28 September 2015
Management through literature
and movies
Presentation
Università Carlo Cattaneo
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Prof. Gianfranco Rebora
Aims of the course
• The course will try to define and improve skills and
attitudes other than those usual in the domain of
academic studies and offer students new
perspectives for the development of their ideas.
• Group-work, lectures and workshops will be centred
on movies and literary works to trigger critical
thinking and promote personal growth.
Università Carlo Cattaneo
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Prof. Gianfranco Rebora
Course structure
• Workshop: “the power of words” (prof. Puglisi)
– Lectures
– Exercise
• Class discussions about some movies or novels
• Small groups preparing analysis and comments
about movies and/or novels connected to
organisational and managerial topics
• Class presentations by small groups of students
Università Carlo Cattaneo
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Prof. Gianfranco Rebora
Academy of Management in Philadelphia
followed Puglisi’s idea in the Summer 2014
(this workshop has been running in LIUC since 2011)
Università Carlo Cattaneo
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Prof. Gianfranco Rebora
International students
(English language sessions)
• 20 H (3 ECTS)
• Presentations of groups (max. 3 people) concerning an issue/
topic explained using movies or novels
• Assessment will follow presentations
– Exercise during the workshop «the power of words» (october)
– Final presentation by groups of students ( november 30 and december 14)
Università Carlo Cattaneo
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Prof. Gianfranco Rebora
Orario delle lezioni / Timetable
SEPT 28, Monday:
09.00 - 12.00
Presentation. How Novels & Movies can play a role in
management theory and practice.
The Power of Words. A Complex Approach to Contemporary
Issues in Management". (Part I)
OCT 5, Monday
09.00-12.00
The Power of Words. A Complex Approach to Contemporary
Issues in Management". (Part II)
OCT 19, Monday
9.00 – 12.00
The Power of Words. A Complex Approach to Contemporary
Issues in Management". (Part III)
NOV 2, Monday
9.00 - 13.00
Analysing management issues through movies.
Guidelines for student’s works. Exercise
NOV 30, Monday:
9.00 – 13.00
Presentations of international students’ works
DEC 14, Monday
9.00 – 13.00
Presentations of international students’ works
Università Carlo Cattaneo
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Prof. Gianfranco Rebora
Final presentation: Nov 30, Dec. 14
• group (max. 3 people)
• choice of an issue/ topic analysed through movies or
novels
• 45’
Università Carlo Cattaneo
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Prof. Gianfranco Rebora
Italian students
(English language+ Italian language sessions)
• 44 H (6 ECTS): 20 English + 24 Italian (v. programma
analitico)
• Presentation (in Italian language) of group work
(max. 3 people) concerning:
– An issue/topic explained using movies
– An issue/topic explained using novels
• Assessment will follow presentations
Università Carlo Cattaneo
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Prof. Gianfranco Rebora
Themes and Issues
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•
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Change
Power
Training
Leadership
Responsibility
Problem-solving and
Decision-making
• Crises and Emergencies
Università Carlo Cattaneo
• Humour, Irony and
Management
• The Limits of Organizations
• Quality
• Negotiations
• Motivation
• Diversity Management
• Gender Issues
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Prof. Gianfranco Rebora
Narratives and organization studies
• Narratives enable us to study organizational politics,
culture and change in uniquely illuminating ways,
revealing how wider organizational issues are
viewed, commented upon and worked upon by their
members
Università Carlo Cattaneo
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Prof. Gianfranco Rebora
Why Management through literature and movies?
• Reading novels and watching movies is not only
relevant to one's personal education, it can also play
a role in management theory and practice.
• In fiction, managers will find helpful hints,
suggestions and even answers to basic questions
that scientific management may find hard to cope
with.
• Whenever traditional economic theories lack the
time and patience to focus on what is actually
happening in the world, novels and movies may help
us develop new ideas and increase our awareness.
Università Carlo Cattaneo
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Prof. Gianfranco Rebora
A narrative approach
How does it contribute to a better understanding of
management organizations, work life?
• Knowledge mode suitable for present time, source of
languages useful to understand complex phenomena
• Conflict that produces change
• Learning process following thoughts and emotions
• Opportunity for identification
• Developing personal features and resources
• Storing redundancy, useful stuff to manage uncertainty
• Facing ambiguity of relations and situations
• Opening access to unknown worlds
Università Carlo Cattaneo
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Prof. Gianfranco Rebora