ORGANISATIONAL THEORY AND DESIGN
INHOUDSOPGAVE
Lesson 1: Introduction + Guest Lecture – Managing Talent in Turbulent Contexts ............................................................. 2
Syllabus ................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................. 3
Guest Lecture: Designing Careers Under Disruption: Resources, Adaptation, and Career Shocks in Organizations ........ 6
Lesson 2: Foundational theories of Organization Theory field ........................................................................................ 10
1. Classical & Scientific Management (1900 →) ........................................................................................................ 10
2. Systems & Contingency Theory (Modernism) (1950 →) .......................................................................................... 13
3. Social Construction (1960s →) ............................................................................................................................ 15
4. Postmodernism (1980 →) .................................................................................................................................... 17
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................ 17
Lecture 3: Organizational Structures ........................................................................................................................... 18
Organizational theory (recap) .................................................................................................................................. 18
Organizational design ............................................................................................................................................. 19
Exercise ................................................................................................................................................................. 25
Key takeaways........................................................................................................................................................ 25
Lecture 4: Critical issues in organizations .................................................................................................................... 26
Organizational Politics ............................................................................................................................................ 26
Political Skill .......................................................................................................................................................... 29
Critical issue – Marxism (not on exam) ..................................................................................................................... 30
Critical issue – Feminist Approaches (not on exam, because it is a sensitive topic) ..................................................... 30
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................ 30
Lecture 5: Organizational burden ................................................................................................................................ 31
Additional Information (Exam) ................................................................................................................................. 34
Lecture 6: Story Telling ............................................................................................................................................... 36
Story telling from multiple perspectives ................................................................................................................... 36
Organizational Culture, Sense-making and Story Telling ........................................................................................... 36
From a Theoretical perspective ............................................................................................................................... 40
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................ 41
Lecture 7: The power of intuition in managerial decision-making................................................................................... 42
Introduction: Framing the Problem .......................................................................................................................... 42
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................ 49
Lecture 8: Organization theory in practice – Stef Vervliet (the Human Factor in M&A value creation)................................ 50
What is M&A? ......................................................................................................................................................... 50
Lecture 9: Sustainability ............................................................................................................................................. 56
Lecture 10: Organizations in democratic and non democratic systems ......................................................................... 61
1
,LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION + GUEST LECTURE – MANAGING TALENT IN TURBULENT CONTEXTS
SYLLABUS
• Lecturer: Stefanie Weil ()
• Textbook: LUHMAN, J. T. & CUNLIFFE, A. L. 2013. Key Concepts in Organization Theory.
• Assessment
o Written exam, closed book (80%) – individual
▪ Multiple choice questions (knowledge of terms, definitions and concepts)
▪ 1 short essay question (reflect on topics related to organization, apply theory)
o Group presentation (20%) – in group
▪ Choose an organization and link the theory to practice
▪ For this assessment, you will work in groups you choose yourself. No peer review
▪ Approach organizations first from a theoretical perspective and then to make a link to practice
▪ You can choose the topic (theory) yourself.
▪ If you need guidance, your group can certainly reflect with the professor
▪ 20 minutes group presentation + 5 minute discussion
• Lectures
Lecture Reading
Lecture 1 Introduction to Organization (Adler, Du Gay, Morgan, & Reed, 2014)
(09/02/2026) Theory Part 1 Organization Theory as Science pp. 39-
PART 1: Theoretical
Guest Lecture – Dr. Dima 113
approaches
Braith
Lecture 2 Foundational theories of
(16/02/2026) Organization Theory field
(Adler et al., 2014, pp. 125-157)
Lecture 3 Guest Lecture – Tatiana (Cunliffe, 2008, pp. 8-21)
(23/02/2026) Zabara (Organizational
structures)
Lecture 4 Critical issues in organizations (Luhman & Cunliffe, 2013, pp. 50-56, 84-89)
(02/03/2026)
Lecture 5 Guest Lecture – Oren Ginzburg (Bozeman, 1993)
(09/03/2026) (Organizational burden) (Kelemen, Matthews, Matthews, & Henry)
PART 2: Theory practice
Lecture 6 Guest Lecture – Rosa Paulina Dane, E., & Pratt, M.G. (2007). Exploring
(16/03/2026) López Pérez (Power of intuition and its role in managerial decision-
intuition) making. Academy of Management Review,
32(1), 33-54.
Lecture 7 Lecture on Organizational (Luhman & Cunliffe, 2013, pp. 50-56)
(23/03/2026) Culture & Storytelling
Lecture 8 Guest Lecture – Stef Vervliet Tushman & Nadler, 1986
(30/03/2026)
Lecture 9 Guest Lecture – Roel
(20/04/2026) Haeseldonckx (Sustainaiblity)
Lecture 10 Organizations in democratic & Organization & Management in the Embrace of
PART 3: Managing
(04/05/2026) non democratic systems Government
Organizational
Processes and
Structures
Jone Pearce Chapter 2
Lecture 11 Making Sense of the Guest Textbook Key Concepts in Organization
(11/05/2026) Lecture Theory, pp. 118-123
Lecture 12 Review Session
(18/05/2026)
2
,INTRODUCTION
“Your beliefs are cause maps that you impose on the world, after which you ‘sees’ what you have
already imposed” – Karl E. Weick
We interpret reality in different ways
o Constructivist theory: people do not simply receive knowledge passively, but actively build (construct) it
themselves
o Interpret something that is going on with something you know
ORGANIZATION THEORY
• Organization theory as a field study
➔ not 1 theory: many perspectives, many facets
Organization theory as a field has many diverse concerns:
How to ensure that managers act in the best interests of a firm’s owners?
How to achieve goals by managing environmental demands & maximizing core competencies?
When should certain operations of a firm be outsourced?
How to move an organization from its present condition to a desired state as it struggles to create value
and survive (Endgame)?
o There are concerns about theories and models:
▪ How does the environment influence organization strategy, structure and design?
▪ How does the organization influence the environment?
▪ How can the actions of individual members of society be linked with the broader social
structures of society?
o ‘Abstract concerns’
▪ Ethical dimensions:
• Why do people in contemporary society feel so separated from themselves, their
actions and their surroundings?
• What are the power relations behind theories about organizations?
• How do organizational scholars might become more reflective within their empirical or
theoretical writings?
• How do people interact? → This is coming back in the theory: Taylor threat people
differently than Fayol / modern theories
• What is Organization Theory (OT) and Why Study It?
o OT is a range of theories and models that aim to explain how organizations function and relate to the
environment
o The driving force behind OT is the idea that we can design organizations they operate:
▪ Efficiently – utilizing their resources in a cost-effective way
▪ Effectively – achieving their goals
▪ Responsibly – in a way that respects the community, society and the environment
• The term organization goes beyond a company
o The term ‘organization’ implies that there is some sort of structure and order to the way things are done
o Definitions center around the idea that organizations are entities in which individuals coordinate their
actions to achieve specific goals
3
, • Definitions of organizations: organizations can be
o Small family-owned businesses
o Multinational corporations,
o For-profit or non-profit
o Private or public
o Service or product oriented
o Government agencies
o Etc.
• Organizations all around
o We experience organizations every day - as we go to university, buy a house, travel on holiday, eat in a
restaurant, or visit a hospital.
o Even though we experience different parts of an organization (customer service, administration,
accounting, etc.),
o We probably don’t think about how these parts work together unless we have a problem:
o If we don’t receive the expected service, or the product we’ve purchased is faulty – which means
something in the organization isn’t functioning the way it should be
• Organization theory is fun and very useful
o OT is NOT a theoretical and abstract discipline – its fun ;-0
o Many of the theories are based on studies of what happens in organizations
▪ Theories describe, they differ from reality
▪ Organizational problems and then they are looking for a theory, not starting from a theory
o Managers use organization theory every day as they think about ways of organizing the work in their
department (division of labour)
o OT helps us to think about how the work needs to be coordinated with work in other departments
(integration)
o & how to create a work environment that encourages organizational members to work together towards
goals (culture)
• OT as a managerial guide
o To study OT will sharpen your explicit and systematic knowledge to steer a company
o OT gives managers a range of theories, concepts, models and tools that they can use to diagnose
problems and help their department and organization function more effectively
• Effective / Ineffective organization structure
o Ineffective organization structure reduces productivity and competitiveness
o It can lead to low morale as employees struggle to achieve their goals
o Effective organization structure and design allows organizational members to do the following:
▪ Deal with contingencies such as changing technology, markets and competition
▪ Gain a competitive advantage by developing the core competencies and strategies to enable
them to outperform other companies
▪ Work in an effective, supportive and responsive environment
▪ Increase efficiency and innovation
• Studying OT
o When studying OT, three issues you might be find helpful:
▪ 1. We are studying individual topics, but everything is interrelated
▪ 2. No theory is complete, no one theory applies in every situation, nor is it an accurate description
of the way organizations really are – theory is a lens or framework for viewing the world
▪ 3. When reading about the theories, think about how they might apply to organizations with
which you are familiar – either as an employee, a customer, a student or a volunteer
4
INHOUDSOPGAVE
Lesson 1: Introduction + Guest Lecture – Managing Talent in Turbulent Contexts ............................................................. 2
Syllabus ................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................. 3
Guest Lecture: Designing Careers Under Disruption: Resources, Adaptation, and Career Shocks in Organizations ........ 6
Lesson 2: Foundational theories of Organization Theory field ........................................................................................ 10
1. Classical & Scientific Management (1900 →) ........................................................................................................ 10
2. Systems & Contingency Theory (Modernism) (1950 →) .......................................................................................... 13
3. Social Construction (1960s →) ............................................................................................................................ 15
4. Postmodernism (1980 →) .................................................................................................................................... 17
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................ 17
Lecture 3: Organizational Structures ........................................................................................................................... 18
Organizational theory (recap) .................................................................................................................................. 18
Organizational design ............................................................................................................................................. 19
Exercise ................................................................................................................................................................. 25
Key takeaways........................................................................................................................................................ 25
Lecture 4: Critical issues in organizations .................................................................................................................... 26
Organizational Politics ............................................................................................................................................ 26
Political Skill .......................................................................................................................................................... 29
Critical issue – Marxism (not on exam) ..................................................................................................................... 30
Critical issue – Feminist Approaches (not on exam, because it is a sensitive topic) ..................................................... 30
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................ 30
Lecture 5: Organizational burden ................................................................................................................................ 31
Additional Information (Exam) ................................................................................................................................. 34
Lecture 6: Story Telling ............................................................................................................................................... 36
Story telling from multiple perspectives ................................................................................................................... 36
Organizational Culture, Sense-making and Story Telling ........................................................................................... 36
From a Theoretical perspective ............................................................................................................................... 40
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................ 41
Lecture 7: The power of intuition in managerial decision-making................................................................................... 42
Introduction: Framing the Problem .......................................................................................................................... 42
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................ 49
Lecture 8: Organization theory in practice – Stef Vervliet (the Human Factor in M&A value creation)................................ 50
What is M&A? ......................................................................................................................................................... 50
Lecture 9: Sustainability ............................................................................................................................................. 56
Lecture 10: Organizations in democratic and non democratic systems ......................................................................... 61
1
,LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION + GUEST LECTURE – MANAGING TALENT IN TURBULENT CONTEXTS
SYLLABUS
• Lecturer: Stefanie Weil ()
• Textbook: LUHMAN, J. T. & CUNLIFFE, A. L. 2013. Key Concepts in Organization Theory.
• Assessment
o Written exam, closed book (80%) – individual
▪ Multiple choice questions (knowledge of terms, definitions and concepts)
▪ 1 short essay question (reflect on topics related to organization, apply theory)
o Group presentation (20%) – in group
▪ Choose an organization and link the theory to practice
▪ For this assessment, you will work in groups you choose yourself. No peer review
▪ Approach organizations first from a theoretical perspective and then to make a link to practice
▪ You can choose the topic (theory) yourself.
▪ If you need guidance, your group can certainly reflect with the professor
▪ 20 minutes group presentation + 5 minute discussion
• Lectures
Lecture Reading
Lecture 1 Introduction to Organization (Adler, Du Gay, Morgan, & Reed, 2014)
(09/02/2026) Theory Part 1 Organization Theory as Science pp. 39-
PART 1: Theoretical
Guest Lecture – Dr. Dima 113
approaches
Braith
Lecture 2 Foundational theories of
(16/02/2026) Organization Theory field
(Adler et al., 2014, pp. 125-157)
Lecture 3 Guest Lecture – Tatiana (Cunliffe, 2008, pp. 8-21)
(23/02/2026) Zabara (Organizational
structures)
Lecture 4 Critical issues in organizations (Luhman & Cunliffe, 2013, pp. 50-56, 84-89)
(02/03/2026)
Lecture 5 Guest Lecture – Oren Ginzburg (Bozeman, 1993)
(09/03/2026) (Organizational burden) (Kelemen, Matthews, Matthews, & Henry)
PART 2: Theory practice
Lecture 6 Guest Lecture – Rosa Paulina Dane, E., & Pratt, M.G. (2007). Exploring
(16/03/2026) López Pérez (Power of intuition and its role in managerial decision-
intuition) making. Academy of Management Review,
32(1), 33-54.
Lecture 7 Lecture on Organizational (Luhman & Cunliffe, 2013, pp. 50-56)
(23/03/2026) Culture & Storytelling
Lecture 8 Guest Lecture – Stef Vervliet Tushman & Nadler, 1986
(30/03/2026)
Lecture 9 Guest Lecture – Roel
(20/04/2026) Haeseldonckx (Sustainaiblity)
Lecture 10 Organizations in democratic & Organization & Management in the Embrace of
PART 3: Managing
(04/05/2026) non democratic systems Government
Organizational
Processes and
Structures
Jone Pearce Chapter 2
Lecture 11 Making Sense of the Guest Textbook Key Concepts in Organization
(11/05/2026) Lecture Theory, pp. 118-123
Lecture 12 Review Session
(18/05/2026)
2
,INTRODUCTION
“Your beliefs are cause maps that you impose on the world, after which you ‘sees’ what you have
already imposed” – Karl E. Weick
We interpret reality in different ways
o Constructivist theory: people do not simply receive knowledge passively, but actively build (construct) it
themselves
o Interpret something that is going on with something you know
ORGANIZATION THEORY
• Organization theory as a field study
➔ not 1 theory: many perspectives, many facets
Organization theory as a field has many diverse concerns:
How to ensure that managers act in the best interests of a firm’s owners?
How to achieve goals by managing environmental demands & maximizing core competencies?
When should certain operations of a firm be outsourced?
How to move an organization from its present condition to a desired state as it struggles to create value
and survive (Endgame)?
o There are concerns about theories and models:
▪ How does the environment influence organization strategy, structure and design?
▪ How does the organization influence the environment?
▪ How can the actions of individual members of society be linked with the broader social
structures of society?
o ‘Abstract concerns’
▪ Ethical dimensions:
• Why do people in contemporary society feel so separated from themselves, their
actions and their surroundings?
• What are the power relations behind theories about organizations?
• How do organizational scholars might become more reflective within their empirical or
theoretical writings?
• How do people interact? → This is coming back in the theory: Taylor threat people
differently than Fayol / modern theories
• What is Organization Theory (OT) and Why Study It?
o OT is a range of theories and models that aim to explain how organizations function and relate to the
environment
o The driving force behind OT is the idea that we can design organizations they operate:
▪ Efficiently – utilizing their resources in a cost-effective way
▪ Effectively – achieving their goals
▪ Responsibly – in a way that respects the community, society and the environment
• The term organization goes beyond a company
o The term ‘organization’ implies that there is some sort of structure and order to the way things are done
o Definitions center around the idea that organizations are entities in which individuals coordinate their
actions to achieve specific goals
3
, • Definitions of organizations: organizations can be
o Small family-owned businesses
o Multinational corporations,
o For-profit or non-profit
o Private or public
o Service or product oriented
o Government agencies
o Etc.
• Organizations all around
o We experience organizations every day - as we go to university, buy a house, travel on holiday, eat in a
restaurant, or visit a hospital.
o Even though we experience different parts of an organization (customer service, administration,
accounting, etc.),
o We probably don’t think about how these parts work together unless we have a problem:
o If we don’t receive the expected service, or the product we’ve purchased is faulty – which means
something in the organization isn’t functioning the way it should be
• Organization theory is fun and very useful
o OT is NOT a theoretical and abstract discipline – its fun ;-0
o Many of the theories are based on studies of what happens in organizations
▪ Theories describe, they differ from reality
▪ Organizational problems and then they are looking for a theory, not starting from a theory
o Managers use organization theory every day as they think about ways of organizing the work in their
department (division of labour)
o OT helps us to think about how the work needs to be coordinated with work in other departments
(integration)
o & how to create a work environment that encourages organizational members to work together towards
goals (culture)
• OT as a managerial guide
o To study OT will sharpen your explicit and systematic knowledge to steer a company
o OT gives managers a range of theories, concepts, models and tools that they can use to diagnose
problems and help their department and organization function more effectively
• Effective / Ineffective organization structure
o Ineffective organization structure reduces productivity and competitiveness
o It can lead to low morale as employees struggle to achieve their goals
o Effective organization structure and design allows organizational members to do the following:
▪ Deal with contingencies such as changing technology, markets and competition
▪ Gain a competitive advantage by developing the core competencies and strategies to enable
them to outperform other companies
▪ Work in an effective, supportive and responsive environment
▪ Increase efficiency and innovation
• Studying OT
o When studying OT, three issues you might be find helpful:
▪ 1. We are studying individual topics, but everything is interrelated
▪ 2. No theory is complete, no one theory applies in every situation, nor is it an accurate description
of the way organizations really are – theory is a lens or framework for viewing the world
▪ 3. When reading about the theories, think about how they might apply to organizations with
which you are familiar – either as an employee, a customer, a student or a volunteer
4
