COURSE NUMBER: MBA254.3A
This course is dual-listed
with the EWMBA Program.
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 during Fall A (August 27 – October 8).
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): MBA205
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.
INSTRUCTOR STREAMING VIDEO:
http://video.haas.berkeley.edu:24874/ramgen/media-services/professors/anderson.rm
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.
This session of Professor
Anderson’s “Power & Politics” course is the first fully online delivered
course at Haas. 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