Organization Theory On-Line: PAD 705 Spring 2002
Here is the order in which you should approach your weekly assignments in the first ten or eleven weeks.
Remember: Keeping up is the name of the game in distance learning. Approaching your study in a structured way helps you keep up. The structure above is Professor O’Hara’s best judgment of how to sequence your readings and assignments to minimize wasted motion and maximize your learning. The goal of all we do here is to have each student build a mastery of organization theory week by week so that (1) “term” assignments [your paper & presentation] and (2) exams are easier, rather than harder, because everyone is prepared.
Whatever you do, don’t fall behind. The average chapter in Daft is less than 20 pages, minus lots of footnotes and bibliographic stuff, not to mention charts that can take up whole pages. The linked journal articles and media pieces augment Daft. For journal articles especially, it is sufficient that you understand the main ideas of the article, not every concept, and how those ideas relate to what Daft says. The media pieces, mostly Internet links to news stories, are chosen because they illustrate points that Daft makes. These hot-breaking stories (some will be lukewarm) are the same ones you read in the new papers and see on TV so they are easy reads. So dive in, there’s less work here than meets the eye and more learning that you ever thought possible if you stay on track. Have a good time.
Schedule of Activities: (NOTE: Every due date here is the
LAST DAY for assignment submissions, and lateness carries a substantial
penalty. You are responsible for
missed deadlines so allow yourself time to complete what is required. Also note that the wording “no later than”
does not preclude “much earlier than.”
If an assignment is up you may go ahead and do it, but don’t get so far
ahead that, when we get around to discussing the subject in a chat class or in
replies to what you posted, you forget what you read.)
No Later Than Friday, February 8, 2002
Come to the virtual classroom for the first of our bi-weekly meetings.
*NOTE: The external link folders have longer names but (Daft #) comes at the end of each.
Come to the virtual classroom for our bi-weekly meeting.
Come to the virtual classroom for our bi-weekly meeting.
Please e-mail Professor O’Hara a draft of a PowerPoint presentation based on the books you are reading and your analysis of the issues that organization faced or is facing. Doing this accomplishes two things. It allows Professor O’Hara to review what is really an outline of your term paper so that the final product is more likely to earn a high grade. And it allows Professor O’Hara to make improvement suggestions for your presentation before you post it for the class at large.
Come to the virtual classroom for our bi-weekly meeting.
Explanation: The basic subject matter of this chapter is covered in other classes. So, for the purposes of this class, a discussion forum, which would have extended our review of Daft for another week, makes little sense. HOWEVER, reading reinforcement on decision-making, given the role this topic plays in the comp exams, can only help you. Furthermore, Daft’s Chapter on Decision-Making DOES link backwards and forwards to other issues he raises, so skipping this chapter reduces the value you derive from the book. So you must read, and quiz. But the “exam questions” are NOT exam candidates.
NOTE: The last several weeks of the class are devoted to a reading and discussion of Wilson’s Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It. Wilson is the anti-Daft. Not that Wilson is, in principle, against reenergizing government organizations. Wilson, after all, was one of the intellectual godfathers of the policing reforms that have led to dramatic drops in crime, and analytical innovations such as COMPSTAT. Wilson, however, is keenly aware of the “environmental” and “cultural” constraints that keep government agencies from humming like IBM, innovating like Microsoft and, thank goodness, freewheeling like Enron. Like some of the authors to whom you were linked in the class, Wilson is in a class by himself as a student of government. I assigned this book because, if you are a current or future public servant, your understanding of how and why your organization ticks will be greatly enhanced, as will your ability to operate.
How we will approach the discussion forums for this book is as follows. All students will read Part 1 of Wilson prior to our Chat Class meeting of Sunday April 21, where it will be discussed. Then for each of the last four weeks of the class, we will have discussion forums where Parts II, III, V and VI will be discussed. Each Forum will have several threads, corresponding to the Chapters in each part. Each student will be assigned one thread per part, for instance Chapter 6, Culture, in Part II. Thus, while every student should read the whole book, your discussion thread responsibilities are limited to four chapters.
Assignments to groups for the purposes of the Wilson discussion forums will be made later in the term.
Come to the virtual classroom for our bi-weekly meeting and discussion of Wilson, Part One
Also by this evening, students should e-mail to Professor O’Hara their new and improved versions of the PowerPoint presentations about their organization. Professor O’Hara will post acceptable submissions during the week. Some students may be asked to make minor changes, with no penalties involved. However, any student who submits substantially the same presentation as was submitted on April 2nd will be penalized.
IN PLACE OF THE SUNDAY, MAY 5TH CHAT CLASS, THE “FINAL EXAM,” BASED ON THE QUESTIONS YOU HAVE BEEN DRAFT ANSWERING AS WE WERE READING DAFT WILL BE GIVEN DURING THE WEEK OF MAY 6TH. THE TIME OF THIS EXAM MAY NOT BE THE SAME FOR EVERY STUDENT, AND QUESTIONS MAY DIFFER IN DIFFERENT ADMINISTRATIONS OF THE EXAM. THE EXACT TIME OF THE EXAM(S) WILL BE WORKED OUT BETWEEN THE PROFESSOR AND INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS.
E-Mail your term paper to Professor O’Hara
And that is the schedule.