OB & HR Management

Introduction
Strengths of the Program
Admission to the Program
PhD Courses
Program Structure and Requirements
Current Students
Faculty and Research Interests
Graduates

Introduction

Admission to the Program 

Program Structure and Requirements

Program Structure The main components for the successful completion of the program are: · Required Courses · Research Project · Comprehensive Examination · Dissertation Each of these components, as well as the annual performance review procedure, is described in more detail below. A typical program of studies takes four to five years. The bulk of the course requirements, as well as the research project are completed during the first two years. The comprehensive examination is taken in the summer of the second year. The last two to three years of the program are focused on the thesis research.   Required Courses Major Field Requirements MGT 3060 Advances in Human Resource Management MGT 3062 Methods and Research in Organizational Behaviour MGT 3064 Advanced Topics in Organizational Behaviour MGT 3065 Meso Organizational Seminar MGT 3090 Quantitative Methods in the Applied Behavioural Sciences   Minor Field Requirements Two minor fields are required. These requirements are satisfied by taking two graduate courses in each area. Depending on the individual's research interests, several focuses are available:   Organizational BehaviourMinor in Social Psychology, Industrial Relations, or Organization Theory Methodology and Measurement Minor in Multivariate Statistics, Scale Construction Human Resource Management Minor in Industrial Relations or Social Psychology or Organization Theory   Research Project   By the end of the second year, students must have completed an empirical project that the faculty deems to be presentable at a major conference. The project should consist of a complete, regular-length manuscript (i.e., about 30 pages of text plus references, tables, figures, etc.). Comprehensive Examinations Comprehensive exams in OB, HRM and research methods are written after all course requirements are completed. This exam is taken at the end of the second year in the doctoral program. It is assumed that by this time the student has completed all of the course requirements and has participated in some research projects.   The main purpose of the examination is to assess whether the student has attained sufficient general knowledge of key topics and tools in the OB & HR Area and in research methodology and is ready to begin independent research work. The student is expected to exhibit an in-depth understanding and mastery of the major conceptual and analytical tools necessary for successful research in OB & HR.   The questions are based on some of the courses listed in the PhD calendar, particularly the ‘core’ PhD courses offered by the Area during the student’s first two years in the program.   Details about the content of the qualifying examinations will be provided to the students in advance. The faculty as a whole will evaluate each student's performance on the examination. The results of the examination will be reported back to the student within a few weeks of the examination, along with the committee's general assessment of the student's progress in the program.   Successful passing of the Comprehensive Examination is a necessary requirement for the advancement to the thesis research portion of the program. The possible examination results are:   Unconditional Pass   Conditional Pass: The letter describing your results will specify the additional conditions you must fulfill; the conditions must usually be fulfilled within one year.   Fail with Invitation to Retake: If your performance on the exam was below the passing threshold, but, in the opinion of the committee, your performance in other aspects of the program to date has been sufficiently strong, you may be invited to retake the examination. The examination can usually be retaken in the following semester. Please note that the examination can be taken a maximum of two times – the second failure automatically signals that the student must withdraw from the program. During the post-exam meeting, the committee will recommend the additional steps you should take to increase your chances of success on the second attempt.   Fail without Invitation to Retake: In the opinion of the committee, your performance on the exam and other aspects of the program to date indicate that the chances for the successful retake of the exam are minimal. Students receiving this mark are expected to withdraw from the program.   Dissertation Through the doctoral seminars, working with faculty on research projects, and on their own research project, the students develop their ideas about a dissertation topic. This is developed into a formal proposal that is explained in a formal presentation to the faculty prior to its initiation.   The dissertation should constitute a significant contribution to knowledge in the field. The student will be guided in this thesis research by a primary advisor and a committee. The committee is composed of three members of the Graduate Faculty; one of these members acts as chair of the Dissertation Committee. Before carrying out research for the dissertation, the doctoral candidate must obtain approval for the project from the faculty members in the area. A proposal is presented by the candidate in a seminar open to all faculty and doctoral students. Immediately following this seminar, the faculty members will vote on the acceptability of the proposed research. The student is advised to consult closely with the chair and other members of the Dissertation Committee during the preparation of the dissertation proposal and the conduct of the research.   When an acceptable thesis is presented by the candidate to the faculty, the chair and the Director of the Doctoral Program will arrange for the School of Graduate Studies to convene an examining committee to judge the acceptability of the dissertation. This committee consists of members of the Faculty, at least one faculty member from another department of the university, and at least one faculty member from another university.    Recently Completed Dissertations   Robin Church The effects of perceived workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation on the mentoring relationships of gay and lesbian protégés Supervisor: H. Gunz   Janelle Enns The roles of realistic conflict and relative deprivation in explaining counterproductive work behaviour Supervisor: M. Rotundo   Neil Fassina When motivation and cognition collide: The role of justification motives and efficacy beliefs on individual and group decisions in escalation situations Supervisor: G. Whyte   Peter Heslin The effect of prior judgements and implicit person theory on performance appraisals Supervisor: G. Latham   Sara Mann Values as incremental predictors of organizational citizenship behaviour Supervisor: A. Verma   Christopher T. H. Miners It is who you know and what you know: An examination of the relations among emotional intelligence, social network centrality, and performance Supervisors: S. Côté and G. Latham   Celia Moore Moral disengagement in processes of organizational corruption: The effect of moral disengagement on unethical decision making, moral awareness, and organizational advancement Supervisors: H. Gunz   Program Timeline   Prior to Entering Program   Students complete pre-qualifying requirements. First Year   Students complete qualifying courses and courses in their two minor fields Students demonstrate outstanding performance in their required courses in OB & HR. Students complete the comprehensive exam requirements for microeconomics. Students begin research (e.g. writing their second year paper and/or acting as a research assistant) Second Year   Students complete course work in OB & HR, and take two optional OB & HR-area special topics elective courses. Students successfully complete their comprehensive exam in OB & HR. This entails first the successful completion of a second year original research paper, and second, successful completion of a written comprehensive exam in OB & HR. Third Year   Students present their second year research paper in a OB & HR-area workshop. Students take specialized courses, as needed, such as optional finance electives. Students begin their dissertation proposal. Fourth Year (or Fifth Year if needed)   Students present their job market paper in the OB & HR-area workshop. Students take specialized courses, as needed. Students complete their dissertation.    Student Performance Reviews The performance review of all active doctoral students is conducted annually by the Rotman School. In order to remain eligible for funding, the student must maintain the ‘good academic standing’ classification. The key guidelines for the student evaluation in each year of study are listed below:   First Year Review: primarily based on performance in the required courses and the research project · Students receiving a grade of B or below in required courses will automatically be classified as ‘not in good standing’. · Students who fail to show any evidence of progress in the research project will be classified as ‘not in good standing’.   Second Year Review: primarily based on the successful completion of the comprehensive examination, course requirements and the research project. · Students receiving a mark of ‘Fail Without Invitation to Retake’ will automatically be classified as ‘not in good standing’. · Students who do not present a second-year research project and/or do not submit a paper on their second-year research project will automatically be classified as ‘not in good standing’.   Third Year Review: primarily based on the progress the student has made in identifying the thesis research topic and supervisor. · Students who are retaking the comprehensive exam and fail to achieve ‘Unconditional Pass’ or ‘Conditional Pass’ will automatically be classified as ‘not in good standing’. · Students showing no evidence of progress in their thesis research will be classified as ‘not in good standing’.   Fourth and Fifth Year Reviews: primarily based on the progress students are making towards completing their thesis.

Current Students

Alexander Garcia
Basak Yanar
Bonnie Cheng
Colleen Stuart
Ivona Hideg
Jeremy Yip
Ji-A Min
Jun Gu
Kevin Hill
Krista Macpherson
Nancy Carter
Sara Banki
Sue Moon
Xiao Chen 

Read a Q&A with Ji-A Min, a third-year Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management (OB & HRM) PhD student studying racial and gender issues

Faculty and Research Interests

Quality of Working Life: Stéphane Côté, John Trougakos

Recruitment: Julie McCarthy, Alan Saks

Self-Regulation: Gary P. Latham , Geoffrey Leonardelli, John Trougakos

Sexual Harassment: Jennifer L. Berdahl

Socialization : Alan Saks

Stress: Stéphane Côté, Katherine DeCelles, Julie McCarthy , John Trougakos, Jia Lin Xie

Training: Katherine DeCelles, Gary P. Latham, Alan Saks, Anil Verma

Trust: Samantha Montes, Mark Weber

Union-Management Relations: Anil Verma

Work-Life Balance: Sanford DeVoe, Julie McCarthy

Workplace Policies and Outcomes: Anil Verma

Workplace Privacy: David Zweig

Graduate Q&A

Click here to read a Graduate Q&A with Celia Moore (PhD in Organizational Behaviour & HR Management 2008), Assistant Professor of Organizational Behaviour, London Business School

Click here to read more Q&As with recent graduates.