This module is designed to engage students in the process of organizing, developing and implementing impactful projects aimed at addressing grand societal challenges. The module employs tools from the enquiry-based approach and applies them to pressing, complex, contemporary societal issues. As generating social impact implies practice, the course is heavily practice-based, allowing students to apply the tools and the thinking-like-a-scientist approach introduced in the class. Students will be immersed in an active-learning experience in the context of a real life project aimed at mitigating a societal challenge, within which they will have a first-hand account of how social goals can be synergistically integrated with and actually serve the original objectives of an organization.

Knowledge and understanding: The course will offer key conceptual and analytical tools to design organizations in a global, complex and uncertain environment, aiming at addressing today’s most pressing societal challenges. Students will learn about the processes, content and consequences of organizational decisions, and their societal impact. Applying knowledge and understanding: The students will be able to: - develop a “complexified” understanding of grand societal challenges - understand organizations’ negative externalities and potential positive impact on societal challenges - analyze how and why organizations make decisions and change to address societal challenges - compare pros and cons of each organizational choice and the related societal impact Making judgements: Students will be able to frame complex organizational issues, analyze them and propose solutions. They are expected to be able to discuss and evaluate key organizational choices. Communications Skills: Students will have the possibility to acquire and understand key terms and concepts in order to communicate their ideas, proposals, analysis and critical reasoning in the field of organization design. Learning skills: This course will allow learners to apply the tools and the thinking-like-a-scientist approach introduced in the class. Students will be immersed in an active-learning experience in the context of a project aimed at mitigating a societal challenge, within which they will have a first-hand account of how social goals can be synergistically integrated with and actually serve the original objectives of an organization.

This course is designed to engage students in the process of organizing, developing and implementing impactful projects aimed at addressing grand societal challenges. The module employs tools from the enquiry-based approach and applies them to pressing, complex, contemporary societal issues. As generating social impact implies practice, the course is heavily practice-based, allowing students to apply the tools and the thinking-like-a-scientist approach introduced in the class. Students will be immersed in an active-learning experience in the context of a real life project aimed at mitigating a societal challenge, within which they will have a first-hand account of how social goals can be synergistically integrated with and actually serve the original objectives of an organization.

Course materials, as reported week by week. Further supplementary readings: Cunha, M., Clegg, S., Gaim, M., & Giustiniano, L. (2022). Elgar Introduction to Designing Organizations. In Elgar Introduction to Designing Organizations. Edward Elgar Publishing. Burton, M. R., Obel, B., & DeSanctis, G. (2011). Organizational Design: A Step by Step Approach, Cambridge.

The course will make use of the following teaching methods: • lectures • working groups and case studies • keynote speakers’ presentations on real life experiences • presentations and assignment Teaching activities integrate face-to-face lectures with the analysis of business cases performed by both the instructor and the students. Students will be required to join practical sessions within small groups, taking part of a guided real life intervention on a societal problem. These sessions, besides being part of a unique learning experience, are useful to evaluate student's ability to put into practice the methods of organizational design and analysis acquired during the lectures.

The final grade will be based on the following: • a continuous assessment based on a project developed by groups of students during the semester. Groups will be expected to collect, analyze, and interpret data related to a societal challenge, and take part of a real life intervention aimed at addressing such challenge. The activities inherent to the project contribute in total to 70% of the final grade. The activities will be divided into 4 "milestones", each of which will be evaluated independently by the teaching team of the course. Milestones will be organized as follows: i) Quiz-Week 3; 20% of the final grade; ii) Quiz-Week 5; 20% of the final grade); iii) Individual evaluation of the students working in their groups (during coaching sessions) - weeks 5-11; 10% of the final grade); iv) Assignment 3-Week 11; 20% of the final grade. Evaluations will be weighted using “peer evaluation”, which will be adopted to prevent opportunistic behaviors while promoting effective group dynamics. Students will be free to decide their group affiliation, which in any case will be communicated to the "teaching team" at the beginning of the course. • a final written exam, representing 30% of the final grade. The final exam consists of two open-ended questions related to one short case study (total duration 30 minutes).

Criteria: The thesis assignment is based on a project presented by the student. The project (2/3 pages) must include: • Table of contents • Abstract • Main references