Course

Organizational Theory and Design

Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Department
Social Sciences
Course Code
SOSC 3140
Credits
3.00
Semester Length
15
Max Class Size
35
Method(s) Of Instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Typically Offered
To be determined

Overview

Course Description
This course takes the organization as the main unit of analysis. A broad range of organizational theories are considered including classical theory, institutional theory, systems theory, critical theory, cultural theory and post modern theories. Using case studies from public, private and not-for-profit sectors, students apply the theories in the examination of key themes and issues, including organizational change and the evolving nature of management and leadership. Students may work in teams to design and present proposals for new organizational forms.
Course Content

  I.  WHAT IS ORGANIZATION THEORY?

  • Why Study Organization Theory
  • Classical and Institutional Theories
  • Systems Theories
  • Cultural and SymbolicTheories
  • Human Resource Theories
  • Conflict Theories
  • Critical Theories
  • Post Modern and Narrative Theories
  • Organization and Environment

 II.  CORE THEMES

  • The Social and Physical Structure of Organizations
  • Technology, Information and Organizational Knowledge
  • Organizational Power, Control and Conflict
  • Management, Leadership and Governance
  • Organizational Culture and Change
  • The Evaluation of Organizations

III:    DESIGNING NEW ORGANIZATIONS

  • The Design Perspective
  • Alternative and Emerging Organizational Forms
Learning Activities

This course will employ a number of instructional methods to accomplish its objectives, including the following:

 

  • lectures
  • case studies
  • small group discussion
  • organizational design projects
Means of Assessment

Evaluation will be carried out in accordance with Douglas College policy.  Evaluation will be based on course objectives and may include some of the following: quizzes, multiple choice exams, essay type exams, term paper or research project, computer based assignments, etc.  The instructor will provide the students with a course outline listing the criteria for course evaluation at the beginning of the semester.

 

An example of one evaluation scheme:

Mid-term exam  20%
Research paper              30%
Presentation  20%
Final exam  30%
Total 100%
Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of the course the successful student will be able to:

 

  • Demonstrate an understanding of a range of organizational theories.
  • Use organizational theories to analyze key themes within private, public and third sector organizations.
  • Examine the role of management and leadership in organizational process.
  • Evaluate theories of organizational change.
  • Explore new designs in organizational process and form.
Textbook Materials

Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students:

Textbook(s) such as the following, the list to be updated periodically:

  • Hatch, Mary J. (2018). Organization theory: Modern, symbolic, and postmodern perspectives.
    4th Ed. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

 

 

Requisites

Prerequisites

SOSC 2140 or BUSN 3310

Corequisites

Courses listed here must be completed either prior to or simultaneously with this course:

  • No corequisite courses

Equivalencies

Courses listed here are equivalent to this course and cannot be taken for further credit:

  • No equivalency courses

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca

Institution Transfer Details for SOSC 3140
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) KPU SOCI 3XXX (3)
Langara College (LANG) LANG BUSM 2XXX (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) SFU BUS 2XX (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU ORGB 3XXX (3)
Trinity Western University (TWU) TWU SOCI 3XX (3)
University Canada West (UCW) UCW ORGB 201 (3)
University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) UBCO MGMT_O 2nd (3)
University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) UBCV COMM_V 3rd (3)
University of Northern BC (UNBC) UNBC COMM 2XX (3)
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC SOSC 3XX (1.5)

Course Offerings

Winter 2025