Organisational Behaviour and Organisational Analysis

Organisations are everywhere in different forms, size, internal structure, tasks, and goals. This course will expose students to important theories and conceptual models for analysing and understanding organisations with the aim of designing effective structures and cultures that allow them to create value, survive, develop and thrive. The course will articulate that employees do not always act in a rational and consistent manner. Our ability - whether as a new employee, a middle manager, or a top level executive - to understand, explain, and predict human behaviour in organisations is a valuable skill. We will study a wide range of organisational situations and examples, and connect them to organisational theories and effective management methods.

We will bridge theory and practice through organisational analysis by exploring a series of successful and unsuccessful examples. Students will learn to apply different theoretical perspectives in our attempt to provide situational analysis and plausible solutions. No single model of an effective organisation will be advocated - no "right answer" that can be applied universally; rather, we will explore the factors and conditions within and outside an organisation that can be controlled to provide the best fit with the dynamic environment and thereby create the greatest opportunity for success. The imperative for organisational learning, continuous adaptation, and change based on new developments will be emphasized.

Class 1: Organisational theories, Organisational behaviour

Class 2: Managing individual and cultural diversity in organisations

Class 3: Workplace attitudes, Job satisfaction

Class 4: Work motivation

Class 5: Group processes: Conflict management

Class 6: Organisational processes: Leading with and without authority

Class 7: Decision making; Organised anarchy

Feedback activity: Organisational analysis

Class 8: Organisational Culture, Structure and Design; Knowledge management, Learning organisation

Class 9: The organisation and its environment: Resource dependency, Organisational ecologies

Class 10: Organisational analysis presentation (live or online upload, depending on class size)

Class 11: Comprehensive summary, exam preparation

Course leader

Kinga Konczey

Pedro Monteiro - Department of Organization

Target group

This is a bachelor level course. CBS Summer University courses at Copenhagen Business School is open to all and welcomes domestic and international students as well as professionals.

Course aim

Demonstrate an understanding of the major organisational behaviour theories and models as they apply to various business settings, and be able to apply these theories to the analysis of problems.

Recognise, identify and analyse complex organisational problems that are caused by the organisational structures, strategies, functions, operations, people management, or organisational processes.

Demonstrate mastery of the different organisational models by using them in gathering data and analysing organisations comprehensively and making recommendations in existing organisations.

Demonstrate an appreciation of the notion of contingency as it applies to the interrelatedness of organisational processes, such as group formation, decision making, conflict, power and leadership.

Recognise the need for continuous change within organisations, and adaptation to the environment.

Credits info

7.5 EC
This is a 6-week course. You can combine up to two 6-week courses making 15 ECTS in total.
Find more information on our website.

Fee info

DKK 6000: Tuition fee for Open University students (EU/EEA/Swiss citizenship)
DKK 12000: Tuition fee for non-European students.