Sustainable Systems and Organizational Resilience
PA 510.005 CRN 82570
Sysc 610.SSO CRN 82592
Brief Description
Organizations are complex adaptive systems coupled with their environment, supply chains, strategic partners, and competitors. Survival depends on structural resilience and the turbulence of the markets, environment, and political climate. Ideas and principles of emergent leadership and living systems are applied in the context of strategic management. These ideas are relevant to health and public administration, systems science, and to business.
Instructors
Matt Jones, Ph.D., Public Administration
E-mail:
Office Hours: By appointment, please do not hesitate!
Wayne Wakeland, Ph.D., Systems Science
E-mail:
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 2-3 PM and by appointment
Texts and Articles
· Meadows, D. (2008) Thinking in Systems, Chelsea Green Publishing, White River Junction, VT
· Wheatley, M. (2006) Leadership and the New Science, Barrett-Koehler Publishers, San Fransisco, CA
· Olson, E. and G. Eoyand (2001) Facilitating Organizational Change, Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, San Fransisco, CA
· Kotter, J. (1995) "Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail" HBR 73(2):59-67.
· de Geus, A. (1997) "The Living Company" HBR 75(2):51-59.
· Snowden, D. & Boone. M. (2007). “A Leader’s Framework for Decision-Making” HBR 85 (11): 68-76.
Disabilities
If you have a disability and are in need of academic accommodations, please notify me immediately to arrange needed support.
Assignments Overview
Some assignments are practitioner-focused and team-based, and others are research-oriented and individual. Participation is also graded.
There will be 4 or 5 teams, each with 3-4 students. Each team will carry out two activities:
1) Select a case study and create a systems story/diagram about that case
2) Interview an organizational leader (e.g., R. Costanza, P. Ozann, P. Keisling, R. Tammen) regarding challenges, organizational needs, what they look for in people they hire, collaborate with, etc.
Team deliverables include: a) a 3-5 page systems story and diagram based on the case study, b) an interview plan & questions document, and c) an interview report that will be presented to the class.
Individual Assignment
The individual research assignment is a targeted literature review. 3-credit students would read and review 2-3 articles, turning in a 3-5 page document, and 4-credit students would read, review and present on 3-5 articles. Individual deliverables include a prospectus and a presentation. Students taking the course for 4 credits also prepare and submit a 6-10 page literature review document.
Class Participation
Class participation is graded and consists of the following:
1) Students come to class with two critical points/issues for discussion. Looking for critical points and issues will influence how your read the material and will stimulate and serve as a catalyst for the round table discussions during the class sessions
Schedule of Topics, Readings, and Activities
*additional readings may be assigned to benefit the learning process in this course
Date / Topics / Readings / Practitioner-oriented Activities (Group) / Researcher-oriented Activities (Ind.)6/22 / Introduction
· Course Syllabus
· Introduction to Systems / Wheatley Intro & Ch.1
Meadows Intro& Ch. 1
6/29 / System Basics and Organizations
· Stocks and Flows
· Feedback
· Assumptions of Newtonian Organizations / Meadows Ch. 2
Wheatley Ch. 2& 3 / Form practioner teams, select org./leader to interview & select the case study to use
7/6 / · Resilience
· Self Organization
· Non-linearity
· Bounded Rationality / Meadows Ch. 3&4
Wheatley Ch. 4-6 / Schedule Interview with Practioner for August
7/13 / Opportunities and Pitfalls
· Tragedy of the Commons
· Chaos
· Strange Attractors / Meadows Ch. 5&7
Wheatley Ch.7&9 / Submit lit. review prospectus
7/20 / Introduction to Change in Systems / Meadows Ch. 6
Wheatley Ch. 8
Olson&Eoyang Preface and Ch.1 / Submit systems story / diagram based on case
7/27 / Change in Complex Adaptive Systems & Uncertainty
· Organizational Connectivity
· Feedback Analysis
· Non-linear Organizational Change
· Decision-Making under Uncertainty / Olson&Eoyang Ch. 2-5
Kotter, HBR / Briefly research target organization for interview
8/3 / Difference, Self-Organization and the leader as Change Agent
· Simple Rules
· Fractals
· Fitness
· Roles of Leaders in Self-Organizing Systems / Olson & Eoyang Ch. 6-9
Snowden & Boone (HBR) / Submit interview plan & questions,
8/10 / Discussion and Synthesis: What is a sustainable system? / Continue
8/17 / Discussion and Synthesis: What is a a resilient organization? / De Gauss, HBR
8/24 / Student presentations / Submit Interview report / Present lit. review findings
Assignments and Grading Summary (75 points for 3 credits, 100 points for 4 credits)
Date / Participation / Practitioner-oriented (Team) / Research-oriented (Individual)Bring to class each week (20 pts. total) / 3-credit students (2-3 articles) / 4-credit students (3-5 articles)
6/29 / 2.5 critical points/issues
7/6 / 2.5 critical points/issues
7/13 / 2.5 critical points/issues / Lit review prospectus: question + what do we already know
(1 pg., 10 pts.) / Lit review prospectus: question + what do we already know
(1 pg., 10 pts.)
7/20 / 2.5critical points/issues / Story and systems diagram drawn from a case study
(4 pgs., 15 pts. )
7/27 / 2.5 critical points/issues
8/3 / 2.5 critical points/issues / Interview Plan and Questions: what are the challenges & needs of your org. & what do you look for in people?
(1 pg., 10 pts.)
8/10 / 2.5 critical points/issues
8/17 / 2.5 critical points/issues
8/24 / Interview Report (3 pgs., 10 pts.)
5-7 pages (single spaced) / Brief Paper on Lit. Review Findings (10 pts.) / Brief Presentation on Lit. Review Findings (10 pts.) 7-8:30 PM
8/31 / Lit. review paper
(6-10 pgs., 25 pts.)
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