Organization Theory

Course

URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/E_IBA1_ORGT

Course Objective

ACADEMIC SKILLS After successfully completing this course, the student should have the ability to:
• Analyze and demonstrate an understanding of organizational issues from different perspectives ("Analysis").
• Recognize and explicate conceptually important matters and leave out irrelevant information ("Abstraction").
• Put forward, in a written format, theoretically-founded arguments that explain organizational practices, processes, and/or structures as well as their linkages to organizational outcomes ("Argumentation"). RESEARCH SKILLS After successfully completing this course, the student:
• Is able to translate practically relevant problems into academically relevant problem statements and research questions.
• Is able to find and use relevant and trustworthy academic and non-academic information sources to address case study assignments. BRIDGING THEORY & PRACTICE Students can propose solutions to international real-life business problems by applying relevant theories. After successfully completing this course, the student should be able to:
• Explain basic theories, models, and concepts of Organization Theory.
• Use organizational theories to understand and analyze international, real-life problems, situations, events, or aspects of organizations.

Course Content

During this introductory course on organization theory, we unpack theoretical tools that help understand how people structure and manage organizations and what are core organizational processes. We thereby cover various foundational theories, models, and concepts of organization theory. They relate to, for example, decision-making, innovation, and communication. To bring organization theories to life, we look at various examples, such as factories in 19th-century industrial England and innovative companies of the 21st century. Although our focus is on general theories that are useful across different organizational and national contexts, we explicitly discuss international business-related theories. Finally, and importantly, we continue developing academic and research skills that students increasingly need throughout their studies.

Teaching Methods

Lectures Tutorials

Method of Assessment

Exams
- Individual Participation assignments
- Individual Group assignment

Literature

Textbook:Clegg, Kornberger, Pitsis, and Mount. 2021. Managing & Organizations: AnIntroduction to Theory and Practice. 6th edition. London: Sage Publications. ISBN 9781529763881.
Academic year1/09/2431/08/25
Course level6.00 EC

Language of Tuition

  • English

Study type

  • Bachelor