Module Directory

This module is intended to open up the relationship between individual behaviour and experience in the context of the study of organizations. As such, it is rooted in the psychology of organising and its primary focus is on the individual in the organization, the construction of meaning and how they behave, react or subvert in relation to organizational life.

Developing the discussions from previous modules, we will explore the role of socialisation, emotion and the construction of identities within the context of the labour processes, paying particular attention to the 'hidden' dimensions of organising.

The aims of this module are:

• To challenge the conventional rhetoric of standard management textbooks and give students the opportunity to attend to the competing and alternative discourses of organization.


• To consider alternative organizational forms and styles of working.


• To pose moral and ethical considerations for future practising managers.

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

1. Relate everyday observations of organizations and organizational members to the experience of organizations and to be able to hypothesise about management actions and their consequences for the behaviour and experience of members.


2. Be able to write essays which demonstrate an ability to analyse and evaluate aspects of organizational behaviour.


3. Produce a coherent and well-structured argument about the psychological aspects of organizational behaviour.


4. Demonstrate a critical approach to reading and talking about how organizations function.


5. Hypothesise about alternative forms of organization and to understand the complexity of the psychological contract of work.


6. Understand the need for a principled approach to management.

In the first four weeks of the module, the focus is on the individual and examines why psychologists are interested in the relationship between behaviour and experience, the psychological contract of work, different perceptions of meaning and commitment to work and socialisation.

The focus then moves to the examination of the importance of the organisational context. For the next four weeks the course looks at how psychological principles can be applied to organizational life and concludes with an analysis of disasters. This part of the module concerns itself which how taken for granted assumptions are exposed in cases of organisational failure.

The final lecture of the course examines various ways in which issues raised in the course provide new insights into the nature of organisations and their management.

This module is delivered via:

• 2-hour lectures; discussion; group work; class0based activities; workshops.

There are no conventional classes for this module. The 2-hour lecture provides time for looking at TV, video and other photograph material which illustrates the theories and concepts used in the module. Because of this, lecture attendance is monitored since the second lecture is used instead of a class.

There are also two workshop sessions for which attendance is registered. These deal with module work preparation, additional readings, essay writing and issues which emerge in the module of the lecture programme.

More details will be provided the start of the module but not only are these sessions essential in order to understand the coursework, they provide a context and standpoint which is an essential element of the module.

The readings will be available on Moodle (and partly also on Talis) and are a central part of what we do in the classroom. The readings are chosen to provide vibrant empirical examples, and to be accessible in terms of opening up the topics at hand. The course will also draw on a range of critical perspectives on organizations and the business context.