COMMGMT 2502 - Organisational Dynamics II

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 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.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code COMMGMT 2502
    Course Organisational Dynamics II
    Coordinating Unit Adelaide Business School
    Term Semester 2
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Prerequisites COMMGMT 1001 or COMMGMT 2501
    Incompatible COMMGMT 3503
    Course Description 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.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Lisa Daniel

    Dr Lisa Daniel
    Room 10-34, 10 Pulteney Street
    Telephone: 8313 3105
    Email: lisa.daniel@adelaide.edu.au 
    Course Timetable

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

    Weekly lectures begin Friday, August 1 from 1 pm till 3 pm.
    Barr Smith South, 3029 Flentje Lecture Theatre, Nth Tce Campus.

    Tutorial sessions commence week 2.
  • 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
    Required textbook - 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 at the start of semester.

  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    This course delivers all critical material in the 2 hour lecture given each week. 

    Tutorial sessions provide enhanced understanding of course material and assessment tasks as preparation for the final exam.

    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/ assessment/preparation is required EACH WEEK in addition to the
    3 contact hours.

    Learning Activities Summary

    Theme Week Topic Text
    DESIGN 1 Organisations & Effectiveness Ch 1
    2 Stakeholders, Managers & Ethics Ch 2
    3 The Changing Environment Ch 3
    4 Organisational Design Ch 4
    Organisational System Project DUE
    5 Authority & Control Ch 5
    6 Coordination & Specialisation Ch 6
    CONTINGENCIES 7 Cultural Complexities Ch 7
    8 Technology Ch 9
    Organisational Design Project DUE
    9 Learning & Knowledge Management Ch 12
    10 Innovation, Intrapreneurship & Creativity Ch 13
    11 Conflict, Power & Politics Ch 14
    Challenges and Contingencies Assignment DUE
    12 No lecture
  • Assessment

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

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

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment items are created to ensure student undertaking this course are involved in small group learning and so have the maximum learning opportunities through collaboration and the shared tasks. 

    All assignments in this course are to be undertaken in groups of 3 or 4, consistent with the University of Adelaide’s small group learning philosophy. Individual work arising from group discussions must be unique.

    ·    Organisational Systems Project (20%) requires you to work with your group to consider a local small business and to individually prepare a diagram of the business system. Submit INDIVIDUALLY

    ·    Organisational Design Project (25%) requires you to work with your group to consider the design and structure of your business and why the design is appropriate.  Submit INDIVIDUALLY

    ·    Challenges and Contingencies (30%) requires you to work with your group consider your company and ask how your organisation will cope with a business challenge highlighting a) where the system would be likely to break down, b) how and where the challenge would impact effectiveness, c) what action could be taken to mitigate the problem and d) what opportunities may emerge.  GROUP ASSIGNMENT

    ·     Final EXAM (25%) assesses the students’ ability to recognise correct information and demonstrate understanding of course material.

    Assessment Detail
    1.     Organisational Systems Project (20%), 2 page limit – DUE 9am Monday 25th Sept.          
    This assignment requires you to work with your group to consider a local small business.  From your group discussions you need to individually prepare a diagram of the of the business system showing a) specific elements and relationships i.e. forces of influence, key stakeholders, crucial internal and external interactions to illustrate how it operates as a complex open value creating
    system (from lectures 1, 2,3).  Your model should fill one A4 page.

    In addition with reference to your business system diagram you will explain b) how the organisation creates value and where the value is manifested. One page of text should accompany the model, in assignment format as detailed.

    Discuss as a group but submit as individual assignments via MyUni.

    2.       Organisational Design Project (25%), 2 page limit – DUE 5pm Thurs. 12 Sept.

    You are required to consider your company in the light of the business systems illustrated in your previous assignment to a) explain the design of your business using course concepts, theory & models (from lectures 4-6) and then b) discuss and justify why the design is effectiveness. 

    You need to explain your business’ design in terms of complexity, formalisation, centralisation, specialisation/differentiation, authority/control, and integration/coordination.  

    Your goal will be to explain and justify why (or why not) the structure and design you have presented is effective and appropriate relative to the business goals and the effectiveness it strives to achieve relative to the value creating system you illustrated in the previous assignment.

    Appendices of diagrams or tables will NOT be included in the page limit.   Discuss as a group but
    submit as individual assignments via MyUni.

    3.       Challenges and Contingencies Assignment (30%), 4 page limit – DUE 5pm Thurs. 31 Oct.
    Discuss and refine your business system model with your group then work out how your business
    will be impacted by one of the four challenges below.  

    Challenge alternatives – choose ONE;
    1.      Key staff quit taking crucial knowledge with them.
    2.      A stakeholder alerts you to a critical problem with your products or services.
    3.      A technology failure has brought your company to a standstill.
    4.      A dominant group of employees is making changes to accepted routines.

    Your group is required to present a) a revised diagram of your business system, highlighting where the system would be likely to break down (illustrating the key areas of impact).  Further your group
    must explain b) how and where the challenge produced major impacts to effectiveness (use the design and structure you developed from assignment 2 to help you explain), c) what action could be taken to mitigate the problem and d) what opportunities may emerge from the experience.

    Limit of one page for the revised business system diagram and one page each for b), c), d).
    GROUP ASSIGNMENT

    4.       Final Exam – short answer questions (25%)
    Questions will be based on the material covered in the lectures and tutorials.
    Submission
    • All assignments must be submitted by 9am on the due date via MyUni SafeAssign. 
    • Limit for each assignment excludes cover page and references.
    • Assignment Format WORD, 12 pt Times New Roman, 1.5 line spacing, 2.5 cm margins.
    • Referencing must follow the author-date (Harvard) system consistent with management literature.
    • In-text citations and bibliographic references must be consistent
    • Late Assignment Submission - If you require an extension you need to ask the course coordinator before the due date.  If you are having trouble seek help early.
    • Any late assignments will accrue late marks at the rate of 10% of the final grade per day they are  late, including any students whose assignments are late because they have failed to submit via the correct avenue i.e. Safe Assign in MyUni.
    • No extensions after the due date will be given without a doctor’s certificate.  Assessment requirements are known from the start of the semester so you have plenty of warning about assignments.
    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.

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    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.

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