IOE 421 Work Organizations – Fall 2016

Dates: September 7 – December 12, 2016

Mondays and Wednesdays 12:00-1:30pm (start @ 12:10)
3150 Dow

Instructor: Debra Levantrosser levantro@umich.edu

Office Hours: September 12 – October 21

Room: IOE 1754 Mondays by appt. only from 1:45-4:45.,
Wednesdays 2p-4:45p (except Oct. 5 no office hours)

October 24 – December 12
Mondays 1:45-3:30 &
Wednesdays 1:45-3:30

GSI: Guy Lin linguy@umich.edu

Office Hours: Tuesday 11a-1p; Thursday 10a-12p

Room IOE 2858

Course Purpose:
To develop lifelong skills in assessing and improving operational and leadership performance within
organizations in a manner which integrates social and technical systems. This manner of operating achieves
both the organization’s and the individual's purpose(s).

Course Description:
Applications of organizational theory to the design, analysis and operations of work organizations is taught
through lectures, discussion, analysis of real organizations, experiential exercises and case studies. Principle
topics include contingency and open-systems theories, organizational structure, culture and power. A change
strategy is taught comprising: current state analysis, future state vision and strategies for organizational
transformation.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

By the time you leave this course you should be able to:
 Analyze organization-environment fit
 Analyze organization-technical system fit
 Understand strengths and weaknesses of alternative organizational structures
 Analyze organizational culture
 Understand power relations as they effect organizational performance
 Define organizational effectiveness
 Understand the role of teams in organization design
 Become aware of contemporary views of best practices in organizations
 Work as a team to analyze and redesign an organization
 Successfully operate in your future work organization

Textbook: Daft, Richard L., Organization Theory and Design, 10th Edition, Cengage Learning, 2009.
ISBN 9780324598896

Teaching Approach:

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We all learn in different ways therefore various approaches will be used including executive session
presentation, class discussion, teamwork on projects inside and outside of class, in-class demonstration
exercises, guest lecturers and video. A course project will be used to help integrate and apply course
concepts. Class is very interactive so please plan on active class participation.

Website… The assignments, class slides and other as needed information will be located on the class
website.

Calculation of Course Grade~:

Case 1: 4%
Team Paper 1*: 15%
Midterm Exam: 25%
Case 2: 4%
Team Paper 2* 15%
End of Term Exam: 25%
Final Presentation^: 6%
Participation: 6%

~Various opportunities for extra credit will be given throughout the course.
* Individual project grades may be modified based on how you are evaluated by your teammates.
^ All team members receive the same grade for the presentation.

Grading Scale:
96.6 + = A+
93.5-96.5 = A
90-93.4 = A-
86.6-89.9 = B+
83.5-86.5 = B
80-83.4 = B-
Etc.

Below 60.00 is F. Grades will not be rounded or curved. Your grade depends only on how well you do, not
on everyone else in the class.

Two Cases
These will be short write-ups analyzing cases done outside of class by students working individually. Please
observe the honor code and not discuss your paper with others or look at past examples of write-ups. Case
write-ups will be typed and include a title page, 2-3 pages of double spaced text and a works cited page (total
is 4-5 pages), with 1.0" standard margins in 10 point Times New Roman or Arial font. Figures are included
within the page limit. Use APA format. Write-ups are due at the beginning of class on the assigned due date
in hard copy. Late cases are not accepted.

Team Papers
Two team papers will be completed in teams of four to five people. It is to your advantage to form your team
early. Each team is required to create a “Team Contract” and email a copy to the GSI by week 3. Projects
will not be accepted if a team contract has not been received by the GSI. Also required are evaluations of
each team member at the end of the project. Projects are to be submitted in class (not via email). The format
will be outlined in the assignment. Compliance to the format will be considered in the grading of the
projects. Late projects are not accepted.

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 Team Contract… The Team Contract is a memo of understanding (must not exceed one single spaced page)
between the team members and must include:
 Ground rules (e.g., do your meeting times imply “Michigan time”? What if you miss a meeting? How are you
going to assign roles and work? What kind of preparation should each member complete before meetings?)
 Hiring procedures (i.e., what if someone wants to join your group after the initial Team Contract is signed)
 Warning/firing procedures (e.g., how will you determine if a team member is not doing his/her share of the
work? How will you warn them and what method you will use to record that warning? How many warnings
do they get? If they fail to improve, then what? The GSI and instructor will only enforce your contract and
will not make decisions for the team.)

The Project: Select a local organization (cannot be within the University of MI). You must have access to
leaders, front line personnel and the daily operations. You will be conducting interviews. The organization
can be any manufacturing or service organization that provides products or services. It must be one that you
can see in person.

Paper 1: Perform a current state assessment of the organization. This includes:

Background; Facts and Figures; Mission/Vision/Goals; Organizational Structure, The External Environment.
Please be sure to have a section on your initial analysis of the current state – is it efficient? Is it working well?
Etc.

Paper 2: The second paper will analyze the internal workings of the organization and recommend
improvements for the future state. Sections should include analysis, industry best practices and
recommendations supported by literature, The papers will be graded based on a 100 point scale. Each paper
will be due at the beginning of class on the respective due dates, in both hardcopy and PDF formats.

Both papers must have: a title page, 12-15 pages of analysis (double spaced) and a bibliography (total
14-17). Use APA formatting.

Peer Evaluations
Students are required to evaluate the contributions of other group members for each team paper.
Evaluations shall be submitted separately from the team paper and be collected either in hardcopy or
electronically (at the student's discretion) on the due date of the assignment. Individual grades may
be adjusted if you have contributed very little or very much and peer evaluations will be considered
for students on the borderline between two grades. These evaluations will remain confidential and
will not be shared outside the teaching team. Your individual grade may be adjusted based on the
peer reviews.

Exams
There will be a midterm exam and an end-of-term exam. The exams will be based on the readings, any
material assigned or discussed in class, as well as readings and team projects. Both exams will be given in
class and are closed book and closed notes. The end-of-term exam is not cumulative.

Final Presentation
Each team will lead a final presentation to the class. The presentation will consist of a summary of Team
Papers 1 and 2, designed to convey the key insights gained in the research conducted during the semester.
Each student on the team receives the same grade for the presentation. A non-graded, initial team
presentation will also be delivered in September. The presentation in September must include:
introduction of team members, the selected organization and a sample of the interview questions for
Paper 1 and who will be interviewed.

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Participation
All class sessions will be conducted using the corporate Executive Session model. Organizations use closed-
door Executive Sessions to address essential questions and provide an uninterrupted environment to focus on
important issues at hand. A key element of this model is to create a sequestered space where issues can be
debated in a safe and respectful manner. In the Executive Session model, cell phones, texting, web surfing or
other digital communication distractions are NOT permitted.

IOE 421 class participation is defined as any of the following:

 Answering questions posed during class sessions
 Adding comments or insights during class session
 Asking questions either in class session or during office hours
 Completing in class exercises

Class participation is evaluated in terms of both quantity and quality. Quantity is a frequency count of
positive classroom and office hour interactions and contributions. Quality is a measure of individual student
progress vis-à-vis prior participation. Please note that positive contributions are not necessarily “right”
answers, but are answers that are instructive and help spark debate as a way to learn. Respecting each
other’s opinions is very important however professional debate is encouraged.

Students are expected to attend every class session having read and thought about the assigned material in
advance, even when it is not always reviewed in session. Students should be prepared to contribute to the
class discussions, demonstrating their preparation by asking questions whenever necessary and by integrating
the vocabulary and concepts from the readings into their class comments. If you will be absent, please
email your professor before class. Because participation is central to this class, your attendance at each
class session is expected and imperative. Participation will be taken into consideration for students on the
borderline between adjoining grades.

If we have an online class, participation is based on quality and quantity of posts as well as timeliness. Your
original post to each question should be substantive and no less than 200 words. Your replies to other
students’ posts can be briefer but still substantive. You must post 1 original response to each question and a
minimum of 2 replies (to 2 other students’ posts). You will be working in 3 groups online to make the
reading more manageable.

If a student sleeps during class, they will receive zero points for that class period. If a student is
texting, emailing or surfing the web, they will receive one warning. The second time, the phone is
taken away for the class period. Please cover your mouth when yawning.

Policies and Procedures

Consulting with the instructor and GSI… We strongly encourage you to discuss academic or personal
questions with the course instructor or GSI during their office hours or by email. Please include IOE 421 in
the subject line for all emails.

Electronic devices during class… It is expected that no electronic devices be used during class. This
includes laptops, hand held devices, headphones, etc. This is out of respect for the teacher and other students
in the class.

Disability Statement… The University of Michigan is committed to providing equal opportunity for
participation in all programs, services and activities. Request for accommodations by persons with
disabilities may be made by contacting the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) Office located at G
664 Haven Hall. The SSD phone number is 734-763-3000. Once your eligibility for an accommodation has
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been determined you will be issued a verified individual services accommodation (VISA) form. Please
present this form to me at the start of the term or at least two weeks prior to the accommodation date (test,
project, etc…)

Honor Code… The College of Engineering Honor Code is an important aspect of this course, with graded
assignments including both individual work and collaborative group work. Please make sure you are familiar
with the code. http://www.engin.umich.edu/students/honorcode/
Specifically, for this course, you are not allowed to possess, review, or discuss work (quizzes, projects, and
exams) from past sections of the course. Quizzes and exams are individual assessments and are to be
completed on your own. Projects are group assessments and are to be completed by your project team.

Missed Exams… If you miss an exam without either a certified medical excuse or prior instructor approval,
you will receive a zero for the grade. Exams missed with a certified medical excuse or prior instructor
approval will be dealt with individually.

Re-Grades… If you wish to have a portion of your midterm or team project reconsidered, you must use the
readings and lecture slides as support for your request. Requests should be emailed to the GSI. You may
also be asked to submit the graded paper for further review. Re-grade requests will not be accepted in the
first 48 hours after return of the exams or projects. You must submit a re-grade request within 9 days after
the paper has been returned (7 days after the blackout period ends). The entire exam or report will be re-
graded, not just the questioned area(s). Requests that do not conform to these requirements will not be
reviewed. Quizzes are NOT subject to the re-grade policy.

Late papers will be accepted ONLY with a medical or family excuse or if there is an emergency. All
assignments are due at the beginning of class.

Course Schedule

# Class Date Topics Due

1 September 7 Review Syllabus; 3x5 card exercise
Introductions

2 September 12 Machine Theories of Organizations Read Daft Chapter 1;

- Modern Times video Read Morgan & Gareth
Form Teams
3 September 14 Open Systems Theory Read Tushman;
The Sigmoid Curve Read Handy;
Paradigms Watch Barker video
Can we Save Leo?
4 September 19 Organizational Design and Structures Read Daft Chapters 2-3;
Team Contract Read Weiss (x2);
Due Read Prahalad;
Read Chandler;
Read Hamel;
Read Zappos article
5 September 21 Power and Politics; The External Read Daft Chapter 13;
Environment; Read Presentation Fundamentals
Presentation Tips
6 September 26 Team Presentations

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7 September 28 Team Presentations

8 October 3 The C-Suite; Read Favaro (CEOs);

Simon Sinek Read Inesi;
Read Browne
A October 5 Organizational Lifecycle & Technical Read Daft Chapters 7 & 9;
W Systems Analysis Read Wasserman;
Case 1 Due Read McArdle;
Rad Fishman;
Read Salonen
10 October 10 Field Trip – DTE Headquarters for Read DTE Information as
DTE Process Improvement Expo (during the instructed
Conference. day). NO CLASS AT NIGHT
No Class at
Night
11 October 12 DTE Lessons Learned; Read DTE documents;
Paper 1 Due Decision-making Processes; Read Daft Chapter 12;
(and Review for Midterm; Create Practice Read Caruso;
evaluations) Midterm; Read Bryan
Paper 1 Due
October 17
NO CLASS – Study
Break
12 October 19 Midterm Exam Study!
Midterm Exam
13 October 24 Ethics Read Daft Chapter 10;
Read Grace
14 October 26 Entrepreneurship & Intrepreneurship ; Read Menzel;
Prokofiev Read Wooldridge
15 October 31 Conflict Management Read Daft Chapter 13;
Read Favaro (Tensions);
Complete the Thomas-Kilmann
Assessment and bring to class
16 November 2 Leadership vs. Management Read Powell;
Read Maccoby;
Read Gabarro
17 November 7 Innovation Read Daft Chapter 11;
Read Smith
18 November 9 Organizational Culture Read Schein;
Read Weber
19 November 14 Organizational Change Read Kotter;
Read Berneth;
Read Schiemann
20 November 16 Strategic Planning Read Collis;
Read Morrison;
Read Roadmap
21 November 21 Leading the Transformation Read Cairo;
Case 2 Due Read Safian

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November 23
NO CLASS;
Thanksgiving
Holiday
22 November 28 Best Practices & Benchmarking & Read Wood;
Networking Read Rangwala;
Read Sekhar
23 November 30 Final Team Presentations
Team
Presentations
24 December 5 Final Team Presentations
Team
Presentations

Paper 2 Due
(and
evaluations)
25 December 7 On Line Class & Create Practice Exam TBD

26 December 12 End-of-Term Exam

End-of-Term
Exam

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