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Michael Bednar
and
E. Geoffrey Love
Organizations are complex and can be difficult to manage well, so managers need tools to help them better understand and deal with the many complexities and challenges associated with organizational life. In this course, you will learn theories, principles, and frameworks that will help you design more effective organizations.
You will be able to:
- Analyze organizations from multiple perspectives to better understand business challenges
- Strategically plan for effective organizational governance
- Develop systems to plan for growth and change
Read more
Organizations are complex and can be difficult to manage well, so managers need tools to help them better understand and deal with the many complexities and challenges associated with organizational life. In this course, you will learn theories, principles, and frameworks that will help you design more effective organizations.
You will be able to:
- Analyze organizations from multiple perspectives to better understand business challenges
- Strategically plan for effective organizational governance
- Develop systems to plan for growth and change
Read more
Organizations are complex and can be difficult to manage well, so managers need tools to help them better understand and deal with the many complexities and challenges associated with organizational life. In this course, you will learn theories, principles, and frameworks that will help you design more effective organizations.
You will be able to:
- Analyze organizations from multiple perspectives to better understand business challenges
- Strategically plan for effective organizational governance
- Develop systems to plan for growth and change
- Understand implications of the external environment on business and strategically respond to these factors
This course is part of Gies College of Business’ suite of online programs, including the iMBA and iMSM. Learn more about admission into these programs and explore how your Coursera work can be leveraged if accepted into a degree program at https://degrees.giesbusiness.illinois.edu/idegrees/.
Register for this course and see more details by visiting:
OpenCourser.com/course/4wxrod/designing
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What's inside
Syllabus
Course Orientation
You will become familiar with the course, your classmates, and our learning environment. The orientation will also help you obtain the technical skills required for the course.
Read more
Syllabus
Course Orientation
You will become familiar with the course, your classmates, and our learning environment. The orientation will also help you obtain the technical skills required for the course.
Read more
Traffic lights
Traffic lights
Read about what's good
what should give you pause and
possible dealbreakers
Examines core organizational theory and explores various organizational structures
Explores the growth and organizational life cycles commonly seen in various organizations
Teaches how to strategically plan for effective organizational governance
Develops systems to plan for growth and change within organizations
Taught by E. Geoffrey Love and Michael Bednar, instructors with extensive experience in organizational theory
Concepts applicable in a range of organizational settings, such as startups, nonprofits, and corporations
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Reviews summary
Strategic organizational design frameworks
According to learners, this course provides a strong foundation in organizational theory and strategic design. Students frequently praise the clear structure and the way complex concepts are broken down into understandable modules. Many find the frameworks and tools provided to be highly relevant and applicable to their professional lives, enabling them to better analyze and address organizational challenges. While some desire more detail or practical examples, the overall sentiment highlights the course's effectiveness in delivering valuable knowledge on designing effective organizations.
Instructor delivers material effectively and engagingly.
"The lectures were engaging and the instructor explained concepts clearly."
"I found the professor's teaching style to be very effective and easy to follow."
"The delivery of the content kept me interested and motivated throughout the course."
Content is presented in a logical, easy-to-follow way.
"The course is well-structured, making it easy to follow along and grasp the concepts."
"Modules are organized logically, building knowledge step-by-step."
"I appreciate the clear, bite-sized nature of the modules, which makes complex topics digestible."
Offers tools directly useful in professional roles.
"The frameworks are directly applicable to real-world scenarios and helped me analyze challenges at my workplace."
"I gained practical tools and strategies that I could apply immediately to my work."
"Learning these frameworks has significantly improved my ability to think strategically about organizational issues."
Provides a solid base in organizational theory.
"This course provided a solid foundation in the core principles of organizational design."
"I now have a much better understanding of the frameworks and theories that underpin organizational structure and design."
"It gave me the essential theoretical background needed to analyze organizational structures."
Some learners desire more depth or advanced topics.
"Could use more in-depth coverage on certain topics or more advanced case studies."
"While a great introduction, I was hoping for slightly more detailed exploration of specific design methodologies."
"I felt some areas were covered a bit superficially; a deeper dive would enhance the learning."
Activities
Be better prepared
before
your course. Deepen your understanding
during
and
after
it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered
in Designing the Organization with these
activities:
Compile a list of resources on organizational management
Show steps
Compile a list of resources, such as articles, books, and websites, on organizational management to expand your knowledge beyond the course materials.
Browse courses on
Organizational Management
Show steps
-
Search for resources on organizational management.
-
Create a list of the resources that you find.
-
Share your list with other students in the course.
Read 'Corporate Governance: A Practical Guide'
Show steps
Read this book to gain insights into the principles and practices of corporate governance, a topic covered in Module 1.
View
Corporate Governance Matters
on Amazon
Show steps
-
Purchase or borrow a copy of 'Corporate Governance: A Practical Guide'.
-
Read the book in its entirety.
-
Take notes on the key concepts and principles of corporate governance.
Review management skills
Show steps
Review the basic concepts of management to refresh your knowledge before starting this course
Browse courses on
Management Skills
Show steps
-
Identify the key concepts of management, such as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling.
-
Read articles or books on management to refresh your understanding of the topic.
Five other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all eight activities
Follow a tutorial on organizational structure
Show steps
Complete a tutorial on organizational structure to deepen your understanding of this topic covered in Module 2.
Browse courses on
Organizational Structure
Show steps
-
Search for tutorials on organizational structure.
-
Choose a tutorial that covers the basics of organizational structure.
-
Follow the steps in the tutorial to learn about different types of organizational structures and their advantages and disadvantages.
Practice analyzing organizational charts
Show steps
Practice analyzing organizational charts to improve your understanding of organizational structure and design.
Browse courses on
Organizational Structure
Show steps
-
Find an organizational chart of a company or organization.
-
Identify the different levels of management.
-
Identify the different departments or units.
-
Analyze the reporting relationships between different positions.
Attend a workshop on organizational design
Show steps
Attend a workshop on organizational design to learn more about the different types of organizational structures and how to choose the right structure for an organization.
Browse courses on
Organizational Design
Show steps
-
Search for workshops on organizational design.
-
Choose a workshop that covers the topics that you are interested in.
-
Attend the workshop and take notes on the key concepts.
-
Apply the concepts that you learned in the workshop to your own organization.
Create a presentation on the external environment
Show steps
Create a presentation on the external environment to demonstrate your understanding of the factors that can affect an organization.
Show steps
-
Identify the key factors that make up the external environment, such as economic conditions, political factors, and technological changes.
-
Research how these factors can affect an organization's strategy and operations.
-
Create a presentation that outlines your findings and provides recommendations on how an organization can respond to these factors.
Develop a strategic plan for an organization
Show steps
Develop a strategic plan for an existing organization to demonstrate your understanding of strategic planning and organizational governance.
Browse courses on
Strategic Planning
Show steps
-
Choose an organization that you are familiar with.
-
Analyze the organization's current situation, including its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
-
Develop a strategic plan that outlines the organization's goals, objectives, and strategies.
-
Present your strategic plan to the organization's leadership.
Compile a list of resources on organizational management
Show steps
Compile a list of resources, such as articles, books, and websites, on organizational management to expand your knowledge beyond the course materials.
Browse courses on
Organizational Management
Show steps
Show steps
Show steps
- Search for resources on organizational management.
- Create a list of the resources that you find.
- Share your list with other students in the course.
Read 'Corporate Governance: A Practical Guide'
Show steps
Read this book to gain insights into the principles and practices of corporate governance, a topic covered in Module 1.
View
Corporate Governance Matters
on Amazon
Show steps
Show steps
Show steps
- Purchase or borrow a copy of 'Corporate Governance: A Practical Guide'.
- Read the book in its entirety.
- Take notes on the key concepts and principles of corporate governance.
Review management skills
Show steps
Review the basic concepts of management to refresh your knowledge before starting this course
Browse courses on
Management Skills
Show steps
Show steps
Show steps
- Identify the key concepts of management, such as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling.
- Read articles or books on management to refresh your understanding of the topic.
Five other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all eight activities
Follow a tutorial on organizational structure
Show steps
Complete a tutorial on organizational structure to deepen your understanding of this topic covered in Module 2.
Browse courses on
Organizational Structure
Show steps
Show steps
Show steps
- Search for tutorials on organizational structure.
- Choose a tutorial that covers the basics of organizational structure.
- Follow the steps in the tutorial to learn about different types of organizational structures and their advantages and disadvantages.
Practice analyzing organizational charts
Show steps
Practice analyzing organizational charts to improve your understanding of organizational structure and design.
Browse courses on
Organizational Structure
Show steps
Show steps
Show steps
- Find an organizational chart of a company or organization.
- Identify the different levels of management.
- Identify the different departments or units.
- Analyze the reporting relationships between different positions.
Attend a workshop on organizational design
Show steps
Attend a workshop on organizational design to learn more about the different types of organizational structures and how to choose the right structure for an organization.
Browse courses on
Organizational Design
Show steps
Show steps
Show steps
- Search for workshops on organizational design.
- Choose a workshop that covers the topics that you are interested in.
- Attend the workshop and take notes on the key concepts.
- Apply the concepts that you learned in the workshop to your own organization.
Create a presentation on the external environment
Show steps
Create a presentation on the external environment to demonstrate your understanding of the factors that can affect an organization.
Show steps
Show steps
Show steps
- Identify the key factors that make up the external environment, such as economic conditions, political factors, and technological changes.
- Research how these factors can affect an organization's strategy and operations.
- Create a presentation that outlines your findings and provides recommendations on how an organization can respond to these factors.
Develop a strategic plan for an organization
Show steps
Develop a strategic plan for an existing organization to demonstrate your understanding of strategic planning and organizational governance.
Browse courses on
Strategic Planning
Show steps
Show steps
Show steps
- Choose an organization that you are familiar with.
- Analyze the organization's current situation, including its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
- Develop a strategic plan that outlines the organization's goals, objectives, and strategies.
- Present your strategic plan to the organization's leadership.
Career center
Learners who complete Designing the Organization will develop knowledge and skills
that may be useful to these careers:
Organizational Development Manager
Organizational Development Manager
Organizational Development Managers typically need to have a strong knowledge of organizational design and development. This course can help build a foundation in these areas.
Human Resources Manager
Human Resources Manager
This course would be useful for HR professionals as it would provide them with organizational design fundamentals and insights that are useful for building effective organizations.
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Executive Officers need the experience and knowledge to effectively manage their company. Given that this course provides a detailed analysis of organizational design, it can provide insightful knowledge and skills for such a role.
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Operating Officers are in charge of day to day operations within a company or business and need the knowledge to make effective choices. This course could provide that knowledge.
Management Consultant
Management Consultant
Management Consultants help businesses improve their performance and typically have business knowledge and experience in multiple different fields. This course provides key frameworks for analyzing and dealing with organizational life, which would be useful for a management consultant.
Business Analyst
Business Analyst
Business Analysts need business knowledge and analytical skills. This course could provide both by giving a framework for analyzing organizations and their external environment.
Strategy Consultant
Strategy Consultant
Strategy Consultants often need to have excellent organizational analysis skills. This course could help enhance those skills.
Project Manager
Project Manager
Project Managers need to understand the organization and this course may provide that context.
Product Manager
Product Manager
This course may be useful for Product Managers as it can aid their understanding of developing and managing organizational structures.
Operations Manager
Operations Manager
This course may be helpful for Operations Managers as it aids in developing an understanding of designing effective organizations.
Financial Analyst
Financial Analyst
This course could be useful for Financial Analysts as it covers analyzing and responding to external environmental factors, which is key in finance.
Data Analyst
Data Analyst
This course could be useful as it covers analyzing and understanding organizations, which is key to understanding data.
Marketing Manager
Marketing Manager
This course may be helpful for Marketing Managers as it covers analyzing external environmental factors, which can help inform marketing strategy.
Sales Manager
Sales Manager
This course may be useful for Sales Managers as it covers analyzing external environmental factors, which can help inform sales strategy.
Accountant
Accountant
This course may be useful for Accountants as it covers planning for organizational growth and change, which could be helpful in managing finances and accounting for growth.
For more career information including salaries, visit:
OpenCourser.com/course/4wxrod/designing
Reading list
We've selected 18 books
that we think will supplement your
learning. Use these to
develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a
deeper understanding of the topics covered in
Designing the Organization.
Explores the key principles and practices of organizational design, and provides a framework for understanding how organizations can be designed to be more effective.
Provides a comprehensive overview of organizational design, covering topics such as organizational structure, governance, and culture. It valuable resource for students and professionals who want to learn more about how organizations are designed and managed.
Provides a critical overview of organizational theory, covering topics such as organizational structure, culture, and change. It valuable resource for students and professionals who want to learn more about the different perspectives on organizations.
Provides a comprehensive overview of organization theory and design, and explores the latest research on the topic.
This classic book explores the different ways that organizations can be designed, and provides a framework for understanding how design choices affect organizational performance.
Provides a comprehensive overview of strategic management, and explores the latest research on the topic.
Explores the concept of the innovator's dilemma, which is the tendency for large, successful organizations to fail to innovate. It valuable resource for students and professionals who want to learn more about how to avoid the innovator's dilemma and create more innovative organizations.
Provides a practical guide to leading change in organizations. It valuable resource for students and professionals who want to learn more about how to create and implement change initiatives.
Save
Explores the concept of the learning organization, which is an organization that is able to learn and adapt to change. It valuable resource for students and professionals who want to learn more about how to create more learning organizations.
Provides an overview of the Toyota Production System, which set of principles and practices that have helped Toyota become one of the most successful manufacturers in the world. It valuable resource for students and professionals who want to learn more about how to create more efficient and effective organizations.
Save
Provides a framework for creating new markets and competing in existing markets. It valuable resource for students and professionals who want to learn more about how to create more innovative and successful organizations.
Provides a practical guide to building and running a successful business. It valuable resource for students and professionals who want to learn more about the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship.
Save
Provides a framework for developing good strategy. It valuable resource for students and professionals who want to learn more about how to create more effective organizations.
Provides a practical guide to using the lean startup methodology to build and launch successful businesses. It valuable resource for students and professionals who want to learn more about entrepreneurship and innovation.
Save
Provides a practical guide to getting customers for your startup. It valuable resource for students and professionals who want to learn more about marketing and sales.
Save
Provides a guide to escaping the traditional 9-to-5 job and creating a more fulfilling life. It valuable resource for students and professionals who want to learn more about entrepreneurship and lifestyle design.
Save
Provides a guide to achieving deep work, which is the ability to focus on complex tasks without distraction. It valuable resource for students and professionals who want to learn more about productivity and time management.
Save
Provides a practical guide to building good habits and breaking bad ones. It valuable resource for students and professionals who want to learn more about self-improvement and personal development.
For more information about how these books relate to this course, visit:
OpenCourser.com/course/4wxrod/designing
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Effort
4 weeks of study, 2-4 hours/week
Level
Introductory
Via
Coursera
Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Instructors
Michael Bednar
E. Geoffrey Love
Language
English
Transcripts
Español
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Português
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