Strategic Design

Catalog description

This course develops student skills at diagnosing organizations and developing prescriptions to improve their effectiveness. It is appropriate for those interested in organizational performance from a managerial or external perspective, e.g. management consultants, investment bankers, and financial analysts. It examines organizations' attempts to adapt as open systems in a competitive environment. We consider the major factors influencing organization design, e.g. strategy, environment, and technology. Then we analyze the major internal processes affecting organizational performance, e.g. control systems, politics, and conflict. Next, we probe how organizations can improve their ability to adapt in increasingly dynamic environments. The course includes domestic and international examples. The main learning methods are case analyses and a study of the organizations of the central competitors in an industry or industries that the class chooses. Particular emphasis is placed on organizational-level problems facing senior management.