Course 2025-2026 a.y.

21051 - MANAGING PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS

Department of Management and Technology

Course taught in English
31
ACME (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/10) - AFC (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/10) - AI (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/10) - CLELI (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/10) - CLMG (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/10) - DES-ESS (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/10) - DSBA (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/10) - EMIT (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/10) - ESS (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/10) - FIN (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/10) - GIO (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/10) - IM (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/10) - MM (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/10) - PPA (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/10)
Course Director:
FABRIZIO CASTELLUCCI

Classes: 31 (II sem.)
Instructors:
Class 31: FABRIZIO CASTELLUCCI


Suggested background knowledge

No previous background is required

Mission & Content Summary

MISSION

Modern organizations carry out almost every task needed for society to function, from education to healthcare to the production of goods and services. Many of the achievements of our world would not have been possible without a sophisticated understanding of how to organize vast amounts of resources and the efforts of many people to carry out complex tasks. Symmetrically, many of the failures and disasters of modern society are the failures and disasters of organizations. The objective of this course is to give you the fundamental tools to understand how organizations operate, how they can be designed to achieve their goals, and what are the processes and the phenomena that affect their functioning, which we cannot design but can attempt to influence. We will do this by combining a rigorous theoretical approach with the discussion of cases, simulations, and exercises that will enable you to gain a solid understanding and command of the complexities of modern organizations, with a particular emphasis on the specificities of organizations operating in an international context.

CONTENT SUMMARY

The ability to understand the full complexity of organizations begins with the development of multiple frameworks on organizations. As a starting point, this course is organized around different frameworks on organizations: the structural design framework, the political framework, and the cultural framework. Each offers a different angle on what an organization is, and each offers different tools for action. However, these frameworks provide only simplified versions of what an organization is. Therefore, we must integrate these frameworks into a more holistic view to fully understand organizational complexity. For these reasons, the course will examine each framework in detail. The structural design framework will focus on the most important organizational designs, their determinants, and the traits to be a strong company. The political framework will focus on the role of individual preferences in determining political issues, on how to manage with power, on the role of social capital, and on the pathologies inherent in the use of power. The symbolic framework will focus on how to analyze culture and how to craft organizational culture. The course will then explore how these frameworks can be applied to interpret current organizational phenomena.


Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...

1. Acquire the basic jargon and concepts necessary to discuss, in a precise and consistent manner, organizational issues and how to address them.

2. Identify and explain what determines the choice of formal organization (structure, control), why and how informal organizations emerge and change, what shapes organizational culture and power, and what determines a strong company.

3. Illustrate the nature and dynamics of key organizational phenomena.

4. Recognize the key organizational issues faced by organizations that operate globally, and what solutions have been developed in order to address them.

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...

1. Identify the relevant dimensions pertaining to each framework

2. Integrate the different frameworks to develop a better understanding of organizational dynamics

3. Use these basic tools to diagnose and frame organizational problems, address them, and devise ways to solve them


Teaching methods

  • Lectures
  • Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
  • Practical Exercises
  • Individual works / Assignments
  • Collaborative Works / Assignments

DETAILS

  • Classes are organized so as to provide students with the relevant concepts and theory, and with the opportunity to discover and apply them through the use of cases and exercises. It is important that students not only attend class, but also come to class having read the cases or exercises assigned for the class, and ready to participate in the discussion.

Assessment methods

  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Written individual exam (traditional/online)
     x
  • Collaborative Works / Assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
 x    
  • Active class participation (virtual, attendance)
 x    

ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

Final grade for both attending and non-attending students will be determined as follows:

  • Final exam (written) 100 %
  • 0-2 additional points for class participation 


 

  1. Final exam
 will be the same for both attending and non-attending students. 
 The exam will consist of a case with 2 to 4 open questions related to the case, and/or 2 to 4 open questions that directly refer to material covered in the course, and/or a combination of multiple choice and open questions. The exam will be based on all teaching material

 

2. Class participation

Participation is something encouraged and it will be recognized in two ways. First, to recognize those whose comments and questions benefit us all, a part of the participation grade is based on contributions made in class.  Both quantity and quality are relevant: although consistent contribution is ideal, a few points of genuine insight may go a long way. Second, to recognize those groups whose work is of higher quality, the largest part of the participation grade will be based on the deliverables of any group activities performed throughout the course. The final additional points will be determined in relation to the overall participation of the entire class.


Teaching materials


ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

The teaching materials is the same for attending and non-attending students and it includes:

  1. Case Studies
  2. Book chapters
  3. Articles
  4. Slides
  5. Material distributed in class

 

The exact list of material will be listed closer to the beginning of the course. The material will be mostly obtained from course reserve

Last change 29/05/2025 12:38