MSc Management and Implementation of Development Projects / Course details

Understanding models and case studies of human behaviour at individual group and organisational levels provide development practitioners, project managers, human resource specialists and related practitioners with frameworks to reflect on and develop their skills when faced with challenges as managers and leaders in a variety of sectorial and country contexts. 

This unit aims to develop students’ knowledge and skills to enable them to:

- examine the nature of human behaviour in a range of organizations within a variety of country contexts

- develop an interpretive conceptual understanding of organisational and human resource issues such as motivation, leadership, teamwork and leadership in organisations, including their own or those with which they are familiar 

- develop a critical view of theories of human behaviour in relation to organisational processes

- apply theory to management practice in a variety of organizational contexts

- develop their own and others’ frameworks for managing and developing effective organizations

On completion of the course unit students should be able to

• Describe a range of approaches to organisational behaviour
• Analyse issues of behaviour in organisations, including their own or those with which they are familiar 
• Discuss critically the relevance of the OB literature to understanding organizational behaviour in contexts with which they are familiar
• Apply theory to management practice in a variety of organizational contexts

Topics explored include

• Organisational Behaviour: Meanings and approaches
• Perception, attribution and stereotyping
• Culture
• Communication
• Motivation
• Groups and Teams
• Personality
• Gender
• Leadership
• Metaphor and Organisations as machines
• Organisational Design

Weekly lectures and/or seminars. Blackboard Supporting Materials.

  (1)  Formal lecture inputs to cover an outline of OB theory

  (2)  Applications to case studies

   (3) Tutor-led learning activities such as quizzes and videos

• understand a wide range of approaches to organisational behaviour in the literature and analyse issues of behaviour in organisations
• broaden their perspective as international HR practitioners, with a focus on organisational fields of actions such as human resource management, human resource development project management and organisational change and development, beyond the specific worlds in which they live and work

• Locate themselves in relation to unknown or less familiar arenas of action, including public, private and non-profit sectors, cultures and organizations and to understand the interplay between such variables affecting action for organisational change and development
• Enable them to analyse the implications of insights into these contexts for governance and management across the boundaries of cultures.

• Prepare themselves for further learning and professional development in a range of HR  and related practitioner skills relevant to effective behaviour in known and new organizations and related  in work role contexts
• Apply theoretical frameworks effectively to their own and projected management practice contexts

• Understand and critically analyse a set of key organization management and development-related concepts and explore frameworks with which to make informed decisions to solve challenges in a wide range of organizational contexts.
• Discuss critically the relevance of that literature to understanding behaviour in their own organisations, and in their own and other country contexts

 (a) Formative feedback: at the time of preparing draft of the assignment

(b) Summative feedback: At the time of mark release in the form of qualitative and quantitative commentary

Core reading

Buchanan, D. and Huczynski, A. (2019, or earlier edition): Organisational Behaviour, An Introductory Text. Prentice Hall

Mullins, L. (2016 or earlier edition): Management and Organizational Behaviour, Essex: Prentice Hall

Arnold, J. and Randall, R. et al. (e.g. 2010) Work Psychology Pearson: Harlow

Robbins, S. P. (2016): Organizational Behaviour. New Jersey: Prentice Hall

Francesco, A. M. & Gold, B. (1998 or 2005) International Organizational Behaviour, New Jersey: Prentice Hall