| COURSE
GOAL
OBJECTIVES
LEARNING
ACTIVITIES
REQUIRED READINGS
COURSE
REQUIREMENTS
ASSIGNMENTS
ASSESSMENT
AND GRADING
CALENDAR |
COURSE
GOAL:
The goal of this course is to make the comprehension of
organizations and organizational phenomena less mysterious. It is
designed to introduce the doctoral student to classical and contemporary
organizational theories, specifically as they pertain to the study of leadership.
By the completion of the course, each student should be able to articulate
a viable theoretical approach to the analysis of organizations which is
applicable to a wide variety of situations. A secondary purpose is
to introduce the student to the process of writing clear, thoughtful, and
creative scholarly papers on complex issues.
COURSE
OBJECTIVES:
More specifically, this course will expose students to a
wide variety of theoretical models which attempt to explicate various aspects
of organizations. At the course's completion, students should understand
and be able to articulate:
a) an overview of organizational paradigms;
b) basic models and issues regarding organizational structures;
c) issues related to specific individual characteristics
and their effects upon
organizations;
d) how group process issues affect organizational effectiveness;
e) concepts regarding organizational political systems;
f) basic models of organizational cultures;
g) issues involving the relationships between organizations
and their environments; and
h) a beginning understanding of organizations as systems
and as subsystems of still larger systems.
LEARNING
ACTIVITIES:
This class will be conducted in a seminar format. The
instructor will attempt to provide a variety of information and learning
activities intended to stimulate in-depth discussions and reflection.
REQUIRED READINGS:
There are no required texts to purchase for the course. Instead,
the instructor will supply hand-outs of assigned readings; a fee of $35
to cover copying charges is required. Assigned readings as listed
on the class calendar may be amended from time to time based on student
interest and instructor discretion.
COURSE
REQUIREMENTS
Students will be expected to:
a. Attend all classes and participate positively in activities
and discussions
b. Complete all assigned readings
c. Complete all group discussion and activity assignments
d. Complete all written work at an acceptable level of scholarship
ASSIGNMENTS:
Four short written assignments are required this course;
the purpose of each is to evaluate students’ applications of readings and
class discussions to their own experiences and reflections on organizations.
In addition, a final synthesis paper, more scholarly in tone, requires
the student to apply what has been learned summatively to an organizational
case study.
ASSESSMENT
AND GRADING:
Assigned work will be assessed on a point basis and weighted as follows:
Written assignments
(Four @ 20 points) |
80 points |
| Final assignment |
100 points |
| Attendance/participation |
25 points |
| Total |
225 points |
Doctoral level work should be of high quality in both content and presentation.
Final course grades will be based on the following percentile scores:
95 - 100% A
90 - 94% A-
85 - 89% B+
80 - 84% B
75 - 79% B-
70 - 75% C+
Lower percentile scores are unacceptable for doctoral study.
CALENDAR
Pre-Assignment: A pre-assignment is required during summer
terms in lieu of an eighth class session. Upon registration for the
course, students will receive a packet of pre-assigned readings and a short
written assignment to bring to the first class session.
Pre-class reading assignment:
Bolman, L. & Deal, T. Simple ideas, complex organizations
Senge, P. Mental models
Katz, D. & Kahn, R.L. The definition and identification
of organizations
Blau, P.M. The comparative study of organizations
Pfeffer, J. & Salancik, G. Organization and social
context defined
Coleman, J. Power and the structure of society
Perrow, C. The short and glorious history of organizational
theory
Perrow, C. Perspectives on organizations
Thompson, J.D. Strategies for studying organizations
Franks, N. Army ants: A collective intelligence
Morgan, G. Imaginization
Pre-class written assignment:
Prepare a 3-5-page written reflection of your thoughts comparing
ideas from these
readings to your experiences in organizations
Session #1 (June 26): Introductions -- to each other and
to organizations; group activity;
structural paradigms in organizational theory
Reading assignment for next class:
Weber, M. Bureaucracy
Taylor, F. Scientific management
Pugh, D.S. The measurement of organization structures
Lerner, A.W. & Wanat, J. Fuzziness and bureaucracy
Harmon, R. & Peterson, L. Reinventing the factory
Gamoran, A. & Dreeben, R. Coupling and control in
educational
Organizations
Ritzer, G. McDonaldization and its precursors
Barley, S.R. Technology as an occasion for structuring
Stone, K. The origins of job structures in the steel industry
Case, J. Growing large while staying small
Rothschild-Whitt, The collectivist organization
Heckscher, C. Defining the post-bureaucratic type
Written assignment for next class:
Reflection paper on structural paradigms
Session #2 (July 3): Individual/organismic paradigms in
organizational theory
Reading assignment for next class:
Hendrickson, K. & Giesecke, J.R. Myers-Briggs Type
Indicator profile
and the organization
Barnard, C.I. Cooperation
March, J.G. & Simon, H.A. Decision-making theory
Cytrynbaum, S. & Crites, J. The utility of adult development
theory in
understanding the career adjustment process
Gallos, J. Exploring women’s development
Aronowitz, S. Lordstown: Disruption on the assembly
line
Terkel, S. Beryl Simpson
Sims, D.; Fineman, S.; & Gabriel, Y. Feelings
Gabriel, Y., Fineman, S., & Sims, D. Sex
Gabriel, Y., Fineman, S., & Sims, D. Managing differences
and diversity
Hall, D.T. & Fukami, C.V. Organization design and
adult learning
Lyth, I.M. Changing organizations and individuals
Sarason, S. The professional and the problem of candor
about work
Bloland, S.E. Fame: The power and cost of a fantasy
Hogan, R. et.al. How charisma cloaks incompetence
Bennis, W. Why leaders can't lead (excerpt)
Argyris, C. Skilled incompetence
Merton, R.K. Bureaucratic structure and personality
Written assignment for next class:
Reflection paper on individual/organismic paradigm
Session #3 (July 10): Interpersonal/group paradigms in
organizational theory
Reading assignment for next class:
Katz, D. & Kahn, R. Individual and small group:
Organizational change
Tuckman, B.W. Developmental sequence in small groups
Argyris, C. The nature of interpersonal relations and
formal organizations
Parsons, T. Social systems
Roethlisberger, F.J. & Dickson, W.J. Human relations
Delbecq, A.L. How informal organization evolves
Schein, E.H. Intergroup problems in organizations
Edmondson, A. Psychological anxiety and learning behavior
in work
teams
Senge, P. Team learning
Diamond, M.A. Stresses of group membership
Lewis, J.D. & Weigert, A. Trust as a social reality
Roy, D.F. “Banana time”: Job satisfaction and informal
interaction
Brown, H. Work groups
Passmore, W. et.al. Athletic teams
Harvey, J.B. The Abilene paradox
Janis, I.L. Groupthink
Written assignment for next class:
Reflection paper on interpersonal/group paradigm
Session #4 (July 17): Political paradigms in organizational theory
Reading assignment for next class:
Baker-Miller, J. Domination-subordination
Bolman, L. & Deal, T. Power, conflict, and coalitions
Daft, R.L. Power and politics
Morgan, G. Exploring power
Kanter, R.M. Power failure in management circuits
Michels, R. Oligarchy
Salancik, G.R. & Pfeffer, J. Who gets power?
Mechanic, D. Sources of power of lower participants in
complex
Organizations
Kanter, R.M. Power
Pfeffer, J. Who governs?
Boeker, W. Power and managerial dismissal: Scapegoating
at the top
Cohen, A.R. & Bradford, D.L. Influence without authority
Pfeffer, J. & Salancik, G.R. Organizational decision
making as a political
Process
Alinsky, S. The purpose
Written assignment for next class:
Reflection paper on political paradigm
Session #5 (July 19: “Extra” class session): Cultureal
paradigms in organizational theory
Reading assignment for next class:
Ouchi, W. Markets, bureaucracies, and clans
Hall, E.T. Culture: A complex and subtle language
Deal, T.E. & Kennedy, A.A. The Tandem Corporation:
A successful
corporate culture
Schein, E.H. The role of the founder in the creation of
organizational
Culture
Wilkins, A. Corporate culture: The role of stories
Louis, M.L. An investigator’s guide to workplace culture
Sarason, S. Socialization of the leader
Hart, A.W. Leader succession and socialization
Meyerson, D.E. “Normal” ambiguity
Schultz, M. & Hatch, M.J. Living with multiple paradigms:
The case of
paradigm interplay in organizational culture studies
Schein, E. Three cultures of management
DiMaggio, P. & Powell, W. The iron cage revisited:
Institutional
isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational
fields
Riley, P. A structurationist account of political culture
Ost, D.H. The culture of teaching
Dellheim, C. The creation of a company culture:
Cadburys, 1861-1931
VanMaanen, J. The smile factory: Work at Disneyland
Scheurich, J.J. Toward a white discourse on white racism
Deming, W.E. Improvement of quality and productivity through
action by
Management
Klein, J.A. The paradox of quality management
Written assignment for next class:
Reflection paper on cultural paradigm
Session #6 (July 24): Organizational environments and systems
paradigms in
organizational theory
Reading assignment for next class:
Perrow, C. The environment
Miles, R., Snow, C., & Pfeffer, J. Organization-environment:
Concepts
and issues
Byrne, J., Brandt, R. & Port, O. The virtual corporation
Lind, M. A critical appraisal of the “virtual corporation”
Elliott, D. The organization as a system
Mastenbroek, W. Organizations as parties in a system
Daft, R. & Weick, K. Toward a model of organizations
as interpretation
Systems
Wheatley, M. Searching for a simpler way to lead organizations
Merry, R. Nonlinear organizational dynamics
Merker, S. Living systems theory: A framework for
management
Loye, D. & Eisler, R. Chaos and transformation:
Implications of
nonequilibrium theory for social science and society
Barton, S. Chaos, self-organization, and psychology
Capra, F. The turning of the tide
Gregg, A. Prologue: From undifferentiated to organic
growth
Boulding, K. The choices for humanity
Final written assignment due next class:
Option #1: RFK High School Analysis (10-15 pages)
Option #2: Analysis of another organization with which
you are familiar
(10-15 pages)
Option #3: A video mosaic of organizational concepts (w/
outline)
Session #7 (July 31): Current and future issues in organizations;
presentation of projects; course evaluations; food and friviolity
Final assignment due
All student work due
|
E-Mail
isaacson@gonzaga.edu
