This syllabus is subject to change without notice. Contact the professor for most recent changes.

17-88-603-01 Organizational Environment

Minnesota State University, Mankato

Morris Hall 112

Thursday 6:00-8:45 p.m.

Instructor: Dr. Cherrington – (Dr. “J”) Office: 106b Morris Hall Phone/Voice Mail: 507-389-5031

Office Hours: These are posted on my office door and also on my web page.

Web page: www.intech.mnsu.edu/cherrington

Required Texts: Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice and Leadership, Bohlman, Lee G. and Terrence E. Deal, Jossey Bass Publishers, 2^nd Edition, 1997.

Strength Deployment Inventory, Personal Strengths Publishing Inc. (www.personalstrengths.com)

Reserve Readings/Cases: (available in class mailbox in MH 106 – URSI 603)

Therese Carmen case study

Managing Public Organizations, Jamil E. Jreisat, New York, NY: Paragon Publishers, 1992 (see weekly schedule)

Course Purpose: Interaction between the organization and its environment underline several important distinctions between private and public sectors. For example, private sectors objectives are often clearer and less likely to generate conflict. However, the environment of public organizations includes political, legal, economic, and social elements, which are elusive forces that are not easily identifiable or measurable. Consequently public sector managers and, particularly those in local government, have less authority, less flexibility, and less decision-making power than their corporate counterparts. This leads to the question of how local government managers and planners can become more responsive, accountable, innovative, and efficient. The purpose of this course is to explore organizational theories and adaptive strategies in both the public and private sectors in order to assist local government managers and planners in becoming leaders and change agents in their public-sector environment. In addition it utilizes the Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI) self-scoring motivational assessment tool to build awareness of self and others, leadership development, teambuilding, conflict management and dispute resolution and mediation.

Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:

Identify how the theory and practice of managing public organizations developed and locate them in a historical time line.
Articulate classic approaches to organizational theory/process and synthesize them with the human relations model.
Articulate the systems, public-choice, and action theories as well as the neobureaucratic and new public administration perspectives.
Place major views of organizations into frames and relate them to existing organizational theory.
Work in small groups to analyze case studies and develop diagnostic tools and action-oriented strategies for the local government practitioner.

Apply public management theories to a real-world situation.
Measure the individual motivational value system in good and in conflict or opposition situations

Personal Skill Development Goals: In addition to the specific course outcomes, there are 4 additional goals that are most common to all other URSI graduate courses at MSU. They are:

· to develop your creative and critical thinking powers in addressing problems and opportunities.

· to develop your personal communication skills, both written and oral.

· to improve your ability to work and interact with others in a team approach.

· to improve your understanding and use of technology.