Postgraduate Course: Organising for Effectiveness (MBA) (CMSE11253)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | Organising for Effectiveness (OFE) focuses on developing your understanding of what makes organisations, and the individuals and groups within them, effective ¿ and what can impede their effectiveness. |
| Course description |
The course covers a wide range of organisational issues from the micro-level (e.g. that factors that shape how individuals makes judgements and behave at work) to the macro-level (e.g. organisational structure, culture change and learning). The course introduces a wide range of ideas and concepts that can be used to think about a variety of organisational issues and challenges, for example, how people may be energised and directed, how decisions are made, how organisations can be configured to achieve particular ends, efficiency, flexibility/ innovation, resilience, quality, consistency and so on. The emphasis is on developing your ability to diagnose and analyse complex organisational settings, and hence operate more effectively.
OFE therefore emphasises the development of analytical skills, the translation of theory into practice and makes extensive use of experiential learning.
Syllabus:
Introduction and overview; motivation, incentives and commitment
Group Dynamics and High Performance Teams
Decision-making and Sense-Making
Culture and Leadership
Configuration and Control, Power and Conflict
The Production Game
Change and Learning, Lessons and Overview
Student Learning Experience:
The course offers a varied learning experience via an integrated mix of lectures, group work and class discussion, visiting speakers and practical exercises. There will be opportunities for discussion and debate amongst participants, and participants are encouraged to apply the ideas to their own experience. The culmination of the course is 'The Production Game' in which the class is divided into companies of 6-8 participants that compete to physically manufacture simple products. The emphasis in the course is on blending theory and practice by putting ideas and concepts to work. This will be achieved by analysing cases, by discussing real world problems from visiting practitioners and by practical exercises that provide first-hand illustration of the ideas in action.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | For Business School PG students only, or by special permission of the School. Please contact the course secretary. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2017/18, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 32,
Summative Assessment Hours 18,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
48 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Individual Assignment 20% (500 words)
Individual Assignment 70% (2000 words)
Peer assessment 10% |
| Feedback |
Formative feedback will consist of feedback on group and team skills via the Desert Survival exercise. Individual feedback will also be given on the first assignment, well in time for the feedback to be of benefit for the main summative individual summative assessment. Feedback on team performance will also be provided after the Production Game. Feedback will also be given following the main second assignment.
Feedback on assignments will be provided within 15 working days of submission. Summative marks will be returned on a published timetable, which will have been made clear to students at the start of the academic year.
Students will be provided with electronic written feedback for all coursework. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand and critically discuss key concepts from the field of Organisational Behaviour.
- Understand and critically discuss the importance of problem-solving to problem-resolution.
- Understand and critically evaluate a range of models of motivation, team dynamics and effectiveness, leadership, decision-making and sense-making, organisational configuration and control, culture, change and learning.
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Reading List
Recommended text:
Buchanan D and A Huczynski (2013) Organisational Behaviour, 8th Edition, Prentice Hall.
The set text provides a comprehensive coverage of most aspects of this subject. Because the course emphasizes the application of ideas to a variety of situations and contexts, the student's focus should be on developing a good understanding of the basic concepts and on developing a proficiency at using these diagnostically.
For those who are interested in a particular topic, suggestions for extra reading will be provided during the course. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Cognitive and Subject-Specific Skills:
Understand how different models and assumptions may be used to gain insight into particular situations, and the ability to use competing models to generate such insight in order to take appropriate action.
Stand back and view complex situations in perspective.
Recognise the key shapers of organisational structures, routines and processes.
Transferable Skills:
Work in teams and to use the skills of team members to best advantage.
Apply models of decision-making to a variety of situations.
See the strengths, weaknesses and trade-offs in different organisational structures and processes
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| Keywords | Organisation Teams Behaviour Change |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Nick Oliver
Tel: (0131 6)50 3811
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Carole Gibson
Tel: (0131 6)51 3854
Email: |
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