MSA 601 Organizational Dynamics and Human Behavior

All MSA students are required to take three courses: (1) MSA 600, MSA 602 or MSA 634 or MSA 635, and MSA 640. Other core courses must be selected in consultation with the student's academic advisor. A total of 15-21 hours must be taken in the administrative core. All MSA student are required to take MSA 685 or MSA 699.

Course Objectives:

After completing this course, the student should:

1. Identify, understand, and explain various organizational theories.

2. Effectively apply theory to critically evaluate administrative contexts and events in modern complex organizations, including the concept of organizations as systems.

3. Identify potential limitations of current organizational theories as they apply to modern multicultural and international organizations.

4. Understand the range of possible structures and processes for meeting the goals and missions of organizations including the role of change and change processes in organizations.

5. Understand the effects of individual, interpersonal, group/team, and organizational dynamics and interaction on organizational functions, productivity and culture.

6. Identify and apply the primary characteristics, styles, and strategies of effective leadership to make appropriate decisions and plans for coordinating organizational goal and mission accomplishment.

7. Identify the range of problems in the work place that can be solved through an understanding of employee behavior and how that behavior affects the organization/system.

8. Develop reasonable solutions to organizational dynamic problems using appropriate facts, concepts, principles, analytic techniques and theories.