COMMGMT 2502NA - Organisational Dynamics II

Ngee Ann Academy - Trimester 1 - 2014

Organisational Dynamics teaches a unified way of thinking about the short term dynamics and complexities faced by contemporary organisations. This course discusses the theory of organisations with respect to fundamental organisational characteristics, imperatives and typical contingencies to operations and effectiveness. It uses the macro-perspective of Organisational Theory to enable the organisation and its primary sub-units to be presented as the point for explanation and analysis for the complexities and influences that are sources of potential disruption and change. Emphasis is on the organisational system as a coordinated social entity and as such the course is concerned with how the organisation integrates its social capital, competencies and resources, strategic capabilities and operational assets in a way that minimises disruption and maximises as challenges and opportunities arise. This course prepares management students to interpret organisational complexity and to be alert to the constant shifts and challenges faced by organisations and their people. This course will enable you to understand the potential implications of contingencies, change and dynamics and how the organisation's structure and design can moderate these influences as well as impact its use of technology and the way it leverages knowledge, supports innovation and maximizes its effectiveness and advantage.

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Course Details

Course Code	COMMGMT 2502NA
Course	Organisational Dynamics II
Coordinating Unit	Adelaide Business School
Term	Trimester 1
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	Ngee Ann Academy
Units	3
Prerequisites	COMMGMT 1001 or COMMGMT 2501
Incompatible	COMMGMT 3503
Assessment	Exam/assignments/tests/tutorial work as prescribed at first lecture

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Lisa Daniel

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Please refer to Ngee Ann-Adelaide Education Centre Schedule.
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from the Course Planner at https://access.adelaide.edu.au/courses/search.asp

Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
- To introduce students to the principles of organisational theory as they contribute to the interpretation and analysis of organisational dynamics.
- To facilitate understanding of an organisation’s dynamic influences in relation to other areas of management study such as organisational behaviour, human resource management and strategic management.
- To present theories of organisational dynamics from the approach of holistic enterprise analysis.
- To enable students to have an informed perspective on the influences and implications of dynamic change in organisational sustainability and survival.
University Graduate Attributes

No information currently available.
Learning Resources

Required Resources

Organisational Theory, Design and Change, 2010 (Global edition) Gareth Jones, 7th Edition, Pearson Education Limited, England. ISBN: 978-0-273-76560-8

Online Learning

MyUni will be used extensively in this course for announcements and assessment INCLUDING assignment submission. Please ensure you have access.

Learning & Teaching Modes

This course delivers all critical material in the 2 hour lecture and 1.5 hr tutorial session each day of the intensive week. Tutorial sessions provide enhanced understanding of course material through discussions of that material.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

At least 3 hours of study time is required over and above the 3 contact hours provided for each lecture 7 tutorial seesion.

Learning Activities Summary

Theme	Lecture	Date	Topic	Text chapter
DESIGN	Intensive One
	1	6/2/14	Organisations and Effectiveness	Ch 1
	2	7/2/14	Stakeholders, Managers and Ethics	Ch 2
	3	8/2/14	The Changing Environment	Ch 3
	4	10/2/14	Organisational Design	Ch 4
	5	11/2/14	Authority and Control	Ch 5
	Organisational Design Project due midnight via MyUni TurnItIn, Sunday 23 March
CONTINGENCIES	Intensive Two
	6	20/3/14	Coordination and Specialisation	Ch 6
	7	21/3/14	Technology	Ch 9
	8	22/3/14	Learning and Knowledge Management	Ch 12
	9	24/3/14	Innovation, Intrapreneurship and Creativity	Ch 13
	10	25/3/14	Conflict, Power and Politics	Ch 14
	Challenges and Contingencies due midnight via MyUni TurnItIn, Sunday 6 April

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

To ensure students passing this course have a reasonable understanding in strategic management this course has been structured to provide the maximum learning opportunities through assessment tasks.

TUTORIAL questions (20% - 4 x 5% for each presentation). Each day you will be required to bring prepared answers for set questions to tutorials (available on MyUni). In the tutorials you will participate in small group discussions where you are required to reflect and collaborate on your answers with your peers. After that discussion and negotiation, you will be required to present that answer as a comprehensive and understandable explanation to the class. Your grade will be based on the clarity of your explanation, use of constructive examples and presentation of the answer. You will be required to present twice (2 x 5%) each intensive, designated on a random basis.
Organisational Design GROUP Project (25%) requires you to work as a group to a) use course concepts & theories to design a hypothetical organisation and then b) explain why that design is appropriate (in terms value, goals, stakeholders and effectiveness) and c) justify your design choices (why those are most suitable for your organisation over other possible alternatives).
Challenges and Contingencies GROUP Project (25%) assignment seeks to have you, as a group, consider how your organisation (as presented in the Org’ Design Project) will cope with an organisational challenge. You are required to discuss a) how the challenge will impact effectiveness, b) where/when/why the effects of those impacts are likely to arise, c) what action could be taken to mitigate the problem and d) what opportunities may emerge.
Final multi-choice EXAM (30%) assesses the students’ ability to recognise correct information and demonstrate understanding of course material. This exam is a hurdle requirement. You must achieve at least 50% in this exam in order to pass the course.

Assessment Detail

- All assignments MUST be in WORD format, 12pt Arial or Times New Roman, 1.5 spacing,2 cm margins

- All assignments must be submitted by midnight on the due date via MyUni TurnItIn.

- Limit for each assignment is 1000 words, excluding cover page, references and appendices.

- Any material over the limit will not be assessed.

Organisational Design (25%) (to be completed in groups) Due midnight Sunday March 23.

This assignment requires you to create a hypothetical organisation and then present it in terms of the design issues discussed in the first 5 lectures.

Your organisation must be an SME (i.e. max 500 employees) and you must provide a logical, understandable explanation of the design relative to the activities your organisation undertakes.
Consider the value and goals it seeks to achieve through its business activities and various stakeholders.
Discuss how the activities, operations and relationships required to achieve that should be designed to provide an effective operations.
You will need to present this in terms of course concepts (e.g. complexity, formalisation, centralisation, specialisation/differentiation, environment, authority/control, integration/coordination, stakeholders, uncertainty, dynamics etc.).
Your goal will be to articulate, explain and justify why the design is effective and appropriate relative to its goals and in the terms and concepts of the course.

Challenges and Contingencies (25%) (to be completed in groups) Due midnight Sun April 6.

In this assignment you are required to discuss how your organisation will manage on of the following challenges;

Challenge alternatives – choose ONE;

Lead staff quit taking key knowledge resources with them.
A major technology failure has brought your company to a standstill.
Poor workplace practices have been revealed as causing severe environmental damage.
A dominant group of employees is working contrary to accepted rules and routines.

You are required to consider, explain and justify;

How this challenge will impact your organisation in terms of its effectiveness, uncertainty and activities with respect to the design you described in the previous assignment.
The where/when/why the subsequent repercussions and effects in terms of those impacts are likely to arise, Justify your views with detailed and insightful explanations. Consider these to be the fallout as the repercussions/ramifications are felt throughout the organisation.
What action could be taken to mitigate the problem? Detail the mitigating actions that were undertaken/or in place to minimize destructive or dysfunctional outcomes and maintain a level of organisational effectiveness
What opportunities may emerge from the challenge and how you can maximize these? You could include alternatives scenarios to improve or expand current competencies or organisational positioning.
Consider the actions which would need to be undertaken by your management team to rebuild effectiveness and stability following the crises.

All assignments must be submitted by midnight on the due date via MyUni TurnItIn. Limit for each part is 1000 words, excluding cover page, references and appendices. Any material over the limit will not be assessed.

B: If you require an extension you must apply to the Lecturer before the assignment due date. No extensions after the due date will be given without a doctor’s certificate.

Final Exam – multiple choice questions (30%)

Multiple choice questions will be based on the text. Quizzes with examples of these will be available through MyUni for any students wishing to practice or build their knowledge. This exam is a hurdle requirement. You must achieve 50% in order to pass the course.

Assessment Detail

Attendance

Statutory obligations in Singapore are such that attendance in person is a compulsory condition of passing a course. Our specific requirements are that students must attend at least 80% of class sessions to be graded for that course. For these purposes each intensive weekend is defined as comprising 5 sessions with 1 on Friday evening and 2 on each of Saturday and Sunday.

Each course in total comprises 10 sessions; Students must attend a minimum of 8 sessions to be eligible to be given a grade for the course. Students failing to meet these requirements will be automatically graded 0% Fail (F) on their transcripts.

Submission

Assignments are to be submitted through MyUni. Late Assignment Submission - If you require an extension you need to seek permission at least a week before the due date, as assessment requirements are known from the start of the trimester so you have plenty of time and warning that you have to do the assignment

Any late simulation assignments or assignments that fail to follow formatting instructions will accrue late marks at the rate of 10% of the final grade (per day for those that are late) including students whose assignments are late because they have failed to submit via Safe Assign in MyUni.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
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Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator