Fundamentals of Organization
Fundamentals of Organization
This course introduces the key theories, concepts, models and approaches related to Organizational Design, Business Process Management and Decision Making Process Management.
Introduction to Management Engineering Series
This MOOC is part of the Introduction to Management Engineering series, which is designed to introduce prospective master students and people interested in managerial disciplines into the key fundamentals of Management Engineering. Through an analytical and engineering approach, the series provides basic concepts and language in the areas of Strategy, Economics, Financial Accounting, Organization, and Operations Management.
The series is the result of a collaborative design between METID, the unit of Politecnico di Milano devoted to teaching and learning innovation, and the Study Course in Management Engineering.
See the full seriesCourse description
Organization is a fundamental theme to understand the real functioning of each company or, more in general, of any institution, and it is part of the basic know-how of each manager. Organization design implies decisions on how work is subdivided and how coordination between the various activities and people who autonomously perform them is guaranteed. Moreover, organization design is willing to consider also the interdependences between people daily activities (namely processes): in fact, processes are the real lever to achieve organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Lastly, organization design should also consider how people and units take their decisions, given that organizing and deciding are two central and complementary activities of the managerial function.
To achieve these goals, this course aims at explaining you the main concepts of organization, with a strong practical orientation: illustration of typical organizational problems through real corporate examples will be used. But a solid theoretical background is provided as well: the main theories behind organizational design will be used to dig into the main areas of investigation.
The course investigates three main areas:
- the analysis and design of a proper organization, at the micro level (individual) and at the macro level (group of multiple individuals);
- the analysis of how to effectively manage processes, in terms of activities, performance and principles;
- the analysis of how to rapidly take decisions, in terms of process, constraints, models and game theory approach.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Prerequisites
No formal knowledge is required.
Activities
The forum of this MOOC is freely accessible and participation is not guided; you can use it to discuss your ideas on the course content with other participants.
A Bibliography section is available, where you can find a list of resources that can help you in deepening the topics of the course.
Topic outline
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This week will cover:
- Basic concepts about organization (definition, environment)
- Specialization
- Roles, jobs and positions
- Coordination mechanisms at the micro and macro level
- Mechanistic and Organic model
- Hierarchy and grouping criteria
- Organizational structures
- Simple
- Functional
- Divisional
- Hybrid
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This week will cover:
- Definition and key dimensions of a process
- Link between process and organization
- Types of process
- Process perfomances
- Principles for process management
- Key concepts of Business Process Reingeneering
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This week will cover:
- Introduction to decision making process within organized contexts
- The decision making process: problem setting and problem solving
- Decisions under uncertain environment: risk and uncertainty
- The role of game theory
- Iconic games
- Prisoner dilemma
- Chicken game
- Battle of sexes
- Non-cooperative game
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Assessment
Your final grade for the course will be based on the results of your answers to the graded quizzes. You have an unlimited number of attempts at each quiz, but you must wait 15 minutes before you can try again. You will have successfully completed the course if you achieve 60% (or more) of the total score in each quiz. The maximum score possible for each quiz is given at the beginning of the quiz. You can view your score in the quiz on your last attempt or on the 'Grades' page.
Certificate
You must be registered in POK through Politecnico di Milano personal account to obtain the Certificate of Accomplishment. It will be released to anyone who successfully completed the course by achieving at least 60% of the total score in each one of the graded quizzes and filling the final survey. You will be able to download the Certificate of Accomplishment directly from Politecnico di Milano web services. The Certificate of Accomplishment does not confer any academic credit, grade or degree.
Information about fees and access to materials
You can access the course absolutely free of charge and completely online.
Course faculty
Antonella Moretto
Antonella Moretto is Assistant Professor at the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano. She teaches Supplier Relationship Management at the MSc of Management Engineering. She is Director of the Observatory Supply Chain Finance of Politecnico di Milano and of the Executive MBA at the MIP Graduate School of Business. In 2013, she got a PhD with honor at Politecnico di Milano with a thesis about the internationalization of Italian fashion companies in emerging market with special attention to sustainability issues. Her main research interests are related to purchasing and supply management, supply chain finance, and sustainable supply chain management.
Filomena Canterino
Filomena Canterino is currently Assistant Professor in the area of People Management and Organization at School of Management of Politecnico di Milano. She teaches Leadership & Innovation course at Master of Science Program. In 2016 she got a PhD with honor at Politecnico di Milano on the topic of organizational transformation and action research methodology. Her research activity concerns organization and leadership in the context of organizational change and in the context of innovation. She carried out action research projects with Italian companies on the above topics and she is author of several publications appearing on scientific journals and conference proceedings.
Contact details
If you have any enquiries about the course or if you need technical assistance please contact pok@polimi.it. For further information, see FAQ page.