COURSE NUMBER: EWMBAW254.1A
COURSE TITLE: Power and Politics in
Organizations (Online Version)
UNITS OF CREDIT: 2 Units
INSTRUCTOR: Cameron Anderson
E-MAIL ADDRESS: anderson@haas.berkeley.edu
CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION: https://bspace.berkeley.edu/portal
MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: Tuesdays 6:00-9:30PM,
7 meetings: Aug 26-Oct 9.
Note that this is a 100% online delivered course. There will be
“live” online sessions with Professor Anderson, mixing cases and lecture, on
Tuesday evenings. While you must be available during that time slot during Fall
B, you do not have to come to campus – all course content will be delivered via
the web.
PREREQUISITE(S): EWMBA205
CLASS FORMAT: Online activities,
group discussions, exercises, “live” cases and lectures, guest speakers,
videos, game-based simulations, polls and surveys. Online group video
conferencing will be used for live sessions and group collaboration.
REQUIRED READINGS: Course reader and
Robert Cialdini's INFLUENCE: THE PSYCHOLOGY
OF PERSUASION
BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE: There are smaller
assignments throughout the course, one short (2-page) paper, and a final
(10-page) paper. Participation is also a component of the grade.
System Requirements for Students: This class requires students to
have access to reliable broadband access and a modern browser. The supported
browsers are: Internet Explorer 7or above, Safari 4or above, Firefox 4or above,
Chrome 5or above. You'll l also need JavaScript and cookies enabled. A
student’s computer should also have a webcam. We have tested and recommended:
Logitech C910. The course also requires audio. For best audio experience we
recommend using a standard headset with microphone and speaker (Ex.: Logitech
H530). The students computer will need 256MB RAM with Windows XP or higher of
Mac OS X Leopard or higher installed.
ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:
This course is about the art and science of influence in
organizations. Many people are ambivalent, if not disdainful, of those who seek
to wield power and influence at work. But organizations are fundamentally
political entities, and power and influence are key mechanisms by which things
get done. For those considering careers in management, it is important to be
able to diagnose organizational politics in order to form and implement new
strategies. The other side of the coin is that managers are usually on the
receiving end of these processes as well. An astute manager knows how to
anticipate moves that others will make, how to block or avoid them when they
have consequences that are undesirable, and how to help these moves succeed
when their consequences are beneficial. After taking this course, you will be
able to: (1) diagnose the distribution of power in organizations, (2) identify
strategies for building sources of power, (3) develop techniques for
influencing others, and (4) understand the role of power in building
cooperation and leading change in an organization. These skills will be
invaluable to you throughout your career.
The content and objectives will be very similar to the “in-person”
version of the course, but this course will present information through
multiple media and provide students more flexibility in when and how they learn
the material. Much of the course will be accessible “anytime” from “anywhere”
(known as asynchronous learning). There will also be “live” online session with
Professor Anderson and smaller, group sessions, both over video conference
(known as synchronous learning).
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:
Cameron Anderson received his Ph.D. in Psychology from the
University of California, Berkeley. Before coming to Haas, he taught at Kellogg
School of Management (Northwestern University) and at the Stern School of
Business (New York University). He was voted Professor of the Year by the MBA
students at the Stern School in 2005 and received the Cheit Outstanding
Teaching Award at Haas in 2008. His primary research interests involve power
and status in organizations, teams, and negotiations. His research has been
published in journals such as Psychological Review, Academy of Management
Journal, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, the Journal of
Applied Psychology, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and the European
Journal of Social Psychology.
TECHNICAL NOTE ON HEADSET REQUIREMENTS:
The audio part of the live lectures is conducted via a regular
phone - not via computer. To ensure optimal audio quality and a convenient
listening experience we suggest using a headset with microphone boom to be used
with your landline phone. A mobile phone can also be used but you carrier might
charge you for minutes. The following web-sites offer a compatibility guide to
search for a headset to match your phone:
http://www.jabra.com/headsets-and-speakerphones/compatibilityguide