The course offers key conceptual tools to design and change organizational models and structures in a global, complex and uncertain environment. This course provides advanced knowledge and analytical resources that will enable students to understand the processes, content and consequences of organizational decisions to be implemented on a global scale, both in public and private organizations. This course offers theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of organizational design and change, therefore enhancing more effective decision making in all organizations in need of (re)designing their internal organizational structure.

At the completion of this course, students will be able to: Knowledge and understanding  Compare pros and cons of different organizational models   Assess under what conditions organizational models should be used in business practice   Assess the efficacy of actions to be implemented in change programs  Appraise and manage risks and resistances related to change programs  Identify the role of people and cultural dimensions in change programs  Examine how and why organizations make decisions to face an evolving environment  Applying knowledge and understanding Execute foundations of organizational design and change to the project work to be developed during the course  Making Judgements Dissect complex organizational issues, analyze them and propose solutions  Discuss and evaluate key organizational choices and leadership issues related to change  Critically examine when, how and why certain organizational choices are needed and what are the key drivers of success for organizational design and change programs Communication Skills Acquire and discuss major terms and concepts in order to communicate ideas, proposals, analysis and critical reasoning in the field of organizational design and change in organizations  Learning Skills Execute a variety of methods that allows them to understand the relevance of organizational design and change strategies which impact companies’ longevity and survival  Use the acquired knowledge to gain access to prominent job positions within companies and institutions and/or to access further advanced learning programs such as a PhD. 

The modules of the course will cover the following topics: Introduction and the “One-Best-Fit" Paradigm Matrix Design Project-based Models  Agile Organising and The Spaghetti” Model Networks Crowd-based Models and Holacracies Change is the only constant in life There is nothing more practical than a good theory Houston we have a problem Culture eats (change) strategy for breakfast In search of (change) leadership Be the Change you Want to See in the World 

The key textbooks for the course are: Burton, M. R., Obel, B., & DeSanctis, G. (2011). Organizational Design: A Step by Step Approach, Cambridge. Kesler, G., & Kates, A. (2015). Bridging Organization Design and Performance: Five Ways to Activate a Global Operation Model. John Wiley & Sons. Kotter, J., Rathgeber, H. (2013). Our Iceberg is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions. Pan Macmillan. 

mix synchronous and asynchronous TA consultations Group work Case Studies Flipped Classroom Project Work

Attending students will be evaluated on the following activities: mandatory assignments that are 60% of your entire course evaluation; the final project which is 30% of your entire course evaluation; the final exam which is 10% of your entire course evaluation.    For non-attending students the final grade will be given as a result of an in-presence written exam, that will consist of open questions, true/false questions, and multiple-choice questions. Non-attending students are required to:  1) read the following papers in addition to the reading list already available in the “regular” syllabus for attending students.   Supplementary readings (for the final exam): Greenwood, R., & Miller, D. (2010). Tackling design anew: Getting back to the heart of organizational theory. Academy of Management Perspectives, 24(4), 78-88. (topics of week 1)   Peters, T. J. (1979). Beyond the matrix organization. McKinsey Quarterly (topics of week 2)  Cross, R. L., Martin, R. D., & Weiss, L. M. (2006). Mapping the value of employee collaboration. McKinsey Quarterly, 3, 28. (topics of week 4)  Sanner, B., & Bunderson, J. S. (2018). The truth about hierarchy. MIT Sloan Management Review, 59(2), 49-52. (topics of Week 6)  Lawson, E., & Price, C. (2003). The psychology of change management. McKinsey Quarterly, 30-30. (topics of week 8)  Field E., Pears E., Schaninger B. (2022). A single approach to culture transformation may not fit all. McKinsey Quarterly (topics of week 9)  Zucker, R., & Rowell, D. (6). Strategies for leading through uncertainty. Harvard Business Review. (topics of week 11)  Grant A. How to be Less Wrong. (topics of week 12) 

Active attendance at the course; Quality of the proposed issue for the thesis.