The ART and SCIENCE of the ORGANIZATION
 Contact Information

DYNM 201 - 001: Team Dynamics in Organizational Settings

Program Information

This is an undergraduate course.

Faculty: William Wilkinsky, PhD

Session Information

This course starts on 01/19/2010 during the Spring 2010 Semester.

Meeting Day(s): Tuesday
Meeting Time(s): 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.

Course Information

The information on this page is intended only to provide, as is available, a summary of the course objectives, requirements, and readings. A full course syllabus will be given out in class.

Description

This course is proposed to be part of the new minor on Budgeting, Finance, Leadership, and Teamwork (B-FLAT Minor), now being developed by the College of Arts and Sciences.

This class explores the formation and development processes of effective organization and work teams. We will engage in a blend of discussion, theory, and practical experiences. Topics include leadership, communications, norms, decision making, problem solving, interpersonal dynamics, phases of team development, and controlling barriers to effective teams. Students will be assigned to a core team and will work with that team throughout the semester. Each group will have as its goal developing itself into a high-performing team. Advanced graduate students from the Organizational Coaching concentration of the Organizational Dynamics Master's program will facilitate and support each team.

Course material will be covered through lecture, small and large group discussions, learning activities, readings, and assignments. Topics that will be covered include:

  • Team formation
  • Leadership
  • Communications
  • Dealing with difficult team members/leaders
  • Knowing yourself
  • Roles
  • Norms
  • Problem solving and decision making
  • Closure

Requirements

  • Readings
  • Participation in team learning activities and discussions (10% or final grade)
  • Participation in a coaching project including data gathering, analysis, feedback, and action planning
  • Written assignments


    1. Contrast two models of Group Development (25% of final grade)
    2. Using a theoretical framework/model, discuss team evolution and your role(s) in that evolution. This paper, tracking an organic development process, should be founded in theory and team literature. (60% of final grade)

Readings

Readings will be assigned from the following:

  • Atkins, Stuart.,The Name of Your Game
  • Atkins, Stuart, LIFO Discovery Workbook
  • Napier and Gershenfeld, Groups: Theory and Practice
  • Katzenback and Smith, The Wisdom of Teams
  • Bulkpack

3401 Walnut Street
Suite 328A
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Campus Map • MapQuest

T: 215-898-6967
F: 215-898-8934

dynamics@sas.upenn.edu