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Designing the Organization

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Designing the Organization

This course is part of multiple programs.

Instructors: Michael Bednar

70,442 already enrolled

Included with

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4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

1,766 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

1 week at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

96%

Most learners liked this course

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

1,766 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

1 week at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

96%

Most learners liked this course

What you'll learn

Identify and explain many of the common organizational design challenges faced by organizations
Apply theory and principles to more effectively deal with these organizational design challenges in your own professional life
Analyze the effectiveness of organizational design choices in various organizations
Make organizational design recommendations to increase organizational effectiveness

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

30 assignments

Taught in English

91%

of learners achieved a positive career outcome

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business

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Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is available as part of

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be asked to select a specific program.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 4 modules in this course

Organizations are complex and can be difficult to manage well, so managers need tools to help them better understand and deal with the many complexities and challenges associated with organizational life. In this course, you will learn theories, principles, and frameworks that will help you design more effective organizations.

You will be able to: - Analyze organizations from multiple perspectives to better understand business challenges - Strategically plan for effective organizational governance - Develop systems to plan for growth and change - Understand implications of the external environment on business and strategically respond to these factors This course is part of Gies College of Business’ suite of online programs, including the iMBA and iMSM. Learn more about admission into these programs and explore how your Coursera work can be leveraged if accepted into a degree program at https://degrees.giesbusiness.illinois.edu/idegrees/.

Module details

You will become familiar with the course, your classmates, and our learning environment. The orientation will also help you obtain the technical skills required for the course. This module will then explore the purpose of a business and show how can managers infuse a sense of purpose into their organizations. It also examines different perspectives on corporate governance.

What's included

11 videos7 readings9 assignments1 discussion prompt1 plugin

11 videosTotal 62 minutes

Welcome to the Course10 minutes
About Professor Michael Bednar2 minutes
About Professor Geoffrey Love3 minutes
Learn on Your Terms1 minute
1.1 Introduction to Purpose and Governance3 minutes
1.2 Purpose of a Business6 minutes
1.3 Building Purpose Into Your Organization12 minutes
1.4 Mission Statements9 minutes
1.5 Rational System View of Governance7 minutes
1.6 Natural System View of Governance6 minutes
1.7 Gauging Organizational Effectiveness4 minutes

7 readingsTotal 70 minutes

Syllabus10 minutes
Glossary10 minutes
About the Discussion Forums10 minutes
Online Education at Gies College of Business10 minutes
Updating Your Profile10 minutes
Module 1 Overview10 minutes
Module 1 Readings10 minutes

9 assignmentsTotal 100 minutes

Purpose and Governance: Quiz20 minutes
Orientation Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 1.1 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 1.2 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 1.3 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 1.4 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 1.5 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 1.6 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 1.7 Practice Quiz10 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

Getting to Know Your Classmates10 minutes

1 pluginTotal 15 minutes

Demographic Survey15 minutes

This module explores various organizational structures and provides a framework for knowing when to choose a particular structure.

What's included

6 videos2 readings7 assignments1 peer review

6 videosTotal 32 minutes

2.1 Introduction to Organizational Structure6 minutes
2.2 Contingency Theory4 minutes
2.3 Functional Structure4 minutes
2.4 Divisional Structure6 minutes
2.5 Matrix Structure9 minutes
2.6 Other Structures4 minutes

2 readingsTotal 20 minutes

Module 2 Overview10 minutes
Module 2 Readings10 minutes

7 assignmentsTotal 120 minutes

Organizational Structure: Quiz60 minutes
Lesson 2.1 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 2.2 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 2.3 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 2.4 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 2.5 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 2.6 Practice Quiz10 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 50 minutes

Organizational Structure: Peer Review Assignment50 minutes

This module explores several of the organizational design implications that managers need to recognize as they grow and move through various stages of the organizational life cycle.

What's included

6 videos2 readings7 assignments

6 videosTotal 41 minutes

3.1 Growth5 minutes
3.2 Growth and the Challenge of Control8 minutes
3.3 Mechanistic and Organic Designs10 minutes
3.4 Organizational Life Cycle6 minutes
3.5 Integrating Mechanisms9 minutes
3.6 Recap1 minute

2 readingsTotal 20 minutes

Module 3 Overview10 minutes
Module 3 Readings10 minutes

7 assignmentsTotal 90 minutes

Growth and Organizational Life Cycles: Quiz30 minutes
Lesson 3.1 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 3.2 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 3.3 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 3.4 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 3.5 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 3.6 Practice Quiz10 minutes

In this module, we examine ways in which organizations can be designed to effectively respond to changes in the external environment.

What's included

6 videos4 readings7 assignments

6 videosTotal 32 minutes

4.1 Elements of the External Environment4 minutes
4.2 Designing for Uncertainty5 minutes
4.3 Resource Dependence Theory4 minutes
4.4 Exploitation vs Exploration8 minutes
4.5 Disruptive Innovation7 minutes
4.6 Designing to Overcome Disruption3 minutes

4 readingsTotal 40 minutes

Module 4 Overview10 minutes
Module 4 Readings10 minutes
Congratulations on completing the course!10 minutes
Get Your Course Certificate10 minutes

7 assignmentsTotal 90 minutes

External Environment: Quiz30 minutes
Lesson 4.1 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 4.2 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 4.3 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 4.4 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 4.5 Practice Quiz10 minutes
Lesson 4.6 Practice Quiz10 minutes

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.

Build toward a degree

This course is part of the following degree program(s) offered by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. If you are admitted and enroll, your completed coursework may count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.¹

Instructors

Instructor ratings

(261 ratings)

Michael Bednar

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

2 Courses83,836 learners

Offered by

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Learner reviews

5 stars
75.93%
4 stars
17.44%
3 stars
4.47%
2 stars
1.47%
1 star
0.67%

Showing 3 of 1766

Reviewed on Dec 26, 2016

The course is nice but the wording of the course is heavy and is confusing most of the time.You've to put a lot of effort in trying to understand what the instructor means or want to say/ask.

Reviewed on Jun 25, 2019

I really learnt many useful things and skills by this course. Really thanks your Coursera team for giving us this chance to complete our education while sitting at home. THANKS!

Reviewed on Nov 18, 2021

This course is very well designed. It makes you think and understand the main ponder points you need to think about when designing or redesigning the organization.

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