SOL3 The organisation

• Topics

  Organizations are everywhere, following us from cradle to grave, and have a tremendous impact on us as individuals and on society. In other words, a significant part of life's activities takes place within organizations, and how we develop organizations is of major importance. A fundamental understanding of what organizations are and how they function is therefore required for creating good lives and societies.

  Particularly in the worklife, knowledge of organizational theory is essential. For example, it is difficult to lead a company or develop a corporate strategy without a strong understanding of how organizations function. And a solid grasp of organizations becomes even more critical in a time when globalization, digitalization, and various aspects of sustainability increasingly shape our society and lives.

  Organizational theory is a comprehensive subject with a long history. In this course, you will become familiar with key concepts, principles, and theories within the discipline. Much of the focus, especially in the semester paper and case gatherings, will be on understanding, explaining, and creating organizational change. The goal is for you to gain an understanding of how organizations function, which will help you both at NHH and in your professional career. One day, you may be the one leading an organization.

• Learning outcome

  Upon course completion, the student will:

  Knowledge

  • Be familiar with basic terms, concepts and theories in organizational theory.
  • Be familiar with key developments in the organizational theory subject.
  • Understand how their environments, including sustainability aspects, can influence organizations.
  • Understand how and why many of today’s organizations are different from typical organizations in the 20th century.
  • Have a high level of familiarity with, and understanding of common (i) causes, (ii) content, and (iii) outcomes of organizational change.

  Skills

  • Be able to view work life and organizational practices in connection with relevant organization theories.
  • Be able to apply organization theory to analyze and explain different characteristics of different organizations.
  • Be able to apply organization theory to analyze and explain different processes in organizations.
  • Be able to communicate analyzes that rely on organization theory in an apt manner.

  General competencies

  • Understand how organizations function.
  • Be able to apply relevant tools (terms, concepts and theories) from organization theory.
  • Be able to contribute with constructive input in discourses relating to organizational change.

• Teaching

  The educational program in SOL3 consists of four components that complement each other to give students the maximum benefit from the course.

  • The core of the course is the lectures. The lectures will be based on the curriculum as well as relevant real-world cases.
  • We will have two-three case gatherings. During these gatherings, students will actively participate in the course by performing tasks with a practical orientation together with other students.
  • There will be a two-part semester assignment where students can develop their understanding of organisation theory ahead of the exam.
  • The course will also have a digital component, where various videos and documents explaining information about the course and discussing cases and organizational theory will be made available on Canvas. Note at the same time that physical attendance at NHH is encouraged. This means that digital material will be a good supplement to the teachings, but not a replacement.

• Required prerequisites

  None

• Compulsory Activity

  The students will in groups work on a semester paper that is handed in approximately half-way into the course (part 1) and at the end of the semester (part 2). Part 1 has to be approved before part 2 can be evaluated, and part 2 has to be approved before the student can take the exam. Both parts have to be approved within the same semester.

  Acquired course approval after autumn 2021 is still valid.

• Assessment

  6 hour individual school exam (Digital).

• Grading Scale

  A-F

• Literature

  The main book in this course is Hvordan organisasjoner fungerer by Jacobsen and Thorsvik (fifth edition, Fagbokforlaget).

  In addition, some select key articles will supplement this book in some of the lectures. These will be listed on the course's Canvas page well before the relevant lectures.