus. This is a 5 minute presentation of research findings.

Assessment Type: Group

Assessment method: Industry Based Presentation

Artefact: Presentation

Weighting

30%

Learning Outcomes LO2, LO4
Graduate Capabilities GC2, GC4, GC7, GC11, GC12

Assessment Task 3: Organisational Problem Analysi...

Assessment Task 3: Organisational Problem Analysis Report:

This assessment task consists of a 1750-word report requiring students to apply and evaluate the theories, models and concepts from this unit to develop and present a recommendation on an organisational behaviour issue.

Students will be required to examine how organisational behavioural factors contribute to real life organisational success or failure in the context of stewardship and solidarity.

Assessment Type: Individual

Assessment method: Organisational Problem Analysis

Artefact: Written Report

Weighting

40%

Learning Outcomes LO3, LO4
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC7, GC8, GC11, GC12

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit takes an active learning approach to guide students in the development of knowledge associated with organisational behaviour. Students are able to explore the knowledge base underpinning organisational behaviour s in a series of on campus workshops. These workshops are designed to support students to actively participate in the development of this knowledge both individually and in groups. By participating in these workshops, students will systematically develop their understanding of the critical aspects of organisational behaviour and how to design responsible solutions to organisational behaviour scenarios. This Unit takes an experiential approach to support students in developing the skills required to effectively manage organisational behaviour by sharing stories and insights and reflecting on experiences. This approach is designed to interest students who prefer to learn within a social environment and builds in expert support for skills development. The rationale is to encourage deep learning instead of surface or rote learning, as deep learning will develop critical thinking skills and prepare you for competitive business and non-business environments.

A variety of learning materials (real-life examples, case studies from current issues relating to the theory and practice of consumer behaviour, journal articles, videos, lecture capture) will be used. Deep learning is likely to be fully realised as students are exposed to this variety of learning tasks.

Mode of delivery: This unit is offered in different modes. These are: "Attendance" mode, "Multi" mode and "Online" mode. This unit is offered in three modes to cater to the learning needs and preferences of a range of participants and maximise effective participation for isolated and/or marginalised groups.

Attendance Mode

In an attendance mode, students will require face-to-face attendance in specific physical location/s. Students will have face-to-face interactions with lecturer(s) to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is structured with required upfront preparation before workshops, most students report that they spend an average of one hour preparing before the workshop and one or more hours after the workshop practicing and revising what was covered. The online learning platforms used in this unit provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for students to prepare and revise. 

Multi-Mode

In a multi-mode, students will require intermittent face-to-face attendance determined by the School. Students will have face-to-face interactions with lecturer(s) to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is structured with required upfront preparation before workshops. The online learning platforms used in this unit provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for students to prepare and revise.

Online Mode

In an online mode, students engage in asynchronous learning and participate in the construction and synthesis of knowledge, while developing their knowledge. Students are provided with choice and variety in how they learn. Students are encouraged to contribute to asynchronous weekly discussions. Active learning opportunities provide students with opportunities to practice and apply their learning in situations similar to their future professions. Activities encourage students to bring their own examples to demonstrate understanding, application and engage constructively with their peers. Students receive regular and timely feedback on their learning, which includes information on their progress.

Representative texts and references

Books

Griffin, R., Phillips, J. and Gully, S. 2019. Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations 13th ed., Cengage.  

McShane et al., 2019. Organisational Behaviour: Emerging Knowledge. Global Insights. McGraw-Hill Australia

Robbins, S.P. et al., 2020. Organisational behaviour 9th ed., Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.

Wood, JM Zeffane, RM Fromholz, M Wiesner, R Morrison, RR Factor, A McKeown, T 2019, Organisational Behaviour Core Concepts and Applications, 5th Edition Australasian, Melbourne: Wiley.

Academic Journals

  • International Journal of cross-cultural management
  • Journal of applied Ethics
  • Journal of HRM
  • Journal of Leadership in Organisations (2019 -
  • Journal of management
  • Journal of minority achievement, creativity, and leadership
  • Journal of Organisational Behaviour
  • Journal of Organizational Behaviour Management
  • Journal of Productivity and Performance Management

 

Academic Journal Articles:

Carvalho, A. M. et al. (2019) Operational excellence, organisational culture and agility: the missing link? Total quality management & business excellence. [Online] 30 (13-14), 1495–1514.

Ding, H. & Yu, E. (2022) How and when does follower’s strengths-based leadership contribute to follower work engagement? The roles of strengths use and core self-evaluation. German Journal of Human Resource Management. [Online] 36 (2), 180–196.

Elsbach, K. D. & Stigliani, I. (2018) Design Thinking and Organizational Culture: A Review and Framework for Future Research. Journal of Management. [Online] 44 (6), 2274–2306.

Liu, N.-T. et al. (2021) How does moral identity promote employee voice behavior? The roles of work engagement and leader secure-base support. Ethics & behavior. [Online] 1–19.

Mitchell, M. S. et al. (2020) The study of behavioral ethics within organizations: A special issue introduction. Personnel psychology. [Online] 73 (1), 5–17.

Schlaile, M. P. et al. (2021) It’s more than complicated! Using organizational memetics to capture the complexity of organizational culture. Journal of business research. [Online] 129801–812.

Smollan, R. K. & Morrison, R. L. (2019) Office design and organizational change: The influence of communication and organizational culture. Journal of organizational change management.

Spicer, A. (2020) Organizational Culture and COVID‐19. Journal of management studies. [Online] 57 (8), 1737–1740.

Yaari, M. et al. (2021) Hybrid Organizational Culture: The Case of Social Enterprises. Journal of social entrepreneurship. [Online] 12 (2), 291–313.Online] 32 (4), 426–440.

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