How to survive your first unit

Most MLM’lers resume or start their degree with the “Organisational Behaviour 550 unit“. According to the unit outline:

…through the analysis of local and international case studies and individual and group exercises, students gain knowledge of practical and theoretical approaches adopted by organisations to improve and enhance the quality of life in the workplace. The unit also focuses on building students’ skills in academic writing and research required at postgraduate level in business.

This last sentence is the lasting first impression I got when I had completed the unit- “the student skills in writing”. Or rather: the impression, that some students write (more) than others in group assignments.

Group assignments are a central part of the whole experience unless you do the unit online instead of face-to-face. You will quickly get accustomed to meetings and group dynamics, to people, who say that they contribute and then forget to deliver their part 10 hrs before you are responsible to hand in the assignment on the group’s behalf.

You will experience the whole palette of humanly possible disasters (“my boy was poisoned and threw up on my only hard copy”… “I am telling you a secret- I’m with the SAS and we had a mission on the weekend I could not reveal”.)

I kid you not, you will hear the most amazing stories why people could not deliver what they say they would. I don’t say they lie, but you got to take away one pearl of wisdom from this: make sure you have a backup PLAN B.

Organisational Behaviour 550 is one of the in-depth and rich experiences and the last thing you will need is a laggard amongst the lot of reading and presenting you will have to do. But remember, OB (as the unit is affectionately known) is all about HUMAN behaviour. Don’t forget that while you’re having fun with your group who will, in the best case scenario, really turn into a team.