Syllabus for MGT 4383 - Texas Tech University



Course SyllabusMGT 5381 – Managing Innovation & ChangeWEEKBLOCK 10G August 2011 – May 2012Instructors: Keith Brigham, PhD & Tyge Payne, PhDOffices: BA1111; BA1015Office Phones: (806) 742-2133; (806) 742-1514E-mail: keith.brigham@ttu.edu; tyge.payne@ttu.eduCourse E-mail: Get from BeckRequired Course Materials:Burton, R.M., DeSanctis, G. & Obel, B. Organizational Design: A Step-by-Step Approach. Raynor, M.E., and Christensen, C.M. The Innovator's Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth.Internet Access with E-Mail Capabilities.Course Description:In today’s volatile business environment, efficiently and effectively managing organizations is fraught with challenges. This course draws upon major theoretical approaches of organizational theory and design to address how managers can strategically manage organizational change and innovation. Specifically, this course covers the interrelated aspects of goals, strategy, structure, process, people, coordination and control, and incentives as they apply to complex and dynamic business environments. Theoretical questions are coupled with practical examples so that a more applied perspective is achieved.Course Objectives:Nearly every aspect of our lives is affected by organizations. Work, family, healthcare, religion, and entertainment—nearly every facet of life takes place in, is regulated by, or is a result of organizations and organizational action. Although we will primarily be discussing business organizations, most of the principles studied in this course can be applied to all types of complex organizations. As business professionals, our principle concern or goal is what we can do to improve the functioning and effectiveness of organizations given the ever-increasing reliance of business on technology and innovation. The issues that are relevant to this goal are varied and extremely complex, but successful business professionals find ways to adapt and/or manipulate their organizations accordingly. The objectives of this course are therefore established to demonstrate the different aspects of organizations and, more specifically, to:Expand knowledge and understanding of organizational designs and theoriesBuild organizational analytical skills by applying relevant theoretical models to various company situationsProvide students with an appreciation for the complexity of organizations and the difficulty surrounding managing organizational changeImprove students’ personal skill sets, including:Abstract and analytical thinking abilitiesWriting skillsPresentation skillsCourse Content:The course is primarily structured around class notes, lectures, books, journal articles, and relevant in-class discussions and exercises. Students are expected to have a sophisticated understanding of the major functional areas found in most organizations. Assignments & Grading?:In order to receive a grade of “B” in the course the student will need to do “B” or above average quality work on each of the following four assignments. Further, the student must actively participate in all classes. If a student misses one of the class days, that student is required to complete an additional assignment. If more than one day of class is missed, the student may be required to do other additional work as determined by the instructor.Assignments #1: Book Critique (Due: January 21st, 2012)Turn in a two to three page critique of the following book: Raynor, Michael E., and Christensen, Clayton M. The Innovator's Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth.In your critique identify key points that you think will be valuable to you in the years to come. Be specific in terms of how you might apply these principles to your organization. Additionally, identify what parts, if any, of the book was a waste of your time to read – or areas that you do not think the principles outlined in the book would apply to your organization. Conclude your review with an overall rating of the book on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being the best). For consistency, please make sure to put your name at the top of the paper and name you file “Jane Doe MIC A1”. Please use 1” margins, double spacing, and 12 pt. Times New Roman font.Assignment #2: Case Analysis (Due: January 21st, 2012)The written case assignment should resemble an executive briefing based on your analysis of the case. You should not consult or work with other class members outside of class regarding this assignment. These briefings must be professionally done and about 3 to 5 pages in length – typed, double-spaced and neat. Coverage should include:Executive Overview – gives general overview of your case analysis including key issues or problems and recommendations.Analysis – briefly describes the overarching framework for the case and its background. No additional information should be used other than that provided in the case text.Problem Statement – more focus on statement of problem or central organizational issue within case. More than one issue may be relevant so limit write-up to the three most interesting or troublesome issues. Name and explain these explicitly. Options – give several options for the focal organization concerning these problems or issues. You should thoroughly assess these options using appropriate organizational theories.Recommendation – name one explicit action that will help or fix that which is named in the problem statement.Implementation and Control – briefly explain how the recommendation may be carried out and how it can be controlled, altered or adjusted if necessary.Assignment #3: Written Project (Due: June 12th, 2012)Students are required to complete an in-depth organizational analysis based on independent observations and interviews with key personnel. For your current organization, do a thorough analysis of the organization utilizing the specific frameworks/ideas found in your readings and as we discuss in class. Describe the organization in terms of:GoalsOverarching StrategyGeneral EnvironmentStructureProcesses and PeopleLeadership and GovernanceClimate and CultureCoordination and Control MechanismsIncentive SystemsIn the course of this analysis, do an interview with at least one other person from your organization to facilitate your understanding of these issues. Ideally, this would be a senior-level manager. Be particularly cognizant of problematic issues that are leading to organizational inefficiencies or ineffectiveness throughout this analysis process.Following the analysis, utilize at least two specific theoretical perspectives discussed in class or in the text (e.g., contingency theory, configurations, agency theory, social capital theory) to discuss their specific and independent relevance to this particular organization. For instance, if your organization is a rapidly growing organization, which is having trouble with control and communication, one might see the utility of understanding agency theory. Based on the application of these theories to the situation, make a practical suggestion as to how the situation might be improved through organizational change. Explicitly discuss how such changes or organizational alternations might be achieved.Specifics for Project: The projects must be professionally done. The completed paper should be approximately 15-20 pages. The paper length is not as much a concern as being complete in coverage and form. For consistency, please make sure to put your name at the top of the paper and name you file “Jane Doe MIC A3” (make that the title of your Word file as well). Please use 1” margins, double spacing, and 12 pt. Times New Roman font.The analysis and the theoretical perspectives portions should constitute the bulk of the paper. Coverage should include at a minimum these major components:Executive Overview – gives general overview of project including key issues, problems, theoretical applications, and recommendations.Analysis –describes the overarching framework, structure, and design of the organization. Explicitly consider the major organizational components listed above. Problem Statement –focused statement of problems or central issues presently seen in the organization. More than one issue may be relevant, so limit the statement to the two most interesting or troublesome issues. Name and explain these explicitly.Theoretical Perspectives – utilize key theoretical perspectives and discuss their relevance to the specific organization problems you identified. Options and Implementation – make suggestion(s) for organizational changes that might improve efficiency and/or effectiveness for the issues you have identified as problematic. Specifically, discuss how the organization should go about making these changes. Assignment #4: In-class Presentation (Due: In-class on the last day of the course in May of 2012)In-Class Presentation: You are also required to give a short presentation to the class about part of your organizational analysis (approximately 12-15 minutes, with 5 minutes Q&A). This assignment is designed, in part, to provide a jump start for the completion of aspects of Assignment #3. Also, you will be able to refine your thinking, incorporate suggestions, and generally improve your written assignment. The following should be the basic presentation outline: (1) Title Page (1 slide), (2) Basic Issues/ Facts on the Organization (1-2 slides), (3) Describe key drivers and the relative pace of change and innovation in your industry (1-2 slides), (4) Identify and describe TWO Key Problems Relating to Managing Innovation & Change in your organization (2 slides), (5) Potential Prescriptive Solutions (1-2 slides). At this point, the final slide(s) of the presentation on Potential Prescriptive Solutions may be somewhat more speculative. Please make your presentation as interesting as possible and try to stimulate thoughts and questions from your audience. Copies of the PowerPoint slides are to be turned in to the instructor on the presentation day in May of 2012.In order to receive a grade of “A” in the course, the student will need to do “A” quality work on each of the preceding assignments, plus “A” quality work on the following assignment:Assignment #5: Distance Learning Case Study (DUE: June 12th, 2012)This assignment draws upon the concepts that were covered in lectures and reading materials for this course. Identify a minimum of TWO movie or television scenes (all of the scenes can come from the same source or from different sources). For each scene, write a 1-2 page discussion of how some of the concepts from the course were applied either well or not so well. Finally, summarize (1 to 2 pages total) how you might apply these concepts in your own life. For consistency, please make sure to put your name at the top of the paper and name you file “Jane Doe MIC A5” (make that the title of your Word file as well). Please use 1” margins, single spacing, and Times New Roman font. ***Please send all assignments to the following dedicated email:Add new emailClass ScheduleDay One - Friday, August 19th (2011) from 9:00 – 5:30Course IntroductionLecture led by Tyge PayneDay Two - May (2012) from 9:00 – 5:30Lecture led by Keith Brigham* Please bring a copy of assignment #1 to classDay Three - May (2012) from 9:00 – 5:30In-Class PresentationsPlease see assignment #4 for instructionsDisability Accommodation: The University is committed to the principle that in no aspect of its programs, shall there be differences in the treatment of persons because of race, creed, national origin, age, sex, or disability, and that equal opportunity and access to facilities shall be available to all. If you require special accommodations in order to participate, please contact the instructors or arrange a personal meeting. Students should present appropriate verification from the AccessTECH office. No requirement exists that accommodations be made prior to completion of this approved university process.General Guidelines for Written Work: Written work will be graded for both content and quality. That is, grammar, punctuation, spelling, coherence, style, and organization will be considered. A concise style is essential. Corporate executives repeatedly emphasize the need for business schools to do a better job of preparing MBAs to write in an organizational context. The standards applied to writing quality will approximate those applied to major corporate documents that have been prepared for broad distribution among senior executives.Statement Regarding Academic Dishonesty: Academic honesty is fundamental to the activities principles of a university. All members of the academic community must be confident that each person's work has been responsibly and honorably acquired, developed, presented. Any effort to gain an advantage not given to students is dishonest whether or not the effort successful. The academic community regards academic dishonesty as an extremely serious matter, with consequences that range from probation to expulsion. When in doubt about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting, or collaboration, consult the course instructor. The general description of academic dishonesty is presented in Texas Tech Operating Policy 34.12 and in the Texas Tech Student Handbook, Code of Student Conduct. In general the description of “Scholastic Dishonesty" includes, but is not limited to, "cheating, plagiarism, collusion, falsifying academic records, misrepresenting facts, and any act designed to give unfair academic advantage to the student (such as, but not limited to, submission of essentially the same written assignment for two courses without the prior permission of the instructor) or the attempt to commit such an act.”All acts of academic misconduct will be reported and adjudicated as prescribed by the Student Code of Texas Tech University. More specifically, for this course it will be considered academic dishonesty to engage in the following activities: 1. Misrepresenting the written work of others as your own work. 2. Reading, viewing or discussing information developed by other current or prior students or groups participating in graded group or individual case studies or projects, whether in or outside of class time.3. Obtaining by any means the ideas, concepts, answers, or actual written material developed by another individual or group and presenting it as your own, either in writing or as discussion materials.Professional Environment for Learning: Students are expected to assist in maintaining a classroom environment that is conducive to learning. In order to assure that all students have an opportunity to gain from time spent in class, unless otherwise approved by the instructor, students are prohibited from using electronic devices (please turn them off), making offensive remarks, reading newspapers, sleeping or engaging in any other form of distractive behavior. Inappropriate behavior in the classroom shall result in, minimally, a request to leave class or maximally a grade of F.Final Note: We reserve the right to alter these requirements for the course if necessary. While we typically hold to the classroom format presented above, there are times that circumstances require alterations in the content and structure of the course. Please be patient if such circumstances do occur.Working Professionals MBA Attendance PolicyStudents are required to attend all course meetings and stay for their entire duration. Strict adherence to this policy is necessary due to the distinctive hybrid format of the Executive Style MBA Programs of Texas Tech University which includes both face-to-face and distance learning components.? In exceptional circumstances where an absence is unavoidable (e.g., serious illness, death in the family), students should coordinate with the individual course instructors regarding the options available.In some instances students who fail to attend all scheduled class meetings may be required to repeat the course, if deemed necessary by the individual course instructor. It should also be noted that once a student has missed more than six days of class (i.e., three weekends) he or she will need to meet with the director of the program in order to evaluate their future status in the program.Working Professionals MBAPolicy for Late Assignment Penalty and Grades of Incomplete It is the student’s responsibility to request an extension for any assignment if a situation arises that prevents completion of the assignment by the due date. In most cases students who turn in late assignments may not be eligible to receive a grade of “A-” or above in the course. Each late assignment may be subject to a grade reduction at the instructor’s discretion. Failure to submit assignments by the last date during the term as designated by the instructor may result in an “F” for that assignment. ? ?If a student cannot complete the course due to extraordinary events, the student should request a grade of Incomplete (I) and make arrangements with the instructor to create an individual study plan. Requests for a grade of “Incomplete” are not automatically granted; they are at the discretion of the instructor. In order to keep students from falling too far behind the university requirements for assigning a grade of “Incomplete” will be enforced. Pursuant to the Graduate Catalog, grades of “Incomplete” are given only when work is satisfactory in quality but has not been completed due to reasons beyond the student’s control.? Students must request an “Incomplete” grade before the course ending date and must also complete the Graduate School’s “Grade of Incomplete Form” (the form is attached and also available from The Center for Professional Development) before the ending date of the course, stating when the work will be completed and providing an acceptable reason for failure to complete work during the course timeframe. In order to avoid a grade of “F” the grade of incomplete form needs to be turned into the course professor before the ending date of the course.Students in all programs will have one calendar year beyond the end of their program to complete the course before the grade of Incomplete is changed to a grade of “F.” ................
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