AN EXPERIENTIAL CAPSTONE FOR STUDENTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Abstract

The benefits of experiential exercises for making conceptual material more dynamic and relevant, thus enhancing students' learning and developing their skills, are well documented. Presented here is an easy‐to‐administer roleplay that enables students to integrate a wide range of concepts covered in a typical organizational behavior course. Participants assume the roles of members of a food services department attending their weekly staff meeting. At the meeting, the new department manager announces that the previous manager has just resigned Each roleplayer has a different perspective on the problem‐riddled department, and none has a complete set of relevant information. Because the roleplayers have engaging issues, students participate actively, practicing managerial behaviors as they experience various organizational phenomena. An assessment of the exercise indicates its usefulness for developing students' skills, imparting an appreciation for the realities of organizational life, and provoking introspection and self‐learning.

Citation

Comer, D.R. (1993), "AN EXPERIENTIAL CAPSTONE FOR STUDENTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR", The International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. 1 No. 1, pp. 97-114. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb028785