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| Detailed information |
| Original study plan |
Master's programme Leadership and Innovation in Organizations 2024W |
| Objectives |
This course aims at
- Increasing the familiarity with a behavioral approach to studying organizations and management.
- Organizing knowledge on organizations across multiple levels: individual decision-making, group dynamics, organizational structures, inter-organizational relationships, and institutions.
- Understanding the contribution of different disciplines, especially psychology, economy, and sociology, to organization theory.
- Unpacking the role of data and business analytics in organizational decision-making.
- Understanding what organizations are and what they are not.
- Learning to read, understand, and judge advanced research articles, thereby comprehending complex and ambiguous relationships as they appear in organizations and management in general.
- Understanding how academic knowledge is produced and written.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this course, students will have the ability to:
- Create a framework to comprehend organizations and their behavior
- Analyze and diagnose organizational problems from different theoretical perspectives [relevant theory, social skills, and analytical skills]
- Apply existing theoretical and practical toolkits to solve organizational problems [analytical/practical skills]
- Infer the effect on the organization of the application of practical measures concerning leadership, HRM, and change [cognitive/practical skills]
- Conduct autonomous research about organizations [problem-solving and reflection skills]
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| Subject |
This course aims to give students an introduction to different ways of looking at organizations and introduces you to the role and relevance of management theory and academic writing. The LIO program aims to provide both: a high academic standard – because we believe in the practical relevance of being able to understand current scientific knowledge – and practical, hands-on insights. This course focuses on the former and introduces you to scientific and theoretical thinking. Other courses will focus more on the latter.
- Topic 1: Why do organizations exist and how are they governed? A transaction cost (economic) perspective
- Topic 2: Opening the black box of organizations: The behavioral theory of the firm (BTF)
- Topic 3: How are organizations structured in interaction with their environment? Institutional perspectives
- Topic 4: The role of management theory: Between fads, fashions, performativity and relevance
Course Philosophy and Guidelines
This course consists of a mix of self-study and class-based instruction. Before the course, you can communicate via the Forums on Moodle. The main involvement of the instructor will be during the classroom hours. Note that this is a 6 ECTS course that requires a lot of reading on your behalf. You might be overwhelmed with some of these readings, as they are very academic. However, they provide important foundations for the whole LIO program. I can assure you that whatever does not make much sense to you, at first sight, will create a lot of “a-ha moments” later on in the course. So be patient, rise to the challenge, and get a first taste of academic reading and writing.
Contact
In case of course-related questions, you can contact me at claudio.biscaro@jku.at. In case of technical problems, contact the JKU Servicedesk servicedesk@jku.at, and on program-related and administrative issues contact lio@jku.at.
Engage in the Forum on Moodle
Actively engage in discussions that others start in the Forum on Moodle. This is an introductory course to a topic most of you have yet not engaged with in depth. Thus, I encourage you to pose questions and respond to questions others have posed. I will also start engaging with you on Moodle.
Be professional
Compliance with the appropriate rules of communication ("netiquette") is expected. Remember professional writing style and tone in all communications.
Complete reading requirements
While this course is assessed 100% through an exam, you will be given some reading assignments to guide your study process. You will be asked to read all core readings for the exam, and the tasks outlined below are designed to help you in this process.
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| Criteria for evaluation |
Course assessment
The course is assessed 100% through an exam held on the 28th of September. You will get up to 20 bonus points when completing all preparatory assignments and tasks (see details below).
Assignments and tasks
Before the workshop in the self-study period:
- All of you have to read the “Course core” articles and post any questions you might have on these readings on the Moodle forum for this course by Sept 1st. Engage with the questions posted by others to sharpen your own understanding and keep checking the forum. You can get up to 5 bonus points for your engagement (posting/answering questions) on these course core articles.
- Each of you has to sign up for one core readings article (1-12) and prepare a short podcast or narrated presentation on it by Sept 1st. Once all of these articles are taken, you can sign up for the article A-D instead. The podcasts/presentations should contain the following information: What is the article about (one sentence)? Why is it important? What is the main argument? Try to focus on the core messages and contributions, and not on the details of theories and methods. You will practice this skill of synthesizing information from complex articles further in other courses – here you are expected to have a first try! You can be creative in how you develop your presentation; it should be no longer than 10 minutes. Please upload your presentations on Youtube or another platform and share the link in Moodle. A guideline of how to do this can be found on the Moodle platform. You can get up to 10 bonus points for your presentation.
- Each of you has to sign up for another one of the core readings/discussion articles from a different topic area (1-4) and provide comments on the podcast/narrated PowerPoint created by your peers on this article in Moodle by Sept 9th. In addition, try to listen to as many podcasts/PowerPoint by your peers as possible! You can get up to 5 bonus points for your comments and engagement.
You have to register for these articles on Moodle by August 5th at the latest, otherwise, you will be assigned to articles by us.
During the workshop:
- Engage in short presentations and discussions of the articles you have read
- Engage in short group works or individual writing assignments in which you will be asked to apply and reflect upon the theories you have learned
After the workshop:
- Read all core readings to prepare for the exam (i.e. everything except the background readings)
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| Methods |
The learning and teaching method is designed to develop knowledge and understanding of both theoretical and practical perspectives.
Teaching and learning methods include:
- formal lectures
- students’ discussions
- case studies
- podcasts (created by students and by established scholars)
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| Language |
English |
| Study material |
Topic 1: Why do organizations exist and how are they governed? A transaction cost (economic) perspective
Core readings
- Coase, R. H. (1937). The nature of the firm. Economica, 4(16), 386-405.
- Williamson, O. E. (1981). The economics of organization: The transaction cost approach. American Journal of Sociology, 87(3), 548-577.
- Powell, Walter W. (1990). Neither market nor hierarchy: Network forms of organization. Research in Organizational Behavior, 12, 295-336.
Current application (core reading for all):
A. Davis, G. F. (2016). Can an economy survive without corporations? Technology and robust organizational alternatives. Academy of Management Perspectives, 30(2), 129-140.
Background readings
- Adler, P. S. (2001). Market, hierarchy, and trust: The knowledge economy and the future of capitalism. Organization Science, 12(2), 215-234.
- Simon, H.A. (1991). Organizations and markets. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 5, 25-44.
- Williamson, O. E. (1991). Comparative economic organization: The analysis of discrete structural alternatives. Administrative Science Quarterly, 269-296.
Podcast on the transaction cost theory:
https://www.talkingaboutorganizations.com/e44
Topic 2: How are organizations structured in interaction with their environment? Institutional perspectives
Core readings
- DiMaggio, P., & Powell, W.W. (1983): The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields. In: American Sociological Review, 48, 147-160.
- Friedland, R., & Alford, R.R. (1991). Bringing society back in: Symbols, practices, and institutional contradictions. In W.W. Powell & P. J. DiMaggio (Eds.), The New Institutionalism in Organizational Analysis: 232–263. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
- Greenwood, R., Díaz, A. M., Li, S. X., & Lorente, J. C. (2010). The multiplicity of institutional logics and the heterogeneity of organizational responses. Organization Science, 21(2), 521- 539.
Current application (core reading for all):
B. Frenken, K., Vaskelainen, T., Fünfschilling, L., & Piscicelli, L. (2020). An institutional logics perspective on the gig economy. Research in the Sociology of Organizations, 66, 83-105.
Background reading
- Meyer, J. W., & Rowan, B. (1977). Institutionalized organizations: Formal structure as myth and ceremony. American Journal of Sociology, 83(2), 340-363.
- Thornton, P. H., & Ocasio, W. (2008). Institutional logics. In: Greenwood et al. (eds.) The Sage Handbook of Organizational Institutionalism, 99-128.
- Zucker, L. G. (1977). The role of institutionalization in cultural persistence. American Sociological Review, 726-743.
Topic 3: Linking internal and external organizational dynamics: The behavioral theory of the firm (BTF)
Core readings
- Gavetti, Greve, et al. (2012): The behavioral theory of the firm: Assessment and prospects. The Academy of Management Annals, 6(1), 1-40.
- March, J. G. (1962). The business firm as a political coalition. The Journal of Politics, 24(4), 662-678.
- Simon, H. A., & March, J. (1976). Administrative Behavior. New York: Free Press. Ch. 5.
Current application (core reading for all):
C. Burke, G. T., Omidvar, O., Spanellis, A., & Pyrko, I. (2022). Making space for garbage cans: How emergent groups organize social media spaces to orchestrate widescale helping in a crisis. Organization Studies, 01708406221103969.
Background readings
- Argote, L., & Greve, H. R. (2007). A behavioral theory of the firm—40 years and counting: Introduction and impact. Organization Science, 18(3), 337-349.
- Cohen, M. D., March, J. G., & Olsen, J. P. (1972). A garbage can model of organizational choice. Administrative Science Quarterly, 17(1), 1-25.
- Ocasio, W. (1997). Towards an attention-based view of the firm. Strategic Management Journal, 18(S1), 187-206.
Videos links to interviews with James March:
Interview with Prof. Delmestri: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIC2Ch1JKh2lrjq0pEc6DBw
Interview with two INSEAD PhD students: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwgOiE4DAzA
Interview on the 50th Anniversary of BTF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4izFqAZR360
Podcasts about the BTF:
https://www.talkingaboutorganizations.com/e04/ https://www.talkingaboutorganizations.com/e42/ https://www.talkingaboutorganizations.com/e39/
Topic 4: The role of management theory: Between fads, fashions, performativity and relevance
Core readings
- Ghoshal, S. (2005). Bad management theories are destroying good management practices. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 4(1), 75-91.
- Ferraro, F., Pfeffer, J., & Sutton, R. I. (2005). Economics language and assumptions: How theories can become self-fulfilling. Academy of Management review, 30(1), 8-24.
- Nicolai, A. T., Schulz, A. C., & Thomas, T. W. (2010). What Wall Street wants–Exploring the role of security analysts in the evolution and spread of management concepts. Journal of Management Studies, 47(1), 162-189.
Current application (core reading for all):
D. Glaser, V. L., Pollock, N., & D’Adderio, L. (2021). The biography of an algorithm: Performing algorithmic technologies in organizations. Organization Theory, 2(2), 26317877211004609.
Background reading
- Pfeffer, J. (2009). Renaissance and renewal in management studies: Relevance regained. European Management Review, 6(3), 141-148.
- Marti, E., & Gond, J. P. (2018). When do theories become self-fulfilling? Exploring the boundary conditions of performativity. Academy of Management Review, 43(3), 487-508.
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| Changing subject? |
No |
| Further information |
For quality assurance and improvement purposes, please participate in all
JKU course evaluations and surveys!
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| Corresponding lecture |
986BOOTBC3K19: BC3 Foundational readings and academic writing
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