Objectives

This course seeks to enable students to understand and address challenges in managing people in organizations on the basis of academic literature. Students learn about how to manage people through organizational design, performance management, and organizational change. In doing so, the course allows students to apply academic theories to real-world cases. These cases, supplemented by scholarly readings, serve as the primary vehicle for learning.

Specifically, students (1) learn declarative knowledge about organizational design, organizational change, and managing people, (2) develop procedural knowledge and skills for solving managerial problems, and (3) develop skills for presenting and arguing managerial decisions.

Contents

Introduction:

1. Course Introduction: Meier Manufacturing

2. Managing employee performance: Elise Smart

Module 1: Organizational Design

3. Organizational design and culture: Four Seasons goes to Paris

4. Organizational structure: Procter & Gamble

5. Holacracy as modern organizational design: Liip Switzerland

6. Organizational design in an alliance: Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation

Module 2: People Management

7. Managing difficult employees: What a star, what a jerk

8. Managing diversity: The case of the unequal opportunity

9. Toxic work environments: Case TBD

10. Dealing with unresolvable tensions /sexual harassment: Susan Taylor at Exeter Group

11. Everyday ethical behavior: Case TBD

Module 3: Change Management

12. Managing change in an NGO: Red Cross Children’s Home Guyana

13. Crisis management: Case TBD

14. Course Review: Managing People: Street Child Europe

Please note that adjustments are possible.

Pre-requisites

For pedagogical reasons, the maximum number of students is limited to 50 students. The selection is made based on a letter of motivation. Students must submit this letter by February 27, 2023 at 19:00 (upload of a pdf file on the Moodle site for the course). In this letter, students explain why they would like to take the course and how they would contribute to the course.

Evaluation

First attempt

Exam:

Written 2 heures hours

Documentation:

Not allowed

Calculator:

Not allowed

Evaluation:

Class contribution (individual): 20%

Weekly assignment papers (individual): 40%

Final exam (individual): 40%

Retake

Exam:

Written 2 heures hours

Documentation:

Not allowed

Calculator:

Not allowed

Evaluation:

To be eligible for a retake, students must have submitted 10 weekly assignments. The exam will be 100% integrative for students who have a final grade of below 4.0.