Unit Synopsis
Organisational behaviour is the study of human behaviour at work. The complexity of human behaviour means that this inter-disciplinary field of study draws upon the literature from psychology, sociology, anthropology and political science. In this unit you will examine theories and the research base from the social sciences that inform the way in which individual level factors (e.g. personality, attitudes, emotion and motivation), team level factors (e.g. leadership and group dynamics) and organisational factors (e.g. structure and culture) combine to explain behaviour. You will learn about the role of workplace behaviour and its critical role in organisational outcomes such as productivity, innovation and absenteeism.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 1 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 4 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
There are no pre-requisites for the unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 2 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Online Quiz(zes) | 10% |
| 2. Written Assessment | 40% |
| 3. Essay | 50% |
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Source: Unit Coordinator Reflection
Sustenance of good results
To sustain these positive outcomes, the focus will remain on providing regular, constructive feedback, integrating CQU Success support services to maintain student engagement, and offering individual consultations where needed
The recommended strategies were continued throughout the unit offering. Regular and constructive feedback was provided on assessments, CQU Success was used to support student engagement and provide timely assistance, and individual consultations were offered where additional support was required. These practices maintained a strong focus on student engagement, understanding of assessment expectations, and ongoing academic support. The positive outcomes were reflected in the 2026 T1 results, with overall satisfaction, unit relevance, useful knowledge and skills, and learning from assessments all achieving 100%. Student performance also remained strong, with 71.5% of students achieving a Credit or higher. These outcomes support the continued use of regular feedback, targeted student support, and individual consultation as key strategies within the unit.
Source: Unit Coordinator Reflection
Responsible and ethical use of Generative AI in assessment
Assessment tasks in the unit have been updated to incorporate an appropriate element of Generative AI (GenAI), with the aim of developing students' understanding of its responsible and ethical use in an academic and organisational context. The assessment design will encourage students to critically engage with GenAI, recognise its opportunities and limitations, and understand the challenges associated with its use, while maintaining academic integrity and demonstrating their own knowledge and critical thinking.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Evaluate a number of theories that explain human behaviour
- Critically appraise the inter-relationship between individual, team and organisational systems
- Apply the study of organisational behaviour to work practices and arrangements in organisations.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) | • | • | • |
| 2 - Written Assessment | • | • | • |
| 3 - Essay | • | • | • |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • |
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | • | • |
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | • |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | • | • |
| 5 - Team Work | • | • | • |
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | • | • |
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | • | • | • |
| 8 - Ethical practice | • | • | • |
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |