ORG 3601 Organizations in Society
ORG 3601 Organizations in Society
Organizations play a central role in an increasingly complex economy. They absorb overarching values and norms from society while also influencing and shaping the communities they are part of. One way to capture this complexity is to describe development as a result of various trends that, both individually and in interaction, constitute the environments of organizations. The development trends emphasized in this course include: globalization and economic liberalization, the emergence of an increasingly communicative economy, sustainability, digitalization, and discontinuity/change shocks.
The purpose of this course is to understand the key role organizations play in a complex world, to present concepts and theories that enable organizations to navigate this complexity, and to highlight how human resources within organizations can develop in light of key development trends.
By the end of the course, students will:
- Understand the central role organizations play in today’s society.
- Be familiar with key concepts in organizational theory that explore the relationship between organizations and society.
- Have knowledge of how organizations absorb and reflect societal values.
- Understand the role of organizations as instruments for both change and stability in society.
- Have knowledge of how human resources can be managed and developed in modern organizations.
- Recognize how HR can contribute to organizational development and strategic resource management through overarching planning.
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Describe the challenges that key development trends present to contemporary organizations.
- Explain the interconnections between various development trends.
- Apply organizational theory to adapt organizations to today’s challenges.
- Engage in discussions about organizations' roles in and contributions to society.
- Critically reflect on how organizations' efforts to develop their human resources are influenced by development trends.
- Develop the ability to see the role of organizations in society in a historical and global perspective.
- Develop awareness of how organizations can and should contribute to the overall development of society.
- Develop awareness of the connection between key development trends such as globalization, the communicative economy, sustainability, digitalization and discontinuity/change shock.
- Develop awareness of organizations as a force for change for an overall development of society.
1. Understanding Environments
- Trends:
- Globalization
- The communicative economy
- Sustainability
- Digitalization
- Discontinuity/change shocks
2. Understanding the Relationship Between Organizations and Their Environments
- Selected organizational theoretical themes
3. Managing Human Resources in Modern Organizations
- The dynamics between HRM, organizations, and their environments
The first half of the course will be delivered through lectures and seminars on development trends, organizational theory, and fundamental perspectives on HRM. This portion will conclude with a multiple-choice exam to assess the students' breadth of knowledge.
The second half will be more process-oriented, consisting of project assignment seminars and guidance activities related to the project assignment exam. This segment will conclude with the submission of the project assignment.
The multiple-choice exam will account for 35% of the overall grade, while the project assignment will weigh 65%.
Students will be offered the opportunity to write a short project proposal related to their assignment as part of the preparation for guidance. The purpose of both the project proposal and the guidance sessions is to ensure the quality of the project assignment's initiation and execution.
Litteraturen introduserer de fem utviklingstrendene, men går i begrenset grad i dybden på dem. I prosjektoppgaven forventes det at studenten/e selv søker etter og anvender litteratur som er relevant for- og utdyper trenden/e, og relaterer dette til caseorganisasjon og problemstilling for oppgaven. I beskrivelser av trender er det større aksept for bruk av populærvitenskapelig publikasjoner enn på kursets øvrige tema. I tilleggspensum er det noen forslag til litteratur som utdyper hver av de fem trendene.
ORG 3403 Organisasjonsatferd og ledelse eller tilsvarende kunnskaper.
| Assessments |
|---|
Exam category: School Exam Form of assessment: Structured Test Exam/hand-in semester: First Semester Weight: 35 Grouping: Individual Support materials:
Duration: 1 Hour(s) Exam code: ORG 36011 Grading scale: ECTS Resit: Examination every semester |
Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Submission PDF Exam/hand-in semester: First Semester Weight: 65 Grouping: Group/Individual (1 - 3) Duration: 1 Semester(s) Exam code: ORG 36012 Grading scale: ECTS Resit: Examination every semester |
All exams must be passed to get a grade in this course.
| Activity | Duration | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Teaching | 20 Hour(s) | |
Teaching | 10 Hour(s) | |
Seminar groups | 10 Hour(s) | |
Submission(s) | 80 Hour(s) | |
Examination | 20 Hour(s) | |
Student's own work with learning resources | 60 Hour(s) |
A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 7,5 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 200 hours.
