Reflections on the First Class (July 8, 2025): Course and Syllabus Overview; Introduction to Organizational Behavior

The first class in the OB course focused on the course itself. It included a review of the syllabus and discussion of the assignments. We then reviewed definitions of organization, OB, and some core concepts. Finally, we discussed a short case study. It involved a management decision to remove a clock from the wall.  We focused on the unanticipated and unintended consequences of such a decision. My main message was that effective leaders and managers recognize their organizations are in fact dynamic open systems. They apply organizational behavior concepts at the individual, group, and enterprise levels. These concepts are theory-based.

Overall, I was happy with how the classes (both morning and afternoon) played out. My discussion of the two assignments might have been more concise and specific. In both instances, students are to apply course material. For the first assignment, they'll write a paper analyzing a personal experience. For the second assignment, they will work with classmates to help an organization address key challenges. They need to understand relevant course material prior to starting on these assignments. I could have made the latter expectation clearer. Given that, I might have been more explicit in laying out how students can begin on these assignments now. I also recognized that I didn't include examples of the team presentation assignment. I've since shared such examples through the course learning management system. I will notify the students in class tomorrow that I've done so. 

While I asked students to create name tents so I can call on them by name, I know I'll be hard-pressed to memorize 88 student names and faces. That's not ideal, but I can live with it. I don't fear that my responsiveness, enthusiasm, and energy will flag even given the size of these classes. That matters to me above all else.