HS2005 Organizations & Organizational Change

Large -scale and complex organisations are a central feature of modern society. This course examines theories and types of organisations, especially in terms of hierarchy, control, authority, decision -making and accountability. In particular, it considers the rise and impact of bureaucracy and bureaucratic rationality in modern society and the subsequent development of schools or systems of management. In understanding the formal features of bureaucratic and post -bureaucratic organizations, the course also considers the informal, cultural and small -group processes that influence the functioning of organisations. Organisational change and the transformation of management in contemporary society is analysed in terms of the relations between organisations and their environments.