URBS 603—Organization
Environment
Term: Fall, 2013
Instructor: Tony Filipovitch, 126 Morris Hall, 507-389-5035, 507-388-2264 (home)
Office Hours: My office hours are posted here. I am available in my office at those times (or
other times by appointment). I also check my e-mail daily (usually several times during the
day), and have an answering machine on both my home and office phone.
There is no reason to flounder around, unsure of what “he wants” or confused about what you
are doing; and even if everything is going fine with the coursework, there is more to learning
than completing the assignments. I encourage you to visit me, in person or at a distance by
phone or e-mail, many times during the course.
Text:
Richard Burton, Borge Obel & Gerardine DeSanctis. 2011. Organizational Design: A Step-byStep Approach. NY: Cambridge University Press.
Recommended: Micahel Harrison. 2005. Diagnosing Organizations: Methods, Models, and
Processes, 3rd Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
While there is a textbook for this course, the course is not the text. There will be supplemental
readings (see the Course Calendar), as well as extensive reflection and discussion of primary
data that you will be collecting.
Course Objectives:
The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the ways that organizations can be designed to
meet their goals by aligning strategy, structure, process, and controls. The concepts discussed in
class will come from the full range of organizational types (public, private, and nonprofit), but
the focus of the casework will be on public and nonprofit organizations.
By the end of the term you will be able to:
1. Identify the elements of organizational design and analyze the interrelationship of those
elements;
2. Critique and apply a range of organizational management concepts to the design of
different organizations;
3. Create an organization designed to realize the organization’s major goals;
4. Apply organizational design concepts to real-world situations.
In addition to the specific course outcomes, there are three additional outcomes that are
common to most, if not all, courses at MSU:
1. Develop your creative and critical thinking powers in addressing problems and
opportunities;
2. Develop personal communication skills, both oral and (especially in this course) written;
3. Improve your ability to work and interact with others in a team approach.
Assignments:
1. Class Activities
You are expected to do the readings assigned from the text and linked to the course calendar,
and be prepared to discuss of them by the assigned date. The class time will be primarily
devoted to discussion and problem-solving; I will not be lecturing on the assigned reading.
2. Select an Organization
Throughout the course, you will be applying the concepts you are learning to one organization
with which you are familiar, or with which you can become familiar. This may be a city in
which you are currently or have previously been employed, it might be your home city, it might
be an RDC, or…. It may not be an entire city structure (especially if you are choosing
Minneapolis or St. Paul), it may be an agency within a larger public organization. You may want
to secure a mentor in the organization from whom you can get information and with whom you
can discuss what you are learning.
3. Writing Assignments:

Organizational Design: The textbook provides a detailed set of questions for analyzing
the structure of organizations. Each week from 9/2 through 9/30, you will prepare an
analysis of your organization along the dimension for the week (Strategy, Structure,
Process, Control, and Dynamics). These analyses will be due to me by e-mail by 8AM
of the class day (this is your ticket into class each week). These analyses are worth half
of your grade (10 pts. apiece).


Class presentation: You will prepare a powerpoint presentation to the class (60
minutes—explanation and application/class activity) on one of the remaining 8
Organizational Management topics in the class. You may use any resources that are
appropriate, but I have provided a possible starting point in the Bibliography at the end of
this syllabus. You must e-mail your powerpoint to me by 8AM of the day it is due. After
your presentation, you will turn your powerpoint into a reflection essay on your topic.
The presentation and your essay is due the following week, and will be one quarter of
your grade (25 pts.)
Symposium: The last class meeting will be a Symposium—an open discussion—on the
topic of what changes you would make in the organization you have been studying, were
you in charge. While each of you will, of course, present your own ideas for your
organization, you will also be expected to reflect on what your classmates might do with
their organizations. You will write a summary analysis of and recommendations for your
organization (combining information from your earlier Org Design analysis with other
ideas generated in the Symposium) and submit it to me by e-mail by 12/9. Your mentor
might also be interested in receiving a copy of your paper. Your contribution to the
Symposium and the paper that results from it will be worth one quarter of your grade (25
pts.).
Course Calendar
Due
date
8/27
Topic
9/3
9/10
9/17
9/24
10/1
Strategy
Structure
Process
Control
Design Dynamics
10/8
10/15
10/22
10/29
11/5
Reframing
Reinventing
Groups & Teams
Making Meetings Work
Interpersonal Dynamics
Course Intro: Civic
Values
Reading
Notes/Additional Readings
from Text
Ch. 1
Wendell Berry “Manifesto”;
Gulick’s “Notes”; Simon’s
“Proverbs of Administration”;
Harrison, Ch. 1 & 2
Ch. 2-3
Harrison, Ch. 5
Chs. 4-5
Harrison, Ch. 4
Chs. 6-8
Harrison, Ch. 3
Chs. 9-10
Chs. 11Harrison, Ch. 6
12
The Classic Touch
Meyers-Briggs; Enneagram;
Enneagram description;
Enneagram Summary; “Couple’s
Enneagram Questionnaire” (in
D2L)
11/12 Leadership Types
Authentic Leadership;
Leadership Quotes
Getting Past No
Lawrence, “Resistance to
Change” (in D2L)
11/19 Conflict Management
11/26 Mastering Change
12/3
12/9
Symposium
Finals Week
Attendance & Class Participation:
Students play an important role in educating and challenging each other. This can only happen if
there is consistent attendance. I expect you to attend, and I may take the class roll. Unexcused
absence (prior notification is required—even if I am not available, voice mail and e-mail always
are) can result in loss of points toward one’s grade. You are paying for this class—make sure to
get your “money’s worth.” Most importantly, this is an excellent foundation of knowledge for
future activities, and it is a chance for you to learn, teach, and grow with others.
Grading:
5 Org Design projects @ 10 pts.
Class Presentation
Symposium Paper
50
25
25
The final grade may be based on a curve, but students can expect at least an A if they achieve 90,
a B with 80, etc.
Other Matters:
All assignments are due on the assigned date. Partial credit may be given for assignments that
are less than one week late, unless other arrangements have been made in advance.
Written reports are expected to be free of grammatical, spelling, and content errors. They
should be submitted in typewritten, standard formats (APA, MLA, URSI Style Sheets). You must
familiarize yourself with the University’s Academic Honesty Policy. I encourage you to draw on
the ideas of others—but you must also identify when you do so (you gain “brownie points” for
citing the work of others!). Plagiarism is a serious breach of academic behavior and will result
in an F for the course.
I will help you in whatever manner humanly possible. However, once the semester is over,
there is not a great deal I can do. If there is something that you don’t understand, are having
problems with, or need help on, please get in touch with me as early as possible.
Every attempt will be made to accommodate students with disabilities. If you area student
with a documented disability, please contact me as early in the semester as possible to discuss
the necessary accommodations, and/or contact the Disability Services Office at 507-389-2825
(V) or 1-800-627-3529 (MRS/TTY).
Bibliography
1. Civic & Ethical Values
BELLAH, R.N. et alii. 1985. Habits of the Heart. New York: Harper & Row.
BELLAH, R.N. et alii. 1991. The Good Society. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
BIERMAN, A.K. 1973. The Philosophy of Urban Existence. Athens: Ohio University Press.
BOYTE, H.C. 1989. CommonWealth: A Return to Citizen Politics. New York: The Free
Press.
DEWEY, J. 1927. The Public and Its Problems. New York: Henry Holt & Co.
FRIEDMANN, J. 1979. The Good Society. Cambridge: The MIT Press.
GUTMANN, A. and D. THOMPSON. 1996. Democracy and Disagreement. Cambridge:
Harvard University Press.
KEMMIS, D. 1990. Community and the Politics of Place. Norman: University of Oklahoma
Press.
KEMMIS, D.1995. The Good City and the Good Life. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
KOTLER, M. 1969. Neighborhood Government: The Local Foundations of Political Life.
Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Co.
LIPPMANN, W. 1947. An Inquiry into the Principles of the Good Society. Boston: Little,
Brown and Co.
MATHEWS, D. 1994. Politics for People: Finding a Responsible Public Voice. Urbana:
University of Illinois Press.
TUAN, Y-F. 1986. The Good Life. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press.
VILLA, D. 2001. Socratic Citizenship. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
2. Institutional Structure
GORTNER, H.F., J. MAHLER & J.B. NICHOLSON. 1987. Organization Theory: A Public
Perspective. Chicago: Dorsey Press.
SHAFRITZ, J.M. & J.S. OTT. 1987. Classics of Organization Theory. Chicago: Dorsey
Press.
3. Reframing
BOLMAN, L.G. and T.E. DEAL. 1995. Leading with Soul. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Publishers.
BOLMAN, L.G. and T.E. DEAL. 1997. Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and
Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
4. Reinventing
DENHARDT, J.V. & R.B. DENHARDT. 2011. The New Public Service: Serving, Not
Steering. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.
OSBORNE, N. & T. GAEBLER. 1992. Reinventing Government. NY: Plume.
SALAMON, L.M. 2002. The Tools of Government: A Guide to the New Governance. NY:
Oxford University Press.
5. Groups & Teams
CHISHOLM, D. 1989. Coordination Without Hierarchy. Berkeley: University of California
Press.
CHRISLIP, D.D. and C.E. LARSON. 1994. Collaborative Leadership: How Citizens and Civic
Leaders Can Make a Difference. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
KATZENBACH, J.R. & D.K. SMITH. 1993. The Wisdom of Teams. NY: Harper Business.
SCHWARZ, R.M. 1994. The Skilled Facilitator: Practical Wisdom for Developing Effective
Groups. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
6. Making Meetings Work
LENCIONI, P. 2004 Death by Meeting. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
SUSSKIND, L.E. & J.L. CRUIKSHANK. 2006. Breaking Robert’s Rules: A New Way to Run
Your Meeting, Build Consensus, and Get Results. NY: Oxford.
TROPMAN, J.E. 1996. Making Meetings Work. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
7. Interpersonal Dynamics
BUCKINGHAM, M. & D.O. CLIFTON. 2001. Now, Discover Your Strengths. NY: Free
Press.
GARDNER, H. 2008. Five Minds for the Future. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.
GOLEMAN, D. 1998. Working with Emotional Intelligence. NY: Bantam Books.
KIERSEY, D. & M. BATES. 1984. Please Understand Me: Character & Temperament Types.
DelMar, CA: Prometheus Nemesis Book Co.
PINK, D.H. 2006. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. NY:
Riverhead Books.
8. Leadership Types
BURNS, J.M. 1978. Leadership. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers.
CHAPPELL, T. The Soul of a Business: Managing for Profit and the Common Good. NY:
Bantam, 1993.
DEPREE, M. 1989. Leadership Is an Art. New York: Dell Publishing.
GREENLEAF, R.K. Servant Leadership. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1977.
JACKSON, P. 1995. Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior. New York:
Hyperion.
NANUS, B. and S. M. DOBBS. 1999. Leaders Who Make a Difference. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass Publishers.
TERRY, RW. 1993. Authentic Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
WHEATLEY, M.J. 1999, Leadership and the New Science 2nd Ed. San Francisco: BerrettKoehler Publishers.
9. Conflict Management
ALINSKY, S.D. 1971. Rules for Radicals. New York: Random House.
AXELROD, R. 1984. The Evolution of Cooperation. NY: Basic Books.
CAVAIOLA, A.A. & N.J. LAVENDER. 2000. Toxic Coworkers: How to Deal with
Dysfunctional People on the Job. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Pubs.
SCHELLING, T.C. 1980. The Strategy of Conflict. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
SINGER, L.R. 1990. Settling Disputes: Conflict Resolution in Business, Families, and the
Legal System. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
URY, W. 1993. Getting Past No: Negotiating Your Way from Confrontation to Cooperation,
Rev. ed. New York: Bantam Books.
10. Mastering Change
AUTRY, J.A. and S. MITCHELL. 1988. Real Power: Business Lessons from the Tao Te
Ching. New York: Riverhead Books.
BENDER, T. 1978. Community and Social Change in America. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers
University Press.
BRIDGES, W. 1980. Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes.
Wesley.
Reading, MA: Addison-
FULGHUM, R. 1993. From Beginning to End: The Rituals of our Lives. NY: Villard Books.
WATZLAWICK, P., WEAKLAND, C.E., & FISCH, R. 1974. Change: Principles of Problem
Formation and Problem Resolution. NY: W.W. Norton