Module Directory

Drawing on both historical and contemporary sources, this module introduces students to a range of approaches to, and ways of thinking about, organisations and their management, through the concept of metaphor. The module aims to explore and develop the idea and practice of reading and understanding organisational life. In doing so, it will provide students with a conceptual, theoretical, and discursive understanding of the academic foundations of the field vital for their academic progression and which can be applied to practical issues in management and organisation.

The aims of this module are:

• To introduce students to a range of ideas about organisation and organising and the impact they have had on contemporary organisational theorising and management practice.


• To develop an understanding amongst students of the changing characteristics of organisations and forms of organisation, and an awareness of the drivers for these changes in respect of pertinent intellectual, social, economic, and technological developments.


• To nurture skills in critical evaluation specifically in respect of evaluating organisational forms and practices in addressing key challenges for people, business, society and environment.

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Describe and evaluate different theories of organisation and management.


2. Identify the changing characteristics of organisations and forms of organisation and be able to connect these changes to organisational theory and intellectual, social, economic, and technological developments.


3. Critically evaluate the suitability of different organisational forms and practices in addressing key challenges for people, business, society and environment.

Transferrable skills

Students will gain key transferrable skills in a range of domains:

Academic & Cognitive Skills:

• A1. Synthesis and bringing together concepts and ideas in an argument.


• A2. Critical thinking.


• A3. Evaluation of evidence.


• A5. Recognise rival conceptual ideas.

Data Analysis Skills:

• D4. Analysing academic literature.


• D6. Desk research/netnographic skills.

Communication Skills:

• C3. Expressing ideas for business purposes


• C4. Understanding how to present successfully and confidently


• C5. Argumentation/essay writing skills

Research Skills

• R5. Identifying applications of research


• R6. Understanding plagiarism and referencing

The first half of the module introduces students to core concepts, and ways of thinking about organising, in theory and in practice. This half of the module takes students through a range of metaphors as a method for thinking creatively about how best to organise or manage.

The second half of the module is more fluid in design and delivery. It draws upon faculty research interests and expertise, to consider other metaphors for organisation. Metaphors in these weeks are framed in relation to organisational challenges posed by contemporary issues, such as the climate emergency, the persistence of structural inequalities within organisations, and the rise of alternative organisational forms and practices.

Student group work and presentations during the module will require students to engage with thinking with metaphors for management and organisation to develop their understanding of organisational management through theory, which informs practice.

Syllabus

• Introduction to foundational concepts: Thinking about organisations through metaphor


• Organisation as machine.


• Organisation as organism.


• Organisation as Culture


• Organisation as Political System


• Organisation as Domination.


• Four Guest lectures on organisation as metaphor.

This module will be delivered via:

• One 2-hour weekly face to face large group teaching sessions, which involves lectures and interactive group work including presentations.
• Students are expected to undertake the reading before classes and to be prepared to engage in discussion.
• Audio-visual learning resources delivered both in-situ and via on-line learning portal Moodle.