BUSI 427 is Liberty's team dynamics course. Its written work is four two-week forums (a 500-word thread with three scholarly references, then two replies) and a 2,000 to 2,500-word 4-MAT paper reacting to Patrick Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.
Liberty's catalog lists the course as BUSI 427 Team Dynamics, 3 credit hours; Canvas and the course guide file print it as BUSI427.
What BUSI 427 covers
The catalog description: The dynamics of building a highly functioning team in order to accomplish a goal. Examination of how to choose team members and how to manage the team to deliver successful results.
The course examines the dynamics of building a high-functioning team to accomplish a goal: how to choose team members and how to manage the team to deliver results. The texts are Levi, Group Dynamics for Teams, and Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable and Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide.
Six quizzes (360 points) have no guide here. Lencioni's fable is read in Weeks 5 and 7, and the 4-MAT paper on it is due in Week 8.
Textbook named in the published guide: Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable (2002). Lencioni, Overcoming The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide (2005). Levi, Group Dynamics for Teams (2017). Check the current edition in your Canvas section.
BUSI 427 assignments, week by week
Every graded written assignment in the published guide has its own how-to guide below. Quizzes, exams, checklists and class introductions are left out because there is nothing to write.
| Week | Assignment | Points | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Discussion Board Forum 1 | 110 | Thread at least 500 words; replies at least 200 words |
| 3 | Discussion Board Forum 2 | 110 | Thread at least 500 words; replies at least 200 words |
| 5 | Discussion Board Forum 3 | 110 | Thread at least 500 words; replies at least 200 words |
| 7 | Discussion Board Forum 4 | 110 | Thread at least 500 words; replies at least 200 words |
| 8 | 4-MAT Paper | 200 | 2,000 to 2,500 words |
Week 1: Discussion Board Forum 1
A 500-word thread with 3 scholarly references in Week 1, then two 200-word replies with a scholarly reference each in Week 2. How to write BUSI 427 Week 1 Discussion Board Forum 1.
Week 3: Discussion Board Forum 2
A 500-word thread in Week 3, then two 200-word replies in Week 4. How to write BUSI 427 Week 3 Discussion Board Forum 2.
Week 5: Discussion Board Forum 3
A 500-word thread in Week 5, then two 200-word replies in Week 6. How to write BUSI 427 Week 5 Discussion Board Forum 3.
Week 7: Discussion Board Forum 4
A 500-word thread in Week 7, then two 200-word replies in Week 8. How to write BUSI 427 Week 7 Discussion Board Forum 4.
Week 8: 4-MAT Paper
A 2,000 to 2,500-word 4-MAT paper reacting to Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. How to write BUSI 427 Week 8 4-MAT Paper.
How BUSI 427 is graded
The published guide totals 1,010 points. The four forums are 110 each (thread 70, replies 40), the 4-MAT paper 200, quizzes 360 and the checklist 10.
| Graded item | Points |
|---|---|
| Discussion Board Forums (4) | 440 |
| 4-MAT Paper | 200 |
| Quizzes (6) | 360 |
| Course Requirements Checklist | 10 |
The published scale puts an A at 900 to 1010 points.
Week timing in the published guide: Each course module/week (except Module/Week 1) begins on Tuesday morning at 12:00 a.m. (ET) and ends on Monday night at 11:59 p.m. (ET). The final module/week ends at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday.
How to approach BUSI 427
Read the whole Lencioni fable early, even though it is scheduled for Weeks 5 and 7; the 4-MAT paper needs a reaction to the full book and is 2,000 to 2,500 words.
Learn the 4-MAT structure (summary, concrete response, reflection, action) before you read, and take notes under each heading.
Questions students ask
What is the BUSI 427 4-MAT paper?
A 2,000 to 2,500-word research-based paper in current APA reacting to Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, following the 4-MAT method for analyzing a book; the course textbooks and the Bible may be used as references.
How long are BUSI 427 forum posts?
Threads of at least 500 words with at least 3 scholarly references; replies of at least 200 words with at least 1 scholarly reference, posted the following week.
Working through BUSI 427 now?
Tell us the week and the assignment. A tutor who knows the course replies with a plan for the draft.