MANAGEMENT; Organisational Design and Leadership C10/D10, 10 credits. (Advanced level) Syllabus : MANAGEMENT; Organisation Design and Leadership 10 credits Course code: FEKC80 Responsibility: The Dept of Business Administration Subject: Business Administration Level: C/D Field of education: Social Science This course is a course at the C/D-level in a Bsc- and a Msc-degree at the University of Umeå. The course can also be included in the study programme in Business Administration and Economics at the Umeå Business School 1. Resolution to arrange course The course is established by the Faculty of Social Science at Umeå University and the syllabus is confirmed by the Board of Business Administration June 6 2002. 2. Objective and contents The courses on management comprising "Strategy and Structure in Organisations", "Leadership and Human Interaction", "Change, Innovation and Learning in Organisations", and "Perspectives on Organisations" form a logical coherent whole. The various course modules should therefore be studied in the order presented below. No objection is of course raised to students choosing an alternative order or choosing to study parts of the course only. Economics concerns making choices between different alternatives and the basic thinking behind the management courses is also that both management and co-workers are placed in different choice-situations in their work, for example between specialisation and integration, between conflict and co-operation, between change and allowing things to remain as they are. The different course modules are aimed at throwing light on what these choices are in the management filed and what consequences can be expected from any particular choice made for the organisation, its co-workers and for external relations. In order for a company to satisfy the conditions for corporate success, there should be a business idea and an understanding about how it should be realised. One aspect of the idea's realisation is choosing the "right" organisational structure from the many old and new solutions of offer. This is the theme of the moment "Strategy and Structure". More important than structure is, however, the issue of how people in the organisation can work together towards pre-established goals in an effective way such that people are, at the same time, stimulated and granted opportunities for personal development. This is the theme of the module "Leadership and Human Interaction". There are, however, no perfect solutions that suit all situations: the conditions for both the company and the enterprise function are changed constantly such that there are permanent demands for adaptation and development. The module "Change" deals with changes prompted by external or internal pressures and how changes in the organisation are implemented and how they affect those concerned. In the module "Perspectives on Organisations", finally, the premises and assumptions previously made about enterprise, the firm and its co-workers are subjected to scrutiny from a critical/analytical perspective. The aim is partly to show the relativism of people's social constructions, and partly to foster a sound degree of scepticism towards what is otherwise taken for granted. The purpose of this course, MANAGEMENT; Organisational Design and Leadership 10 credits, is to enhance the student's understanding and knowledge of why organisations exist, how they can be structured, how they can be analysed in terms of different perspectives. Organisation structures are powerful means of co-ordinating human work, but how structures actually work depends on how the organisation is perceived by individuals both inside and outside the organisation. Each module starts out by identifying recent developments and trends within its field, continuing by contrasting these characteristics to practice and the relevant theoretical foundations. Module 1 Strategy and Structure in Organisations (5 credits) The aim of this course is to enhance the student's understanding of the strategical and structural features of modern organisations. This aim includes the determinants of strategy and structure as seen in "classical" research, how organisations are and were designed in practice, and the theoretical foundations behind strategic management and structuring of organisations. The course starts out by identifying some recent trends in the management of organisations in Sweden and abroad. Reference is made to the reality of contemporary business life, where the external pressures fore continuous renewal in most organisations are rapidly increasing in terms of both complexity and force. Issues dealt with include strategies for increased intrapreneurship in large companies, temporary and permanent alliances in and between organisations, the use of temporary project structures, and the emerging new work life of individuals. To explain how the organisation is related to its external environment, three different perspectives is described. Rational, where the stand- point of the perspective understand behaviour of organisations as action performed by purposeful and co-ordinated agents. Natural, which stress that behaviour structure is more important and they examine what is done rather then what is decided or planned. Finally, open system perspective is viewed where the emphasise is on how the organisation interact with its enviroment. To explain how the organisation can imple-ment and make use of strategic insights, three aspects - environment, strategy and structure - and the interaction with each other are explored and questioned. Our conception of how organisational environment has evolved over time are discussed. Other questions that will be explored are; what social conditions that foster the development of organisations and industries? Finally, organi- sational boundaries and how they are set and managed are stu-died. Module 2 Leadership and Human Interaction in Organisations (5 credits) This course focuses on managerial leadership in organisations and has a dual concern for both theory and practice. The nature of leadership will be analysed and critically examined. Managerial work in some kind of managerial position is often the basis for leadership. The course therefore puts a special emphasis on the nature of managerial work and leadership roles in particular. However, as new forms of organisational structures are developing, new images of leadership beyond the classical manager evolve, such as project leaders, team leaders, creative leadership etc. This also indicates how various management trends rise and decline over time. It is therefore impor-tant to understand why new management theories and ideas occur and to judge their effectiveness in an independent and critical way. The course also puts emphasis on the fact that leadership is dependent on the human interaction between the leader and other organisa-tional members. Theories on organisational behaviour, work motivation and group be-haviour is therefore included in this course. Such subjects, as how individuals might be motivated in organisational settings, or what factors make a job motivating, will be covered. Foundations of group behaviour, communication and decision making in groups will be discussed, as well as intragroup and intergroup conflict. In connection with this, aspects of team building will be studied. Another important theme concerns nontraditional leaders, such as female managers, and how alternative forms of leadership might give us an extended understanding of human interaction in organisations. This theme also includes examining traditional views on management from a critical perspective. Furthermore, it is important to consider the institutional and cultural context of the or-ganisation and how this affects leadership. Society of today is heavily institutionalised and effective leadership therefore requires a thorough knowledge of the roles and func-tions of the insti- tutions in the organisation and in the environment. Cultural clashes between organisations in mergers and acquisitions, and between organi- sations in different countries, are also important integrative aspects of leadership. 3. Prerequistes Students are reguired to have a minimum of 30 credits from the A- and B- level courses in Business Administration for entry to the course. Exchange students require a minimum of 40 credits from the A-and B-level courses in Business Administration for entry to the course. It corre- sponds to 60 ECTS-credits in basic courses in Business Administration (Management,Accounting,Financial Investments,Cost Accounting and Marketing) 4. Teaching methods The core topics of the course will be covered through seminars, case studies and lectures. The students will be demanded to make oral and written presentations on several occasions. Students are expected to participate actively in lectures, seminars and case analyses and presentations. Guest lectures might be used in examination. 5. Examination Attendance at seminars and case presentations are a minimum requirement for passing the course. The quality of the case studies and the oral presentations will be a part of the grading in each module. A written comprehensive examination (tentamen) will be a part of the examination in module 1. The following grading system will be used: Pass with distinction (Väl godkänd, VG), Pass (Godkänd, G) and Fail (Underkänd U). To receive the grade Pass with distinction on the course, the student must have achieved at least 75% of the total of points on the separate modules or the equivalent Grades on the course are awarded when students have passed all examinations and compulsory course elements. When a student has failed an examination on two occations, he or she has a right to have another grading teacher. A written request should be handed to the director of studies no later than two weeks before the next examination opportunity. Swedish-speaking students should for additional information in this and the next section refer to the syllabus "Företagsekonomi C10/D10" confirmed by the Board of Business Administration 2001 or later. Further information about "muntan" can also be obtained from the student counsellor. 6. Utilisation et cetera In cases where there are applicants from the ERASMUS exchange programme, the course language will be English. Otherwise, parts of the course may be taught in English. Information on language aspects can be obtained from the student counsellor. 7. Readings and other material Module 1 Strategy and Structure in Organisations (5 credits) Scott, W,R., Organizations : rational, natural, and open systems . London : Prentice-Hall Latest edition. ISBN 0-13-016559-X Handy, C,B., The hungry spirit : beyond capitalism - a quest for purpose in the modern world. London : Arrow 1998. ISBN 0-09-922772-X (pbk) Dept of Article Compendium. Business Studentexpeditionen. Administration Module 2 Leadership and Human Interaction in Organisations (5 credits) Huczynski, A., Management gurus : what makes them and how to become one. London: International Thomson Business Press, 1996. ISBN 1-86152-021-2 (hft.) Kallinikos, J,. Age Of Flexibility : Managing Organizations And Technology. Academia adacta. Sverige, 2001 (Häftad) Department of Article compendium. Business Studentexpeditionen. Administration The compendium will include a number of articles from scientific journals. Reference list: Hughes, Richard & Ginnett, Robert, Leadership. Enhancing the lessons of experience. McGraw Hill, 1998 (3rd edition) Yukl, Gary, Leadership in organizations. Prentice-Hall, 1998 (4th edition)