After completing this course students have:
- knowledge of the main organisational philosophies;
- knowledge of current and emerging organisational practices;
- understanding of the transition from management philosophies aimed at rationalization to participatory organisational philosophies and its implications for organisational members;
- developed critical thinking and problem-solving capacities
- developed participatory skills for a reflective dialogue and academic debate.
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Are you interested in alternative forms of organising in a constantly changing world? Are you critical about contemporary management practices? Or curious about phenomena such as stories, symbols and rituals and the meanings that underly these cultural artefacts? Do you want to practice studying organisational philosophies in an actual organisational setting? Then the course Organising in a changing world is for you.
In this course we compare the dominant management philosophy, based on rationality, control and efficiency, with emerging organisational practices that focus on participation, democracy and autonomy. For example, we discuss organisations that use 'the collective' (Burning Man, the Correspondent), 'self-management' (Buurtzorg Nederland) or 'happiness' (Semco) as a Leitmotiv. We explore the 'edges of organisation studies', for example by discussing what a hackers collective like Anonymous teaches us about organising practices. Finding a balance between different organisational philosophies will lead to tensions and ambiguities in daily organisational practice.
In this course we explore these alternative practices, the principles on which they are based and the organisational issues they raise for members of the organisation. We study these themes from a critical management perspective and a cultural approach to organising.
You will write an individual essay on one of the topics discussed in class. This is followed by the production of a podcast with three or four other students.
In the second part of the course you will perform a small-scale case study with a subgroup. This will deepen your understanding of the meaning of participatory organisational practices in a particular organisational setting.
Please note that this is a high intensity level 3 course. Active participation forms the backbone of the course.
Students who do not follow the bachelor's degree in Public Administration and Organisation Science are advised to acquire knowledge of the principles of organisational sciences in advance. You can do this, for example, by attending the course Public Administration and Organisations (USG5020 in Dutch or USG5520 in English) or familiarize yourself with Critical Management thinking by reading: Dyer, S. et al. (2014). Understanding Management Critically, 1st ed., London: SAGE.
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