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BA350

MANAGING ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEMS

Spring Term, 2007

Jonathan King        Bexell 332

T: 8:30-10:00  W: 12:30-13:30 Th: 3:00-4:00

jonathan.king@bus.oregonstate.edu

   541-737-4601

 

Objectives:  To better understand the increasing relevance of "systems” in today's (business) world. To learn some methods for thinking about and for managing organizational systems. To inspire you to want-to understand, to want-to “think outside the box,” and to aspire to “excellence.”

 

                        Readings:    Assorted articles on BA350 Website and Class Notes

                        Grading:       1) Weekly quizzes over required readings

                                                2) mindmaps of articles designated in red and  by numbers 1 through 10

                                                    (due the following class)

                                                3) weekend homework

                                                4) computer simulation -- the  beangame

                                                5) Final Project

 

Note: partial credit will be given for late homework and mindmaps.

             

Please note: this syllabus is a guide, not a contract, and therefore may be changed as

  necessary.  If changes are made, I will announce them in class generally at least one class

  in advance of the due date for an assignment, etc.

 

 

                                       Part I: Why Think About “Systems”?

                                    It's possible to improve the performance of each part taken

                                     separately and destroy the system at the same time.

                                                                                                                                     Russell Ackoff

 

1. Apr  2         INTRODUCTION

                          

2.          4         THE LESSON

                    1 PF-A: “Learning to Solve the Right Problems,” King

 

3.          9         MESSES 101: MANAGING MULTIPLE GAMES

                                    PF-B: Natural Capitalism (excerpt)

                                    http://www.naturalcapitalism.com/  (Chapter 14, “Human Capitalism”) 1

 

4.         11       MESSES 201: MANAGING Interactively Complex GAMES

                                 2 PF-C: “Introduction,” Normal Accidents,  Perrow

                                    PF-D: The Hunt for Red October (excerpt), Clancy              

                                    PF-E: "Robustness Revisited," Watts

 

                            Part II: Managing Organizational Systems

                                                The job of management is to optimize the system.

                                                                                                          W. Edwards Deming

 

STRATEGY

                                                                                                                       

5.         16        What is it?  Who does it? and How is it done?

                               3 "What Is Strategy?" Porter   

                                             PF-F: “Strategy as Strategic Decision Making,” Eisenhardt 

 

6.         18        Multiple Stakeholders -- “BALANCED SCORECARDS”

                                 4 Drucker, “The New Productivity Challenge”

                                  “The Balanced Scorecard,” Kaplan & Norton

                                    PF-G: “Smashing the Clock”

                                    PF-G1: "The Power of Learning at Johnsonville Foods," Honold

                                    PF-H: “Not a Fool, Not a Saint,” Teal   

           

STRUCTURE

 

7.         23        ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES

                                    PF-I: Diagrams and comments

                                  “Clusters and the New Economics of Competition,” Porter

                                    PF-J: "Networks," Watts

 

8.         25        Social Capital

                     5“How to Invest in Social Capital,” Prusak and Cohen

                                                PF-K: “Unraveling the Mysteries of Productivity,” Bonda

                                    PF-L:  Alexander, A Pattern Language (excerpts)

 

PROCESS

 

9.         30        PROCESS 101: MANAGING CHAINS: REENGINEERING AND SOFTWARE

                                “How Process Enterprises Really Work,” Hammer & Stanton

                                 PF-M: “Practice Makes Process,” Brown & Duguid

                                 6 PF-N: “Taking Computers to Task,”Gibbs                 

 

10. May 2       PROCESS 201: MANAGING INTERACTIONS

                                    PF-O: Systems Archetypes (3 loop diagrams)

                                    PF-P: Systemic Distortion (diagram & table)

                                    PF-P1: “The Dynamics Matters,” Watts

 

11.        7         CONT"D: Continued

                                 7 PF-Q: "The Dark Side of Organizations," Bella, King, Kailin

 

12.        9         PROCESS 301: MANAGING FRAMES and THE LOGIC OF CREATIVITY

                                    PF-R:  Reframing; Three “lateral thinking” techniques of Edward de Bono;

                                              “For Want of a Metaphor,” Steven J. Gould; The Social Psychology of Organizing (x),

                                                Weick; Metaphors We Live By (x),  Lakoff & Johnson;

                                   

13.        14       CONT”D:  301: innovation and Motivation 

                                    PF-S: “How Corporate Creativity Really Happens”

                                  “How to Kill Creativity,” Amabile   

 

14.       16       CONT’D: 301: INNOVATION and ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXTS

                                8 Managing for Creativity,” Florida and Goodnight   

                                    “Why Transformation Efforts Fail,” Kotter   

 

PURPOSE

15.       21        SHARED “VISION” 

                                 "Building Your Company's Vision," Collins and Porras

                                    PF-T: “The Savior of Newark

 

16.       23        EXTRINSIC AND INTRINSIC MOTIVATIONS

                                 "Why Incentive Plans Cannot Work," Kohn   

                                   PF-U: “One More Time...”

                                   PF-V: "Verbal Judo" (excerpt)

 

May    28       MEMORIAL DAY

 

17.       30        KNOW THYSELF

                       9 What Makes a Leader?” Goleman   

                                     PF-W: Realities of “Defensive Reasoning

                                     PF-X: C.P. Ellis

 

18. Jun 4       SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND

                                     PF-Z1: "The Great Walls of Misunderstanding," Shafir

                                     PF-Y: Covey (excerpt)

                                    Principles of Empathic Communication," Covey

                        “What You Don’t Know About Decision Making,” Garvin   

                                     PF-Z: Noor on “Clashing Civilizations”

 

  19.      6         "EMPLOYEES FIRST, CUSTOMERS SECOND"

                                    PF-Z2: Danger--Toxic Company, Pfeffer

                             10 “What Great Managers Do,” Buckingham   

 

 

1 To access the assigned chapter from Natural Capitalism:

 

                        1: click on http://www.naturalcapitalism.com/

                        2: click on “Read the Book”

                        3: click on “Book Excerpts and Downloadable Chapters”

                        4: scroll down to “14. Human Capitalism” and click on “more  

                        5: scroll down to and click on Download the entire chapter (PDF-156k)