In today’s volatile world, organizational design is an everyday, ongoing activity and challenge for every executive, whether managing a global enterprise or a small work team, both in the private and public sector. Globalization, worldwide competition, deregulation, digital transformation and ever-new technologies drive the ongoing reassessment of the organization. New organizational forms challenge old ways of organizing for efficiency and effectiveness. Yet, organization still require a formal design, keeping in mind its fundamental ingredients: goals, tasks, decision-making, communication, knowledge and incentives.

Knowledge and understanding: The course will offer key theoretical tools to analyze and design the organization and its demands for change in today’s volatile world. Students will acquire knowledge of the fundamental aspects of organization design, which span from the formal structure, goals and strategies, to managing people, leadership, information and knowledge, along with the up-to-date approaches to study organizations. In acquiring the theoretical bases of the organization design, students will be challenged to integrate multiple sources of information (such as: models, research papers, business cases, etc.), in order to build up the ability to critically reason on organizational issues, as well as, to actively research creative solutions. Applying knowledge and understanding: The students will be able to apply the aforementioned sets of knowledge and tools to: • Assess the organizational architecture. • Reflect on issues related to the many aspects of organization design. • Solve organizational problems that can be adopted in different strategic and environmental contexts. In order to build up such skill set, practice sessions will be devoted to the analyses of business cases, relevant research papers, in-class exercises and group discussions. Making judgements: We expect students to be able to analyze organizational architecture, in its many fundamental aspects, to demonstrate an in-depth critical understanding of the scope and challenges of organization design. Students are furthermore expected to be able to discuss and evaluate key issues related to organizational design and organization studies. Throughout the whole course, students will be invited to adopt a critical approach to the topics, to ask crucial questions and to find new and creative solutions. Communications Skills: This course will give the students the possibility to acquire major terms and concepts in order to communicate their ideas, critiques and proposals in the most effective and appropriate way, as well as the ability to interact in operational contexts through specialist knowledge, by integrating diverse sources of information. Learning skills: This course will contribute to empower learners giving them the tools to determine the best possible solutions to organizational problems, to critically evaluate the theoretical models, and acquire independent and critical thinking. Additionally, the course is aimed at developing the ability to search and integrate multiple information, to establish the critical links between research and practice, as well as between theory and its applications.

In this course, we will deal with organizational design as a managerial approach to demands for change in the organization. The theoretical basis is the multi-contingency and information processing approach and its application in defining the contingencies of organization design. In applying this model, we will take into consideration multiple contingencies and their strategic and organizational fits: a fit is a match between the organization and its environment, strategy, technology, management style or knowledge, and information structure. This perspective provides management with an opportunity to assess the organization design and change it regularly. In analyzing all these contingencies, we will focus on the processes and mechanisms, both at the individual and organizational levels. Finally, we will focus on the new perspectives to study organizations – such as organizational neuroscience - by analyzing its benefits and downfalls in organizations studies and by adopting a critical perspective.

Attending students: • Organizational Design: A Step-by-Step Approach (4th Edition). 2020. Richard M. Burton, Borge Obel, Dorthe Dojbak Hakonsson. • Mandatory papers, readings, and cases used during the course (listed on a week-by-week bases). Non attending students: • Organizational Design: A Step-by-Step Approach (4th Edition). 2020. Richard M. Burton, Borge Obel, Dorthe Dojbak Hakonsson. • Mandatory papers, readings, and case studies used during the course, listed on a week-by-week basis. • Supplementary reading/cases, listed on a week-by-week basis (i.e., supplementary readings are mandatory for non-attending students)

During the course, the following teaching methods will be applied: • lectures • individual assignments • working groups and case studies • keynote speakers’ presentations • individual or group assignments Practice sessions integrate the theoretical lectures with the analysis of business cases and discussions, exercises and reflection on relevant papers. Students will be required to join practical training sessions and analyze or discuss, individually or within small groups, case studies/readings focused on the resolution of organizational problems that can be adopted in different strategic and environmental contexts. These sessions are useful to evaluate student's ability to put into practice the methods of organizational design and analysis acquired during the lectures.

Attending Students: The final grade will be based on a final written exam + in-class assignments/projects/exercises + bonus points based on in-class pop-up quizzes. In order to be considered attending students, it is necessary to attend no less that 70% of the course hours. Written examination: 30% of the grade. Exercises/assignments: 20% + 20% + 30% Bonuses: Max 2 bonus points can be given for in-class pop-up quizzes. Bonus points are valid only for the first exam session (i.e., appello unico). In order to be considered as attending students you have to attend at least 70% of the course. Presence will be registered using the LUISS app at the beginning of each online and on campus session. - Instructions for the final written exam (attending): A mix of multiple-choice/true-or-false questions and Open questions. True/false questions also require a short open response indicating the main concept or a practical example or explanation of the selected choice. The points for each question are explicitly reported. Nobody, including the instructor, can answer any question during the exam session. Or Analysis of a short fictional case/relevant paper and answer to 2 open questions. The points for each question are explicitly reported. Nobody, including the instructor, can answer any question during the exam session. - Instruction for in-class exercises/assignment (attending): Analysis of a business case or relevant paper and answer to an open question. The answers will be evaluated based on the reasoning and the ability analyze business cases, and the ability to find solutions to specific organizational problems. and/or Project work assignment in small-goups for the definition of a research project or to solve a particular business challenge. - Instructions for bonus points (attending): Bonus points (max 2) can be accumulated by answering to multiple choice quizzes during the course. The dates of the quizzes will not be disclosed in advance (i.e., pop quiz), as they are aimed at evaluating attendance and participation. Quizzes are based on a one-shot logic, hence if you miss one or more quizzes (e.g., because you missed the class) it will not be possible to take the quiz in a different time or day (in other words, if you miss the class you also miss the quiz). Non-attending students: The final grade will be based on a final written exam (100%) Instructions for the final written exam (non-attending). The exam will include all the following: • Analysis of a short fictional case to answer to 2 open questions. • Multiple choice questions • True-or-false questions, requiring a short open response indicating the main concept or a practical example or explanation of the selected choice (max 3 lines). • Open questions requiring the explanation of a concept, theory, definition, or example (max 10 lines).

Master thesis assignment is based on a project proposal elaborated and presented by the student. The project (2/3 pages) must include: • Table of contents • Abstract • Main references •In case of experimental thesis: research questions and experimental design proposal. For experimental thesis, only quantitative research design will be considered. For experimental thesis it is advised to present the project proposal a minimum of 6 months before the planned graduation session.