APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2013/2014

MAN 2974/2975/2976/2977 Managing for excellence

Responsible for the course
Arne Carlsen, Svein S Andersen, Jon Erland Lervik

Department
Department of Leadership and Organizational Behaviour

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
30

Language of instruction
Norwegian

Introduction
This is a program on how to manage for excellence in organizations through a dual attention to what makes people thrive and grow and what creates extraordinary performances. The course assumes that employee and group thriving is the key to organizational excellence and that we need to understand how work practice can be generative for both individuals and organizations. Drive, energy, initiative, humility and action orientation are the basis virtues seek to develop.

We build on a fairly new and exciting tradition of research and managerial practice called Positive Organizational Scholarship. We also borrow from recent developments within practice-based approaches to organizations, narrative psychology, philosophy and the field of “design thinking”.

The target group of the program is middle managers, project managers, domain experts and other professionals in business, voluntary organizations and the public sector: people who are responsible for developing the performances of themselves and others in organizations.

We emphasize practice from both an academic and an action oriented point of view. Leadership and professional creativity to bring about excellence is first of all something that takes place sin everyday practice, something that we do.

You will be challenged to discover and/or cultivate those generative practices in which you yourself can thrive, manage at your best and be valuable to others. In line with the focus on practice, the course will present rich examples from recent research along with new theory and historical overviews. The course has five main themes. Each of them will be the subject of a separate program session.

1. High quality connections and energizing behavior
2. Motivation and driving forces
3. Positive organizational change and professional creativity
4. Experiments and prototyping
5. Culture and networks of excellence

Meeting 2: Motivation and driving forces

Objectives
· Acquire deep understanding of the motivational basis for achieving excellence both in terms of professional creativity and handling uncertainty
· Be able to apply this understanding to develop the motivation of oneself and others to pursue the extraordinary
· Understand and be able to apply theory on pro-social motivation through end user involvement, including the power of mastering experiences and the visualizing of progress
· Gain experience in using the reflected best self-portrait exercise as well as mechanisms for energizing behavior in one’s own organization
· Start term paper projects linked to strategic development challenges in (some of) the participants’ own organizations

Learning activities
1. Reflected best self-portrait
2. Energizing behavior
3. Pro-social motivation and end user stories
4. Ethical dilemmas of motivation

Mandatory readings
Amabile, T. and S. Kramer (2011). The Progress Principle. Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement and Creativity at Work. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, kap 1, 4, 5 and 6 (ca. 70 pages)

Carlsen, A. Clegg, S. and Gjersvik, R. (2012). Idea Work. Lessons of the Extraordinary in Everyday Creativity. Oslo: Cappelen Damm, kap 4, 5 and 6. (ca. 50 pages)

Grant, A.M. (2011). How customers can rally your troops: End users can energize your workforce far better than your managers can. Harvard Business Review, June: 97–103.
Roberts, L. M., Dutton, J. E., Spreitzer, G., Heaphy, E., and R. E. Quinn (2005). “Composing the reflected best self-portrait. Building pathways for becoming extraordinary in organizations.” Academy of Management Review 30 (4): 712-736.
Weick, K. and Sutcliffe, K. M. (2007). Managing the Unexpected. 2^nd Ed. San Francisco, CA: Wiley, 1-64.


Recommended readings
Bunderson, J. and J. Thompson (2009). The call of the wild: Zookeepers, callings, and the double-edged sword of deeply meaningful work. Administrative Science Quarterly 54(1): 32-57.
Carlsen, A. (2006). Organizational becoming as dialogic imagination of practice: The case of the Indomitable Gauls. Organization Science 17 (1): 132-149.

Meeting 3: Positive organizational change and professional creativity

Objectives

• Gain knowledge of qualitative research methods as well as interventions in positive organizational change effort, included in particular how one systematically searches for and reinforces positive deviance and seeds of the extraordinary in individuals and practices
• Acquire knowledge of “design thinking” and understand how it can be applied in development work
• Discuss experiences with the first phase of student term paper projects and set the final design
• Get to know and being able to apply key mechanisms for formation of high-performing teams

Lervik, J.E. (2012). Organizing innovation across institutional divides: The case of global ship building projects, working pape

Meeting 4: Experiments and prototyping

Objectives
· Know the theoretical basis for and practices of different kinds of experiential learning as a work form in development projects, including prototyping and design of small experiments
· Get deep knowledge of design thinking bith in terms f theoretical roots and use in concrete development tasks
· Start to reap the awards of term paper projects and take a closer look at its prototypes
· Understand the theory and practice of making space for creative collaboration –through rooms, walls and artifacts, in particular with regards to visual sharing and early phase project mobilization

Learning activities
1. Prototyping of term paper projects with poster session
2. Making project spaces
3. Ethical dilemmas of experiential learning

Mandatory readings
Andersen, S. (2009). Stor suksess gjennom små, intelligente feil. Erfaringsbasert kunnskapsutvikling i toppidretten. Tidsskrift for Samfunnsforskning 50(4): 427-461.
Brown, T. (2009). Change by Design. How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation. New York: HarperCollins, 86-159.
Carlsen, A. Clegg, S. and Gjersvik, R. (2012). Idea Work. Lessons of the Extraordinary in Everyday Creativity. Oslo: Cappelen Damm, chap 7 and 8. (35 pages)
Sims. P. (2011). Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries. New York: Free Press. (page 1-163)

Recommended readings
Doorley, S. and Witthoft. S. (2012). Make Space. How to Set he Stage for Creative Collaboration. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley
Fahy, K., Easterby-Smith, M. And Lervik, J. E. (2012). The power of spatial and temporal orderings in organizational learning. (R&R Management Learning)
Hargadon, A. and Sutton, R. I. (1997). Technology brokering and innovation in a product development firm. Administrative Science Quarterly 42(4): 716- 749.
Tyre, M. J. and von Hippel, E. (1997). The situated nature of adaptive learning in organizations. Organization Science 8(1): 71-83.

Meeting 5: Culture and networks of excellence

Objectives
· Learn about what characterizes organizations that remain high-performing through long periods of time
· Understand how excellence is developed and anchored in organizational culture and external networks
· Get and overview of and be able to analyzer approaches to high-performance cultures, including the comparison of experiences fro elite sports, businesses and industrial clusters
· Being able to understand and critically assess recipes for managing for excellence
· Presentation and last look at term paper
· Summarize key learning across all five program themes

Learning activities
1. Presentation of student term papers
2. Real life 24 hours case assignment (to be decided)
3. Ethical dilemmas of sustainable excellence

Mandatory readings
Andersen, S. og Sæther, Ø. (2009). Kompetansemobilisering for prestasjonsutvikling. Hvordan oppnå fremragende resultater med vanlige medarbeidere? Magma 1(11). 10 pages.
Andersen, S. and Ronglan, L. T. (red.). (2011). Nordic Elite Sport. Same Ambitions, Different Tracks, Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School Press, chap 13 and 14 (50 pages)
Collins, J. and Hansen, T. (2011). Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck--Why Some Thrive Despite Them All. New York: HarperCollins, page 39-170.
Colville, I. D., Waterman, R. H. and Weick, K. E. (1999). Organizing and the search for excellence: making sense of the times in theory and practice. Organization 6(1): 128-149.
Lervik, J. E., Hennestad, B. W., Lunnan, R., Amdam, R. P. and Nilsen, S. (2005). Implementing human resource development best practices -- replication or re-creation? Human Resource Development International 8(3): 345-360.
O´Reilly, C. A. and Pfeffer, J. (2000). Hidden Value. How Great Companies Achieve Extraordinary Results with Ordinary People. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. chap 1, 2 og 10 (80 pages)
Walton, R. (1975). Explaining why success didn't take. Organizational Dynamics, 3: 2-22.

Recommended readings
Hennestad, B. W. (2004). Kan bedriftskultur ledes? Magma
Hallett, T., & Ventresca, M. J. (2006). How institutions form: Loose coupling as mechanism in Gouldner's patterns of industrial bureaucracy. American Behavioral Scientist 49(7): 908.
Sandholtz, K. W. (2012). Making standards stick: A theory of coupled vs. decoupled compliance. Organization Studies 33(5-6): 655-679.

• Discussion of real situations, decisions and cases that are messy and complex and therefore ideal for fully engaging the experience f participants in developing judgment
• Discussion of new research that challenges common sense and established mental models.
• Brief overviews of theoretical roots
• Introduction of tools, of which some are chosen for active experimentation by participants in their own organizations
• Discussions of mini-cases with ethical dilemmas

• Personal log with brief reflections from meetings and exercises, including a summary reflection about the leanring process;
• Active experimentation with mechanisms for positive organizational change, energizing behavior etc in one’s own organizations between meetings, including:
• Reflected best self-portrait: use of new tool for systematic and positive performance reviews, geared to see new opportunities and facilitate personal growth
• Individual mini-paper (max 4 pages), where students discuss a self-selected theme based on their own selection of literature from the program and elsewhere

• Term paper project tied to development work in the organization of one of the participants. Students establish groups of one insider plus up to two outsiders who together explore and contribute to and ongoing development process of strategic importance..
• Prepared company visits (at Snøhetta, Statoil, Olympiatoppen, maritime industry in the Ålesund region mfl.) where participants form small groups to prepare questions and discussions.

The programme is conducted through five course modules, a total of 150 lecturing hours. Project tutorials differ in each Master of Management program. It will consist of personal tutorials and tutorials given in class. Generally the students may expect consulting tutorials, not evaluating tutorials. The total hours of tutorials offered is estimated to two hours pr. students following an ordinary Master of Management program. For students taking the program as their final Master of Management program the tutorials offered are estimated to a total of six hours.

Coursework requirements
None

Examination
The students are evaluated through a term paper, counting 18 ECTS credits and a 72 hours individual home exam, counting ECTS 12 credits. Both evaluations must be passed to obtain a certificate for the program. The term paper may be written individually or in groups of maximum three persons.
The term paper shall be linked to development work in one of the participants’ organizations. The paper can be written individually or in groups of up to three persons. The students then need to establish groups with one insider and up to two outsiders who explore a real development process of strategic importance.
The individual home exam consists of a) a reflection note about one’s own learning base don the log used to describe and reflect over personal learning episodes (including how the learning may be used in a work situation), and b) a literature survey on topic of the students’ won choice, using both readings from the course (min 50%) and elsewhere (max 50%)

For students taking this program as the final Master of Management Program the following applies:
The students are evaluated through a term paper, counting 24 ECTS credits and a 72 hours individual home exam, counting ECTS 6 credits. The term paper may be written individually or in groups of maximum two persons. Both evaluations must be passed to obtain a certificate for the program.


Examination code(s)
MAN 29741 - Term paper; accounts for 100 % of the grade to pass the program MAN 2974, 18 credits
MAN 29751 - Individual home exam; accounts for 100 % of the grade to pass the program MAN 2975, 12 credits
Both evaluations must be passed to obtain a certificate for the program.

For students taking this program as the final Master of Management Program the following applies:
MAN 29761 - Term paper; accounts for 100 % of the grade to pass the program MAN 2976, 24 credits
MAN 29771 - Individual home exam; accounts for 100 % of the grade to pass the program MAN 2977, 6 credits;.
Both evaluations must be passed to obtain a certificate for the program.

Examination support materials


Re-sit examination
It is only possible to retake an examination at the next ordinary exam. When a programme is discontinued, the retake exam will take place in a replacement programme.

The assessment is mainly based on more than one exam code. Where this is the case, you may retake only the assessed components of one of these exam codes. Where this is not the case, all of the assessed components of the course must be retaken. All retaken examinations will incur an additional fee.

Additional information