University of Colorado Denver
School of Public Affairs
PAD 5002 – Organizational Management and Change – Summer 2008
Course Syllabus
Course Dates/Times: Mondays 5-8 p.m., Wednesdays 5-7 p.m.
June 2 – July 23
Course Location:
NC 1316
Instructor:
Kelly Hupfeld, J.D.
Office Location:
1380 Lawrence, Suite 440G
Phone:
(303) 315-2898 (office)
(303) 532-6641 (cell)
E-mail:
kelly.hupfeld@cudenver.edu
BlackBoard URL:
http://blackboard.cuonline.edu
Purpose of the Course: This course examines contemporary theory and practice of the
management of organizations and the processes of organizational change and development.
This is a core course for the Masters of Public Administration degree.
Course Objectives: Upon the completion of the course, students should have:
 A broad theoretical and practical understanding of the management of public
organizations, including
o Organizational theory, including similarities and differences among public,
private, and nonprofit organizations
o External factors affecting public and nonprofit organizations
o The use of strategic planning
o Measurement and evaluation of organizational performance
o Organizational cultures
o Leadership and motivation
o Teamwork in organizations
o Understanding and managing change
 The ability to use this knowledge in understanding, analyzing, and making
recommendations for the improvement of organizations in the real world
 Self-knowledge about your own strengths and weaknesses as applied to work in public
organizations
 Improved critical thinking skills developed and applied through class discussions and
course assignments
 Improved oral and written communication skills
1
Required Texts
The following books are available at the campus bookstore. The Denhardt text has a lot of
exercises in it, and you may want to try to find one in which those have not yet been filled out. If
you can’t find an unused text, let me know and I will make blank exercises available.
Denhardt, R., Denhardt, J., and M. Aristigueta. (2002). Managing Human Behavior in
Public and Nonprofit Organizations. (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications).
Wagner, R. and Harter, J. (2006). 12: The Elements of Great Managing. (New York:
Gallup Press).
Lencioni, Patrick. (2002). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable. (San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass).
The case studies referred to in the assignments section below are available at the Electronic
Hallway at the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs, online at www.hallway.org. You will
need to register, but then you can download the cases for free.
The following articles are available online through the Auraria Library’s website. I am assuming
that as a student you have online access to the databases to which the library subscribes; if that
is not the case, let me know and I will provide hard copies.
Behn, R. (1988). “Management by groping along.” Journal of Policy Analysis and
Management 7(4), pp. 643-663 (Autumn 1988).
Forbes, D. (1998). “Measuring the unmeasurable: Empirical studies of nonprofit
organization effectiveness from 1977 to 1997.” Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector
Quarterly, 27(2), pp. 183-202.
Hendrick, R. (2003). “Strategic planning environment, process, and performance in
public agencies: A comparative study of departments in Milwaukee.” Journal of Public
Administration Research and Theory, 13(4), pp. 491-519.
Kerr, S. (1995). “On the folly of rewarding A, while hoping for B.” Academy of
Management Executive, 9(1), pp. 7-14.
Mintzberg, H. (1971). “Managerial work: Analysis from observation.” Management
Science 18(2), pp. B-97-B-100 (October 1971).
Other readings referenced in the syllabus, including excerpts from Rainey, Understanding and
Managing Public Organizations, will be handed out in class.
Recommended Texts
“Writing Effective Memoranda – Planning, Drafting, and Revising.” This is a resource from the
Electronic Hallway that can help you in preparing your final project. It is available online at
www.hallway.org.
2
Assignments:
Date
Topic
Readings
Assignment Due
6/2 – Mon
Introduction:
What are
organizations?
What is
managing?
Denhardt ch. 1 (1-17)
None
Mintzberg, “Managerial
Work: Analysis from
Observation”
Rainey Exh. 2.1 (to be
handed out in class)
ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES
6/4 – Wed
Organizational
Structures and
Environments
Rainey chs. 3 and 4 (5597) (handed out in class on
6/2)
Journal: What organization
will you study and why?
Describe your organization’s
basic structure and history.
6/9 – Mon
Organizational
Purpose and
Strategic Planning
Hendrick, “Strategic
Planning Environment,
Process, and
Performance”
Journal: What is your
organization’s mission and
how was it selected?
Behn, “Management by
Groping Along”
Group 1 – lead case study
discussion
NPower case study A
6/11 – Wed
Organizational
Performance and
Effectiveness
(Part I)
Rainey ch. 6 (pp. 127-150)
(handed out in class)
Journal: What does your
organization do to carry out
its purpose?
NPower case study B
Group 2 – lead case study
discussion
6/16 – Mon
Organizational
Performance and
Effectiveness
(Part II)
Forbes, “Measuring the
Unmeasurable”
California Adoption
Assistance Program case
study
3
Journal: How does your
organization measure its
effectiveness? What does it
do with the results?
Group 3 – lead case study
discussion
Date
6/18 – Wed
Topic
External Forces
and Relationships
Readings
Denhardt ch. 13 (pp. 391421)
Park Plaza case study
A Note on Mapping
Assignment Due
Journal: What external
forces affect your
organization? Create a map
based on the concepts in A
Note on Mapping. How does
your organization manage
these forces?
Group 4 – lead case study
discussion
PEOPLE IN ORGANIZATIONS
6/23 – Mon
Understanding
People – Values
and Motivations
Denhardt ch. 6 (pp. 151178)
12 – The Elements of
Great Managing (all)
Journal: What are people
motivated by in your
organization? How is that
acted on by management?
Kerr, “On the folly of
rewarding A while hoping
for B”
6/25 – Wed
Understanding
Yourself
Denhardt chs. 2, 4 (pp. 1955; 89-118)
Covey, “The 7 Habits of
Highly Effective People,”
pp. 96-144 (handed out in
class)
Journal: Write a summary of
what you have discovered
about yourself from the
exercises in the Denhardt
book. Create a personal
vision for yourself using the
ideas contained in the Covey
reading.
TAKE-HOME MIDTERM
GIVEN OUT TODAY – DUE
FRIDAY JUNE 27AT 8 P.M.
6/30 – Mon
Leadership,
Power, and
Organizational
Cultures
Denhardt ch. 7 (pp. 181218)
Improving Decision Making
and Patron Service in the
King County Library case
study A
4
Journal: Describe the
culture of your organization.
How does leadership affect
organizational culture?
Group 1 – lead case study
discussion
Date
Topic
Readings
Assignment Due
7/2 – Wed
Decisionmaking
Denhardt chs. 3 and 5 (pp.
57-87; 121-149)
Journal: Describe some
decisionmaking challenges
that have been faced by your
organization.
Improving Decision Making
and Patron Service in the
King County Library case
study B
Group 2 – lead case study
discussion
7/7 – Mon
Teams and
Working with
Others (Part 1)
Denhardt chs. 9-11 (pp.
255-351)
Journal: How does your
organization use teams?
How well do these teams
work?
7/9 -- Wed
Teams and
Working with
Others (Part 2)
Lencioni chapter assigned
to your group in class;
skim the rest of Lencioni
Be prepared to lead the
discussion of your group’s
chapter
MANAGING CHANGE IN ORGANIZATIONS
7/14 – Mon
Managing Change
Denhardt chs. 12 and 14
(pp. 353-389; 423-442)
Kotter, “Why
Transformation Efforts
Fail”
7/16 – Wed
Managing Change
Appalachian Mountain
Club case study
Journal: What changes has
your organization been
through, and how have they
been managed?
None
Group 4 – lead discussion of
case study
7/21 – Mon
Presentations
None
None
7/23 – Wed
Presentations
None
FINAL PROJECT DUE IN
CLASS
5
Grades
You will be graded on the following components:
Mid-term examination
Written analysis of your organization in the form
of a client memorandum:
Journal entries:
Class attendance and participation:
30%
50%
10%
10%
These are discussed in turn.
Class Attendance and Participation. Discussion in class will be one of the primary ways in
which you will learn, and you are expected to contribute to discussion for your own benefit and
the benefit of your classmates. At each class, I expect each student to be prepared to:



Suggest questions for class discussion
Engage in a thoughtful and critical evaluation of the week’s readings
Contribute relevant examples from your own experience
For those weeks in which you are a member of a group assigned to lead a case study or book
chapter discussion, I will pay particular attention to your readiness.
I understand that some people are more outspoken than others. For this reason, this class will
have a discussion forum on our Blackboard site, and you may also earn credit for participation
through written comments on the discussion forum as well as in class discussion. However,
active participation in group discussions is an important work skill, and I expect each student to
contribute to class discussions. Please do not feel that you must know the “right” answer before
contributing – I am interested mainly in your engagement in the learning process.
Obviously, in order to contribute to the class discussion, you need to be present in class. If you
must be absent, please contact me in advance. No more than two excused absences are
allowed (absent exceptional circumstances). You will be marked down for unexcused
absences. Please let me know in advance if you must be late to class; if you miss more than
half the class due to tardiness, it counts as an excused absence.
Journal Entries: For this class, you will select an organization (public sector or nonprofit) that
you will analyze throughout the semester by applying our readings to selected questions. This
organization may be one with which you are already familiar (including your current employer),
or it may be one that you would like to learn more about. In any event, it will be useful for you
to have access to one or more individuals involved in the organization that you can periodically
contact for information. It is unlikely that you will be able to get the depth of information you
need without personally communicating with people inside the organization. Please treat the
information you receive from the organization with confidentiality and use it only for the
purposes of this class.
You will keep a journal in which you reflect on the questions posed for that week’s assignment
as they apply to your organization. Journal entries should be printed out and handed to me in
class, and will be returned to you at the next class. I would expect each journal entry to be 2-3
pages, double-spaced, although you may certainly write more if you are inspired by the topic
6
You will use your journal reflections as one of the tools for creating the final written analysis of
your organization.
In grading your journal entries, I will be looking for (1) general understanding of the concepts
raised by that week’s questions and (2) thoughtful analysis of how the concepts apply to your
chosen organization as it operates in the real world. I am not necessarily looking for “right”
answers –just for evidence that you have read the assigned materials and spent some time
reflecting thoughtfully on the questions.
I will also consider the quality of your written expression and attention to details such as spelling
and grammar. For more information about what I consider to be quality writing, see the
appendix to this syllabus. I don’t anticipate providing letter grades for each journal entry,
although I will make comments for your consideration.
Mid-term Examination: I will hand out a 48-hour take-home examination, which will be primarily
essay-based. This mid-term will cover the material that has been reviewed in class to date. In
grading your mid-term, I will look at the accuracy of your answers, the depth of understanding
displayed in the essays, and the quality of your written expression.
Final Project: For the final project, you will act as a consultant to the organization you have
chosen to study this semester. In a written memorandum to the client that is 10-15 doublespaced pages long, identify one or more areas in which you believe the organization can
improve. Discuss the reason why this area is important (using what you have learned in this
course); describe the current situation using evidence you have collected; and make relevant
recommendations for steps the organization can take to improve (again, using what you have
learned in this course). You are welcome to use additional readings in the area on which you
are focusing, and I am happy to help direct you to additional reading; however, this is not
required.
In grading your final project, I will be looking for your depth of understanding of both the
organization’s situation and the depth of your analysis in applying the information you have
learned in this class to that situation. Your conclusions should be clear, insightful, and relevant,
and your writing should be of high quality as defined in the appendix to this syllabus. Keep in
mind that you are writing a particular type of communication – a memorandum to a client who
has hired you to answer questions.
If you would like your final project returned to you, provide me with a stamped, self-addressed
envelope when you turn in your project. You are welcome to share your final project with your
client organization if requested.
Other Course Policies
Course Grades:
For overall course grades, I follow section 7.1 of GSPA’s MPA Handbook:
Grades offered in GSPA courses (except internship and thesis) are based on an A to F
scale, with each letter grade representing the following standard narrative description:
7
A. Work beyond the level of a typical graduate student; exemplary work. (An A
equals 4 grade points, an A- equals 3.6 points.)
B. Work typical of a graduate student; indicates student has attained the
knowledge and skills intended for the course. (A B+ equals 3.3, a B equals
3.0., and a B- equals 2.7 points.)
C. Performance is below graduate-level expectations. (A C+ earns 2.3 grade
points, a C yields 2.0).
D. Substandard performance in all aspects of the work of the course; inadequate
comprehension of assigned reading material. (D equals 1.0 grade points).
F.
Level of performance demonstrably below that expected of a graduate
student; little or no indication that the student can succeed in a graduate
program.
Please note that this grading policy requires exceptional performance for a grade of “A,” and
that a “B” reflects typical performance expected of a graduate-level student. I do not grade on a
curve, so it is possible for everyone in the course to earn an A or everyone to earn a C, based
on how their performance compares to the work expected of a typical graduate student.
Because this is a core course for the MPA degree, you must receive a grade of B- or better in
order to receive credit for the course.
Missed Classes and/or Assignments:
As discussed above, please contact me in advance for any classes that you must miss so that
we can make arrangements for you to turn in any assignments that are due. If you miss the
deadline for an assignment due to unexpected circumstances, contact me to discuss it. If you
need an extension, contact me to discuss it. In general, you will be well-served by contacting
me to discuss any absences or missing assignments. If I feel students are abusing this policy, I
reserve the right to impose stricter policies.
Requests for an Incomplete grade will be handled pursuant to Section 7.1.1 of the MPA
Handbook. In general, an Incomplete grade is considered only when the student is unable to
complete course requirements due to circumstances beyond the student’s control.
If I need to cancel or move our class, I will e-mail you and post it on the class BlackBoard site.
Student Assistance:
If you feel you may need additional assistance with the quality of your writing or any other
aspects of your academic work, please contact the Center for Learning Assistance in NC 2006.
If you have a disability that needs to be accommodated, please let me know and we will work
out arrangements. For academic accommodations, first register with Disability Resources and
Services (DRS), 177 Arts Building, 303-556-3450, TTY 303-556-4766, and then provide me with
a copy of your DRS letter.
8
Student Conduct Code:
Students are responsible for being aware of and in compliance with campus policies about
academic honesty, as stated in the University’s Student Conduct Code.
In particular, please be aware that plagiarism, or the use of another person’s words or ideas
without crediting that person, is not allowed. Plagiarism may lead to failure on an assignment,
in the class, and/or dismissal from the program. If you have any questions about what
constitutes plagiarism, please contact me.
Some Strategies for Success in This Class





Show me that you are actively engaged in your own learning. Ask questions, critique the
readings, “try on” your own conclusions, apply your own experiences to what you are
learning, have an open yet questioning view towards the opinions of others (including
your instructor). Use your journal reflections to actively pose questions for yourself.
Show me that you are taking attendance and class assignments seriously. Do the
readings before class. Show up and turn your work in.
Use a variety of sources to learn about the organization you select for your final project.
Consider the viewpoints of these different sources in your journal reflections and your
final project. If you only rely on one source, your analysis is likely to lack depth.
Proofread your written work or have someone else proofread it for you. Sloppy writing is
distracting. I am fine with having someone else proof your work before you turn it in, as
long as the final product is yours.
If you have any questions about course policies and requirements, please do not
hesitate to talk to me before or after class, or contact me via email or telephone. I
consider it part of my responsibility as your instructor to be available to answer your
questions.
9
Appendix: Quality Writing
Thanks to Professor Jane Hansberry for portions of this text.
In general, high-quality written work presents a cogent line of argument, supported by
appropriate evidence, and leads to a clear conclusion. The reader should, after reading the
paper, be able to restate your main point briefly and surely. To achieve this objective, the
student should use these well-known techniques of good writing:
Create an Outline: Organize your thoughts by creating an initial outline of the paper. What is it
you want to tell the reader? Your outline should have an introduction, a summary of your main
points and sub-points, and a conclusion. (Note – for a very short paper, such as a journal
reflection, you probably won’t need to create an outline.)
Introduce Your Intent: Early on in the paper, the student should summarize the intent of the
paper to give the reader context for what he or she is about to read. For the same reasons,
from time to time summarize for the reader, and provide transitions from one section of the
paper to another.
Use Examples and Analogies: Use illustrations that are appropriate to help clarify your meaning
and prove your point. Try to strike a balance between lively and telling details (good) and overly
complicated examples whose relevance is not made clear (bad).
Be Logical: Make appropriate connections between ideas and explain each important step in
your argument. A good essay has a clear line of argument and comes to a clearly stated
conclusion, marshaling appropriate evidence along the way.
Use Clear and Understandable Language. Work hard to make sure that each and every
sentence expresses your meaning as you intended it. When in doubt, have other people read
your work and tell you what is clear and what is confusing or awkward.
Truly excellent writing displays all of these characteristics plus sophisticated critical thinking,
mastery of content at a level that allows for subtleties and particularly interesting connections,
graceful and striking prose, and outstanding clarity of argument and conclusion.
10