Course Description
This course will focus on creating and maintaining a learning environment to drive organizational adaptability and sustainability in a highly competitive global environment. This course presents an analysis of the major constructs of a learning organization, motivational theory, organizational culture, diversity, ethics, and leadership styles and behaviors at the individual, group, and organizational levels. This course provides students the opportunity to analyze their organization and culture in the context of a learning organization and create comprehensive recommendations to create or further develop these principles and behaviors. This is the first course to be taken by students enrolled in the Organizational Leadership major. Formerly titled: Learning Community (3 credits)
Prerequisite
- Formal admission into the Master’s in Organizational Leadership program.
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Apply various learning community theories and models to organizational dilemmas.
- Assess the influences of diversity on a learning community from interpersonal, group, and organizational behavior perspectives in making organizational decisions.
- Evaluate various leadership types and analyze the influences of leadership styles on the organization at various levels (individual, group, and organizational).
- Formulate a learning community based on the various theoretical characteristics.
- Assess the various pros and cons related to formulating a learning community.
Applicable Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
- PLO 1. Assess and design learning communities in organizations.
- PLO 2. Evaluate and formulate an individual leadership style.
- PLO 3. Develop professional communication skills.
- PLO 7. Design and implement organizational change processes.
- PLO 8. Create strategies to support intercultural/global inter-relationships.
- PLO 9. Develop strategies that support the advancement of organization's vision and mission.
- PLO 13.Conduct research utilizing online sources and databases and write research papers that analyze and synthesize information and data gathered.
Course Activities and Grading
| Assignments | Points |
|---|---|
Discussion Questions (Non-Gradable): 1 Discussion Question @ 0 points each | 0 |
Discussion Questions: 10 Discussion Questions @ 30 points each | 300 |
Short Research Papers: 3 @ 100 points each | 300 |
Application Papers: 2 @ 200 points each | 400 |
Total Points | 1,000 |
Required Textbooks
Available through Charter Oak State College's online bookstore
- Senge, Peter M. The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization. REV 06. Currency Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-0-385-51725-6
Additional Required Materials
- Harvard Coursepack Articles (HCAs):
See Week 1 Course Content for instructions on how to purchase these articles. These articles cannot be purchased through the Charter Oak State College Bookstore.
- Bonchek- Design How Your Team Thinks
- McKenna-Build a Strong Learning Culture on Your Team
- Edmondson-Strategies from Learning from Failure
- McGrath-Failing by Design
- Edmundson-The Competitive Imperative of Learning
- Worley & Lawler III-Designing Organizations That are Built to Change
- Meuser & Smallfield-Servant Leadership: The Missing Community Component
- No Author-Motivation: The Not-So-Ingredient of High Performance
- Goleman-What Makes a Leader?
Supplemental Required Readings / Resources
- Links to additional supplemental readings / articles are provided in the weekly course shells at no cost to the student.
Course Schedule
Week | PLOs | SLOs | Readings and Exercises | Assignments |
1 | 1 | 1 | Topic: Introduction to the Learning Organization
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2 | 1 | 1 | Topic: Disciplines of the Learning Organization
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3 | 1 | 1 | Topic: Application of the Learning Organization
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4 | 1,2,3,7,9 | 1,3,4 | Topic: Organizational Learning
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5 | 1,2,8 | 2,3 | Topic: Organizational Culture
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6 | 2 | 3 | Topics: Leadership Approaches- Situational Approach & Path-Goal Theory
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7 | 2 | 3 | Topics: Servant Leadership & Motivation
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8 | 1-3, 7-9, 13 | 1-5 | Topics: Ethics & Course Wrap-up
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Students Please Note:
- It is the student’s responsibility to understand all course requirements and policies as identified in the course syllabus and / or Blackboard.
- Grading polices, course rubrics, and student expectations will be found in the Course Policies Section of Blackboard. Detailed assignment instructions will be found in the Weekly Course Modules and Discussion Board sections of Blackboard.
- All items in this syllabus, including course assignments and due dates, are subject to change at the discretion of the course instructor. It is the student’s responsibility to check Blackboard for corrections or updates to the syllabus. All changes will be clearly communicated to the students in the Course Announcement section in Blackboard.
COSC Accessibility Statement
Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.
COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources
Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.