Organizational Leadership

OEL 501 - Driv Org Adaptability-Learning Orgs (3 credits)

This course will focus on creating and maintaining a learning environment to drive organizational adaptability and sustainability in a highly competitive global environment. This course presents an analysis of the major constructs of a learning organization, motivational theory, organizational culture, diversity, ethics, and leadership styles and behaviors at the individual, group, and organizational levels. This course provides students the opportunity to analyze their organization and culture in the context of a learning organization and create comprehensive recommendations to create or further develop these principles and behaviors. This is the first course to be taken by students enrolled in the Organizational Leadership major. (Formerly Titled: Learning Community).

OEL 520 - Exect Ldrshp & Influen in 20st Cent (3 credits)

This course will focus on the premise that everyone is capable of being a leader. Students will examine their own leadership style through the use of leadership assessment tools and literature reviews. These will include a number of alternative perspectives of leadership, including contemporary styles. Students will analyze these styles along with information from the assessments, apply them using action learning methods, and develop their own personal model of leadership. (Formerly Titled: Personal Leadership).Prerequisite: OEL 501

OEL 525 - Team Dynam & Proc in Mdrn Wrk Teams (3 credits)

This course will focus on exposing students to the social and psychological effects of group and team dynamics on an organization's ability to stay competitive in a global environment. Students will have an opportunity to explore various concepts associated with the formation of groups, inter-and intra-group relations, and other methods for measuring and improving group effectiveness. Emphasis will be placed on theory and practice related to the various types of leadership teams, team cohesiveness, group communication, conflict resolution, and other concepts related to group processes and team dynamics. (Formerly Titled: Group Process & Team Dynamics). Prerequisite: OEL 501

OEL 530 - Organizational Development (3 credits)

This course will focus on allowing students to gain insights into the history and development of the principles of organizational structure and design. Students will explore the complexities associated with achieving a high performing organization, & consider the influence of such factors as organizational goals, life cycle, culture, and environment on organizational design and decision making. This course will place emphasis on the roles of key business disciplines in achieving the organization's mission. (Formerly Titled: Organizational Development Landscape) Prerequisite: OEL 501

OEL 541 - Strat Mgt & Creat Econ Val in Orgs (3 credits)

This course will focus on introducing students to the key principles of creating economic value in an organization. Students will learn how to use various strategic, economic, and financial tools to analyze the current competitive condition of an organization and create an organizational business strategy to promote business sustainability and resilience. (Formerly Titled:Business & Economics of an Organization) Prerequisite: OEL 501

OEL 542 - Leadership Comms-Strategy & Pract (3 credits)

This course presents communication as integral to management strategy and as a critical component for success in the workplace. In this class, you will develop a foundation for designing effective messages, both written and oral, from concept to delivery. You will use a strategic communication model to identify objectives, analyze audiences, choose information, and create the most effective arrangement and channel for that message. Particularly, the course emphasizes elements of persuasive communication: how to design messages for diverse and possibly resistant audiences and how to present that information in a credible and convincing way. (Formlery Titled: Effective Communication) Prerequisite: OEL 501

OEL 553 - Nonprofit Strategic & Operation Mgt (3 credits)

This course is designed to allow students to gain competencies necessary to manage nonprofit organizations. This course focuses on current issues, theoretical perspectives, federal and state regulations and reporting requirements, policies, and methods in the development and management of a nonprofit organization. The course places additional emphasis on strategic planning, marketing, identifying financial resources (grants, fundraising, etc.), management of finances (making operational and capital budgeting decisions) and human resources—that includes volunteers, information technology, and the skills necessary for effective organizational leadership. (Formerly Titled: Nonprofit Management) Prerequisite: OEL 501

OEL 554 - Nonprofit Fin Rsrch Mgt & Fundrsng (3 credits)

This course focuses on the history, theories, skills, and practices of fundraising, including how fundraising emanates from the organizations’ strategic plan; how marketing has an impact on fundraising; the components of a successful fundraising campaign; fundraising ethics and legal issues; and the basic techniques of fundraising such as annual giving, grant writing, special events, and capital campaigns. (Formerly Titled: Nonprofit Resource Dev. & Fundraising) Prerequisite: OEL 501

OEL 610 - Leading Divrs, Muticlt, & Glob Orgs (3 credits)

This course examines the role of culture, its impact on organizational effectiveness, and the interaction between culture within an organization and the diverse and emerging cultures that prevail in a global economy characterized by rapid demographic change, new technology, and shifting values as companies seek to reach out to more diverse populations of both customers and employees. Students will explore the dimensions of this diversity and examine how it represents both a challenge and an opportunity depending on how effectively it can be integrated into the culture of an organization. The premise of the course is that managing diversity is a source of competitive advantage; that there is a "business case" as well as an ethical case for diversity. Understanding how these cultural differences affect human resource management, marketing, and operations can determine success or failure for anyone working in this global economy. (Formerly Titled: Intercultural/Global Perspectives) Prerequisite: OEL 501

OEL 615 - Max Prfm of Orgs Talnt-Coach & Ment (3 credits)

This course will focus on various leadership styles and their influence on an organization. The course will further examine theory and practice of leadership models and concepts, and build on coaching, mentoring, motivational, and empowerment models required to develop effective leadership skills. (Formerly Titled: Developing & Leading Others) Prerequisite: OEL 501

OEL 643 - Lding Sccssfl Chng in 21st Cent Org (3 credits)

This course will provide a conceptual frame of organizational change theories, concepts and models. Students will have an opportunity to practice implementing organizational change processes; and to examine critical leadership competencies necessary to lead a strategic change initiative. This course will also allow students to gain a broad understanding of issues associated with implementing a change process at the individual, group, and organizational levels. Students will critically examine different types of change – incremental, transitional, transformative, and strategic – and the various implementations in performing systems change. (Formerly Titled: Leading Organizational Change) Prerequisite: OEL 501

OEL 655 - Roles of Nonprof in Fstrng Soc Chng (3 credits)

This course focuses on the impact of nonprofit organization in fostering social change and the roles of the director and board in bringing about social change. The course will challenge students to consider the shift from a program centric model to a mission centric approach that is focused on social impact, outcomes, and measures of success. Students will also gain an understanding of the roles and influences (positive and negative) of philanthropy on political advocacy and social change movements in the U.S.; the scope and diversity of the philanthropic sector; political advocacy approaches and social movements; and examples of current philanthropic involvement in advocacy and social change efforts across the political spectrum. It will examine nonprofit organizations that have succeeded and those that have failed in implementing social change. Prerequisite: OEL 501

OEL 690 - Research Methodologies (3 credits)

This course will focus on providing research techniques and language for both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Topics will include developing research questions and hypotheses,conducting library/literature searches, research limitations, and other research design considerations. The applied research project is a part of the Capstone Seminar course. The research project should be a work-based project focused on a research problem. (Formerly Titled: Applied Research Project) Prerequisite: OEL 501

OEL 695 - Capstone Seminar (3 credits)

This is the capstone course for the Organizational Effectiveness and Leadership major and should be taken in the student's last semester. This course provides an opportunity for students to complete, present, and receive feedback on their research projects. The projects will be evaluated by peers and faculty. It also provides students an opportunity to reflect upon and integrate their course learning with their life and work experiences and to relate their learning to effectiveness within their organizational work environments. Prerequisite(s): Minimum completion of 18 credits in the OEL program including OEL 501 & 690.