business organization
(Prof. Luca Gnan - Prof. Giulia Flamini)
Teaching Members Responsible for the Course
Prof. Luca Gnan
E-mail: luca.gnan@uniroma2.it
Availability: Contact via e-mail
Prof. Giulia Flamini
E-mail: giulia.flamini@uniroma2.it
Availability: Contact via e-mail
We are committed to make this course a valuable learning experience for you. After the first month, we will spend part of a class session evaluating our progress, and we will make any necessary changes to keep us on track. However, we welcome your feedback at any time in the semester. It is easiest to reach us by e-mail or during office hours, but we are always happy to set up an appointment. Additionally, if you have a disability that requires special accommodation, please let us know ASAP to be helpful to you.
E-mails, Office Hours & Feedback on Assignments
We endeavor to answer e-mails within one day. If you have not heard from us within that time, please resend the e-mail. We will online post grades and comments on the materials section of the course website. We will be happy to give feedback and discuss assignments after grading is complete for a specific assignment. Office hours are scheduled by e-mail request.
We may answer questions of assignment clarification in class and via e-mails to benefit the entire class. We may also give extra grades (see below Mid-course test) during the course to help your participation while generally designed to support learning in the course. These are pass/fail and do not include comments.
The Business Organization course is included in the Business Administration curriculum in the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration & Economics.
Prerequisites for the course
None
Course description and learning objectives
Organizations comprise both a macro perspective (the organization as a whole and its respective functions/divisions and departments) and a micro perspective (individuals and groups' behavior). The course covers organizational design and behavior from both a macro and a micro perspective. Individuals do not behave independently of the organizational structure in which they perform. Understanding both the macro and micro perspectives and how these two interrelations are essential for understanding organizations and their effective management.
The course covers principles of organization design and its effects on specific behavioral processes. Specific issues and problems covered include the organization's relationship with the external environment, the influence of the organization's strategies, culture, size, and production technology on its design and strategy for managing organizational behavior such as teams, conflict, power, and politics.
The course's objective is twofold: first, to make the student understand business organizations' functioning. Second, to introduce the basic concepts needed to design, implement, and change the organizational structure. The course helps students become good analysts of organization design and its impact on the organization's performance.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Identify and explain various organization components and their relationship to one another (understanding systemic relationships and consequences).
2. Analyze, assess, and diagnose organization effectiveness, including organizational culture and values.
3. Develop a framework for changing design elements and relationships.
4. Describe the principles of designing organizations.
5. Explain how management and organization design can lead to a strategic advantage.
6. Discuss in-depth issues of implementation of various design strategies and interventions.
7. Explain the relationship between leadership, organizational design, and effectiveness.
Lectures are characterized by the transfer of knowledge and the strong interaction within the classroom; analyses of situations, problems, and business cases facilitate learning participants.
Regular attending students are strongly recommended to participate in all the lectures and all the business cases' preparations and presentations.
The course uses readings, lectures, cases, individual and team assignments, and class discussions to meet its goals. Case assignments provide an essential foundation for class discussion and must be completed before each class session. At the end of the syllabus, the class schedule lists the due dates for cases and other assignments. Lectures highlight key points from the readings and provide additional information to supplement the lessons. Cases offer you the opportunity to apply what you have learned to real-world issues and scenarios. Because each of you brings unique perspectives and experiences to the class, participation in class discussions and activities is essential to your learning and other class members. To further enrich your learning, you will also be matched with a BAE Teaching Assistant.
Required Textbook, Readings, and Business Cases
Textbook:
1. Daft, R.L., Organizational Theory and Design, 12th ed., (2015). Southwestern Cengage Learning, Mason, OH; ISBN: 9781285866345
Readings:
2. A. Hinna, (2011) – Translated by G. Flamini, (2019). Classical theories. From M. Decastri, Editor, (2011). Leggere e progettare le organizzazioni, Edizioni Angelo Guerini e Associati SpA, Milano; ISBN: 978-88-8107-316-0
3. V. Perrone, (2011) – Translated by D. Petrolo, (2019). Traditional base organizational structures. From M. Decastri, Editor, (2011). Leggere e progettare le organizzazioni, Edizioni Angelo Guerini e Associati SpA, Milano; ISBN: 978-88-8107-316-0
4. James D. Thompson's Organization in Action (Chapter 6) From Tosi, H.L. Theories of Organization, SAGE Publications, Inc, California 91320, 2009.
5. Organizing modes: an information processing model (Chapter 3) From Galbraith, J. R. Organization Design, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, USA, 1977.
6. D. Tomasi, (2011) – Translated by G. Flamini, (2019). Motivation to work. From M. Decastri, Editor, (2011). Leggere e progettare le organizzazioni, Edizioni Angelo Guerini e Associati SpA, Milano; ISBN: 978-88-8107-316-0
Business cases:
7. COLOPLAST A/S – ORGANIZATIONAL CHALLENGES IN OFFSHORING
8. WILDFIRE ENTERTAINMENT: ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE ARCHETYPES
9. OP4.COM: A DYNAMIC CULTURE
10. BOLDFLASH CROSS-FUNCTIONAL CHALLENGES IN THE MOBILE DIVISION
Regular attending students are expected to be fully engaged in the entire learning process. Consequently, regular attending students are expected to:
1) prepare the assigned readings of the cases before each class.
2) Prepare as a group work a PowerPoint presentation on the case, based on the specific assignment.
3) Come to class ready to participate and discuss enhancing the learning of the individual and the class.
On the web site of the course, for each case, students can find the relative assignment. Please read the questions carefully before the session and use them for preparing the PowerPoint presentation.
Each student will be involved in the class discussion tied to the assigned reading for the session. The objective is to bring all class members into the debate. The cases are designed to integrate the concepts from the case into the context of the course. The cases' preparation and discussion do not exclude the study of the theoretical concepts useful for discussing the cases themselves and passing the course's Exam.
With the cases' discussions in the CLASSROOM, each student will develop:
1. The ability to set the parameters for the problem (key concepts from the case).
2. A depth of knowledge about the case subject (understanding the material, good response to others' observations).
3. The ability to tie-in case with other course concepts.
4. The ability to get others involved in the discussion.
To effectively discuss the cases, students do:
- Be prepared with facts and specific quotes from the case.
· Be prepared to comment, ask a question, or make an observation about the case.
During the discussion, students do:
- Take a position on a question or a point.
- Ask clarifying questions.
- Help keep the discussion moving and on track.
- Help draw others into the discussion.
- Integrate theories and content from other cases.
During the discussion, students do not:
- Be unprepared and show your lack of knowledge.
- Monopolize the discussion.
- Make irrelevant comments.
- Be insensitive to other's desire to speak or to their opinions.
All the regular attending students are kindly invited to build up workgroups (MINIMUM 3 PERSONS – MAXIMUM 5 PERSONS). Each workgroup should prepare a PowerPoint presentation for each case. Into the first slide, the names of the students belonging to the group should be reported.
The structure of the presentation should follow the following outline:
1. One or more introductory slides aimed to describe/report the story, the characters, all the necessary elements to define the context, and the case's boundaries.
2. One slide mentioning the questions of the assignment and underlining the learning goals of the case.
3. One or more slides reporting the answers to each question of the assignment.
4. One or more slides reporting the final remarks on the case.
5. One closing slide about the lessons learned after the group discussion of the case.
How to prepare the PowerPoint presentation of the case?
Introduction – short presentation of the case, a brief description of the problems and situations that should be coped with the discussion.
Diagnosis – Problem setting of the context and the situation. Description of the mains facts and elements connected with the concepts and models of Business Organization (e.g., structure, coordination, organizational change, conflicts, motivation, satisfaction, leadership, managing people, group dynamics, etc.). What went wrong, and which actions/situations, instead, were right? Which elements could the diagnosis consider?
Solution – Students should provide a possible answer to questions/problems related to the case and a possible and unambiguous indication of how to approach the situation and how to solve it. The entire proposal should represent a consistent action plan in terms of behaviors and expected results.
Conclusions – Conclusions should not be longer than 300-500 words and should describe how the situation and the problem characterized the case, how Business Organization schemata might help solve the case, and what the proposed solution might generate in terms of organizational consequences.
Lessons learned – At the end of the presentation, elements/suggestions/advice that we "take-home" from the case discussion should be identified and reported.
NOTE: During the case discussion, students should explicitly address the context and the different situations with concepts related to Business Organization and with models and theories of this course.
Case Discussions' Class Participation
We believe that the best way to learn, especially about BO, is to participate in your education actively. Here, we define "participation" in terms of quality contributions to class discussion and exercises. There are four prerequisites for successful participation:
1. Be here on time and prepared. If you are not here, you cannot contribute much to class discussion. If you need to miss class for a predictable reason (e.g., job interview, athletic competition), please notify us at least 24 hours in advance so that we can make arrangements for any in-class exercises and so that you can obtain the materials distributed during the class. Of course, we realize that in some cases, unforeseeable emergencies arise. Although we will not directly penalize you for non-attendance, be aware that multiple absences will indirectly hurt you by preventing you from participating in class, thereby lowering your participation grade. To contribute to class discussion, you must come to class having prepared all assignments (i.e., readings, cases, exercises).
2. Be brave. Everyone in this class is smart, engaging, and has unique life experiences to share. You will get the most out of this course if you ask questions, voice opinions, and express your thoughts to one another. If you feel uncomfortable talking in class, please send me an e-mail or set up an appointment to talk with me early in the semester. We will do everything we can to accommodate each of your circumstances, but we can only do so if they are brought to our attention.
3. Be courteous. Successful participation includes treating your classmates respectfully and professionally. Listen carefully to the comments and questions that your classmates voice. You may learn something new from their perspectives, and you will be able to avoid merely repeating something that another classmate has said earlier in the discussion. Also, it is perfectly acceptable for you to voice disagreement with an opinion provided by another student. The open debate often leads to the most thoughtful and informative class discussions. However, please express your disagreement in a kind and considerate manner.
4. Be engaged. This class is "unplugged." Once class starts, all electronics (e.g., computers, cell phones, tablets, etc.) should be turned off and put away. If you need to use a device because of a language or disability issue, you need to secure permission at the beginning of the class. The misuse of an electronic device (e.g., surfing the web or texting) will adversely affect your grade.
By 8:00pm of the day before the case discussion, EACH MEMBER OF A GROUP should upload the workgroup's case presentation into the course website.
Policy for Late Assignments
As in the business world, workgroups must be received on time to receive full credit. If you are late on an assignment, your access to the 1st Exam after the course will be compromised. You are always welcome to hand in an assignment before its due date if you know that you will be busy as the due date approaches. If you think that you will not complete an assignment by the stated due date, please speak with us in advance to make alternative arrangements. Our policy on late assignments will depend on the specific circumstances surrounding the problem and may differ from student to student. Providing advance notice about a late assignment will minimize the penalty you receive on that assignment but does not guarantee that there will be no penalty for turning the assignment in late.
A LATE OR A MISSING CASE PRESENTATION SUBMISSION WILL CAUSE A PENALTY OF -1 POINT ON THE GRADE OF THE 1ST EXAM AFTER THE COURSE.
Slides and other material will be available under the course web site.
THE SLIDES DO NOT REPRESENT A SUPPORT FOR AN EFFECTIVE AND SUCCESSFUL PREPARATION TO THE EXAM OF THE COURSE. THEY REPRESENT ONLY A HELP TO FACILITATE THE TRANSFER OF THE KNOWLEDGE TO STUDENTS DURING THE LECTURES.
Because of the concentrated nature of the BAE program, attendance in class is crucial.
NOTE : Attendance to the first-class session is mandatory. We will share important information about the course during the first session, and we disclose our expectations. If you know that you will have to be absent for one session, please contact your instructor to ensure that absence from a particular session is acceptable.
Students are advised to check the course's correct scheduling on the website and register themselves in the course newsletter to access all the related communications.
The Exam is oral, and it includes some questions directly connected to the course textbooks, the readings, and the business cases. You may be asked to discuss the models and the theories presented during the course. You will be asked to interpret some real incidents and focus your attention on some specific theoretical issues.
Only students who have booked the Exam on the DELPHI System will be allowed to register their grades.
The mid-course test is a written exam. The duration is 2 hours.
It includes some questions directly connected to the lectures and the course textbooks. The questions could be open, closed (multiple choice), or a combination of both. You may be asked to discuss the models and the theories presented during the course. You will be asked to interpret some real incidents and focus your attention on some specific theoretical issues.
To the mid-course test, regular attending students will be allowed to achieve to a maximum of +3 extra points to the final grade of the 1st Exam after the course. The additional points of the mid-course test are valid ONLY for the 1st Exam after the course.
The 1ST Exam after the course
The 1st Exam after the course is a written exam. The duration is about 3-4 hours, and it includes:
a) Case discussion - You may be given a case study to which some questions may lead to the discussion. As you respond to the questions, please use specific content and theories (use names to identify approaches and models) based on your analysis. You will not receive credit for your personal opinions unless backed by theory, lecture, and text material. Also, describe how you see the content/theory applying to the situation. Your answers will be evaluated based on both quantity and quality. Solutions that are complete and demonstrate a higher level of understanding and analysis will receive more points.
b) Some questions directly connected to the course textbooks. The questions could be open, closed (multiple choice), or a combination of both. You may be asked to discuss the models and the theories presented during the course. You will be asked to interpret some real incidents and focus your attention on some specific theoretical issues .
Prof.ssa Lucia Leonelli
