INLS 585: MANAGEMENT FOR INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS

Spring 2007

Description ... Conduct of Class ... Objectives ... Textbook ... Assignments ... Grading Policy ... Honor System

"Management sets the tone and determines the strategic goals.
Management is responsible for a company's success or failure.
Management sets deadlines, dress codes, corporate educational policies and determines if incompetents stay in the company."
--Irv Wendell

"I am hurt, but I'm not dead
I am wounded, but I'm not slain
I'll lay me down and bleed awhile
Then rise to fight again."
-- Old Scottish Proverb

Course Description

INLS 585 provides a general introduction to the principles of management. Although the focus of the course is on managing information agencies (libraries, information centers, and the like), the principles taught are applicable to any management setting and are important for information professionals to know. Emphasis is on understanding organizational behavior. A wide range of topics are covered: the organizational environment, planning and decision making, staffing, organizing, team building and conflict management, finance and budgeting, problem solving, leadership and organizational change.

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Conduct of the Course

We will rely on a textbook in this class chosen to emphasize the connection of management to the world of your experience. The textbook and class activities are designed to encourage you to reflect on past experiences in light of readings and discussions about course topics. Case material and exercises provided in the text will be used for class engagement. You will occasionally be asked to select supplemental readings relevant to your interests and to comment on them. Some supplementary readings will also be assigned, particularly on budgeting and finance, topics not included in the textbook; other readings will be identified as suggestions for your exploration.

A schedule showing dates, topics and major assignments will act as an overall guide. An agenda for each class and often additional materials will be posted on Blackboard at least 48 hours prior to the class. Discussion forums will be used to post your short papers and for your reflections on in-class activities. Some face-to-face classes will be cancelled in order to allow you sufficient time to engage in online discussions.

Most of our classes will consist of exercises and small group work with some short lectures and presentations by student groups. Your participation and thoughtful discussion of the various exercises will make the class a successful learning experience for you. As the class exercises and discussion are an integral part of the course, you attendance at every class is expected. If you will be unavoidably absent, please notify the instructor before the class (or as soon afterward as you can) and enlist the help of a classmate to take notes and collect handouts for you.

By the end of the course you should have a sense of how you would like to manage other people and how you would like to be managed. You should have a clear idea of the sort of organizational culture you would find most supportive for you as a worker and as a manager. Since almost every SILS graduate becomes a manager (and many have management responsibilities in their first position), it is important to get a good grounding in management in INLS 585. You will find this course provides useful background for advanced courses in type of library or other contexts. I hope it will provide a pathway for your continued learning about management, leadership and how organizations work.

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Objectives of the Course

To develop personal managerial skills, a philosophy about management, and the ability to think like a manager To understand the management tasks within an organizational setting and the role of the professional within an organization To develop strategies to deal with the routine and expected as well as the unknown in organizational and professional life To define the elements of a high performance/high commitment organizational culture and to feel confident that you can contribute to and help create such a culture To demonstrate leadership and good collaborative skills in working with classmates and the instructor to make the class an effective and efficient learning environment To develop strategies for continued learning about management and continued development of leadership skills

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Textbook and Additional Readings

The required textbook for the class is:

Joyce S. Osland, David A. Kolb, and Irwin M. Rubin. Organizational Behavior: An Experiential Approach. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Either the 7th edition, 2001, ISBN: 0-13-017610-9 or the 8th edition, 2007, ISBN: 0-13-1441515.

The older edition is available as a used book through Amazon or other used book dealers for prices ranging from $20. The 8th edition is very new and is available from the bookstore. The publisher's price is $126.67.

Two copies of the 8th edition plus copies of the 7th edition will be on reserve in the SILS library.

Several supplementary books useful for the course are also on reserve for INLS 585 in the SILS Library.

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Course Requirements and Grading

Graded activities include the following:

• Five short individual papers
• Four group projects (cases) requiring a written analysis and class presentation
• Individual analysis of the group dynamics of three of the group projects

There are no exams. Class participation is also graded.

Details for each assignment are provided through the Assignments section of Blackboard. The table below shows the name of the assignment, whether individual (I) group (G) or team (T), the date due, and the point value.

Assignment Name	I, G or T	Date Due	Point Value
Psychological Contract	I	Jan. 22	10
Case 1	G	Feb. 5	10
Analysis of Case 1 Group	I	Feb. 7	5
Organization Analysis Paper	I or T	Feb. 12	10
Case 2	G	Feb. 26	10
Analysis of Case 2 Group	I	Feb. 28	5
Conflict or Difference Paper	I	Mar. 7	10
Budget Exercise	G	Mar. 26	10
Analysis of Budget Group	I	Apr. 2	5
Board of Directors Paper	I	Apr. 9	10
Case 3	G	Apr. 18	10
Planning/Marketing Paper	I or T	May 2	10

Class participation is worth 20 points. The total point for graded assignments and participation is 125. To bring it back to 100 points, I will drop the lowest grade on one of your individual papers; I will also drop the lowest grade on one of your group assignments as well as one of your group analyses.

I am willing to entertain alternatives to the assignments above if your particular situation suggests that you would benefit from it. If you wish to substitute something different for one or more of the assignments, please contact me with your alternative proposal and I'm sure we can work something out.

My expectation is that you will all do satisfactory graduate level work, recognized in this university by a grade of P. If your work falls below that level, I will let you know. Some of you will do outstanding work considerably above the expected level and I'll let you know this as well.

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Grading Policy

Graduate students may receive the following grades: H, P+, P, P-, L, F. Although pluses and minuses are used in the internal grades awarded by the school, only H, P, L, and F will appear on the official transcript. Pluses and minuses on the internal record are used to determine class rank and Beta Phi Mu candidacy. The SILS grading policy is based on the University Grading Policy. SILS uses the graduate grading scale, which is defined as follows:

H - Clear excellence
P - Entirely satisfactory
L - Low passing
F - Failed
IN - Work incomplete

To provide some additional guidelines for this course, here is my interpretation of the grading scale for INLS 585.

• P = Satisfactory work at the graduate level. Student performance meets designated course expectations, demonstrates understanding of the course materials, and performs at an acceptable level. In INLS 585, this means the student demonstrates understanding of issues through active participation throughout the semester showing familiarity with the course materials. The student participates in discussions both online and in class with relevant comments. Written assignments are thoughtful and adhere to the stated requirements.

• P+ = Excellent achievement. Student performance demonstrates deep knowledge of the course materials and exceeds course expectations by completing all requirements in a superior manner. In INLS 585, this means the student shows command of the basic required readings as well as supplemental materials and demonstrates this through class and forum discussions and in written assignments. The student participates in issues discussions and shares ideas with classmates.

• P- = Marginal work. Student performance demonstrates incomplete understanding of course materials. In INLS 585, this means the student may have read the required materials, but fails to provide meaningful discussion and fails to raise questions of merit or to think beyond personal experiences and needs. Basic requirements for the written assignments are met, but there are few signs of critical thought or creative vision. The student may have unexplained absences.

• H = Outstanding achievement. Student performance demonstrates full command of the course materials and evinces a high level of originality and/or creativity that surpasses course expectations. In INLS 585, this means the student has contributed on a regular basis to the in-class activities and the discussion forums with insightful and critical comments supported by professional literature beyond that provided by the basic required readings. Command and understanding of the literature is shown in major written assignments and is documented clearly. The H student initiates issue discussions, leads in summary and conclusions, and shares knowledge with classmates. Leadership and initiative are demonstrated throughout the semester.

• L = Unsatisfactory work. Student performance demonstrates incomplete and inadequate understanding of course materials and/or is frequently absent.

• F = Failing. Student may continue in the program only with permission of the dean.

• IN = Incomplete. A grade of incomplete may be taken only because of illness or special circumstances and only by prior arrangement with the instructor.

I will use a 100 point scale to grade your work in INLS 585, as follows:

95-100 = H
90-94 = P+
80-89 = P
73-79 = P-
60-72 = L
Below 60 = F

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Honor System

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has had a student-administered honor system and judicial system for over 100 years. Because academic honesty and the development and nurturing of trust and trustworthiness are important to all of us as individuals, and are encouraged and promoted by the honor system, this is a most significant University tradition. The system is the responsibility of students and is regulated and governed by them, but faculty share the responsibility and readily commit to its ideals. If students in this class have questions about their responsibility under the honor code, please bring them to me or consult with the Office of the Dean of Students or the Instruments of Student Judicial Governance. This document contains all policies and procedures pertaining to the student honor system. The Honor Code is in effect in this course.

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Evelyn Daniel
Rev. 1/2/2007.