Organisation and Process Theory (Autumn 2019)

Abstract

The aim of the course is to introduce students to organisational theory, particularly organising and process perspectives which are important for understanding the role of IT in organisations.

Description

Social practices are increasingly understood as organised activities manageable by theories developed within the field of organisation studies. The field has thrived dynamically not least because of the proliferation of information technologies in enterprises and society.

Students will be able to understand and critically use a set of analytical approaches developed within organisational theory to analyse concrete events and activities as organised phenomena.

The course introduces to organisational theory from historical to contemporary perspectives, highlighting the influence of organising processes in society. The course will cover topics such as organising and process perspectives in organisational theory, traditional mechanical views of organisations, organisational infrastructures, organisational cultures, the role of IT, data and numbers in organising, the temporary organisation, decision-making process as well as micro-sociological perspectives for examining events as the outcome of organising processes.

Formal prerequisites

This course is part of the third semester in the bachelor's degree in Global Business Informatics.

Intended learning outcomes

After the course, the student should be able to:

• Characterize various analytical approaches that have developed within organizational theory
• Explain the differences between the organising and the organisation perspective within organisational theory
• Reflect upon the role of IT in organising processes
• Analyse a particular event using organisational theory
• Critically reflect upon an organisational issue that is relevant to the event you have studied

Learning activities

In the excise sessions students will, write, present and discuss the course literature as well as build a case (studying a small event, and material relevant to it.) to which they will apply theoretical approaches.

Mandatory activities

There is a one mandatory activity. It is required that students participate in the production of one oral group-presentation with primary focus on the group's empirical case in order to become eligible for the exam. 

The student will receive the grade NA (not approved) at the ordinary exam, if the mandatory activities are not approved and the student will use an exam attempt.

Course literature

The course literature is published in the course page in LearnIT.

Ordinary exam

Exam type:
D: Submission of written work with following oral, external (7-trinsskala)
Exam variation:
D2G: Submission of written work for groups with following oral exam supplemented by the work submitted. The group has a shared responsibility for the content of the report.
Exam description:

Hand in: 
1 page description of an event that the students analyse throughout the semester (group responsibility) 
1 page synopsis per person (individual responsibility) presenting two concepts from the curriculum
1 page per person (individual responsibility) outlining how the two concepts may be used to analyse the event studied.

The hand in functions as the point of departure at the individual part of the oral exam, but the exam can address any theories and concepts found in the curriculum

Oral Exam:
Duration of oral exam: 

Group presentation 10 minutes 

Individual examination - discussion 20 minutes 

Group size: maximum 5 - recommended 3-4.

Time and date