Organizations Theory, Structure and Design

NPTEL via Swayam

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Details

Go to class

Provider

Swayam
Pricing

Free Online Course
Languages

English
Certificate

Paid Certificate Available
Duration & workload

8 weeks
Sessions

On-Demand
Level

Intermediate

Found in

ABOUT THE COURSE:In a dynamic environment, organizations have emerged with unique designs and structures. These organizations adopt new business models, strategies and methods to be competitive and sustainable. Therefore, it is important to understand the nature of these organizations and their behavior, so that they can be responsive to environment, society, and contribute to economic growth and address stakeholder’s interest. The course provides a fundamental understanding of the Organizational Theory, Design, and Structure to draw lessons from traditional and contemporary literature to have a deeper understanding about the organizations.This course provides a comprehensive understanding of how organizations function, evolve, and adapt through the lenses of theory, structure, and design. It provides learners with conceptual and analytical tools to critically examine organizational dynamics, effectiveness, structure, strategy, technology, environment, power, and culture.INTENDED AUDIENCE: All Graduates/Post Graduates/PhDPREREQUISITES: Any graduate can opt for this course.INDUSTRY SUPPORT: All companies, irrespective of their industry, would value this course.

Syllabus

Week 1: Introduction: What is Organization
An Overview: Fundamental definitions of: Organization, Organizational Structure, Organizational Design, Why study organization theory, The biological metaphor, Systems perspective, Life cycle perspective;
The Evolution of Organization Theory: Organizational Effectiveness, Dimensions of Organization Structure. Developing a framework, Early contributors of Management Theory: Type 1 theorists: Fredrick Taylor and Scientific Management, Henri Fayol and Principles of Organization, Max Weber and Bureaucracy, Rational Planning Type 2 theorists: Elton Mayo and Hawthorne Studies, Chester Barnard and Cooperative Systems, Douglas McGregor, Theory X and Y; Type 3 theorists, Herbert Simon and Principles Backlash, Katz and Kahn’s Environmental perspective, Type 4 theorists: March and Simon’s Cognitive Limits to Rationality, Pfeffer’s Organizations as Political Arena
Week 2:Introduction:
Organizational Effectiveness (Importance of organizational effectiveness, The goal-attainment approach, The systems approach, The strategic-constituencies approach, The competing-values approach, Comparing the four approaches); Dimensions of Organization Structure (Complexity, Formalization); Why Formalization is important?
Week 3:The Determinants: What Causes Structure
Strategy (What is strategy, types of strategy, Classifying strategic dimensions, Chandler’s strategy-structure thesis, Contemporary strategy-structure theory, Limitations to the strategy imperative, Could strategy follow structure, The industry-structure relationship); Organization Size (Defining organization size, Advocates and critics of the size imperative, Special issues relating to size)
Week 4:The Determinants: What Causes Structure (contd.)
Technology (Influence of industry and size, The common denominator: Routineness, Work-unit level versus organizational level, Manufacturing versus service technologies, Technology and structure); Environment (Defining environment and environmental uncertainty, The environmental imperative, Environment-structure relationship); Power-Control (Strategic choice, Synthesizing power control view, Implications based on the power-control view)
Week 5:Organizational Design: Choosing the Right Structural Form
Organizational Design Options (Case for standard configurations, Common elements in organizations, Simple structure, Machine bureaucracy, Divisional structure, Adhocracy); Bureaucracy: A Closer Look (Weber’s bureaucracy, dysfunctional consequences of bureaucracy)
Week 6:Organizational Design: Choosing the Right Structural Form (contd.)
Bureaucracy: A Closer Look – contd. (Is bureaucracy a structural dinosaur?, Bureaucracies are everywhere); Adhocracy: A Closer Look (The matrix, Theory Z, Collateral form, Network structure, Other examples of adhocracy)
Week 7:Applications: Contemporary Issues In Organization Theory
Managing the Environment (Management’s quest to control its environment, Internal strategies, External strategies, Guidelines for managing the environment);
Managing Organizational Change (Planned change and structural change, A model for managing organizational change, The innovating organization, Descriptive view of organizational change); Managing Organizational Conflict (Defining conflict, Conflict and organizational effectiveness, Sources of organizational conflict)
Week 8:Applications: Contemporary Issues In Organization Theory (contd.)
Managing Organizational Conflict – contd. (Resolution techniques, Stimulation techniques); Managing Organizational Culture (Defining organizational culture, Culture and organizational effectiveness, Culture: A substitute for formalization?, Creating, sustaining and transmitting culture, When cultures collide: mergers and acquisitions, Are cultures manageable?); Managing Organizational Evolution (Managing organizational growth and organizational decline)