BA 634:  Creating Successful Organizations:  A Seminar in Organizational Development and Design

                                                          Instructor: Dr. Rashmi Prasad

BEB 303                                                          308G BEB,786-4157

Mondays 7-9:45                                              Office Hours:  M,T,W 10am-12pm

Afrp2@uaa.alaska.edu                                            or by appointment

Organizations are a key to human achievement.  One cannot conceive of the Egyptian pyramids or the latest products of bio-technology being created in an organizational vacuum.  However, work organizations are not endlessly adaptable, unlimited instruments.  Scholars such as Charles Perrow, have maintained a pessimism about the potential for complex organizations to cope with ever more powerful and risky technologies.  It is also found that once organizations grow large and differentiated, they become difficult to reform, even while sometimes becoming a vested interest to the detriment of a society’s broader interests.

The principal goals of the course are as follows:

1)     A survey of our academic and practitioner knowledge about organizations, their structures and processes.

2)     An understanding of the tools and practices available to successfully intervene in the development and change of organizations

3)     Undertaking a project to develop organizational development tools and implementing those tools

Text and Course Materials:

-Organization Theory and Design by Richard L. Daft, 8^th edition, Thomson-Southwestern

-Managing for the Future by Ancona et. al. 3^rd edition, Thomson-Southwestern

Other readings will be distributed and posted during the course of the semester.

Reading the text(s):  When a chapter is assigned in the Daft text, assume that you are also to read the cases and perform workbook exercises at the end of the chapter.  When a module is assigned in Ancona et al. read all cases, articles and perform all exercises, unless otherwise instructed.

Assignments:

-Two take-home examinations (each worth 30% of your final grade)

-One Organizational Development group project (worth 30% of your final grade)

-Contributions to class discussion (10%) of your grade

Projects:

Groups of students will collaborate in projects entailing the development and implementation of organizational development tools.  The OD protocol designed by students may borrow liberally from the existing OD repertoire and should relate to one of the following areas:

1)     The design of the board of directors for effective organizational governance

2)     Developing effective team processes to improve the productivity of knowledge workers

3)     Countering organizational silo effects through the development of new integrating mechanisms

4)     Developing alternative methodologies for effective organizational change

5)     Developing a program of cultural change

I am open to students proposing an alternative subject area for their projects.

Once groups are formed they will need to devise plans for OD protocol development in conjunction with seeking out a client for consultation.  The client should be one of the employers of a group member.  Confidentiality will be assured the client at the outset.

Each group will submit proposals to the instructor and gain his approval at an early point in the semester.

Calendar

1/23                             Class Introductions and Organizing

&

 1/30                            Overview of organizations:  past and future

Read chapter 1 in Daft

Read Module 1 in Ancona et. al

                                    Read Economist supplement by Tim Hindle

2/6                               Organizational Structure:  Variables and Measurement

                                    Read chapter 3 in Daft (examine workbook for ch. 1 and 3)

                                    Read Module 2 in Ancona et al.

                                    Measurement tools distributed in class

                                    Integrative case 1.0 from Daft

2/13                             Organizational Designs:  The Contingency Framework

&

2/20                             Read chapters 2, 6, 7, 8 and 9 in Daft

                                    Integrative case 2.0 and 3.0 from Daft.

2/27                             The Environment and Inter-organizational Relations

&        

3/6                               Read Daft chapters 4, 5 and 6

                                    Read Module 9 Ancona et al.

                                    Integrative case 4.0 from Daft

3/13                             First examination distributed

                                    Governance:  The Board and its Composition

                                    Readings from Monks and Minnow distributed in class

3/27                             Take home examination is due.

                                    Power in and around the organization.

                                    Readings on Boards continued.

                                    Read chapter 12 and 13 in Daft

4/3                               The Knowledge Worker

                                    Readings from Drucker and Schon distributed in class

4/10                             The Knowledge Worker, the Virtual Organizations and the Team 

Paradigm

                                    Readings from Cairncross distributed in class

                                    Read Modules 3, 4 and 5 in Ancona et al.

4/17                             Organizational Change:  Leading and Following

&                                

4/24                             Read Chapter 11 and 12 in Daft

                                    Read Module 8 in Ancona et al.

                                    Integrative cases 5.0, 6.0, 8.1 and 8.2 from Daft

                                    Examination two distributed

5/1                               Organizational Models From Around the World:  Competition,

                                    New and Old.

                                    Readings by Biggart, Hamilton et. al. distributed in class

                                    Readings by Piramal distributed in class.

Final exam period:  Presentation of projects and submission of examination two