Organizing

The course is a compulsory course in the Digital Leadership Master's Programme.

Bachelor’s degree 180 credits including an independent project (degree project) of at least 15 credits or equivalent and English 6/English B from Swedish Upper Secondary School or equivalent.

Digital technologies are redefining the ways in which organizing takes place. Understanding this transformation is essential for digital leadership. The aim of this course is to provide students with a historical foundation in organization studies, tracing the shift in focus from organization to organizing, and to explore the role of digital technologies in this line of thinking. The course also introduces critical perspectives on the transformative power of digital technologies and examines how such materialize in new and existing organizational forms.

This course examines how digital technologies shape, challenge, and transform organizations and organizing in contemporary society. It is informed by research from information systems, management, and organization studies, and introduces multiple theoretical perspectives on the relationship between technology and organizing. The course addresses the disruptive and transformative potential of digital technologies, the emergence of new organizational forms, and the challenges of navigating an increasingly complex digital landscape. It concludes with a speculative design fiction component, where participants critically explore and imagine possible futures of digital organizing. The course consist of four overall modules:

1. Scientific Models of Organization. This module provide a brief introduction and a historical backdrop to some of the existing scientific models of organization including a critical and contemporary view on the Scientific Management Movement.
2. Digital Transformation and Disruption. This module focus on the transformative and disruptive powers of digital technologies. It engages in current research on digital transformation and reflect upon the many challenges (individual, organizational and societal) related to these transformations.
3. Organizing outside the Organization. This module examines how digital technologies enable and transform collective action and organizing. We discuss emergent forms of coordination, participation, and sensemaking, and relate these to contemporary debates on how organizing unfolds beyond formal organizational boundaries.
4. Design Fictions. This module is structured as a sprint focused on speculative design fictions. Through a creative and critical exercise, students engage with contemporary challenges of digital transformation and disruption. By developing design fictions, students explore alternative futures of organizing and reflect on the societal, ethical, and organizational implications of emerging technologies.

On successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

1. understand the historical paths from organization to organizing and the role of technology in this development,

2. explain the (emergent) relationship between technology and organizing,

Competence and skills

3. critically evaluate the transformative power of digital technology,

4. analyze different and emergent instantiations of digital organizing,

Judgement and approach

5. create design fictions on digital disruptions.

The first three modules include lectures, guest lectures and seminars. Each module will run weekly and will be wrapped up by "open floor" discussions/seminars. Students are expected to actively engage in discussions as well as take on responsibility for the seminars. The fourth module will be a creative exercise and include workshops and lectures.

Language of instruction: English.

Module 1-3 will be assessed through an oral exam in groups of four. The students are also expected to lead one seminar. The assessments are intended to capture learning outcome: #1, #2, #3, #4.

Module 4 will be assessed through a creative assignment and oral presentation where students collaboratively develop design fictions rooted in contemporary issues related to digital disruption. This exercise and assessment is related to learning outcome: #5.

If a student is prevented from taking part in the ordinary examination, the examiner can decide on an alternative form of examination.

If a student who has been failed twice for the same examination element wishes to change examiner before the next examination session, such a request is to be granted unless there are specific reasons to the contrary (Chapter 6 Section 22 HF).

If a student has received a certificate of disability study support from the University of Gothenburg with a recommendation of adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment, an examiner may decide, if this is consistent with the course’s intended learning outcomes and provided that no unreasonable resources would be needed, to grant the student adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment.

If a course has been discontinued or undergone major changes, the student must be offered at least two examination sessions in addition to ordinary examination sessions. These sessions are to be spread over a period of at least one year but no more than two years after the course has been discontinued/changed. The same applies to placement and internship (VFU) except that this is restricted to only one further examination session.

If a student has been notified that they fulfil the requirements for being a student at Riksidrottsuniversitetet (RIU student), to combine elite sports activities with studies, the examiner is entitled to decide on adaptation of examinations if this is done in accordance with the Local rules regarding RIU students at the University of Gothenburg.

The grading scale comprises: Pass (G) and Fail (U). For the grade Pass on the course, Pass is required on all parts of the examination.

After completion of the course the students are to be given the opportunity to participate in a course evaluation electronically. The result of the course evaluation is to be made accessible to the students. The next time the course is given the processed result of the course evaluation is to be presented to the students including possible changes brought about as a result of the course evaluation.

The course may not be included in a degree together with the course TIA305 Organizing, 7.5 credits.