This course is designed to enable you to further develop your prior knowledge on strategy and organization theory by achieving the following learning goals:
- You will be able to understand the premises, assumptions, and weaknesses of different schools of strategy and organization theory;
- You will be able to identify and utilize the most appropriate perspective(s) and approach(es) in analysing strategic management challenges congruent with the mandates of organizational and environmental contexts;
- You will develop your capabilities for tackling practical organizational problems (mainly in the field of strategy formation) and drawing conclusions from theory for practice;
- You will enhance your verbal and written communication abilities by taking part in a group assignment focused on application of strategy and organization theory to real business problems.
|
|
The course covers the nature of prominent fundamental strategy and organization theory perspectives, which form the basis for describing and explaining the relation between the organization and its environment. This will also help you in understanding and improving organizational change and performance. In addition, you will be able to distinguish the different schools of thought.
The major theories and schools of thought discussed during the course are: design school, planning school, positioning school, entrepreneurial school, learning school, cognitive school, power school, cultural school, environmental school, and the configuration school. Theories and instruments used to describe and explain the relation between the organization and the environment are often very recognizable and well known, because they are found in many textbooks on strategy and organization theory. The common familiarity suggests a certain objectivity, which in fact does not exist. These perspectives rest on various assumptions and approaches, which can be subject to debate at a fundamental level. The various schools discussed in this course will provide you with a multitude of lenses to study and understand organizations and their behaviour.
To become knowledgeable about strategy and organization theory, it is necessary to understand the various assumptions and approaches of the major schools and their origin in streams of research, but also to juxtapose them. Obviously, the purpose is not only that you become familiar with assumptions and approaches of the various schools, but also that you learn to apply these approaches to specific organizational settings. This enables you to judge the intent and tenability of the various schools, as well as to understand, describe and explain various classical and current phenomena in management practice.
|
 |
|
|
| Strategy and/or Inleiding Bedrijfskunde 2 and/or Organisation Theory |
|
Group assignment (30%)
The evaluation of the group assignment report will be based on the grading criteria as listed in a separate document (Organization and Environment 2023-2024-group assignment details). The lecturers will grade the group assignment on a 1 through 10 scales.
Note: in cases when there is a serious lack of contribution from team members, those team members can at maximum receive a 5 for the assignment.
Written exam (Individual) (70%)
The exam (in English) will consist of only multiple-choice questions.
Note: Questions cover all materials covered by the course: the books and scientific articles, and cases presented during guest lectures (if applicable).
Final grade
Course grade (final grade) = exam grade*0.70 + group assignment grade*0.30
Please note that both the group assignment and exam grades need to separately score above a 5.5 to pass the course. The course grade for students who are repeating the course, the “re-takers” will be 100% based on the exam (as they are cannot take part in the group assignment).
|
|
|
|