Synopsis of Module
This module aims to develop the student's awareness of the importance of an organisational context in employee, managerial and business social action, whatever the function but in particular Human Resources. It will not seek to inform the basic elements of organisation, since a pre-requisite below is that the students will already have an appreciation of those from HR143. It therefore aims to place such elements into a critico-historical context, so the student can not only appreciate the more complex nature of business organisations themselves, but also how the theoretical frameworks they use are guided by conflicting epistemologies, which can in themselves determine the nature of a particular truth. Therefore it is essential that such foundations be grounded in practicality through cases studies, self-reflection and simple ontology, so that each student can appreciate the tentativeness of what they attempt to use.
Aims of Module
| 1. | To conceptualise of the concept of organisation and how it might be differently visualised and analysed. |
| 2. | To critically review the development of organisation within an historical context. |
| 3. | To apply contentious elements within Organisation Theory and its analysis to a selection of paradoxes and problems presented by the notion of organisation. |
| 4. | To contextualise an understanding of organisation and its behaviour within the parameters of an individual's chosen area of interest. |
Learning Outcomes
The student will be able to:
| 1. | Have a working and critical understanding of the context within which theorising upon organisation can be pertinent. |
| 2. | Personally assess and conclude upon the advantages and drawbacks of some of the theoretic approaches to our understanding of organisation. |
| 3. | Analyse a number of pertinent issues, problems and paradoxes in organisation with particular regard to the student's chosen area of interest (i.e. HR, Finance etc). |
| 4. | Apply the ability to extract contentious elements of an organisation analysis and to assess the in the light of conventional wisdom. |
| 5. | Build upon the ability to assimilate information into a viable self-determined study programme of their own, in order to achieve an understanding pertinent to themselves. |
Outline Syllabus
| • | Introduction – A general overview to place concepts etc into historical context. |
| • | Elements – a positioning of organisational elements such as individual, culture, management etc; and what do each mean in terms of our understanding of organisation. |
| • | Waves and History I – Looking at theoretical schools such as Scientific Management, Corporate Cultures, Proto-systems etc, and how they fit into the context of their time and what implication for today. |
| • | Waves and History II – An examination of the critical/radical views of organisation. |
| • | Ethos and epistemology I – What makes Managerialism, Corporate Culture School, Scientific Management what they are? What is the thinking behind them? |
| • | Summary and conclusions for first part, aimed at encouraging the student to determine for themselves the complexity of differing views. |
| • | A number of cases, including companies such as Ford, McDonald's, etc, in order to apply the aspects studied to an organisational context. |
| • | Consideration of the implication of different paradigmatic standpoint upon the analysis conducted in first six weeks. |
| • | A reflection of the individual and self within the context of the above. |
| • | Student's own case study developed. |
Summative assessment
Assessment A: ASSIGNMENT
The weighting of this assessment is 100%
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