82178 - Organization

Learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to provide students with the basic knowledge to understand the organization as cognitive synthesis, the evolutive path of the organizational theory in its different phases of methodological development together with the analysis of business management from the organizational point of view. At the end of the course students are able to: (a) understand the organizational issues of different business functions; (b) know how to evaluate the organizational structures and processes; (c) use specific softwares dedicated to analysis and solutions of organizational problems.

Course contents

1. Introduction to the Organization

2. History of Management and Theory of Paradoxes

3. Relationship with the environment: An analysis of environmental complexity and principal stakeholders.

4. Relationship with the environment: Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibilities.

5. Case study on Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibilities.

6. Organization structure: basic models and fundamental principles.

7. Organization structure: advanced models.

8. Agile Organization: the ING Case

9. An analysis of agile organisations: basic features and new challenges.

10. Organizational culture and norms.

11. A focus on the individual: personality, values and attitudes.

12. Team Factors and Processes.

13. Motivation at work

14. Traditional theories on leadership.

15. Contemporary perspectives on leadership.

16. Change Management

17. Wrap up and team presentation

Readings/Bibliography

A selection of chapters from this book: Jones, G. R. (2013). Organizational theory, design, and change: Global edition, 7/E. Pearson Higher Education.

 

Teaching methods

Teaching methods consist of face-to-face lecturing, role plays, case studies, video analysis and simulations

Assessment methods

At the beginning of the course students will need to make a choice if they want to follow the course under the (i) cognitive path or (ii) experiential path.

For students choosing the cognitive path, the learning material will coincide with the book and readings uploaded on the IOL platform and the written exam will consist of 15 multiple choice question to complete in 40 minutes.

For students choosing the experiential path, the learning material will coincide with some chapters of the book, the readings and the slides uploaded on the IOL platform. Moreover, class attendance is highly recommended for students in this path.

Students in the experiential path, organized in groups of 5 people, will need to complete an assignment (in the form of a class presentation) that will consist of investigating the organizational structure of a company at their choice and analysis all key features and characteristics.

Final evaluation will be the following:

- 60% depending on a written exam of 15 multiple choice question to complete in 45 minutes and 1 question for getting the "laude"

- 40% depending on the team assignment.

The evaluation will be like following.

Each corrected answer given to the test will give you 2 points and the total will be calculated like this:

30 cum laude: 15 good answers and 1 good answer for the laude question (this question will be considered in the final score only if all the other 15 are correct, otherwise it won't be considered.

30 out of 30: 15 good answers (maximum score)

18 out of 30: 9 good answers (minimum score)

less than 18 and thereby failure: up to 8 good answers

 

Teaching tools

All material used in this course will be published on the IOL platform and will consist of slides, articles to go deeper in the study of a subject and tests to favor self-awareness. 

Office hours

See the website of Marcello Russo