Faculty of Business, Economics and Statistics
Department of Business Administration
Chair for Organization and Planning
VK KFK ORGA: Organizational Design (040430) - winter term 09/10
Lecturer:
Office hours:
eMail:
Mag. Clemens Hutzinger
Thursdays, 4 to 5 pm or by appointment
clemens.hutzinger@univie.ac.at
Readings:
1) Daft, R.: Organization Theory and Design, 8. edition, Thomson-SouthWestern, Ohio, 2004
2) Case studies
E-Learning:
All relevant informations will be on https://fronter.univie.ac.at
Course objectives:
This course deals with problems concerning the selection and management of
various dimensions and components of organizational structure and culture. An
appropriate organizational design allows organizations to continually adapt to a
changing global environment and to balance internal needs and external pressures to
survive in the long run. A key element is therefore to understand how organizations
can be designed and managed for a better performance. Accordingly, the course will
aim to bring an awareness of the intended as well as unintended consequences of
organizational design decisions. The concepts involved focus on organizational
structure (e.g. organizational design), organizational change, organizational
effectiveness, strategy, culture and knowledge management.
Using case study method (Harvard) and actual cases from real life, students learn
how to resolve problems related to organizational design and change. Students work
individually, all well as in teams, prepare case studies and present problem solutions
during class.
Course prerequisites for “non-erasmus” students:


FK Individual and organizational decision making respectively EK Spieltheorie
FK Organizational Design
page 1
Course requirements:
The course is designed in an inter-active mode: Each participant and team is viewed
as a class resource, a co-producer of learning. The course is based on experiential
learning, since this is the key method to challenge the learner’s existing theories-inuse in order to integrate new ideas, concepts and principles to cognitive patterns. It is
expected from students to know the theoretical concepts from the course FK KFK
ORGA: Organizational Design. Furthermore, all students are expected to study (not
just read) the case studies and readings throughout the course. The case studies
and readings will serve as the basis for classroom discussions. Each participant is
expected to come to class having read and studied (distilled the essential points) the
assigned material for that day. All participants are expected to take part in classroom
discussions.
Tasks:
Short reports (individual)
Active participation (individual)
Case report (team)
Case presentation (team)
Exam (individual)
20 points
10 points
20 points
25 points
25 points
The course is passed, if 50 points or more are obtained.
Schedule and team assignments:
Date
Cases
Preliminary information, team
07.10.2009 building, case study method
and case assignment
14.10.2009 Team-meeting
21.10.2009 Team-meeting
28.10.2009 Team-meeting
04.11.2009 ABB
18.11.2009 Corning Glass
02.12.2009 NASA
16.12.2009 Deloitte & Touche
13.01.2010 Sony Europe
20.01.2010
27.01.2010
Topics
Readings
(Daft)
Introduction
ABB, Corning Glass
Deloitte & Touche
NASA, Sony Europe
Organizational
efficiency
Organizational structure
and fit
Knowledge
management
Organizational culture
Organizational change
and change
management
Summary
Final exam
Chap. 1,2,3
Chap. 4,6
Chap. 8
Chap. 10
Chap. 9,11
page 2
Cases:
Necessary registry: http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/register
Afterward downloadable under: http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/access/4624322
Course number: 040430
Start/End Date: 08.10.2009 – 10.02.2010
Copyright costs have to be paid individually!!!
Case reports:
Each team has to work on one case. The case reports (20 pages) should, in
addition to more detailed discussions of the following questions, contain a brief
overview of the case itself and the relevant theory (consult Daft: Organization Theory
and Design; you can find this book in the library), as well as a summary of the results
of the in-class activities of the students. Case reports are group tasks and have to be
handed in until 18.01.10 both via email and personally.
Case presentations:
Details will be given in the team meetings.
Questions:
Briefly answer the following questions on all except your own case. Short reports (12 pages) are individual tasks and have to be handed in until the sessions in which
these cases are discussed. The short reports have to be handed in personally at the
beginning of the lessons.
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ABB 04.11.09
Asea Brown Boveri (9-192-139)
1. Why did Barnevik choose this complex organizational design? Discuss.
2. Which advantages and disadvantages of matrix structure do you know? What
needs to be done in order to make ABB successful?
3. How is it like to work in a Matrix organization, e.g. like Joe Durr in Exhibit 4? What
could be done to support the employees?
4. How does ABB look like today? Why?
___________________________________________________________________
Corning Glass 18.11.09
Corning Glass Works International (A) (9-381-160)
Corning Glass Works International (B-1) (9-381-161)
A
1. Which problems does Forrest Behm face? Why do they emerge now?
2. Why did Behm's change measures fail? What should he do now?
B
3. What do you think about the suggestions from McKinsey?
4. Is the “Decision Grid Process” an appropriate measure to realize the new
structure? Why?
5. Given the problems they face now: is it the right time to induce an organizational
change?
___________________________________________________________________
NASA 02.12.09
Managing Knowledge and Learning at NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
(JPL) (9-603-062)
1. What is organizational knowledge? How does it develop and how is it transferred?
Where is organizational knowledge stored? Which types of knowledge do you know?
2. Discuss the relationship between organizational knowledge and organizational
culture.
3. How serious is the problem of knowledge loss at JPL?
page 4
4. What are implications of "faster, better, cheaper" for knowledge management?
Which advantages and disadvantages can you identify for development, storing and
transfer of knowledge?
5. Which criteria would you use to assess Holm's performance? Would you do
something different? Why?
___________________________________________________________________
Deloitte & Touche 16.12.09
Deloitte & Touche (A) A Hole in the Pipeline (9-300-012)
Deloitte & Touche (B) Changing the Workplace (9-300-013)
A
1. Do Deloitte & Touche have a problem at all? Are Mike Cook's worries legitimate?
2. What is the problem? Which reasons are there for higher fluctuation rates of
women?
3. Which role plays organizational culture here?
4. Analyze and discuss the suggestions of the task-force. Would you suggest the
same?
5. Why is there resistance to change? What can be done?
B
6. Analyze the support measures for women. How was the change process? What
went well? What went wrong?
7. Why are there still only a few women in top positions?
8. Design a check-list for managers who want to change organizational culture. What
do they have to consider?
___________________________________________________________________
Sony Europe 13.01.10
SONY EUROPA (A) (IMD057)
1. Analyse the situation for Consumer Electronics Europe in the 90ies (The external
environment).
2. How would you evaluate the changes implemented by the Sony management in
Europe? Would you suggest something different?
3. Analyze the change process. What did Sony win – what did Sony lose?
4. How should organizational change processes be organized?
page 5
5. Which roles are important in change processes?
6. How can you deal with resistance to change?
7. What should Ron Summer do now? Should he install Shin Takagi as Vice
President of Consumer Marketing Europe?
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