Psychology 3694F 001
Teams and Work Groups in Organizations
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
WESTERN UNIVERSITY
LONDON CANADA
Department of Psychology
2022-23
Psychology 3694F Section 001
Teams and Work Groups in Organizations
- CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
This course examines and assesses psychological research on workgroups/teams. Particular attention is paid to issues associated with team composition, team processes, individual vs. group performance, and the organizational context in which teams operate. Methodological/statistical issues associated with workgroup/team research are given considerable emphasis.
Antirequisites: None.
Prerequisites: Psychology 2820E or both Psychology 2800E and 2810
3 seminar hours; Course Weight: 0.5
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: Dr. Natalie Allen
Office and Phone Number: Room 8412, SSC 519 661-3013
Office Hours: By appointment
Email: nallen@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: TBA
Office
Office Hours:
Email:
Time and Location of Classes: Monday 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
Room 66 University Community Centre
Delivery Method: In person
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Health and Wellness @Western https://www.uwo.ca/health/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
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 contact Accessible Education at aew@uwo.ca or 519-661-2147.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
The custom package of readings for Psychology 3694F is available from the Western Bookstore.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES & LEARNING OUTCOMES
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Learning Outcome |
Learning Activity |
Assessment |
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Knowledge of Key Theories / Findings Acquire knowledge about key theories and substantive research findings with respect to psychology research examining teams
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Reading & discussing course materials
Course instruction |
Course Test
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Knowledge of Methodologies Acquire knowledge about key methodological challenges faced -- and methodological strategies used -- by empirical researchers who study psychological issues associated teams
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Examining & discussing Method & Results sections of primary & meta-analytic studies Course instruction |
Course Test Research Translation (wherein understanding of methods of one’s chosen article is assessed) Research Essay (wherein methods are briefly described) |
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Application of Knowledge Enhance skills with respect to determining a cogent team-related psychological issue/question for which enough research has been done to merit some integration and application.
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Numerous examples of workplace relevance will be sought (from students), presented (by instructor), and discussed in class, so as to facilitate ideas for needed to forward a research essay proposal.
l |
Research Essay Proposal |
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Communication Skills Enhance written and verbal skills communication skills as they relate to the description of psychological phenomena related, to workplace teams.
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Preparing Research Translation & Essay
Participating in class discussions
Preparing for Group Project Presentation |
Research Translation
Research Essay
Participation in class discussions
Group Presentation |
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5.0 EVALUATION
The evaluation and testing formats for this course were created to assess the learning objectives as listed in section 4.0 and are considered necessary for meeting these learning objectives.
Research Translation 12.5 %
Research Essay Proposal 4.5 %
Course Exam 40 %
Project Presentation 10 %
Research Essay 25 %
Class Participation 8 %
5.1 POLICY ON MISSING COURSEWORK
Because this is an essay course, as per Senate Regulations, you must pass the essay component to pass the course. That is, the average mark for your written assignments (Research Translation & Research Essay) must be at least 50%.
The expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2099-level courses
72% 2100-2999 courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows Western’s 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
Note that in the event that course grades are significantly higher or lower than these averages, instructors may be required to make adjustments to course grades. Such adjustment might include the normalization of one or more course components and/or the re-weighting of various course components.
Policy on Grade Rounding: Please note that although course grades within the Psychology Department are rounded to the nearest whole number, no further grade rounding will be done. No additional assignments will be offered to enhance a final grade; nor will requests to change a grade because it is needed for a future program be considered. To maximize your grade, do your best on each and every assessment within the course.
All written assignments (Research Translation, Research Essay Proposal, & Research Essay) are due on the days indicated on this outline and are to be submitted on OWL. Late assignments, for which no medical or compassionate documentation are submitted, will receive a penalty of 3% per day.
6.0 ASSESSMENT / EVALUATION SCHEDULE
Research Translation October 3 Submit through OWL
Research Essay Proposal October 24 Submit through OWL
Course Test November 14
Team Project Presentations November 28 / December 5
Research Essay December 8 Submit through OWL
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Please note: Students are responsible for reading the assigned material prior to class
September 12 & 19 Introduction to Course / Overview of Team Research
Readings Hackman (1998)
Williams & Allen (2008)
Allen & Hecht (2004a)
West, Brodbeck & Richter (2004)
Allen & Hecht (2004b)
Richter, Dawson, & West (2011)
Harrison, Banks, Pollack, O’Boyle, & Short (2017)
September 26 Levels, Emergence, & Expectations in Teams
Readings Klein & Kozlowski (2000)
Allen & O’Neill (2015)
Sleesman, Hollenbeck, Spitzmuller, & Schouten (2018)
October 3 Team Contexts & Forms NOTE: Research Translation Due
Readings Hughes et al. (2016)
Krumm, Kanthak, Hartmann, & Hertel (2016)
Allen & O’Neill (2015) Revisited from last week
Discussion of Research Essay & Group Presentations
October 10 No class: Thanksgiving Day
October 17 Team Composition & Selection Issues
Readings Allen & West (2005)
Barrick, Stewart, Neubert & Mount (1998)
Harrison, Price, & Bell (1998)
Bell, Villado, Lukasik, Belau,& Briggs (2011)
October 24 Team Design Issues NOTE: Research Essay Proposal Due
Readings Carter, Mead, Stewart, Nielson, & Solimeo (2019)
Dirks (2000)
DeJong, Dirks, & Gillespie (2016)
Pearsall, Christian, & Ellis (2010)
Garbers & Konradt (2014)
October 31 No class: Fall Reading Week
November 7 Team Process Issues
Readings Barrick, Stewart, Neubert, & Mount (1998); revisited from October 5
Castano, Watts, & Tekleab (2013)
Farh, Lee, & Farh (2010)
O’Neill, Allen, & Hastings (2013)
Boies, Lvina, & Martens (2010)
Wang, Waldman, & Zhang, (2014)
November 14 Course Test
November 21 Group Presentation Work
November 28 &
December 5 Group Presentations
8.0 LAND ACKNOWLEDEMENT
We acknowledge that Western University is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron peoples, on lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum.
With this, we respect the longstanding relationships that Indigenous Nations have to this land, as they are the original caretakers. We acknowledge historical and ongoing injustices that Indigenous Peoples (e.g. First Nations, Métis and Inuit) endure in Canada, and we accept responsibility as a public institution to contribute toward revealing and correcting miseducation, as well as renewing respectful relationships with Indigenous communities through our teaching, research and community service.
9.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature, and avoiding the occurrence, of plagiarism and other scholastic offences. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offences because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offence 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 offences. 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).
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams will be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
In classes that involve the use of a personal response system (PRS), data collected using the PRS will only be used in a manner consistent to that described in this outline. It is the instructor’s responsibility to make every effort to ensure that data remain confidential. However, students should be aware that as with all forms of electronic communication, privacy is not guaranteed. Your PRS login credentials are for your sole use only. Students attempting to use another student’s credentials to submit data through the PRS may be subject to academic misconduct proceedings.
Possible penalties for a scholastic offence include failure of the assignment/exam, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
10.0 POLICY ON THE USE OF EXAM PROCTORING SOFTWARE
If a remote proctoring service is used, the service will require you to provide personal information (including some biometric data). The session will be recorded. In the event that in-person exams are unexpectedly canceled, you may only be given notice of the use of a proctoring service a short time in advance. More information about remote proctoring is available in the Online Proctoring Guidelines. Please ensure you are familiar with any proctoring service’s technical requirements before the exam. Additional guidance is available at the following link: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/onlineproctorguidelines.pdf
* Please note that Zoom servers are located outside Canada. If you would prefer to use only your first name or a nickname to login to Zoom, please provide this information to the instructor in advance of the test or examination. See this link for technical requirements: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us
11.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR ILLNESS OR OTHER ABSENCES
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
https://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:
- For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
- For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation.
https://www.registrar.uwo.ca/faculty_academic_counselling.html
Students seeking academic consideration:
- are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;
- must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hoursafter the end of the period covered SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence
Students seeking accommodation for religious purposes are advised to contact Academic Counselling at least three weeks prior to the religious event and as soon as possible after the start of the term.
12.0 Contingency Plan for Return to Lockdown
In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence during the course that necessitates the course delivery moving away from face-to-face interaction, all remaining course content will be delivered entirely online, either synchronously (i.e., at the times indicated in the timetable) or asynchronously (e.g., posted on OWL for students to view at their convenience). The grading scheme will not change. Any remaining assessments will also be conducted online as determined by the course instructor.
13.0 STATEMENTS CONCERNING ONLINE ETIQUETTE
In courses involving online interactions, the Psychology Department expects students to honour the following rules of etiquette:
- please “arrive” to class on time
- please use your computer and/or laptop if possible (as opposed to a cell phone or tablet)
- please ensure that you are in a private location to protect the confidentiality of discussions in the event that a class discussion deals with sensitive or personal material
- to minimize background noise, kindly mute your microphone for the entire class until you are invited to speak, unless directed otherwise
- In classes larger than 30 participants please turn off your video camera for the entire class unless you are invited to speak
- In classes of 30 students or fewer, where video chat procedures are being used, please be prepared to turn your video camera off at the instructor’s request if the internet connection becomes unstable
- Unless invited by your instructor, do not share your screen in the meeting
The course instructor will act as moderator for the class and will deal with any questions from participants. To participate please consider the following:
- If you wish to speak, use the “raise hand” function and wait for the instructor to acknowledge you before beginning your comment or question.
- Please remember to unmute your microphone and turn on your video camera before speaking.
- Self-identify when speaking.
- Please remember to mute your mic and turn off your video camera after speaking (unless directed otherwise).
General considerations of “netiquette”:
- Keep in mind the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students in the course.
- Be courteous toward the instructor, your colleagues, and authors whose work you are discussing.
- Be respectful of the diversity of viewpoints that you will encounter in the class and in your readings. The exchange of diverse ideas and opinions is part of the scholarly environment. “Flaming” is never appropriate.
- Be professional and scholarly in all online postings. Use proper grammar and spelling. Cite the ideas of others appropriately.
Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the chat function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious online offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct.
14.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services: www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site/Current Student Information for information on the following:
- 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
- Calendar References
If you wish to appeal a grade, please read the policy documentation at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/appealsundergrad.pdf
Please first contact the course instructor. If your issue is not resolved, you may make your appeal to the Undergraduate Chair in Psychology (psyugrd@uwo.ca).
Copyright Statement: All course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, videos and similar materials are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record classes, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute any course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
