GLOBAL ORGANIZATION DESIGN AND HRM

In modern times decisions about organization design and human resources management are interwoven. Informed by both research-driven and problem-solving oriented logics, the course will deal with some of the most modern trends and solutions in management, exploring fields and managerial experiments for which the unknown is larger than the known, such as: crowd-open and crowd-based organizations, networks, platforms and complex global organizational settings. This course explores the drivers of global business organization design and the role of human resource management in ensuring that human resources can “make it happen” sustainably. We will consider: a) the modern issues of organization design; b) the implication of “open organizing”; c) the context of global human resource management. The course will combine the transfer of academic knowledge with the acquisition of inquiry-based skills. In fact, students will engage in a Project Work (PW), through which they will be asked to develop a research project on a specific subject of Global Organization Design and HRM in synergy with the Lab Research Methods for Social Sciences. During the semester, students will be guided in turning their research project into a research paper. Through this activity students will also learn by experimenting research rigor. Students that do not have the Research Methods for Social Sciences Lab in their study plan (e.g. exchange students) will be assigned an ad hoc assignment for an equivalent workload.

Basic knowledge (BA-level contents) of organization design The contents reported in one of the following books (or equivalent) will be taken for granted: Cunha, M.P., Clegg, S., Gaim, M., Giustiniano, L. (2022), Elgar Introduction to Designing Organizations, forthcoming, open access, ISBN: 978 1 80392 218 8: Chapter 1: Introduction to the Elgar Introduction to Designing Organizations Chapter 2: The fundamentals of organizational design Chapter 3: Organization design and change Chapter 4: The traditional organization R. Daft, Organization Theory and Design 11th Edition, Parts/Chapters*: PART1 Introduction to Organization Theory and Design 1. Introduction to Organizations PART 2 Organizational Strategy and Structure 2. Structural Design for Organizations 3. Strategy and Effectiveness PART 3 External Factors and Design 4. Relationships between Organizations 5. Global Organization Design 6. The Impact of Environment PART 4 Managing Organizational Processes 7. Organizational Conflict and Politics 8. Organizational Decision-Making 9. Corporate Culture and Values *: numbers might change according to the released edition – look for equivalent contents. PermaLink, LUISS Library: https://luiss.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/openurl?institution=39LLUISSGC_INST&rfr_id=info:sid%2Fsummon&rft_dat=ie%3D2116995800004196,language%3DEN&svc_dat=CTO&u.ignore_date_coverage=true&vid=39LLUISSGC_INST:Services&Force_direct=false

Knowledge and understanding: The course will offer key conceptual tools to design organizations and HRM systems in global setting. 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, profit-oriented and non-profit settings. Applying knowledge and understanding: The students will be able to: • apply organization models on a global scale, such as Multinational Companies, large Non-Governmental Organizations, crowd-based organizations • compare pros and cons of each organizational choice • analyze how and why organizations make decisions to face an evolving environment • apply foundations of business research Making judgements: We expect students to be able to dissect complex organizational issues, analyze them and propose solutions. They are expected to be able to discuss and evaluate key organizational choices. Throughout the whole course, students will be invited to critically analyze when, how and why certain organizational choices are pursued. Communications Skills: This course will give the students the possibility to acquire and understand major terms and concepts in order to communicate their ideas, proposals, analysis and critical reasoning in the field of organization design and human resource management. Via the Project Work students will be asked to acquire also academic writing skills. Learning skills: This course will empower learners giving them the tools to determine why certain organizational choices are made and how different alternatives are assessed. Via the Project Work students will learn the “language and the rigor” or inquiry-based activities.

This course introduces students to advanced contents of global organization design and to the field of global human resource management. The goal is to discuss the most important issues that decision-makers operating in today’s globalized business setting must consider when designing organizations and managing human resource management (HRM) in different national settings. The course materials consist of readings, movies and case studies. The texts and ideas are from various disciplines, including management & economics, comparative sociology, and business ethics. Course format: a) on campus: 1h15' (plenary) + breakout sessions (1h per group); b) online: 45'.

As reported in the syllabus, week by week. Attending students must refer to the compulsory readings; non-attending students or students declining either the grade of the individual assignment or the project work evaluation (see later) must consider also supplementary readings as mandatory. Before each lesson the students are expected to read the mandatory reading(s), prepare cases and movies as indicated. Unless covered by copyright restrictions, mandatory readings are available via the Luiss Learn on-line platform (i.e., some HBR cases must be acquired by students).

Students’ participation during classes is strongly encouraged. In-class activities are synergically complementary to conceptual classes. - Online lectures 50% - in class activities, case discussion 25% - Project works 25% Teaching activities integrate online with face-to-face lectures, explanation of concepts with the analysis of business cases performed by both the instructors and the students. Students will be required to join in-presence training sessions and analyze or discuss, individually or within small groups, case studies focused on the resolution of organizational problems and the definition of the different organizational configurations that can be adopted in different strategic and environmental contexts. These sessions are useful to evaluate students’ ability to put into practice the methods of organizational design and analysis acquired during the lectures.

The final exam is composed of an essay, based on ad hoc created case and two open questions to be answered, at the end of the course covering the whole course program (only mandatory readings and cases). The grade of the exam will count as 30% of the final grade. Students not attending the course will have to answer 4 exam questions (on both mandatory and supplementary readings). During the course, students are also asked to: 1) deliver an individual assignment (see below) that will count as 20% of the final grade (deadline: by week 9); 2) work in groups and develop an enquiry-based Project Work (PW, to be conducted jointly with the Research Method for Social Science Lab). The collective evaluation count as 50% of the final grade. Guidance on PWs will be provided during the whole course. Students declining the either the grade of individual assignment or the PW’s evaluation will be considered as non-attending (see above). INDIVIDUAL ESSAY -- Individual written “Point/Counterpoint” essay assignment: Compose a four-paragraph essay (300-350 words) using the following outline: • Include an introductory paragraph with a thesis containing two viewpoints on HR-related subjects (a theses of your choice - available on Learn - as well as a counter-argument to it), • one paragraph with supporting details about one viewpoint, • another paragraph with supporting details about the other viewpoint, • and a final paragraph with a concluding opinion. Suggestion: use one journal-article that supports each viewpoint Please note: • Academic writing style (e.g. write in the third person, eliminate usage of the following pronouns I, my, me; we, our, us; you, your, yours, no jargon, no colloquial language, etc.) • Format the paper and cite your two sources using APA format. The essay is due by the end of Week 9. SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT (Exchange Students) The structure of the assignment is the following: Part 1 The student is required to choose one organization operating at the international level. The task is to describe how such an organization has been exposed to international challenges and how it reacted in terms of organizational design. Focus on those aspects related to organizational design that are necessary for implementing the suggested solutions: structural, procedural, implications for change management. Adopting the concepts acquired during the lectures try to explain the underlying reasoning that leads to the adoption of a specific strategy rather than others and, eventually, advance suggestions for possible alternatives solutions. The contents have to be summarized in a Word doc (max 3,500 words). Part 2 This assignment provides a final opportunity for the participants to synthesize and share their learning with the instructors. In doing that, students should reflect on their learning in this class and: • write up a list of your “Top Five Take-Aways” from the course; • explain why they chose each concept; • how to put them into action in daily life; • how to use them in the future as a manager. The contents have to be summarized in a Word doc (max 500 words per take-away). The grade will be based on the clarity and the feasibility of the concepts expressed. The essay is due by the end of Week 11.

Not having refused a grade above 23/30; no further specific requirements: the sooner the better for choosing subject and methodology. Master thesis assignment is based on a project presented by the student. The project (2/3 pages) must include: • Table of contents • Abstract • Main references

The syllabus covers some subjects related to sustainable human resource management and organizational solutions that can address grand challenges.