Humans and organization

Teacher(s)

Struyven Ludo;

Language

Dutch

Prerequisites

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

The objective of this course is to acquaint students with the scientific perspectives on organization and the tension between the individual and the organization. The starting point is that there is no single best method for organization and management. Effective organization requires continuous alignment between the individual and the organization. In this course, the relationship between people and organizations is covered from both sides: the role of people within organizations and the effect of organizations on people. First, we examine the state of the art for the discipline of ‘Organizational Behaviour’. This Anglo-Saxon tradition is dominated by a functional approach to organizational behaviour from the micro to the macro level. Additionally, we integrate perspectives from organizational sociology and management science using an institutional approach. A third focus is the influence of organizational structure on employee commitment and the modelling of the individual employment relationship between the employer and the employee. On completing this course, students will have achieved the following learning outcomes: - Students will be able to explain and compare core concepts, key issues and perspectives on organization. - Students will be able to recognise possible options for organizations (concerning structure, alignment, control, motivation, leadership and culture) and explain the positive and negative aspects of each choice. - Students will be able to suggest concrete solutions to certain typical problems within existing organizations. Contenu de l’activité (c’est-à-dire les thèmes, les objets, les problématiques, etc. traités dans le cadre du cours): The course consists of an introduction and six themes. A general introduction connects the themes, with interim linking as each theme is discussed and a final synopsis. Frequent use is made of concrete examples from organizations. In addition, certain business cases re-occur for multiple themes. The introduction covers the rise of the traditional organization up to the organization of today. The subsequent themes include: organizational structure and control; groups and teams; organizational flexibility and labour flexibility; motivation and reward; changing employment relationships and careers; leadership; culture and organizational learning.

Content

The course consists of an introduction and six themes. A general introduction connects the themes, with interim linking as each theme is discussed and a final synopsis. Frequent use is made of concrete examples from organizations. In addition, certain business cases re-occur for multiple themes.
The introduction covers the rise of the traditional organization up to the organization of today. The subsequent themes include: organizational structure and control; groups and teams; organizational flexibility and labour flexibility; motivation and reward; changing employment relationships and careers; leadership; culture and organizational learning.

Teaching methods

Descriptif du cours magistral:

Lectures supplemented by presentations during class, examples, core texts and YouTube videos.

Descriptif de l’AA impliquante (dispositif[s] mis en place, prestation[s] attendue[s] de la part des étudiants...):

Each lecture covers a specific theme, always incorporating real-world examples and appropriate research findings. In preparation, every two weeks or so (five times altogether) students are requested to read through a core text (book or chapter) beforehand and watch a YouTube presentation on this text.
During the lectures, learning objectives (what students must know and be capable of) are described for each topic. The required course texts (chapters from the textbooks specified below, plus additional texts) are indicated as well. Finally, multiple choice tests are administered halfway through and at the end of the lecture series, providing students with feedback on the expected achievement level. Slide shows, topical texts and the active discussion of core texts during lectures form the core study materials.

Articulation entre le cours magistral et l’AA impliquante, en ce compris la justification du passage de 3 à 5 crédits:

During the semester, students are assigned core texts to study in preparation for class on an approximately fortnightly basis. They can also view short YouTube presentations by the authors and/or lecturer for clear explanations of the perspectives. The texts are then subsequently discussed intensively during class. Questions and statements are used to structure these discussions during the lectures. This preparation through texts and YouTube presentations helps to actively engage students in the discussion.
The current core texts are the following:
- Gareth Morgan, Beelden van organisatie. Scriptum, 1992 (Dutch translation of Images of Organization. Sage Publications, 1st edition 1986)
- ‘Impressies van de alledaagse bureaucratie’ in Herman Kuipers, Pierre van Amelsvoort & Eric-Hans Kramer, Het nieuwe organiseren. Leuven: Acco, 2010, pp. 155-170
- Veranderende paradigma’s in Frederic Laloux, Reinventing organizations. Leuven: LannooCampus, 2015, pp. 23-49.
- Stephen P. Robbins et al., Gedrag in organisaties. Pearson Education Canada, 2011.
- John Child, Organization. Contemporary principles and practice. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2005.

Evaluation methods

There is an oral examination based on a written preparation, which must also be handed in to the lecturer. Students randomly receive two main questions (in the course of the unit) to be prepared for in writing. Subsequently, they receive one additional (unprepared) question during the examination.
Course materials and accompanying texts are available online (eSaint-Louis).

Faculty or entity

ESPB