Understanding Organisations

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 3
• Convenor: Sean Hamil
• Assessment: a 10-minute team presentation (30%) and a 1500-word individual report/essay (70%)

This module provides an introduction to organisations, their structure and culture, and the behaviour of individuals and groups within them. Topics covered include: the nature and types of organisation; individual differences; power; job design and teamwork; motivation; and communication. It will also involve constructing informal and formal organisational charts for an organisation.

Indicative module syllabus

• The nature, purpose and types of organisations
• The key features of effective organisations
• The relationship between organisational structure, culture and performance
• Methods of communication in organisations
• The role and importance of power, politics, conflict in organisations
• Theories of individual behaviour and their relevance in the workplace
• Contemporary issues in organisations

By the end of this module, you will have a clear understanding and awareness of:

• the nature, purpose and types of organisations
• the key features of effective organisations
• the relationship between organisational structure, culture and performance
• how to map and construct an informal and formal organisational chart for an organisation
• what is meant by organisational culture and an ability to reflect on culture that exists within an organisation
• the importance of the relationship between informal and formal processes within organisations and their impact on organisational effectiveness
• the role and importance of power, politics, conflict and influencing strategies within organisations
• the theories of individual behaviour and their relevance in the modern workplace.