Modulbeschreibung

Organizations increasingly find themselves in a dynamic context that often leads to profound changes in the interaction of "strategy-structure-culture." In a digitally oriented and knowledge-based economy and society, competencies and their interplay at the individual, team and organizational level are becoming a decisive competitive factor and meaning a crucial resource. From an integrative-systemic point of view, it is important to discover resource-based potentials against the background of humanity, responsibility, performance and efficiency and to develop them in a target-oriented way. 

Guiding questions are: How does one control service production in the company with regard to its environment, what are the current and future possibilities? Examples? How do the various forms of structure, process including project management differ, what is known about the results, how can industry differences be systematized?

The students should be able to understand and evaluate different possibilities of service provision in companies. Organizational structures and processes as well as their changes are understood and can be applied to real life examples

Students should know and understand changes in the world of work as well as the goals and tasks of people management and their significance. The following topics will be explored: Work, employment and developments in the world of work as well as the perspective of people in the organization and the Employee Lifecycle in its essential elements.

• Betriebsökonomie TZ/BB IM – Semester 5
• Betriebsökonomie VZ IM (Exchange 4. Semester) – Semester 3
• Betriebsökonomie VZ IM (Exchange 5. Semester) – Semester 3

Written exam of 90 min (= 100%)

Integrated group project
Preparatory assignments must be presented in groups in class and are graded with pass/fail. The preparatory assignments are to be completed in learning block 2. A passed preparatory assignment is a prerequisite for admission to the written examination.

For international exchange students whose home university's academic calendar overlaps with the OST examination period, alternative assessment methods or exam dates may be arranged at the beginning of the semester.

Professional competences:

Participants can :

• Analyze the different dimensions of the St. Gallen Management Model and understand why systemic thinking in the context of complex value structures is a prerequisite for forward-looking decisions in organizations.
• describe the functions of organizational culture and know why culture and purpose are important differentiators in the 21st century.
• analyze and evaluate the framework conditions and factors affecting the organization in a structured manner and derive consequences for the organization. To do this, they learn the necessary organizational theories that form the basis and derive design options and management techniques appropriate to the problem;
• analyze both process and structural organizational aspects of corporate management and are able to apply appropriate design principles.
• explain the consequences of changes in the economy and society for the provision of services and derive needs for the design of work and employment from this.
• assess the effects of various personnel policies/strategies and the effects on HR against the background of economic and social developments.
• relate strategic decisions to the fields of action of HR.
• explain the significance of HR and its design principles.

Methodological competences:

Participants can:

• classify and describe various topics in the context of an organization using the St. Gallen Management Model
• describe Schein's cultural model and know what effects culture has on the behaviour of people in the organization using the example of corruption
• differentiate between different images of people and assign them to the various organizational models
• use criteria to analyse the different forms of organization (line, staff-line, matrix and divisional organization) using specific company examples and taking the organizational situation into account;
• apply various presentation and analysis methods of organizational analysis and transfer them to specific cases
• apply various methods and instruments of process management, organizational design and change management
• recognize correlations between different approaches in HR and analyze them with regard to their consistency as well as desired and undesired effects.

Self-competences:

Participants can:

• develop the willingness to engage in process and structural organizational changes, including the corresponding change management skills;
• Develop a sensitivity in dealing with organizational issues, especially with regard to recognizing the importance of people in organizational decisions in the context of the enterprise
• Evaluate developments in the world of work and the opportunities and risks associated with them for the individual as well as for value creation in companies.
• reflect on the role and responsibility of the company as an employer and position themselves accordingly.
• recognize the consequences of different ways of dealing with employees in terms of short- and long-term productivity and position themselves accordingly.

Social competences:

Participants can:

• contribute their own expertise to the team;
• reflect on and critically question the results of other team members and make suggestions for improvement with a view to finding the best team solution.
• can recognize critical situations in their content and formulate necessary bases for a solution that is as satisfactory as possible for all parties involved.
• explain the specifics of the resource work and consequences of the design of the relationship for the creation of value
• assess the effects and side effects of HR strategies and instruments on social relations internally and externally.

Topic area I: Fundamentals

• The St.Gallen management model with focus on environmental spheres, stakeholders, interaction topics as well as moments of order (strategy, structure, culture, governance)
• Organizations as systems of meaning and communication
• Understanding of culture and the culture model according to Edgar Schein
• Images of people in organizations in the 20th and 21st century

Topic area II: Building blocks and dynamics of effective organisations

• Introduction to organizational thinking and design: Images, perspectives, contradictions
• Taylorism, Fordism, bureaucracy; classical organizational forms and design elements, structure and process organization, processes and process controlling
• Matrix and project organizations, the role of the environment, adaptation to or shaping of the milieu, types of organizations / configurations, the discovery of the human factor
• Systems theory, Systemic management, Trivial and non-trivial machines, On the way to self-organization, Cybernetics and other control fantasies, The role of technology
• Organization as performative system, The new spirit of capitalism, Artists in the organization
• The organization as a political system: power, governance, regulatory fantasies
• The organization in change: emergent vs. planned and controlled change, transformation models, ambidextry and its various manifestations

Pit stop - A look back to the future
Collection of lessons learned so far - Transition to people management

• Organizations as social systems: Integrating the different perspectives
• Modern organizational models: Besides innovation and efficiency, where does that leave people?

Topic area III: HR Management

• Significance and Evolution of Human Resource Management

• Role, Responsibilities, and Organizational Integration of HRM

• Strategic and Operational Human Resource Management

• Employee Lifecycle as a Framework for Collaboration Between the Organization and Employees

• Key HR Processes Throughout the Employee Lifecycle

• Current Trends in the World of Work (Digitalization, Artificial Intelligence, Demographic Change, Sustainability)

• Impact of current developments on organizations, managers, and employees

• Practical application using case studies, corporate examples, and discussions

   

Short impulses, teaching talks, individual and partner activities, case studies, group presentations, practical exercises, discussions, feedbacks

Mandatory:

 Rüegg-Stürm, Johannes ; Grand Simon: Managing in a Complex World . The St. Gallen Management-Model (e-Book available for OST students)

Optional:

• Morgan, Gareth. Images of Organization (English Edition). SAGE Publications, Inc; 1. Edition (15. April 2006)
• Laloux, F. (2014). Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage of Human Consciousness. Brussels: Nelson Parker.

For international exchange students whose home university's academic calendar overlaps with the OST examination period, alternative assessment methods or exam dates may be arranged at the beginning of the semester.