Teaching Organization Design in the Digital Age

Teaching Organization Design in the Digital Age

Professional Development Workshop:  Panel Format
Academy of Management Conference
August 8, 2015 Vancouver, BC

 

This workshop was sponsored by the Organizational Development and Change Division;  
produced by Børge Obel, Jeanne Liedtka, and Charles Snow of  the Organization Design Community;
and workshop videos were produced through a collaboration of the Organization Design Community and the Global Organization Design Society

 

Organization design has experienced a resurgence of interest in recent years. Design schools have been created in several universities (e.g., Stanford, Toronto, Michigan). Companies are placing job postings for organization design specialists on LinkedIn and other professional sites.

The Organizational Design Community, an international community of scholars, executives, and organizations dedicated to advancing the theory and practice of organization design, was established five years ago. That community publishes an open access journal, the Journal of Organization Design. Organization design, redesign, and change are subjects of intense interest and importance because the costs of poor design are high, including wasted financial and other resources, reduced productivity, and increased levels of employee stress. Paybacks from the sound design of governance structures and other organizational features may surpass that of investments in product design and other traditional strategic initiatives (McKinsey & Company, 2007).

This PDW will examine key aspects of organization design and how it should be taught: (a) design thinking; (b) knowledge and skill sets needed by postgraduate students, Executive MBAs, and managers; © content delivery modes; and (d) accreditation processes.

 

Introduction to the workshop

Borge Obel, Aarhus University and Vice Chairman of the Organization Design Community

 Presenter's slides

 

 

Session 1

Design Thinking: Concepts and Processes

 Presenter's slides

 

 

Session 2

Knowledge and Skill Sets in Organization Design

 Presenter's slides

 

 

Session 3

Certification of Organization Design Specialists

 Presenter's slides

 

Session 4

Teaching Organization Design

 

 

Major organizations and consulting firms that provide Requisite Organization-based services

A global association of academics, managers, and consultants that focuses on spreading RO implementation practices and encouraging their use
Dr. Gerry Kraines, the firms principal, combines Harry Levinson's leadership frameworks with Elliott Jaques's Requisite Organization. He worked closely with Jaques over many years, has trained more managers in these methods than anyone else in the field, and has developed a comprehensive RO-based software for client firms.
Former RO-experienced CEO, Ron Harding, provides coaching to CEOs of start-ups and small and medium-size companies that are exploring their own use of RO concepts.  His role is limited, temporary and coordinated with the RO-based consultant working with the organization
Founded by Gillian Stamp, one of Jaques's colleagues at Brunel, the firm modified Jaques;s work-levels, developed the Career Path Appreciation method, and has grown to several hundred certified assessors in aligned consulting firms world-wide recently expanding to include organization design