Organizational Behavior

Master

The participants:
• are familiar with key concepts, theories, and models of Organizational Behavior, as well as their ongoing development in current international research discourse.
• understand individual, group, and organizational behavior within organizations, taking into account motivational, cognitive, and affective processes and their interactions.
• apply OB concepts to real management and organizational problems and transfer evidence-based insights from current research to practical questions.
• analyze dynamics in teams, leadership situations, and organizations, including team processes, psychological safety, and interpersonal interactions.
• critically evaluate management practices in terms of motivation, performance, and culture, incorporating empirical findings on work design, engagement, diversity, and organizational effectiveness.
• develop evidence-based solutions for organizational challenges (e.g., leadership, change, collaboration), considering current developments such as digitalization, new forms of work, and organizational uncertainty.

None

• Introduction & Foundations (organizational behavior as an interdisciplinary field; behavior in organizations; individual–group–organization; role of management & context)
• Individual Behavior (perception; attitudes; job satisfaction; emotions; personality; values; diversity & inclusion)
• Motivation & Performance (motivation theories; job design; incentive systems; justice; engagement)
• Decision & Behavior (individual and organizational decision-making; biases; creativity & innovation; ethical decisions)
• Groups & Teams (group processes; roles; norms; team dynamics; team performance; conflict)
• Communication (interpersonal communication; digital communication; cultural differences; barriers; the role of social interactions and communication patterns in team and organizational success)
• Leadership (leadership theories; leadership styles; power and influence; trust; modern leadership approaches; the relationship between leadership and psychological safety)
• Power, politics & negotiation (bases of power; organizational politics; influence strategies; conflict management; negotiations; the role of structure and work design in motivation, performance, and collaboration)
• Organizational Structures (structural forms; coordination; centralization vs. decentralization; organizational design)
• Organizational culture & change (culture models; learning; change management; organizational development; the role of culture in psychological safety, inclusion, and organizational learning)
• Work & well-being (stress; health; work–life balance; safety; productive vs. counterproductive behavior; interactions between demands and resources; the role of engagement and working conditions in health and performance)
Work & Well-being (stress; health; work-life balance; safety; productive vs. counterproductive behavior)
• Sustainable Organizations (linking organizational behavior and sustainability; responsible organizations; transformation)

• Gelfand, M. J., & Erez, M. (2024) (Hrsg.). The Oxford handbook of cross-cultural organizational behavior. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
• Jex, S. M., Britt, T. W., & Thompson, C. A. (2024). Organizational psychology and organizational behavior: Evidence-based lessons for creating sustainable organizations. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
• Kouchaki, M., & Smith, I. H. (2025). Moral decision-making in organizations. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 12, 45–72.
• Neck, C. P., Houghton, J. D., & Murray, E. L. (2024). Organizational behavior: A skill-building approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Pearce, C. L., & Locke, E. A. (2023). Principles of organizational behavior. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
• Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2026). Essentials of organizational behavior. Harlow, UK: Pearson.

Exam
Seminar paper

German

6

The course is based on an e-learning concept that incorporates a didactically aligned combination of online and in-person phases. During the online phases, an inductive learning approach is applied, fostering the independent acquisition of knowledge and the completion of tasks. The in-person phases follow a deductive approach, in which learning processes are guided and deepened, and content is systematically delivered through lectures as well as practical examples.

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