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MGT 736 / INL 736: Organizational Design: Beyond the Fads

Fall2014

Professor: Dr. Lynn Miller

E-mail:

Office: College Hall 414C, (215) 951-1144; Home: (302) 764-8394; Cell (302) 563-9065

Office hours:Mondays 2:00 PM-4:30 PM, and before/after class

COURSE DESCRIPTION

There is a well-documented tendency for managers to jump from one fad to another in designing (and redesigning) their organizations’ structures. This course suggests that there are no simple solutions to organizational design, but rather that restructuring should involve a careful analysis of the organization’s needs. The course examines a variety of factors that high-level managers should take into consideration when restructuring, including the organization’s size, environment, strategy, internal strengths, personal values, global expansion, and technology. We will also examine ways that organizations influence their environments (e.g., via mergers and lobbying) and the effects of recent managerial trends, such as partnering and outsourcing.

TEXTBOOK: Richard L. Daft, Organization Theory and Design, 9th Edition. South-Western College Publishing, 2007. (Note: editions 8, 9, 10, and 11 are all acceptable, as they are quite similar to one another.)

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: All students are expected to adhere to La Salle’s Academic Integrity Policy available on the portal at:

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING

Grades will be based on: two exams (each worth 30% of grade) or three exams (each worth 20% of grade), group work (30% of grade), and class participation (10% of grade).

Re: Exams(60% of grade) - The first two exams will include a mix of multiple choice and essay questions, and will be given in 3 stages. First, students will answer the multiple-choice questions as a “closed book” test. Next, students will answer the same questions as a group, this time “open book.” Groups will receive 3 extra points on the exam per person if they answer no more than one question wrong, they’ll receive 2 points if two questions are missed, and 1 point if three are missed. Finally, students will (individually) answer the essay questions; this portion of the exam will be “open book.” You may be asked to read a case in advance of the exam in preparation for the essay questions.

The third exam is a comprehensive take-home exam, due Dec. 15. This final exam is optional for students who would like to use their grade to replace a lower score on either of the first two exams; if the grade on the third exam is the lowest, it won’t be counted. The third exam is required, however, for students who miss more than three classes during the semester; for those students, each exam will be worth 20% of the grade.(Students may propose a term paper or special project in lieu of taking the third exam.)

Re: Group Work(30% of grade) – Throughout the semester, you will work with team members to complete group assignments based on the readings and/or on material presented in class. The assignments will vary in nature and have different weights toward your grade, but will typically involve some type of integration or application of the readings and course material. Your grade on group work will be based on the points that your group receives on these assignments, adjusted according to your teammates’ ratings of your contributions to the group’s work (specifically, you will be rated on your preparation, participation, and facilitation).

Re: Class Participation(10% of grade)- Participation grades will be based on class attendance, frequency of participation, and the quality of your participation. Your contributions should be thoughtful and demonstrate class preparation. Be sure to read the assignments prior to class in order to be prepared for discussion.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

Aug. 25Introduction to course material; Dimensions of structure;

The faddish nature of organization design

Read:

  • Daft text, chapter 1
  • “W. L. Gore and Associates” case
  • Lutz, T. Sept. 4, 2006. Excerpt from “The summer next time.” New York Times (Op-Ed).

Sept. 1Labor Day Holiday (no class)

Sept. 8 (30 pt group assignment) Historical and theoretical foundations of the study of organizations;Organizational control processes

Read:

  • Kanigel, R. May-June, 1997. “Taylor-made.” The Sciences, 18-23.
  • Kanigel, R. 1997. “A Faustian bargain.” Chapter 7 (pp. 202-214) of Part Four (“The Creation”) in The One Best Way. New York: Viking.
  • Semler, R. Sept.-Oct. 1989. “Managing without managers.” Harvard Business Review, 76-84.

Sept. 15Organizational size, life stages, and control processes

Read: Daft text, chapter 9

Sept. 22Organizational configurations; Outsourcing

Read:

  • Daft text, chapter 3
  • Nohria, N. July-Aug 2005. “Feed R&D—or farm it out?” Harvard Business Review, 17-21.
  • Parloff, R. Apr. 26, 2006. “Not exactly counterfeit.” Fortune

Sept. 29(10 pt group assignment) Recent trends in organizational design;Organizational strategy; Organizational and departmental effectiveness

Read:

  • Daft text, chapter 2
  • Wulf, J. Fall. 2012. “The flattened firm: Not as advertised.” California Management Review, 55: 5-23.
  • Blackburn, A., Halprin, M., & Veloria, R. Nov-Dec 1998. “The case of the profitless PC.” Harvard Business Review, 28-32.

Oct. 6EXAM 1

Oct. 13Organizations and their environments: Contingency and resource

dependence theories

Read:

  • Daft text, chapter 4
  • Kirkham, C. 2011. “Buying legitimacy: How a group of California executives built an online college empire.”
  • Burstein, R. Jan/Feb. 1997. “Paid Protection: Why Monsanto and other industry giants love EPA regulations.” Mother Jones.
  • Sullum, J. 2004. “Flower power: Free the florists.”
  • Carpenter, D.M. 2011. “Blooming nonsense.”

Oct. 20Midsemester Break (no class)

Oct. 27(20 pt group assignment) Organizations and their environments: Population ecology and institutional theories and managing collaborative networks

Read:

  • Daft text, chapter 5
  • “Hugh Russel, Inc” (Dafttext, pp. 196-199 in both editions)

Nov. 3(20 pt group assignment) Designing organizations for the international environment

Read:

  • Daft text, chapter 6
  • Cerny, K. May-June, 1996. “Making local knowledge global.” Harvard Business Review, 22-26.

Supplementary readings to divide up among teammates:

  • Robert, K., Kossek, E.E., & Ozeki, C. 1998. “Managing the global workforce: Challenges and strategies.” Academy of Management Executive, 12 (4): 93-106.
  • Rosen, B. et al. (2007). “Overcoming barriers to knowledge sharing in virtual teams.” Organizational Dynamics, 36: 259–273.
  • Bartol, K. M & Srivastava, A. 2002. “Encouraging knowledge sharing: The role of organizational reward systems.”Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 9: 64-76.
  • Bender, S., & Fish, A. 2000. "The transfer of knowledge and the retention of expertise: The continuing need for global assignments." Journal of Knowledge Management, 4 (2): 125 – 137.
  • Oddou, G. et al. 2013. Repatriates as a source of competitive advantage: How to manage knowledge transfer. Organizational Dynamics, 42, 257-266.

Nov. 10(20 pt group assignment) Manufacturing and service technologies; Departmental coordination and design

Read:

  • Daft text, chapter 7
  • “Custom Chip, Inc.” (Dafttext, pp. 522-527) (pp. 531-537 in 8th ed.)

Nov. 17EXAM 2

Nov. 24Innovation

Read:

“Shoe Corporation of Illinois” case

Optionalsupplementary readings/videos to divide up among teammates:

  • Daft text, chapter 11
  • Daft text, chapter 8, especially pages 299-300 and 304-309 in 9th ed. (or pages 295-296 and 301-307 in 8th ed.)
  • Lee, S.M., Olson, D. L. Trimi, S. 2012.“Innovative collaboration for value creation.” Organizational Dynamics, 41: 7-12.
  • Slater, S. F. 2008. “Learning how to be innovative.”Business Strategy Review, 19 (4): 46-51.
  • McGregor, J. April 24, 2006. “The world’s most innovative companies.” Business Week, pp. 63-74.
  • “Manufacturing a pair of shoes - DB Shoes Ltd” video (DB manufactures in England):
  • Jopson, B. June 9, 2013. “New stamping ground for Nike and Adidas as 3D shoes kick off.”Financial Times.
  • 3D printer videos (there are plenty of others on the Internet):

Dec. 1 Consultant presentations (40 pt group assignment) on “Shoe Corporation of Illinois” case

Dec. 8 Ethics and Virtual Teams: Seeking macro solutions to (seemingly) micro problems

READ ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SETS OF ARTICLES:

  • Abudi, G. 2010. “A Virtual Global Team in Trouble: A Case Study.”
  • Malhotra, A., Majchrzak, A., & Rosen, B. February 2007. “Leading virtual teams.” Academy of Management Perspectives, 60-70.

OR

  • “Making of a Bad Cop.”
  • Anand, V., Ashforth, B. E., & Joshi, M. 2005. “Business as usual: The acceptance and perpetuation of corruption in organizations.” Academy of Management Executive, 19 (4): 9-23.

Dec. 15Final exam due (optional take-home exam)