ILR554 - Designing Organizational Systems

Course Description

In times of change, organizational designers may respond by proposing modifications to the formal structure of an organization, perhaps by adding new divisions, changing the vertical hierarchy, or adopting alternatives to the traditional structures. While these are all methods of adjusting the formal structure of an organization, sometimes it is not feasible to make changes to the formal structure of an organization.

In such cases, an organizational designer may choose to use policies, systems, practices, and culture to overcome the limitations of formal organizational structure. The proper adjustments to these powerful mechanisms can enhance organizational effectiveness and achieve desired outcomes by linking groups and activities.

In this course, you will review research-based approaches to redesigning policies, systems, and practices to better manage your business and your workforce. You will consider which policies, systems, and practices to change and which to leave alone based on examples of real-world success and not-so-successful stories from companies around the globe. You'll also gain the skills you need to analyze organizations as social entities and consider ways you can use things like social capital, organizational culture, and informal groups to smooth the work functions. Finally, you will consider ways to combine and align these integration mechanisms — policies, systems, practices, and culture — to solve a specific organizational issue. You'll also look critically at some of the latest fads or trends in organizational design.

You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

• Fundamentals of Organizational Design
• Assessing Organizations in Context
• Analyzing Formal Organizational Structure

Faculty Author

Benefits to the Learner

• Design policies, systems, and practices to manage the business and the workforce
• Influence culture and social ties to achieve organizational performance
• Choose a set of appropriate policies, systems, practices, and social interventions to solve a specific organizational problem

Target Audience

• Organizational design managers
• Executives (CEOs, VPS, division leaders, functional leaders)
• Merger and acquisition managers
• Corporate consultants

Accrediting Associations

• Project Management Institute (PMI) Approval Number 10.0 Units
• HR Certification Institute (HRCI) General Approval Number 10.0 Hours
• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Approval Number 10.0 Credits

Applies Towards the Following Certificates

• Organizational Design : Core Courses