Course 2014-2015 a.y.

Obiettivi formativi del corso

Il corso di organizzazione d'impresa ha l'obiettivo di costruire una piattaforma di conoscenze attraverso cui poter riconoscere, analizzare e risolvere un problema organizzativo generale così come aspetti più specifici. Questa piattaforma è articolata su una complessa varietà di conoscenze, in particolare: la progettazione delle strutture e dei meccanismi organizzativi, il governo dei processi di trasformazione, crescita e crisi, la creazione di condizioni strutturali di efficienza.

Programma sintetico del corso

• Le basi organizzative del vantaggio competitivo.
• Organizzazione e Stakeholders.
• Sfide di design organizzativo.
• Progettare l'organizzazione d'impresa.
• Progettare i confini dell'impresa e i network interorganizzativi.
• Governare cultura ed etica dell'organizzazione.
• Governare la relazione tra strategia e organizzazione.
• Nascita, crescita, sviluppo e declino organizzativo.
• Organizzare per l'innovazione e il cambiamento.

Descrizione dettagliata delle modalità d'esame

Per i frequentanti

Prova scritta finale: 100%
La prova scritta è articolata in tre parti:

1. Un caso con domande aperte e organigrammi da disegnare;

2. Un esercizio di progettazione (interna o esterna);

3. Due domande aperte da scegliere fra tre domande.

Per i non frequentanti

Una prova scritta articolata su Casi, esercizi e domande aperte sui testi:

• G. JONES, "Organizzazione: teoria, progettazione, cambiamento", Edizione italiana a cura di G. Soda, 2a edizione, Egea, 2012 (tutti i capitoli compresi i casi).
• "Organizzazione d’impresa (Casi, minicasi e incident sulla relazione diretta fra strategia, organizzazione e vantaggio competitivo)", a cura di R. Cappetta, Egea 2014-15.

Questo materiale è il riferimento anche per gli studenti degli anni precedenti a partire dall’appello di gennaio 2015.

Testi d'esame

Per i non frequentanti

• G. JONES, "Organizzazione: teoria, progettazione, cambiamento", Edizione italiana a cura di G. Soda, 2a edizione, Egea, 2012 (tutti i capitoli compresi i casi).
• "Organizzazione d’impresa (Casi, minicasi e incident sulla relazione diretta fra strategia, organizzazione e vantaggio competitivo)", a cura di R. Cappetta, Egea 2014-15.

Questo materiale è il riferimento anche per gli studenti degli anni precedenti a partire dall’appello di gennaio 2015.

Per i frequentanti

• G. JONES, "Organizzazione: teoria, progettazione, cambiamento", Edizione italiana a cura di G. Soda, Egea, 2a edizione, 2012, con particolare riferimento ai capitoli indicati nel programma.
• Dispensa: "Organizzazione d’impresa (Casi, minicasi e incident sulla relazione diretta fra strategia, organizzazione e vantaggio competitivo)", a cura di R. Cappetta, Egea 2014-15, che integra i contenuti del libro.

Altro materiale didattico complementare e di approfondimento distribuito attraverso la piattaforma elettronica Learning Space.

Course Objectives

Modern organizations carry out almost every task that we need in order to function as a society, from education, to healthcare, to security, 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 vast numbers of people in order 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 students 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. Some of them can be designed, but others can only be influenced. We do this by combining a rigorous theoretical approach with the discussion of cases, simulations and exercises that enable students 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.

Course Content Summary

• differentiation, integration, centralization, standardization, authority and control;
• basic organizational structure;
• structure of international firms;
• coordinating work by strategic linking.

Power and politics in organizations:

• the role of social networks;
• conflict;
• aligning people's interests;
• power and influence.

Culture:

• organizational culture;
• the role of national culture;
• cultural adjustment in international assignments.

Detailed Description of Assessment Methods

Final grade for attending students will be determined as follows:

• final exam (written): 100%.
• Class participation and assignments: 0-3 additional points for class participation.

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

• Final exam (written): 100 %.

Final Exam

The 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. The exam will be based on:

• readings listed in the syllabus and available through Course Reserve.
• Cases discussed in class and available through Course Reserve.
• All other materials distributed during classes or made available on the course e-learning space, unless otherwise specified.

Textbooks

• There is no textbook in this course but only readings listed in the syllabus and available through Course Reserve.
• Cases discussed in class and available through Course Reserve. 
• All other materials distributed during classes or made available on the course e-learning space, unless otherwise specified.

Course Objectives

Now more than ever, competitive advantage depends on a company’s ability to (re)organize its structure, processes, and people so as to effectively face growth challenges, and recognize and realize business opportunities. Managing this complexity requires an understanding of multiple contingent and interdependent factors.

This course provides students with the analytical tools needed to handle the complexity of organizational design in the face of an increasingly globalized and fast-changing business environment.

Through the use of cases, students are asked and encouraged to develop their own skills with respect to the analysis of Org Design issues, understanding choices and tradeoffs in the pursuit of business performance and stakeholder satisfaction.

Course Content Summary

Overview: effective management of firms requires a systemic view on organizations and strategy; therefore, rather than a sequence of topics, we focus on specific elements of organizational architectures (structures and processes) and then connect these with business and corporate strategy. Broadly we discuss the strategic impact of organizational design of macro-structures and business processes.

Structure: each meeting includes a variety of pedagogical styles, including a brief lecture, class discussion of assigned readings, group case analysis, along with occasional experiential exercises. We have in-class discussions over some assigned articles, and I present short lectures on key concepts and theories. As the pedagogical style is highly interactive, it is essential that students (1) are prepared to contribute to class discussion in a way that (2) aims at learning or helping others to learn, (3) is respectful of the opinion of others (4) welcomes criticisms and disagreement, (4) is expressed in a precise and concise manner.

Detailed Description of Assessment Methods

Written exam.

Textbooks

• G. Jones, Organizational Theory, Design and Change, Pearson - Prentice Hall Publishing, Fourth Edition.
• G. Soda (edit by), Strategic Organization, Egea 2014.