Syllabus
Syllabus
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88-354
The Economics and Psychology of Organizational Communication Syllabus
Professor Roberto Weber Office: 223B Porter Hall Phone: (412) 268-3224
Office Hours: M 4:30-5:30, W 11-12 Office Assistant (not a TA): Rosa Stipanovic, Porter Hall 319F Course meeting times: Tuesdays 6:30 – 9:20 Location: Baker Hall 231B This syllabus and other course materials are available on-line at http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/course/88-354/index.html. Announcements and corrections to the schedule will be posted to this site when necessary. Therefore, you should check it at least once a week. Purpose: Organizations are everywhere. Each of us simultaneously belongs to several organizations – both large and small. In fact, it is almost impossible to exist independently of organizations. Since organizations involve groups of people, communication between these people plays an important role. In this course, we will look at common problems faced by organizations and how communication can help resolve these problems. We will consider when different forms of communication might differ in their effectiveness and will also identify some common problems that may arise due to increased communication and particular communication technologies. We will approach these topics from the viewpoints of economics (particularly game theory) and psychology (particularly social and cognitive psychology). A large part of the course will consist of applying what we learn to issues in real organizations. At the end of the semester, you will hopefully be able to consider most kinds of communication that take place in organizations and classify them according to their goal and their effectiveness. You will also be better able to detect problems that may be aided by different forms of communication. While the material and topics we will be able to cover in a one-semester course are limited, what you learn will prepare you to better analyze real situations in future organizations with which you may be involved. While having taken a prior economics course (e.g., 73-100 or 88-220) is listed as a pre-requisite for this course, you can still take the course if you have not – just make sure you mention this to me. Also, having taken a previous course in psychology is helpful but not required (85-102 or 85-241). About the Instructor: I got a B.A. in economics from Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. in economics from Caltech. This is my third year at CMU. My research consists mainly of experiments in economics and psychology (we pay people to make decisions and then study how these decisions compare to economic and psychological predictions). I am particularly interested in using simple experiments to re-create organizational situations and problems and then using the experiments to provide insights into how people behave in real organizations. In this area, I’ve done work on leadership, organizational growth, communication, and culture. I also work in the areas of game theory (we study models of strategic situations in which several people make decisions that affect each other) and behavioral economics (we try to figure out where traditional economics gets it wrong and make improvements). I’m a fan of Aggie football and the Cowboys (I know, “Booo!”) as well most things soccer. I spend my free time running and playing music (as a (bad) singer and guitar/bass player). If you spot me playing out, somewhere say hi and I’ll buy you a beer (or an age-appropriate beverage).
Materials:
The readings lectures will cover material in DN and the course packet. About half of the items in the course packet are scholarly journal articles. I have selected articles that I believe should be accessible to you. In some cases, the articles will contain unfamiliar concepts and methodology. When this is the case, I will spend some time in the class prior to the reading assignment briefly going over what you need to know and letting you know what you can ignore. If you have any questions with the readings that I did not address the previous week, please come to office hours on Monday afternoon. If need be, we can also set up a regular hour on Tuesday afternoons during which we can go over the readings to make sure everyone who needs help understands the content before class. Course Requirements: Your grade will be determined as follows:
Readings & Homework: The schedule lists required readings for each week. You are required to complete the readings before class. Doing so will help you participate in discussions and will allow you to learn better from the lectures and, in turn, have to study less before the exam. You will have a short homework assignment in every week for which we have readings (12). This homework consists of writing a comment of less than one page (double-spaced) on an aspect of the readings that you found interesting. The comment should be based on a reaction you had to something in the readings and will be used to guide class discussion. For instance, if there is something in the readings that you disagree with, you might write a critical reaction in which you argue why you believe the author is wrong. Alternatively, you might write about extending something in the readings to an example of a situation you have encountered in a real organization. There are many other possibilities as well. Basically, your goal in this assignment should not just be to show me that you did the readings (i.e., regurgitating a series of facts), but rather to show that you thought carefully and critically about the things you read. On each assignment, you will receive a grade of 0, 1, or 2. You will receive 0 if you do not complete the assignment before the deadline. The grade of 1 or 2 will depend on the quality of your submission. In most cases, you will receive a grade of 2. However, if I feel that you are turning in something that you didn't put any thought or effort into, then you will receive a grade of 1. There are 12 reading assignments. I will drop the lowest two grades. The assignment should be e-mailed to me by midnight of the Monday night before class. If the time at which the e-mail is sent is after midnight (according to Andrew), I may give you a grade of 0 for that assignment. Exams: There will be two exams. The exams will not be comprehensive in that they will only be based on material covered since the last exam. The dates and times of the exams are indicated in the course schedule. Both exams will be take home. You may pick up the exams any time after 9AM on Friday and return it on Monday any time before 2PM. Both exams will consist of 3 or 4 short essay questions. You will be limited to one page per question (typed, font size 10 point or larger, double-spaced). For all questions, you should try to demonstrate that you are familiar with the material to which the question refers and that you can use the material from the course to make a concise and coherent point. I will deduct points for excessive rambling and B.S. If you will be unable to take any of these exams when they are scheduled, come see me as soon as possible. In order to be able to make-up an exam, you must have received my approval prior to the exam. Part of the class session prior to each exam will be used as a review session. Before each exam, you will be able to submit one question to me that you think would be a good test of the material we have covered. Thoughtfully preparing one of these questions is a good way to study for the exam and try to think of what types of questions will be asked. I will select 5 of these questions and make them available on the course website for review. One of these 5 questions will appear on the exam (as long as I receive at least 5 questions). Submit your question to me (neatly written/typed on paper) by the Friday before the exam. Experiments: Participating in simple experiments is a great way to directly experience and learn about some of the principles covered in class. Therefore, during several classes you will participate in group experiments that will illustrate part of what we will discuss in class either that or the following week. These experiments will typically take 15-20 minutes and will involve some group activity in which you might be allowed to use different forms of communication. These experiments are a part of the studies that we use to learn about group dynamics and how communication affects group performance. When we do these experiments, we typically pay people for performing “better.” Unfortunately, you will not be paid for participating in the experiments in class (since these are not experiments for research, but instead for demonstration). However, I will keep track of how many “points” each of you earns during the semester and the person at the end of the semester with the most points will receive a $30 prize. Attendance: Since a large part of the class will consist of discussion
and since participating in the experiments will help you learn about the principles
we will cover, attendance is required. There will be an attendance sheet
at every class (I will forget to bring it on the Tuesday before
Thanksgiving). You are allowed one unexcused absence. Beyond that,
each absence will lower your class participation grade by 3 (out of 10
points). You will not lose points for excused absences (i.e., documented
illness, family emergency, etc.). However, I will not accept excuses of
the sort, "I overslept," "my team was in the intramural horseshoe
finals," or "I finally got a date with the Bud Girl." When
possible, you should check with me if you are planning on being absent for an
upcoming class.
Cheating: Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated. For the exams, you will be allowed to use the notes and readings as well as any other written material that you can cite and I can verify. However, you will not be allowed to discuss any aspect of the exam with others until after everyone has submitted their exam. Anyone caught cheating will receive an R for the course and will be reported to the Dean of Student Affairs. Since the homework assignments are intended as an opportunity for you to express a reaction to the readings, you should do them on your own. It is ok for you to discuss the readings with other people prior to class, but the comment you submit as homework should be your own.
Feedback: For me: During the semester, you can give me anonymous feedback concerning how you think the course is going and any improvements you believe would help the course. To do this, use the anonymous on-line course evaluation at http://zia.hss.cmu.edu/eval.html. For you: I will try to get you your homework and exam grades promptly (by the next class for the homework and within one week for the exams). I will also ask people who appear to be having trouble with the course to set up an appointment with me to discuss ways to improve how they’re doing (e.g., study habits, discussing the readings, etc.). Group Projects: During the semester, you will be required to complete a group project analyzing an existing organization and making one or more recommendations for improving communication based on what we have covered in class. For the project, I will assign you to groups of 4. You will all be responsible for contributing equally to your group. In the project, your group should think of themselves as a consulting team that has been hired by an organization to analyze how communication plays a role in its activities and how it can be improved. The project will consist of identifying a real organization that you want to study and then analyzing the organization and making recommendations. While you may select almost any organization (e.g., a campus organization, a local business/non-profit, a large multinational), you should keep in mind that you will have to address all of the points indicated below with respect to the organization. Each group will have to inform me of the organization they have selected to ensure it is manageable and appropriate. See the schedule for the date by which your group should select an organization. The written report should be no more than 20 pages (double-spaced) and should contain the following four parts: 1. What is the organization? What type of organization is it? How long has it been around? How is its location distributed? What does it do? How many members does it have? What are their characteristics? What is their role within the organization? What are the formal relationships between people in the organization? 2. Identify important problems faced by the organization. What problems arise regularly in performing its task? What problems has the organization recently overcome? Are there any future potential problems that the organization is likely to face? Do these problems resemble any of the ones we discussed in class? 3. Describe the current communication use in the organization What are the formal communication channels? What are the informal communication channels? Are there any special technologies used to aid communication? Is the current communication use adequate for solving the organization's problems? What problems have arisen because of the way communication is used in the organization? 4. How can communication be improved? Here, you should draw on topics covered in class to make one or more recommendations to the organization. You should think of this as what the "consulting team" is being paid for, and should therefore put a lot of thought into this part. In addition to the written report, each group will give a short (15-20 minute) presentation on the last day of class describing each of the above parts of the project. You should think of this as a presentation that your consulting team is making to the managers of the organization demonstrating that you are familiar with their organization and that your recommendation(s) should be implemented. As with most group work you will encounter in the future, it will be up to the group members to ensure that everyone does their share. However, if someone is repeatedly neglecting to contribute to the project, you should come talk to me. I will also ask questions of everyone in the group during the presentations and your grade will depend on the written report (for which everyone in the group will get the same grade) and on your part of the presentation (for which you may receive different grades).
Pizza & Food: A few times during the semester, I will order a couple of pizzas for the class during the break. When I plan to do this, I'll make an announcement the previous week (suggestions about good places that deliver to campus would be helpful). On the last day of class, we'll share the responsibility for bringing food.
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For problems or questions regarding this website e-mail Professor Weber [rweber@andrew.cmu.edu].
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