MRM – Year 1 – Term 3

Organizational Behavior Profª. Yuan (Echo) Liao

eyliao@iese.edu
Prof. Raphael Silberzahn
RSilberzahn@iese.edu

COURSE OUTLINE

Introduction

Organizational Behavior is one of the most relevant fields in management, one that we can sense, experience,
and apply in our daily life. It is also related to several other fields in business and management such as
strategy, marketing, finance, or accounting, whenever individual behavior and decision-making processes are
involved. This course offers an introduction to established and emerging themes, knowledge, theory, and
research in the field of organizational behavior.

Objectives

This doctoral seminar provides an in-depth look at the major topics of interest in contemporary
organizational behavior (OB). The topics and readings focus primarily on individual and collective processes
– such as the study of individuals and groups within an organizational context, and the study of internal
processes and practices as they affect individuals and groups. We expect that you will become familiar with
the basic concepts of organizational behavior, develop the skill of critically reviewing academic journal
articles, explore the main journals in this field 1, and write a research paper on a specific topic in OB.

Learning Outcomes

i. Critically review papers in the area of organizational behavior.

ii. Develop a novel research proposal that builds on current academic discussions in organizational
behavior and is relevant for management practitioners.

iii. Know in-depth current theories in psychology and how they may advance current debates in
organizational behavior.

iv. Analyze critically the strengths and weaknesses of a research method as it is used in a particular
research paper

v. Structure research articles into various debates.

vi. Identify unresolved academic debates, contradictions and open research questions.

vii. Contrast research findings with real world insights to identify gaps in current research knowledge in
management and organizational behavior.

viii. Value the use of multiple methods to improve understanding of causal relationships.

Competences

1Journal of Applied Psychology; Academy of Management Journal; Academy of Management Review; Applied Psychology: An International
Review; Journal of Organizational Behavior; Journal of Management; Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology; Organizational
Behavior and Human Decision Processes; Administrative Science Quarterly; Organizational Science; Research in Organizational Behavior
MRM – Year 1 – Term 3

Organizational Behavior Profª. Yuan (Echo) Liao

eyliao@iese.edu
Prof. Raphael Silberzahn
RSilberzahn@iese.edu

COURSE OUTLINE

- CB9: Students should be able to communicate clearly and concisely their conclusions, underlying
knowledge and reasons to a specialized and non-specialized audience.
- CE5: Ability to understand state-of-the-art research in organization behavior published in the top
academic journals and compare and contrast the arguments developed in the papers from a logical
and empirical point of view;
- CE11: Knowledge of key concepts and research areas in the field of organizational behavior research;
- CE26: Profound understanding of the strengths and weakness of various research methods in
conducting organizational behavior research;
- CE27: Develop a scientific report with the objective to integrate the existing literature of a chosen
research topic and to articulate research questions that could extend our understanding of the field;
- CE28: Publicly present ideas, procedures or research reports to academic audience;
- CE29: Skills to write a critical review of manuscript in the field of organizational behavior research.
CEE1: Ability to apply central ideas from recent psychological theories to the context of management
and organizations;
- CEE5: Learning to identify relevant variables for a research project and to select an appropriate
methodology to conduct the research;

Content

We will meet regularly on Wednesdays. The specific topics that will be discussed are presented in the
table below.

1 (March 25) Overview – Conceptual Foundations of RS

Organizational Behavior*
2 (April 8) Person-Situation Debate RS
3 (April 15) Motivation RS
4 (April 22) Cognition RS
5 (April 29) Justice and Trust YL
6 (May 6) Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior in Organizations YL
7 (May 13) Leadership, Power, and Politics YL
8 (May 20) Groups and Teams YL
9 (May 27) Organizational Culture and Identification YL
10 (June 3) Rediscovering Conceptual Foundations / Final RS
paper presentations

*No student presentations required during first session.

Methodology

The course consists of 10 sessions of 3 hours each (with a fifteen minutes break in between). The meetings
will follow a seminar discussion format, which means that participants will present and discuss the assigned
material. All students are expected to (a) have read all assigned readings before meeting each week, and (b)
participate in the discussion of the assigned readings for the week. Each reading will be assigned to a student
MRM – Year 1 – Term 3

Organizational Behavior Profª. Yuan (Echo) Liao

eyliao@iese.edu
Prof. Raphael Silberzahn
RSilberzahn@iese.edu

COURSE OUTLINE

who will be expected to present the critical perspectives of the assigned reading (5-10 minutes) and engage
classmates in thoughtful exploration of the ideas in the paper (as discussion leader).

For each assigned paper, students have the responsibility to: (1) lead the discussion on the paper as indicated
above; and (2) identify cutting edge empirical work related to the paper – students will read and report on
one recent empirical finding that is either cited in the reading or that cites the reading. This latter
requirement is intended to deepen the conceptual and empirical discussion around a given topic.

Evaluation
Grading will be based on the quality of presentations and leading discussions in class (20%), active class
participation / debate (30%), the written research paper (40%), and the written critical review of a
colleague´s research paper (10%).

The term paper proposal is due on May 13th. The final paper is due on June 15th. Please email your final
paper in Word format. The term paper will be a written conceptual research paper. You will prepare a 15-30
page paper (following APA format) integrating a field of research and highlighting a new research question
(e.g., adding new knowledge or bringing a new perspective to old findings within the field). You may want to
include a set of propositions/hypotheses, or if you are so inclined, take the paper as far as possible in terms of
developing a design and possible empirical test of the ideas. Each person will be asked to make a brief
presentation of their paper during our final class session. We will provide feedback on your outline the
following week.

You are also required to evaluate a colleagues’ final paper. Your job will be to read that person’s final paper
and provide a constructively critical review of approximately 2-4 pages. Two objectives of this assignment
are: (1) to hone your critical reviewing skills; (2) to get you in the practice of thinking and writing as though
you are a reviewer of your own work. Please email your review by June 30th.

Course Outline & Bibliography

Session 1: Overview – Conceptual Foundations of Organizational Behavior

1. Davis, M. (1971). That’s interesting! Philosophy of Social Science, 309-344.
2. Porter, L. W. (1996). Forty years of organizational studies: Reflections from a micro perspective.
Administrative Science Quarterly, 41, 262-269.
3. Abrahamson, E. and Fairchild, G. (1999). Management fashion: Lifecycles triggers, and collective
learning processes. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44: 708-740.
4. Pfeffer, J. (1993). Barriers to the advancement of organizational science: Paradigm development as a
dependent variable. Academy of Management Review, 18 (4): 599-620.

Recommended (not required):

1. Pfeffer, J., & Fong, C. T. (2005). Building organization theory from first principles: The self-
enhancement motive and understanding power and influence. Organization Science, 16(4), 372-388.
2. Gruenfeld, D., & Tiedens, L. (2010). Organizational preferences and their consequences. In S. T. Fiske,
D. T. Gilbert & G. Lindzey (Eds.), Handbook of social psychology (5 ed., Vol. 2, pp. 1252-1285).
Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
MRM – Year 1 – Term 3

Organizational Behavior Profª. Yuan (Echo) Liao

eyliao@iese.edu
Prof. Raphael Silberzahn
RSilberzahn@iese.edu

COURSE OUTLINE

3. Heath, C., & Sitkin, S. (2000). Big-B versus Big-O: An examination into what is distinctly
organizational about organizational behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 22 (1): 1-16.

Session 2: Person-Situation Debate

1. Antonakis, J., Day, D. V., & Schyns, B. 2012. Leadership and individual differences: At the cusp of a
renaissance. The Leadership Quarterly, 23(4): 643–650.
2. De Neve, J.-E., Mikhaylov, S., Dawes, C. T., Christakis, N. a, & Fowler, J. H. 2013. Born to Lead? A Twin
Design and Genetic Association Study of Leadership Role Occupancy. The leadership quarterly, 24(1):
45–60.
3. Barrick, M. R., & Mount, M. K. (1991). The big five personality dimensions and job performance: A
meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 44(1), 1-26.
4. Flynn, F. J., Chatman, J. A., & Spataro, S. E. 2001. Getting to Know You : The Influence of Personality on
Impressions and Performance of Demographically Different People in Organizations. Administrative
Science Quarterly, 46(3): 414–442.

Recommended (not required):

1. Heine, S. J., & Buchtel, E. E. (2009). Personality: The Universal and the Culturally Specific. Annual
Review of Psychology, 60(1), 369-394.
2. Anderson, C., Flynn, F. J., & Spataro, S. E. (2008). Personality and organizational culture as
determinants of influence. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(3), 702-710.
3. Judge, T. A., Piccolo, R. F., & Kosalka, T. (2009). The bright and dark sides of leader traits: A review
and theoretical extension of the leader trait paradigm. Leadership Quarterly, 20(6), 855-875.
4. Snyder, M. (1982). The influence of individuals on situations: Implications for understanding the
links between personality and social behavior. Journal of Personality, 51(3), 497-516.

Session 3: Cognition

1. Smith, E. R., & Semin, G. R. 2007. Situated Social Cognition. Current Directions in Psychological Science,
16(3): 132–135.
2. Ferguson, M. J., & Zayas, V. 2009. Automatic Evaluation. Current Directions In Psychological Science,
18(6): 362–366.
3. Davis, J. H. 1963. Structural Balance, Mechanical Solidarity, and Interpersonal Relations. American
Journal of Sociology, 68(4): 444–462.
4. Greenwald, A. G., Banaji, M. R., Rudman, L. A., Farnham, S. D., Nosek, B. A., & Mellott, D. S. 2002. A
unified theory of implicit attitudes, stereotypes, self-esteem, and self-concept. Psychological Review,
109(1): 3–25.

Recommended (not required):

5. Fiske, S. T. (1993). Social Cognition and Social Perception. Annual Review of Psychology, 44(1), 155-
194.
6. Hayes, J. & Allinson, C.W. (1994). Cognitive style and its relevance for management practice. British
Journal of Management, 5, 53-71.
7. Walsh, J.P. (1995). Managerial and organizational cognition: Notes from a trip down memory lane.
Organization Science, 6(3), 280-321.
MRM – Year 1 – Term 3

Organizational Behavior Profª. Yuan (Echo) Liao

eyliao@iese.edu
Prof. Raphael Silberzahn
RSilberzahn@iese.edu

COURSE OUTLINE

Session 4: Motivation

1. Kenrick, D. & Griskevicius, V. 2013. Chapter 2. The Seven Subselves. In The Rational Animal, How
Evolution made us smarter than we think. New York: Basic Books.
2. Dijksterhuis, A., & Aarts, H. 2010. Goals, attention, and (un)consciousness. Annual review of
psychology, 61: 467–90.
3. Schultheiss, O. C. 2013. The Hormonal Correlates of Implicit Motives. Social and Personality
Psychology Compass, 7(1): 52–65.
4. Kehr, H. (2004). Integrating implicit motives, explicit motives, and perceived abilities: The
compensatory model of work motivation and volition. Academy of Management Review, 29(3), 479-499.

Recommended (not required):

1. Steers, R.M., Porter, L.W., & Bigley, G.A. (1996). Models of work motivation. In R. M. Steers, L. W. Porter,
& G. A. Bigley (Eds.), Motivation and leadership at work. NY: McGraw-Hill, 8-33.
2. Kerr, S. (1995). On the Folly of Rewarding A, while Hoping for B. The Academy of Management Executive,
9(1), 7-14.
3. Shteynberg, G., & Galinsky, A. D. 2011. Implicit coordination: Sharing goals with similar others
intensifies goal pursuit. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47(6): 10–13.
4. Heath, C. (1999). On the social psychology of agency relationships: Lay theories of motivation
overemphasize extrinsic incentives. Organizational Behavior & Human Decision Processes, 78(1), 25-62.
5. Steers, R., Mowday, R., & Shapiro, D. (2004). The Future of Work Motivation Theory. Academy of
Management Review, 29, 379-387.

Session 5: Justice and Trust

1. Brower, H. H., Lester, S. W., Korsgaard, M. A., & Dineen, B. R. (2009). A closer look at trust between
managers and subordinates: Understanding the effects of both trusting and being trusted on
subordinate outcomes. Journal of Management, 35, 327-347.
2. Colquitt, J. A., Conlon, D. E., Wesson, M. J., Porter, C. O. L. H., & Ng, K. Y. (2001). Justice at the
millennium: A meta-analytic review of 25 years of organizational justice research. Journal of Applied
Psychology, 86, 425–445.
3. McAllister, D. J. (1995). Affect- and cognition-based trust as foundations for interpersonal cooperation
in organizations. Academy of Management Journal, 38, 24-59.
4. Skarlicki, D. P., & Kulik, C. T. (2005). Third-party reactions to employee (mis)treatment: A justice
perspective. Research in Organizational Behavior, 26, 183-230.
5. Schoorman, F. D., Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H. (2007). An integrative model of organizational trust: Past,
present and future. Academy of Management Review, 32(2), 344-354.

Recommended (not required):

1. Kramer, R. M. (1999). Trust and distrust in organizations: Emerging perspectives, enduring questions.
Annual Review of Psychology, 50, 569-598.
2. Morrison, E. W., & Robinson, S. L. (1997). When employees feel betrayed: A model of how
psychological contract violation develops. Academy of Management Review, 22, 226-256.

Session 6: Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior in Organizations

1. Detert, J. R., Treviño, L. K., & Sweitzer, V. L. (2008). Moral disengagement in ethical decision making:
A study of antecedents and outcomes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 374-391
MRM – Year 1 – Term 3

Organizational Behavior Profª. Yuan (Echo) Liao

eyliao@iese.edu
Prof. Raphael Silberzahn
RSilberzahn@iese.edu

COURSE OUTLINE

2. Grant, A. (2007). Relational job design and the motivation to make a prosocial difference. Academy of
Management Review, 32, 393-417.
3. Haidt, J. (2001). The emotional dog and its rational tail: A social intuitionist approach to moral
judgment. Psychological Review, 108, 814-834.
4. LePine, J. A., Erez, A., & Johnson, D. E. (2002). The nature and dimensionality of organizational
citizenship behavior: A critical review and meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 52-65.
5. Robinson, S. L. & Bennett, R. J. (1995). A typology of deviant workplace behavior: A multidimensional
scaling study. Academy of Management Journal, 38, 555-572.
Recommended (not required):

6. Baumeister, R. F., Bratlavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., & Vohs, K. (2001). Bad is stronger than good. Review
of General Psychology, 3, 323-370.
7. Penner, L. Dovidio, J., Pillavin, J., & Schroeder, D. (2004). Prosocial behavior: Multilevel perspectives.
Annual Review of Psychology, 56, 365-392.

Session 7: Leadership, Power, and Politics

1. Anderson, C., & Brown, C. E. (2010). The functions and dysfunctions of hierarchy. Research in
Organizational Behavior, 30, 55-89.
2. Boeker, W. (1992). Power and managerial dismissal: Scapegoating at the top. Administrative Science
Quarterly, 37, 400-421.
3. French, J. R. P. Jr., & Raven, B. (1959). The bases of power. In D. P. Cartwright (Ed.), Studies in social
power (pp. 150-167). Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan.
4. Keltner, D, Gruenfeld, D., & Anderson, C. (2003). Power, approach, and inhibition. Psychological
Review, 110, 265-284.
5. Meindl, J. and Erlich, S. (1987). The romance of leadership and the evaluation of organizational
performance. Academy of Management Journal, 30, 91-109.

Recommended (not required):

1. Avolio, B. J., Walumbwa, F. O., & Weber, T. J. (2009). Leadership: Current theories, research, and
future directions. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 421-449.
2. Podolny, J. M., Khurana, R., & Hill-Popper, M. (2005). Revisiting the meaning of leadership. In B. M.
Staw & R. Kramer (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 26, pp. 1-36): Elsevier, JAI press.

Session 8: Groups and Teams

1. Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative
Science Quarterly, 44, 350-383.
2. Griffith, T.L. & Sawyer, J.E. (2010) Multilevel knowledge and team performance. Journal of
Organizational Behavior, 31, 1003-1031.
3. Hackman, J. R., & Wageman, R. (2005). When and how team leaders matter. In B. Staw & R. Kramer
(Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 26, pp. 37-74): Elsevier, JAI Press.
4. Ilgen, D. R., Hollenbeck, J. R., Johnson, M. & Jundt, D. (2005). Teams in organizations: From input-
process-output models to IMOI models. Annual Review of Psychology, 56, 517-543.
5. Marks, M. A., Mathieu, J. E., & Zaccaro, S. J. (2001). A temporally based framework and taxonomy of
team processes. Academy of Management Review, 26, 356-376.
MRM – Year 1 – Term 3

Organizational Behavior Profª. Yuan (Echo) Liao

eyliao@iese.edu
Prof. Raphael Silberzahn
RSilberzahn@iese.edu

COURSE OUTLINE

Recommended (not required):

6. Gibson, C. B., & Gibbs, J. (2006) Unpacking the concept of virtuality: The effects of geographic
dispersion, electronic dependence, dynamic structure and national diversity on team innovation.
Administrative Science Quarterly, 51, 451-495.
7. Guzzo, R. A. & Dickson, M. W. (1996). Teams in organizations: Recent research on performance and
effectiveness. Annual Review of Psychology, 47, 307-341.

Session 9: Organizational Culture and Identification

1. Ashforth, B. E., & Mael, F. (1989). Social identity theory and the organization. Academy of
Management Review, 14, 20-39.
2. Chatman, J. A., & Spataro, S. E. (2006). Using self-categorization theory to understand relational
demography-based variations in people's responsiveness to organizational culture. Academy of
Management Journal, 48, 321-331.
3. Dutton, J. E., Dukerich, J. M., & Harquail, C. V. (1994). Organizational images and member
identification. Administrative Science Quarterly, 39, 239-263.
4. Hofstede, G., Neuijen, B., Ohayv, D. D., & Sanders, G. (1990). Measuring organizational cultures: A
qualitative and quantiative study across twenty cases. Administrative Science Quarterly, 35, 286-316.
5. Schein, E. H. (1996). Culture: The missing concept in organization studies. Administrative Science
Quarterly, 41(2), 229-240.

Recommended (not required):

6. Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior. In S. Worchell and
W. G. Austin (Eds.), Psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 7-24). Chicago: Nelson-Hall.
7. Schneider, B., Salvaggio, A. N., & Subirats, M. (2002). Climate strength: A new direction for climate
research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 220-229.

Session 10: Individual, group, and organizational outcomes

1. Greenwald, A. G. (2012). There Is Nothing So Theoretical as a Good Method. Perspectives on

Psychological Science, 7(2), 99-108. [Article]
2. Maertz Jr, C., Griffeth, R., Campbell, N., Allen, D. (2007). The effects of perceived organizational support
and perceived supervisor support on employee turnover. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 28,
1059-1075. [Article]
3. Podsakoff, N. P., Whiting, S. W., Podsakoff, P. M., & Blume, B. D. (2009). Individual- and organizational-
level consequences of organizational citizenship behaviors: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied
Psychology, 94, 122-141. [Article]
4. Salancik, G. R. (1979). Field Stimulations for Organizational-Behavior Research. Administrative Science
Quarterly, 24(4), 638-649. [Article]
5. Staw, B. M. (1975). Attribution of causes of performance - general alternative interpretation of cross-
sectional research on organizations. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 13(3), 414-432.

Recommended (not required):

MRM – Year 1 – Term 3

Organizational Behavior Profª. Yuan (Echo) Liao

eyliao@iese.edu
Prof. Raphael Silberzahn
RSilberzahn@iese.edu

COURSE OUTLINE

1. Ibarra, H. (1999). Provisional selves: Experimenting with image and identity in professional
adaptation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44, 764-791. [Article]
Levin, D. Z., & Cross, R. (2004). The strength of weak ties you can trust: The mediating role of trust in effective
knowledge transfer. Management Science, 50(11),

Professor’s Biography
http://www.iese.edu/en/faculty-research/professors/faculty-directory/yuan--echo-liao/
http://www.iese.edu/en/faculty-research/professors/faculty-directory/raphael-silberzahn/

Office hours:
We are open to meeting with you whenever you would like. You are encouraged to send an email to make an
appointment in advance to facilitate availability. We will make ourselves available!