MGT 360 — Management & Organizational Behavior

This course will take us on a tour to discover the magic of organizations and how we get work done with them, increasingly with the help of AI.

We’ll start at the individual level; figure out what motivates us, how to navigate politics, work in teams, lead, and make decisions. Then we’ll jump up a level to look at organizational culture, competitive strategy and structure, and how to run organizations so the humans inside it are as happy and healthy as possible.

Finally we’ll figure out how to help organizations adapt, innovate and change continuously to stay competitive indefinitely. So stay tuned for a great semester ahead!

— Dr. Zell · Message me in Canvas

Instructor: Dr. Deone Zell · Email me in Canvas Only (will respond within 48 hours)
Office hours: Mondays and Tuesdays 2–4 PM via Zoom, and by appointment (this course is fully virtual)
For appointments: email me through Canvas

Class #13619 · Section 06 · fully online, synchronous
We meet: Wednesdays, 4:00–6:45 PM on Zoom (link on Canvas); sessions are recorded

This is an AI-native course. There is no textbook to buy — the course text is the twelve course chapters, readable online or downloadable in Word. Use AI throughout.

The one rule: never substitute AI output for your own judgment — the manager’s job you are preparing for is supervising intelligent tools while owning the decisions. This course practises that job every week.

1. Explain the core concepts of management and organizational behavior at the individual, group, and organizational levels, using accurate terminology.
2. Apply those concepts to the management of people and resources toward the accomplishment of organizational goals.
3. Practice the professional skills required to succeed in current and future organizations, including ethics, critical thinking, teamwork, communication, and the informed use of artificial intelligence.

• Textbook: none to buy. The twelve course chapters on this site are the course text. Cost: $0.
• Computer with webcam, microphone, and reliable internet. We meet on Zoom each week.
• AI access. Use ChatGPT Edu — available free to CSU students through the university — or another major AI assistant (Claude, Gemini). Free tiers are sufficient; no paid subscription is expected.
• Canvas. Canvas is where you turn things in: the weekly activities and the exams — plus grades and announcements. Everything you read lives on this site. Check that Canvas notifications are on.

How These Chapters Were Written

There is no textbook to buy. The twelve chapters were written for this course, with AI, using a generator prompt you can read and reuse.

Download the generator (.docx)

The point structure is the architecture of the course — each component below is a part of the weekly rhythm.

Component	Points	Weight	Notes
Before-class activities (12 × 10)	120	24%	Lowest dropped automatically
After-class activities (12 × 10)	120	24%	Lowest dropped automatically
Role presentation	100	20%	Once during the term, in your assigned chapter’s week
Midterm (Oct 14; Ch. 1–6)	80	16%	Multi-day window, multiple attempts
Final (finals week; cumulative, Ch. 1–12)	80	16%	Window on Canvas
Total	500	100%	Extra credit: reporting a genuine error in an exam item, via the error-report form

Pass standard for weekly work. Before-class and after-class activities are pass (10) / no pass (0). Generic answers do not pass. A late before-class activity is accepted for half credit (5 of 10) for one week after its due date; then it closes. After-class activities close at 11:59 PM on the night of class, because they depend on being in class. This is automated in Canvas.

Grading Scale

This course uses the plus/minus grading system.

A	A-	B+	B	B-	C+	C	C-	D+	D	D-	F
93-100	90-92	87-89	83-86	80-82	77-79	73-76	70-72	67-69	63-66	60-62	<60

Missed a class? Your lowest before-class and lowest after-class activity are dropped automatically, no explanation needed.

Every deadline lives in the Schedule below — one table, one source.

Read the week’s chapter, then answer one recurring question, identical every week:

10 pts, complete/incomplete — lowest dropped automatically.

Due Tuesday 11:59 PM, the night before class.

Submit in Canvas. Do the reading before the presentations on it; that is the whole point of going first.

Once during the term you present for five minutes inside one of these roles. Each is anchored to a critical-thinking skill from the APA Delphi expert consensus (Facione, 1990), and each ends the same way: with advice from a knowledgeable peer.

The five roles, in one line each

1. The Storyteller — find one true story that makes this week’s chapter real. Interpretation + inference
2. The Debater — find a genuine disagreement inside the chapter, argue both sides, then rule. Evaluation
3. The Futurist — take one concept from the chapter ten years out and say what to do now. Inference
4. The Case Analyzer — find two real cases the chapter doesn’t cover and run the analysis on both. Analysis + inference
5. The Deep Diver — follow one question the chapter raises but doesn’t settle, and explain what’s really going on. Explanation

Pick one. Full instructions for each are further down this section.

I want you to be a star. The culture of this class is that presenters get help. If you present next week, I will work with you — bring your draft, your half-idea, or your nerves to office hours (Mondays and Tuesdays 2–4 PM on Zoom). For appointments, email me through Canvas. Nobody needs to present cold.

Choosing your role

• 1. Your chapter is assigned in Canvas — find your name on the Find Your Chapter page.
• 2. Write your role next to your name in that chapter’s Presenter Doc (links in the Schedule) — first come, max three per role.
• 3. Done by Sep 2. Full templates and rules are below.

Shared rules, all roles

1. Everything anchors to this week’s chapter. Whatever role you chose, your story, debate, forecast, case, or dig must be built on a concept from the chapter you signed up for, named out loud. A great presentation on the wrong week’s material doesn’t pass.
2. You are the advisor. AI made the research cheap; you did it anyway, went further, and came back with counsel. The audience hears advice from a knowledgeable peer, not a book report.
3. Research with AI, then own it. Use any AI to gather, summarize, and stress-test (“argue against my advice”). Verify anything you’ll say out loud against a real source. Disclose the tools you used and what you overruled or corrected — that’s your judgment showing.
4. Close with your advice, or your “so what” for the class.

The Storyteller

Skill: interpretation + inference

Find one true story — from the news, an interview, or your own workplace — that makes this week’s chapter real. AI helps you find candidates and check facts; you pick the story only you can tell well.

Answer these, in order:

1. What happened? Tell the story with enough concrete detail that we can see it.
2. What concept(s) from the chapter did it illustrate?
3. What did you learn by applying the chapter material?
4. What thoughts or advice would you like to share with your peers?

The Debater

Skill: evaluation

Find a genuine disagreement inside this week’s chapter — one experts actually have. AI builds the strongest version of each side; you judge.

Answer these, in order:

1. What disagreement do you see, stated as a question with two live answers?
2. What is the strongest case for each side?
3. Where do you land, and what is your reasoning?
4. What would you like your peers to take away / think about?

The Futurist

Skill: inference

Pick one concept from this week’s chapter and take it ten years out. AI gathers predictions and where forecasters disagree; you decide who’s right.

Answer these, in order:

1. What concept(s) from this week’s chapter did you pick to look at ten years out?
2. Where is it going?
3. What do you think about where it’s going?
4. What advice or thoughts would you like to leave with your peers?

The Case Analyzer

Skill: analysis + inference

Find two real cases this week’s chapter doesn’t cover — a pair, the way the chapter pairs its own. AI helps you scout cases and assemble the facts; you run the analysis. I work the chapter’s pair in class each week; yours should be two the chapter never mentions.

Answer these, in order:

1. What happened in each case?
2. What concepts from the chapter explain what happened?
3. What could each case have done differently?
4. What warning signs might your classmates watch for in their own organizations?

The Deep Diver

Skill: explanation

Follow your curiosity into one question this week’s chapter raises but doesn’t settle. AI accelerates the dig; you decide what’s actually going on.

Answer these, in order:

1. What concept(s) from this week’s chapter hooked you, and why?
2. When you dug deeper, what did you learn?
3. What’s your explanation for what you found, and how confident are you?
4. What thoughts or advice would you like to leave your peers with?

What you turn in

Slide 1 — Your answers. Answers to the four questions, however you’d like to share them — images, words, whatever fits.

Slide 2 — Process and sources.

• How did you do your research? Did you use AI, and if so, what tool? (teach us!)
• What sources did you finally rely on that you deemed credible?

Nothing under 28pt on either slide.

Both slides go in your chapter’s Presenter Doc — the shared workspace for that week’s presenters. Add yours in presentation order; the Doc doubles as the week’s lineup. Due Tuesday 11:59 PM, the night before you present. Nothing is uploaded to Canvas — everything for the presentation lives in the Doc.

Presenter Docs by chapter (presentations begin Ch 2) — 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

How presentation week runs

	Section 06 · Synchronous
Presenters submit	Slides 1 and 2 in the Presenter Doc by Tuesday 11:59 PM, the night before you present Your chapter’s Presenter Doc (links above)
Presenting	Live on Zoom, five minutes
Everyone’s feedback	All of the week’s presentations are watched during class. Type your thoughts into the week’s Canvas Graded Survey as you watch, starting each thought with the presenter’s name. Then: what did you learn.
Survey due	Opens at the start of class; due 11:59 PM that same Wednesday. It is the week’s After-Class Activity and the measure of attendance.

Feedback for you

After each cycle closes, every presenter receives a private summary of the class’s feedback from the instructor via Canvas — the same three parts for everyone: what worked · the one thing to work on next time · what the class took away from your advice.

AI synthesizes the comments; the instructor reviews and owns every summary. Individual comments are never attributed.

One survey, two questions:

When it is due, and what each section does

	Section 06 · Synchronous
Due	Wednesday 11:59 PM, the night of class. The survey opens at the start of the session, and submitting it is also the measure of attendance.
Question 1 feedback for the presenters	Comment on all of the week’s presentations, typing as you watch them together in class.
Question 2 what did you learn	One takeaway from the session and why it matters to you.
Submit	Open the survey in Canvas (Sec 06 · Sync)

10 pts, completion + spot-checks, lowest dropped.

Midterm and Final will be a combination of MC and open-ended questions. The midterm will cover Chapter 1–6; the final will cover all chapters. For both classes, both the midterm and final will be available for multiple days and allow multiple attempts.

Fifteen sessions, twelve chapters.

Section 06 · Sync meets Wednesdays 4:00–6:45 PM on Zoom — everything you owe before class is due Tuesday 11:59 PM; the After-Class survey is due Wednesday 11:59 PM.

Key university dates

Date	What happens
Mon Aug 24	Weekday classes begin
Sat Sep 5 – Mon Sep 7	Labor Day — no instruction
Sun Sep 20	Last day to drop online (undergraduate)
Wed Nov 11	Veterans Day — campus closed, no classes
Thu Nov 26 – Sun Nov 29	Thanksgiving recess — no classes
Fri Dec 11	Last day of instruction
Sat Dec 12 – Fri Dec 18	Finals week

Per the CSUN Fall 2026 academic calendar.

Weekly rhythm

• Before-Class Activity — one recurring question, identical every week. 10 pts, complete/incomplete, lowest dropped.
  • Tuesday 11:59 PM, the night before class.
• After-Class Activity — peer commentary on the presenters, plus your own reflection. 10 pts, completion + spot-checks, lowest dropped.
  • Wednesday 11:59 PM, the night of class.

Wk	Meets	Ch	Topic and Chapter	Case pairing	Due Tuesdays 11:59 PM
1	Wed Aug 26	—	Overview; chapter assignments announced; choose your role in your Presenter Doc No chapter reading this week.	—	BC00 — Introductions Opens Wed Aug 26, 4:00 PM · due Tue Sep 1, 11:59 PM. No chapter Before-Class Activity this week.
2	Wed Sep 2	1	Managers and Managing · .docx · slides When do managers create value — and when are they just cost?	Bayer vs. Walmart	BC01 · AC01 No presenters — presentations begin Ch 2
3	Wed Sep 9	2	Individual Behavior · .docx · slides Person or situation — what actually drives behavior at work?	Microsoft vs. X	BC02 · AC02 Presenter Doc
4	Wed Sep 16	3	Motivation · .docx · slides Can you buy motivation?	Wells Fargo vs. Patagonia	BC03 · AC03 Presenter Doc
5	Wed Sep 23	4	Power and Politics · .docx Where does power actually come from?	OpenAI vs. Starbucks	BC04 · AC04 Presenter Doc
6	Wed Sep 30	5	Groups, Teams, and Communication · .docx When is a team more — or less — than the sum of its members?	Boeing vs. Toyota	BC05 · AC05 Presenter Doc
7	Wed Oct 7	6	Leadership · .docx Leadership performed vs. leadership practiced	Theranos vs. AMD	BC06 · AC06 Presenter Doc
8	Wed Oct 14	—	Midterm — Chapters 1–6	—	Window opens Oct 14, open several days, multiple attempts
9	Wed Oct 21	7	Decision-Making · .docx How do you decide well under uncertainty — and how would you know?	Zillow vs. Opendoor	BC07 · AC07 Presenter Doc
10	Wed Oct 28	8	Organizational Culture · .docx The values on the wall vs. the values in the room	Uber vs. Netflix	BC08 · AC08 Presenter Doc
11	Wed Nov 4	9	Strategy and Structure · .docx What makes a strategy and a structure fit — and what happens when they don’t?	Intel vs. NVIDIA	BC09 · AC09 Presenter Doc
—	Wed Nov 11	—	Veterans Day — campus closed	—	No class, no module
12	Wed Nov 18	10	Human Resources and AI · .docx Bias at scale or fairness at scale?	Workday vs. Unilever	BC10 · AC10 Presenter Doc
13	Wed Nov 25 (asynchronous this week)	11	Ethics and Social Responsibility · .docx What do good ends still owe?	FTX vs. CVS	BC11 · AC11 Presenter Doc
14	Wed Dec 2	12	Change and Innovation · .docx Change before you must — or because you must?	Adobe vs. Southwest	BC12 · AC12 Presenter Doc
15	Wed Dec 9	—	Review and synthesis	—	No graded work — last day of instruction Fri Dec 11
F	Dec 12–18	—	Final — cumulative, Chapters 1–12	—	Window in Canvas