Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
Prerequisites
Nil
Teaching organisation
150 hours over a twelve-week semester or equivalent study period
Unit rationale, description and aim
Effective organisational analysis is a critical step for managers who are responsible for delivering sustainable business outcomes. If students are able to do this, they will need knowledge and understanding of how to effectively analyse organisations through different theoretical lenses and at different levels: individual, structural, systemic and social. In this unit students will develop a toolset to analyse organisations from both theoretical and practical perspectives, expand their critical reasoning skills through the application of organisational analysis frameworks and perspectives to business case studies and create ethical and socially responsible solutions to business challenges. Students will apply their knowledge in managing organisations, teams and individuals. The aim of this unit is to provide knowledge and understanding of effective analysis of complex organisational interactions and contexts, and to develop the understanding and skills necessary to create effective, ethical and socially responsible solutions to business challenges.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description | Relevant Graduate Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| LO1 | Analyse frameworks, concepts and theories used to understand interactions in contemporary organisations | GC1, GC2, GC11 |
| LO2 | Interpret different analytical perspectives employed to understand organisations at the individual, , structural, systemic and social levels | GC1, GC2, GC11, GC12 |
| LO3 | Apply analytical frameworks and multiple perspectives to analyse specific organisations and the contexts in which they operate | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4 |
| LO4 | Discuss how organisational analysis can be used to engender solutions to organisational challenges that are ethical and socially responsible | GC1, GC4, GC9 |
| LO5 | Work individually or collaboratively to undertake organisational analysis | GC2, GC4, GC12 |
Content
Topics will include:
- introduction to organisational analysis
- critical frameworks for analysing organisations)
- institutional theory and resource dependency theory
- organisational culture and organisational learning
- systems approach and networks
- models of analysis for the understanding of organisational environment
- application of frameworks and models of organizational analysis to business practices and problems
- data analysis and synthesis
- understanding organisations at the individual, structural and systemic levels
- implementation and measuring the effectiveness of organisational analysis initiatives
- social, ethical and sustainability considerations in undertaking organisational analysis
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Multi-Mode
This unit takes an enquiry-based learning approach to guide students in the development of knowledge associated with analysis of organisations. Students are able to explore the knowledge base underpinning organisational analysis in a series of on campus workshops. These workshops are designed to support students to actively participate in the development of this knowledge both individually and collaboratively. By participating in these workshops, students will systematically develop their understanding of the critical aspects of organisational analysis and capability of how to design socially responsible business solutions. This unit takes an experiential approach to support students in developing the skills required to effectively analyse the internal and external organisational environment and interactions by sharing stories and insights and reflecting on experiences. This approach is designed to interest students who prefer to learn within a social environment and builds in expert support for skills development. The rationale is to encourage deep learning instead of surface or rote learning, as deep learning will develop critical thinking skills and prepare you for competitive business and non-business environments.
Online Mode
In an online mode, students engage in asynchronous learning and participate in the construction and synthesis of knowledge, while developing their knowledge. Students are provided with choice and variety in how they learn. Students are encouraged to contribute to asynchronous weekly discussions. Active learning opportunities provide students with opportunities to practice and apply their learning in situations similar to their future professions. Activities encourage students to bring their own examples to demonstrate understanding, application and engage constructively with their peers. Students receive regular and timely feedback on their learning, which includes information on their progress. This approach provides flexibility and facilitates the participation of students who are unable to attend classes while building in expert support for skills development.
Assessment strategy and rationale
In order to pass this unit, students are required to achieve an aggregate mark of at least 50%. Marking will be in accordance with a rubric specifically developed to measure students’ level of achievement of the learning outcomes for each item of assessment. Students will also be awarded a final grade which signifies their overall achievement in the unit. The assessment strategy for this unit allows students to sequentially develop their knowledge and skills of organisational analysis to the point where they can work in a group and present their solution to a real-world business challenge. To develop this level of capability, students will demonstrate their knowledge of organisational analysis through engagement-led discussions and other activities focusing on the trends related to the unit, and then apply models and tools in analysing a case study problem and then apply their knowledge and understanding by collaboratively developing and presenting a solution in the final assessment task.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Graduate Capabilities |
|---|---|---|---|
Task 1: Critical Report Critical Report: This assessment task consists of a1200-word report. This task requires students to draw on their effective communication and critical thinking skills to critically analyse and evaluate frameworks and theories of organisational analysis and synthesise their preferred option. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Report Artefact: Written Report | 30% | LO1, LO2 | GC1, GC2, GC11, GC12 |
Task 2: Organisational Analysis Oral Presentation (Group)This assessment task requires students to collaboratively apply their critical thinking skills as they analyse, evaluate, and diagnose what needs changing in an organisation and present findings in a 15-minute presentation with transcript. This requires the application of organisational analysis frameworks to understand the complexity and inter-relatedness of organisational components and concisely present diagnostic results to all stakeholders. Individual members to complete Peer Evaluation Tool. Submission Type: Group Assessment Method: Presentation Artefact: Oral Presentation Transcript | 30% | LO3, LO5 | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4, GC12 |
Task 3: Major Case Study Analysis This assessment task consists of a 1500-word written report. This task requires students to apply and integrate the concepts, models and theories from this unit to develop and present a solution to a global organisational problem. The purpose of this assessment is to synthesize students’ knowledge and show respect to the individual dignity and human diversity while developing practical application and skills in organisational analysis that they have learned in the unit. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Case Study Artefact: Written report | 40% | LO2, LO4, LO5 | GC1, GC2, GC4, GC9, GC11, GC12 |
Representative texts and references
Bolman, L.G. and Deal, T.E., 2017. Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. 6th Edition. John Wiley & Sons.
Daft, R. L. (2020) Organization Theory and Design, 13th Edition, ISBN: 9781285866345. Cengage Learning.
Dal Molin, M. and Masella, C., 2016. Networks in policy, management and governance: a comparative literature review to stimulate future research avenues. Journal of Management & Governance, 20(4), pp.823-849.
Dobbs, M.E., 2014. Guidelines for applying Porter's five forces framework: a set of industry analysis templates. Competitiveness Review, 24(1), pp.32-45.
Greenwood, R., Oliver, C., Lawrence, T.B. and Meyer, R.E. eds., 2017. The SAGE handbook of organizational institutionalism. SAGE.
Mitchell, B.C., Fredendall, L.D. and Cantrell, R.S., 2015. Using McKinsey’s 7 S Model to Empirically Examine Organizational Effectiveness among the NBA Teams. International Journal of Management and Human Resources, 3(1), pp.69-86.
Senge, P.M. (2014). The fifth discipline fieldbook: Strategies and tools for building a learning organization. New York: Crown Business.
Shafritz, J.M., Ott, J.S. and Jang, Y.S., 2015. Classics of organization theory. 8th Edition. Cengage Learning.
Thornton, P.H., Ocasio, W. and Lounsbury, M., 2015. The institutional logics perspective. John Wiley & Sons.