Vorlesungsverzeichnis

Foundations of Organization Theory (Vorlesung)

Inhalt: Organizations are all around us: Most of us are born in hospitals, learn in schools and universities, work in or for formal organizations, such as business firms, public organizations or NGOs, and even spend much of our leisure time in organizations such as cinemas, sport clubs, or theatres. Moreover, big organizations such as multinational corporations are increasingly recognized as powerful actors who are responsible for various societal challenges, including climate change, inequality, or financial in-/stability. But different forms of organization are also the only tools we have to address those challenges. Indeed, organization and organizing are a core managerial task, one that requires students of business and entrepreneurship to understand not only the behavior of individuals and groups in organizational settings but also of organizations as social systems in their own right. This lecture will introduce students to classic and contemporary theories of organization, thereby taking a multi-paradigmatic and problem-driven approach. We will focus on five generic problems of organization: (i) the design of organizational structures and processes, (ii) the integration of individual and organization, (iii) the handling of organization-environment relations, (iv) dealing with emergent organizational processes, such as those related to power, politics, and culture, and (v) coping with organizational change. Together, we will reflect upon the historical development of different theoretical perspectives, their anthropological assumptions, their insights and blind spots, as well as their practical application to contemporary problems of organization in the business world and beyond. Students will be given the opportunity to deepen their specific thematic interests by choosing one seminar that expands their knowledge on a specific sub-area of organization theory

Seminar #1: Emerging Technologies and Organizing (Seminar)

Dozent/in: Matthias Wenzel

Inhalt: In the so-called "digital age", the relationship between organization and technology needs to be reconsidered. In a very explicit sense, technologies—in particular digital ones—have become fully intertwined with the social fabric of organizing: today, organization without technology seems impossible. The question whether technology determines organizational behavior or organizations (can) shape technology use is more pertinent than ever. New and emerging technologies—such as AI, robots, or deep learning—are often seen as paradigm-shifting inventions comparable in their potential impact on organization to the invention of the steam engine or electricity. Pessimists predict that such technologies might endanger a number of jobs and ultimately lead to a dystopic future of unemployment, surveillance, and domination of technology over human beings. Optimists see new and emerging technologies as vehicles of human liberation, prosperity, and domination of man over nature. This seminar will introduce students to research on organization and technology, providing both insights into foundational theoretical perspectives and into current debates as well as emerging ideas. It aims at enabling students to engage with and resolve practical and conceptual challenges related to organization and technology in a critical-reflective way. Rather than focusing only on how technologies can be used to advance firms' economic goals and performance, the seminar will take a broader perspective and invite students to consider the organizational, ecological, and socio-political implications of new and emerging technologies.

Seminar #2: Organizing in Times of Crisis (Seminar)

Dozent/in: Hannah Trittin-Ulbrich

Inhalt: ***UPDATE*** (22.03.2022) Organizing in Times of Crisis: The Case of War and Armed Conflict The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has caused a deep crisis for individuals, organizations and global institutions. As the crisis unfolds, many questions arise that are specifically relevant to management and organization scholars and practitioners. How do firms and leaders make sense and respond to war and armed conflict? What is the role of organizations and leadership in war and conflict? To what extent do organizations such as global supply chains exploit and even drive armed conflict? How do various organizations such as digital platforms or hacker collectives actively participate in warfare? How can organizations as well as supply chains be made reliable and resilient against disruptions caused by war and armed conflict? How are peace efforts and war relief organized by various collective actors, ranging from public administrations and corporations to civil society organizations? More generally, what are corporate responsibilities in war? This course comprises a set of classes, each dealing with a particular aspect of war and disruption in relation to different management functions and forms of organizing. It is a collaborative effort of organizational scholars from different universities that have expertise in researching different aspects of management and organizations that are relevant to times of war and armed conflict. Each class comprises a short recorded lecture and a set of core and background readings in addition to links to contemporary newspaper articles. Further information on the course and course material can be found here : https://timesofcrisis.org/about/ (all teaching material will be available in May 2022, the webpage is continously updated until then)

Seminar #3: Big Data in Organizationen (Seminar)

Dozent/in: Marie-Lena Frech

Inhalt: Kreditkartenbuchungen, Reisedaten im Navigationssystem, Käufe auf Amazon, Facebook-Einträge, WhatsApp- und Twitter-Nachrichten – wir alle hinterlassen tagtäglich unzählige digitale Fußabdrücke. Die Auswertung dieser riesigen Datenmengen – Big Data – ermöglicht die Erstellung individueller psychologischer Profile, die unter anderem Informationen über Persönlichkeit, kognitive Fähigkeiten, oder persönliche Werte einer Person enthalten. Diese Profile können von Unternehmen genutzt werden, um beispielsweise die Treffsicherheit der Kandidatenauswahl im Rekrutierungsprozess zu erhöhen oder um Informationen über Konsumenten zu erhalten. Big Data verändert die Wirtschaft, Kultur, Gesellschaft und das Leben des Einzelnen. Die Seminarinhalte befassen sich mit aktuellen Trends in der Verhaltensforschung im Zusammenhang mit Big Data sowie mit Chancen und Risiken dieser Entwicklung.

Seminar #4: Culture and Identity in Organizations (Seminar)

Dozent/in: Boukje Cnossen

Inhalt: Shared cultural ideas, meanings, beliefs, and concepts of “who we are” influence how people in an organization think, feel, and act. Organizations are also arenas where people perform and negotiate various work and non-work identities. Yet, organizations rarely simply passively observe such processes, but also actively seek to control and manage socialization and identification. This seminar will provide an introduction to organizational culture and identity, covering both theoretical foundations and their practical application to issues such as leading employees, managing innovation, and designing sustainable organizations. Building on an overview of the main approaches to organizational culture and identity, the seminar will examine a number of thematic issues such as socialization, identification, critical approaches to culture, identity and control, the relationship of work and non-work identities, and occupational identities. The seminar is based on student assignments (group work) designed to enhance students’ ability to think analytically and to develop a comprehensive understanding of the cultural dynamics of organizations.

Seminar #5: The Digital Workforce (Seminar)

Dozent/in: Laura Venz

Inhalt: Although topics such as remote work, the digitization of work processes, the flexibilization of work, digital collaboration tools, agile processes and many others have been on the management agenda for a while, the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated restrictions in people’s daily lives catapulted the world of work into its digital future within a very short time. This digitization and the associated increasing use of information and communication technologies in daily work comes along with numerous challenges, but also with diverse opportunities. In this seminar, we will deal with these very topics, focusing on how digitization affects people working in organizations. Accordingly, this seminar introduces students to research on the digital workforce, covering a number of topics such as digital leadership and virtual teamwork, work-related information communication technology use, work from home, and well-being and work-life balance in a digital world of work. On the basis of current empirical publications the seminar will address several questions surrounding the future of work, such as “What does work look like in the 21st century?”, What new employment relationships and forms of work are emerging?”, and “What do employees and managers need to survive in the digital world of work?” Finding answers to these questions, the seminar covers theoretical foundations and current empirical examinations as well as their practical application to modern work life. Based on the research findings presented, possibilities for designing the workplace of the future will be discussed.

Seminar #6: Job Satisfaction and Wellbeing in Organizations (Seminar)

Dozent/in: Thorsten Jochims

Inhalt: Die Arbeitswelt befindet sich aktuell in einem komplexen Wandel. Der Ausgang des Prozesses ist noch ungewiss. Insbesondere die Themen Arbeitszufriedenheit und Gesundheit/Stress erfreuen sich wieder eines reichhaltigen Interesses. Der Zusammenhang von Arbeitszufriedenheit und Gesundheit wird aktuell in Forschung und Praxis lebhaft diskutiert. Neben vielen neuen Erkenntnissen enstehen aber auch immer viel Halbwissen und sogar Unwahrheiten. Daher erweist es sich als bedeutend, Zusammenhänge fundiert zu ergründen und Unsinn klar zu benennen.

Seminar #7: Organizations & Responsible Behaviour (Seminar)

Dozent/in: Ursula Weisenfeld

Inhalt: This seminar will provide an introduction to organizational behaviour from the perspective of responsibility. We will explore what responsible behaviour means from a theoretical point of view and we will look at practical examples. In particular, we will investigate questions of individual and collective responsibility, the development of irresponsible behaviour and discuss how to organize for responsibility. After completion of this module, students will be enabled to identify, analyse, and critically reflect upon issues of responsible behaviour in organizations

Seminar #8: Leading Organizations: Becoming Leaders who Matter (Seminar)

Dozent/in: Sarah Stanske

Inhalt: According to various experts, leadership has been heralded frequently as an important source for a sustained competitive advantage on the part of organizations. Yet, in very recent times, many people have become cynical about existing leaders in both public and private sectors. Nevertheless, it is clear from research that the display of effective leader behaviors are requirements for individuals attempting to progress in managerial positions in their careers. As such, it is important for aspiring managers to learn about the nature of effective leadership practices and how they can develop their own competencies in this area. Thus, this course deals with leadership ideas such as leader-follower dyads, group organizing across levels and also beyond an organizational boundary. Both traditional aspects of leadership are discussed, as well as more recently emerging concepts, such as transformational and socially responsible leadership.

Seminar #9: New Forms of Organizing (Seminar)

Dozent/in: Dennis Schoeneborn

Inhalt: This seminar is concenrned with new forms of organizing (such as open source communities, hacker collectives, social media firestorms, etc.). Many of these new forms of organizing are characterized by permeable and fluid boundaries, i.e. they leave the boundary open who can partake in the organizational endeavor. The seminar first makes students familiar with main “classical” theories that tend to treat organizations as actors and/or institutions. From this vantage point, the course will further delve into novel theories and research that challenge established ways of what we think of as organization. A special emphasis will be placed on how new and globally available digital technologies change the ways how we can manage and organize. Students will benefit from widening their understanding of what can be an organization, from sparking new ideas for alternative forms of organizing and entrepreneurial ventures, and for sharpening their critical-reflective mindset for rethinking organizations that can be helpful in various future career paths (as managers, organizers, consultants, entrepreneurs, academic scholars, etc.).