Psychology 4690G-001
Special Topics in Industrial and Organizational Psychology: The Psychology of Leadership
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
Selected topics of current interest in industrial and organizational psychology.Prerequisites: Psychology 2820E, or both Psychology 2800E and 2810, plus registration in third or fourth year Honours Specialization in Psychology or Honours Specialization in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
Other Psychology students and Psychology Special Students who receive 75% in the prerequisite courses may enrol in this course.
3 seminar hours, 0.5 course
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: John Meyer, PhDOffice and Phone Number: 8411 SSC; (519) 661-3679
Office Hours: by appointment
Email: meyer@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: Chelsea Vaters, MSc
Office: 8424D SSC
Office Hours: by appointment
Email: cvaters@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Lectures: WL-257; Monday, 1:30-4:30
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you. Please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
For required course readings, see Class Schedule4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course will address leadership in organizations from a psychological perspective. We will discuss the evolution of theory pertaining to leader emergence and effectiveness and evaluate these theories in terms of research support and practical implications (e.g., leader selection and development). We will examine leadership from the perspective of the leaders as well as their followers, and will address a number of the challenges faced by leaders in modern organizations. The overall objective of the course is to develop students’ ability to critically evaluate leadership theory and research and to help them gain a better understanding of what it takes to be an effective leader.5.0 EVALUATION
Attendance and Participation (10%): Students are required to attend class and participate in the general discussion of issues as well as in-class exercises.Midterm Test (30%). The midterm test will cover reading and lecture materials for Weeks 1 – 5 (see lecture schedule) and will consist of short answer and short essay questions. The test will be two hours in length and will be written during class time.
Final Test (30%): The final test will cover reading and lecture materials for Weeks 1 – 11 with emphasis on Weeks 6 – 11 (see lecture schedule) and will consist of short answer and short essay questions. The test will be two hours in length and will be written during the final exam period.
Term Paper (20%). Students will be required to submit a 2500-word term paper by 11:59 pm on the last day of class (Tuesday April 4, 2015). Details are provided in the Appendix. Late papers will be penalized at a rate of 10% per day.
In-class Presentation (10%). Students will be required to provide a short report to the class based on their term paper research. Presentations will be scheduled during the last two classes. Details are provided in the Appendix.
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2190-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows the University of Western Ontario grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf ):
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
Final Test: TBA (Final exam period) (text & lecture material from Jan. 4 to Apr. 4)
Term Paper: Due Apr. 4 at 11:59pm
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Date Topic and Assigned Reading
Jan 4 Introduction and Overview
Jan 11 The `Right Stuff’ for Leadership?
Required Reading:
Hoffman, B.J., Woehr, D.J., Maldagen-Youngjonh, R., & Lyons, B.D. (2011). Great man or great myth? A quantitative review of the relationship between individual differences and leader effectiveness. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 94, 347-381.
Zaccaro, S.J. (2007). Trait-based perspectives of leadership. American Psychologist, 62(1), 6-16.
Optional Reading:
Cherniss, C. (2010). Emotional intelligence: Toward clarification of a concept. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 3(2), 110-126.
Jan 18 Best Practices in Leadership?
Required Reading:
Vroom, V.H., & Jago, A.G. (2007). The role of the situation in leadership. American Psychologist, 62(1), 17-24.
Yukl, G. (2012). Effective leadership behavior: What we know and what questions need more attention. Academy of Management Perspectives, 26, 67-84.
Jan 25 Charismatic & Transformational Leadership
Required Readings:
Bass, B.M. (1997). Does the transactional-transformational leadership paradigm transcend organizational and national boundaries? American Psychologist, 52, 130-139.
House, R.J., & Aditya, R.N. (1997). The social scientific study of leadership: Quo vadis? Journal of Management, 23, 409-473. Read pp. 439-443
Judge, T.A., & Piccolo, R.F. (2004). Transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analytic test of their relative validity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89, 755-768.
Feb 1 Leadership Theories for a New Era
Required Reading:
Hannah, S.T., Sumanth, J.J., Lester, P., & Cavarretta, F. (2014). Debunking the false dichotomy of leadership idealism and pragmatism: Critical evaluation and support of the newer genre leadership theories. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 35, 598-621.
Mumford, M.D. & Fried, Y. (2014). Give them what they want or give them what they need? Ideology in the study of leadership. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 35, 622-634.
Feb 8 Romance of Leadership?
Required Reading:
Avolio, B.J., Reichard, R., Hannah, S.T., Walumbwa, F.O., & Chan, A. (2009). A meta-analytic review of leadership impact research: Experimental and quasi-experimental studies. Leadership Quarterly, 764-784.
Bligh, M.C., Kohles, J.C., & Pillai, R. (2011). Romancing leadership: Past, present, and future. Leadership Quarterly, 22, 1058-1077.
Meindl, J. R., Ehrlich, S. B., & Dukerich, J. M. (1996). The romance of leadership. Administrative Science Quarterly, 30, 78-102). (page assignment will be announced in class)
Feb 22 Mid-Term Test
Feb 29 Leadership from a Follower’s Perspective
Required Reading:
Gagné, M., & Deci, E.L. (2005). Self-determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26, 331-362. Read pp. 331-346; 345-347
Uhl-bein, M., Riggio, R.E., Lowe, K.B., & Carsten, M.K. (2014). Followership theory: A review and research agenda. Leadership Quarterly, 25, 83-104.
Mar 7 Gender Differences in Leadership
Required Reading:
Eagly, A.H., & Karau, S.J. (2002). Role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders. Psychological Review, 109, 573-598.
Additional reading to be assigned.
Mar 14 Leader Development
Required Reading:
Day, D.V. (2001). Leadership development: A review in context. Leadership Quarterly, 11, 581-613.
McCall, M.W. (2010). Recasting leadership development. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3, 3-19.
Mar 21 A Look Back and a Look Ahead
Required Reading:
DeRue, D.S., Nahrgang, J.D., Wellman, N. & Humphrey, S.E. (2011). Trait and behavioral theories of leadership: An integration and meta-analytic test of their relative validity. Personnel Psychology, 64, 7-52.
Hackman, J.R., & Wageman, R. (2007). Asking the right questions about leadership. American Psychologist, 62, 43-47.
Mar 28 Student Presentations
Apr 4 Student Presentations
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
The University of Western Ontario’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2015/pg117.html
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2015 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.
Appendix
Term Papers and Presentations
Term Paper (2500 word limit)
Students will be required to identify an organizational leader of their choice and to conduct an investigation of that leader’s background and accomplishments. Students must select and identify their choice for the class meeting on January 18, 2016. Papers are must be submitted through turnitin.com in OWL by11:59pm on the last day of class (Tuesday April 4, 2015). Late papers will be penalized at a rate of 10% per day.
The written report should address the following questions:
• What leadership role did this individual play?
• What is the evidence that this leader was effective?
• Did the leader have limitations or make mistakes? If so, how were these addressed?
• How well can this leader’s successes (or failures) be explained by existing leadership theories?
• In what ways do leadership theories fall short in helping to explain this leader’s effectiveness? Are you aware of any other theories that help to address these shortcomings?
In-class Presentation
Students will be given 15 minutes during one of the last two classes (March 28 & April 4) to summarize the results of their research on their leader of choice. The focus of the presentation should be on the same questions as the term paper. Students can present audio or visual materials to supplement their presentation, but these should not take up more than half of the allotted time.
