Discussion: View Thread

I will be teaching a course in organizational behavior for low level
undergraduates and was wondering if anyone could recommend some simply
presented readings on institutional theory? All the work I have in my
library on the subject and all the work I've found in my net searches is
very academically oriented and would be way too far over their heads. Any
suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

thanks in advance --
Deborah Vidaver-Cohen
FIU

After all the dialogue on homework, assignments and 'appropriate' levels of
courses, I'd suspect that if there isn't any material available for this
subject then the conclusion is that (just perhaps) the whole idea of trying
to teach this subject / topic is not a good idea?

Is it possible that a better solution is to get the students prepared
through another introductory OB subject to study institutional theory?

I am not quite sure what the writer means by low-level undergraduates, but I
would take that to mean 1st or 2nd year students. Is it possible that any
'institutional theory' subject is beyond their abilities at this stage of
their development?

I am one who believes that we, as teachers, have to establish a foundation
for advanced study in any area. Jumping into higher level studies without
building this foundation does no one any good.

I do hope that you find a better answer to your question ... I'm afraid that
my response does not directly address your request, but is more of a
challenge to the request.

Regards from the land down under

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Institutional Theory for low level undergrads?

I will be teaching a course in organizational behavior for low level
undergraduates and was wondering if anyone could recommend some simply
presented readings on institutional theory? All the work I have in my
library on the subject and all the work I've found in my net searches is
very academically oriented and would be way too far over their heads. Any
suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I think you can serve your students well be revealing a taxonomy of
institutions such as a) hierarchy, b) process-oriented, c) object-based and
d) chaordic.

This will help them perceive alternatives to the Voluntary Adult Detention
Facilities currently called Corporation and Government that they have grown
to uncritically accept.

Likewise, this will help them gain perspective regarding such organizational
change interventions 'demanding customers,' 'demanding regulatory agencies'
and 'stakeholder activism.'

http://faculty.babson.edu/krollag/org_site/encyclop/instit.expl.html
may be of use.

"Supply Chains; A Manager's Guide" by David Taylor, PhD, Addison Wesley 2004
is a look at an emerging enterprise architecture (supply chains and value
webs) that most any 1st or 2nd year business student can understand.

Also, they would be well served by exposure to "One From Many; VISA and the
Rise of the Chaordic Organization" by Dee Hock, Berrett Koehler, 2005.

cheers,
Jack Ring

----- Original Message -----
From: "D. Vidaver-Cohen" <vidaver@SPRINTMAIL.COM>
To: <MG-ED-DV@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>
Sent: Friday, September 01, 2006 5:37 PM
Subject: Institutional Theory for low level undergrads?


>I will be teaching a course in organizational behavior for low level
> undergraduates and was wondering if anyone could recommend some simply
> presented readings on institutional theory? All the work I have in my
> library on the subject and all the work I've found in my net searches is
> very academically oriented and would be way too far over their heads.
> Any
> suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
>
> thanks in advance --
> Deborah Vidaver-Cohen
> FIU
>
>

Colleagues,

A voice from outside academia.

I've been working with researchers in the sciences underlying health care.
I've found both proposals and papers to be designed for the author's peer
groups. They may be opaque to almost anyone else.

Further, those papers are self-centered or topic-centered rather than
reader-centered. The authors (in my experience) are focused on what they
want to say rather than what the reader needs to know.

I can fully appreciate the possibility that very few research papers in
institutional theory or organizational behavior will be appropriate for
undergraduates.

I hereby apologize for overstatement. Not all authors fit my description.

A solution is finding review papers. When summarizing a range of work done
over a period of time, authors generally see themselves as serving much
broader audiences than their specific peer group. Also, book chapters can
be excellent resources. For education, one can sometimes get permission to
share just a chapter with a class.

Do any recent review papers stand out? Any book chapters?

There is another serious problem with peer-focused papers and articles. As
recommended reading, it sets a standard for future writing. Rather than
learn the art of clear communication, students may learn opacity, thinking
that is a standard of excellence.

In times of rapid change and vast numbers of publications, we need the next
generation to be clarifiers.

Best,

Gary

PS: In business and innovation, communications have one primary, overriding
purpose - to build relationships. Not to inform or persuade, not to plan or
contract, not to document or account, not to direct or report, not to buy or
sell, but to build lasting relationships. Hard to accept, isn't it. That
means that product brochures are not really about products. Business plans
not about businesses. Project reviews not about projects. Sales calls not
about sales. Scientific papers not about science. It means that the
product, business, and science are all supporting information rather than
the core message. For my newsletter on Innovating Communications, respond
to GaryL@Market-Engineering.com with "Communications Newsletter" in the
subject line.

--
Change agent skills
are as important to individual success
as are professional discipline skills.

Gary Lundquist
303-840-9929 GaryL@Market-Engineering.com
Editor - The Colorado Innovation Newsletter
www.ColoradoInnovation.blogs.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Management Education and Development Discussion
[mailto:MG-ED-DV@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Henry Collier
Sent: Friday, September 01, 2006 6:59 PM
To: MG-ED-DV@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
Subject: Re: Institutional Theory for low level undergrads?


After all the dialogue on homework, assignments and 'appropriate' levels of
courses, I'd suspect that if there isn't any material available for this
subject then the conclusion is that (just perhaps) the whole idea of trying
to teach this subject / topic is not a good idea?

Is it possible that a better solution is to get the students prepared
through another introductory OB subject to study institutional theory?

I am not quite sure what the writer means by low-level undergraduates, but I
would take that to mean 1st or 2nd year students. Is it possible that any
'institutional theory' subject is beyond their abilities at this stage of
their development?

I am one who believes that we, as teachers, have to establish a foundation
for advanced study in any area. Jumping into higher level studies without
building this foundation does no one any good.

I do hope that you find a better answer to your question ... I'm afraid that
my response does not directly address your request, but is more of a
challenge to the request.

Regards from the land down under

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Institutional Theory for low level undergrads?

I will be teaching a course in organizational behavior for low level
undergraduates and was wondering if anyone could recommend some simply
presented readings on institutional theory? All the work I have in my
library on the subject and all the work I've found in my net searches is
very academically oriented and would be way too far over their heads. Any
suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Deborah:

I'll go further than Jack, especially in response to Henry's dismal
perspective.

Good teachers can rescale any level of concept into terms their
students can grasp. Indeed, the fundamental reason we ask post-
doctoral researchers to teach early-stage undergraduates is to
challenge scholars to translate the big ideas at the leading edge
into terms that an educated layman can comprehend. Many,
unfortunately cannot do it well.

Most important elements of human experience are reflected in our
cannonical literature. So, my suggestion is to go back into the
cannon. Take a look at Shakespeare's works. How about some Old
Testament passages? Maybe something from the Brothers Grimm, or
Aesop's Fables? Personally, I'd take a hard look at Little Red
Ridiing Hood, the Three Little Pigs, ... Those stories will connect
with childhood memories, and your interpretation of them in light of
the scholarly literature will make something special come alive with
new and deeper meaning. See what 2nd year art students at UMass have
done with Aesop at http://www.umass.edu/aesop/.

While we're on the subject of inter-media learning, take a look at
Joe Champoux's work on the use of film in teaching organizational
subjects: http://www.amazon.com/Organizational-Behavior-Visualize-
Principles-Practices/dp/0324048564/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b/
104-6244143-1680747?ie=UTF8. I think you'll find some interesting
cross-overs between modern films and Old Testament stories. What do
we believe (know?) about well-built institutions, versus those "build
on sand"? What kind of OB leader was Moses in his different phases
of life?

In the Entrepreneurship field, there is much literature emerging
about the difference that lead to successful growth organizations,
versus flame-outs. I have found Keith Schilit's Rising Stars and
Fast Fades especially intriguing to undergraduates. Colliins &
Porras' Built to Last, and the follow-on controversies, make some of
these issues accessible to laymen. The HBR collection HBR on
Strategies for Growth might be a good source of research-grounded,
lay-accessible material; I'd especially commend the opening piece:
Stalk, Pecaut, and Burnett on "Breaking Compromises, Breakaway
Growth." The articled about GE's way of integrating acquisitions, by
Ashkenas, Demonaco, and Francis, may stimulate a lot of discussion
later in the course.

Let me know if you want to go further down the ENTR line; I've just
assembled an extensive list of inexpensive trade books for a new
course I'm offering next week on Entrepreneurial Growth Strategies.
I'll be adding more on the research literature as the course
progresses. My key question is: How do successful entrepreneurs in
all sectors build organizations so well that they have enduring
growth potential? Conversely, what goes wrong when the organizations
are not that well designed? What kinds of flaws are survivable?
What kinds are fatal?

Good luck with your course! It sounds like your students will have a
special experience.

Tom Bryant


Dr. Tom Bryant
Visiting Rohrer Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies
Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA
e-mail: bryant@rowan.edu



On Sep 2, 2006, at 9:40 AM, Jack Ring wrote:

> I think you can serve your students well be revealing a taxonomy of
> institutions such as a) hierarchy, b) process-oriented, c) object-
> based and d) chaordic.
>
> >>>>>
> cheers,
> Jack Ring
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "D. Vidaver-Cohen"
> <vidaver@SPRINTMAIL.COM>
> To: <MG-ED-DV@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>
> Sent: Friday, September 01, 2006 5:37 PM
> Subject: Institutional Theory for low level undergrads?
>
>
>> I will be teaching a course in organizational behavior for low level
>> undergraduates and was wondering if anyone could recommend some
>> simply
>> presented readings on institutional theory? All the work I have
>> in my
>> library on the subject and all the work I've found in my net
>> searches is
>> very academically oriented and would be way too far over their
>> heads. Any
>> suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
>>
>> thanks in advance --
>> Deborah Vidaver-Cohen
>> FIU
>>

Hi Henry --

These students are actually practicing business people going for an
accelerated BBA degree so the concepts should not be over their heads.
However, since many of them are not native english speakers I am looking for
discussions of the theory that are presented in more simple language.

But regardless, it would seem to me that if one is to teach organizational
behavior in a comprehensive way, one has to address the institutional
context as well as the individual and organizational factors that influence
behavior, especially in today's business environment where so much of what
happens inside organizations is influenced by what happens outside.
However, I do understand that some scholars still think it's sufficient to
teach OB from a primarily micro perspective as this has been the standard
model for a long time.

I did not follow the thread on appropriate assignments but personally I see
no reason whatsoever that you can't introduce students at any level to any
idea, as long as that idea is presented in an understandable way. Gary's
comments were right on target and his suggestion about looking at review
articles was a good one. Hopefully i will be able to find some of those.

thanks for your response,
regards,
d. vidaver-cohen

-----Original Message-----
From: Management Education and Development Discussion
[mailto:MG-ED-DV@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Henry Collier

After all the dialogue on homework, assignments and 'appropriate' levels of
courses, I'd suspect that if there isn't any material available for this
subject then the conclusion is that (just perhaps) the whole idea of trying
to teach this subject / topic is not a good idea?

Is it possible that a better solution is to get the students prepared
through another introductory OB subject to study institutional theory?

I am not quite sure what the writer means by low-level undergraduates, but I
would take that to mean 1st or 2nd year students. Is it possible that any
'institutional theory' subject is beyond their abilities at this stage of
their development?

I am one who believes that we, as teachers, have to establish a foundation
for advanced study in any area. Jumping into higher level studies without
building this foundation does no one any good.

I do hope that you find a better answer to your question ... I'm afraid that
my response does not directly address your request, but is more of a
challenge to the request.

Regards from the land down under

I do think that there are some important differences between teaching
undergraduate courses to "adult learners" than to the traditional
undergraduate with little or no work experience. You can usually find
exercises that allow students to draw on their own life and work experience
so that they can attach the abstract concepts to something concrete in their
lives. This seems to work pretty well.

I actually teach technology management rather than OB in particular. But
there is definitely an OB/micro element to teaching technology management.
At the same time, it is crucial to situate the micro OB perspectives in a
cultural and institutional milieu. For example, "cultural" conflicts
between technical professionals and "non-technical" management is very
common and very much related to behavior. From an institutional
perspective, you may end up talking about topics like intellectual property
law which is a set of institutions that has a major effect on how R&D gets
done and can have behavioral consequences. I can easily see how this would
become important in international business as well. Perhaps it is more
difficult in more overarching courses on OB just because there is such a
diversity of potential situations to apply culture or institutional analysis
to.

Best, Bill


>From: "D. Vidaver-Cohen" <vidaver@SPRINTMAIL.COM>
>Reply-To: Management Education and Development Discussion
><MG-ED-DV@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>
>To: MG-ED-DV@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
>Subject: Re: Institutional Theory for low level undergrads?
>Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2006 12:23:53 -0400
>
>Hi Henry --
>
>These students are actually practicing business people going for an
>accelerated BBA degree so the concepts should not be over their heads.
>However, since many of them are not native english speakers I am looking
>for
>discussions of the theory that are presented in more simple language.
>
>But regardless, it would seem to me that if one is to teach organizational
>behavior in a comprehensive way, one has to address the institutional
>context as well as the individual and organizational factors that influence
>behavior, especially in today's business environment where so much of what
>happens inside organizations is influenced by what happens outside.
>However, I do understand that some scholars still think it's sufficient to
>teach OB from a primarily micro perspective as this has been the standard
>model for a long time.
>
>I did not follow the thread on appropriate assignments but personally I see
>no reason whatsoever that you can't introduce students at any level to any
>idea, as long as that idea is presented in an understandable way. Gary's
>comments were right on target and his suggestion about looking at review
>articles was a good one. Hopefully i will be able to find some of those.
>
>thanks for your response,
>regards,
>d. vidaver-cohen
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Management Education and Development Discussion
>[mailto:MG-ED-DV@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Henry Collier
>
>After all the dialogue on homework, assignments and 'appropriate' levels of
>courses, I'd suspect that if there isn't any material available for this
>subject then the conclusion is that (just perhaps) the whole idea of trying
>to teach this subject / topic is not a good idea?
>
>Is it possible that a better solution is to get the students prepared
>through another introductory OB subject to study institutional theory?
>
>I am not quite sure what the writer means by low-level undergraduates, but
>I
>would take that to mean 1st or 2nd year students. Is it possible that any
>'institutional theory' subject is beyond their abilities at this stage of
>their development?
>
>I am one who believes that we, as teachers, have to establish a foundation
>for advanced study in any area. Jumping into higher level studies without
>building this foundation does no one any good.
>
>I do hope that you find a better answer to your question ... I'm afraid
>that
>my response does not directly address your request, but is more of a
>challenge to the request.
>
>Regards from the land down under

Deborah,
The one caution I would add to Tom's excellent post is that you may
inadvertently generate graduates that are 'genetically unfit' for sustained
unemployment in today's Voluntary Adult Detention Facilities. Accordingly,
one course session should be devoted to "Interview techniques that help you
avoid selecting a bad job."

Jack Ring
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Bryant" <tom.brystra@GMAIL.COM>
To: <MG-ED-DV@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, September 02, 2006 8:55 AM
Subject: Re: Institutional Theory for low level undergrads?


> Deborah:
>
> I'll go further than Jack, especially in response to Henry's dismal
> perspective.
>
> Good teachers can rescale any level of concept into terms their students
> can grasp. Indeed, the fundamental reason we ask post- doctoral
> researchers to teach early-stage undergraduates is to challenge scholars
> to translate the big ideas at the leading edge into terms that an
> educated layman can comprehend. Many, unfortunately cannot do it well.
>
> Most important elements of human experience are reflected in our
> cannonical literature. So, my suggestion is to go back into the cannon.
> Take a look at Shakespeare's works. How about some Old Testament
> passages? Maybe something from the Brothers Grimm, or Aesop's Fables?
> Personally, I'd take a hard look at Little Red Ridiing Hood, the Three
> Little Pigs, ... Those stories will connect with childhood memories, and
> your interpretation of them in light of the scholarly literature will
> make something special come alive with new and deeper meaning. See what
> 2nd year art students at UMass have done with Aesop at
> http://www.umass.edu/aesop/.
>
> While we're on the subject of inter-media learning, take a look at Joe
> Champoux's work on the use of film in teaching organizational subjects:
> http://www.amazon.com/Organizational-Behavior-Visualize-
> Principles-Practices/dp/0324048564/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b/
> 104-6244143-1680747?ie=UTF8. I think you'll find some interesting
> cross-overs between modern films and Old Testament stories. What do we
> believe (know?) about well-built institutions, versus those "build on
> sand"? What kind of OB leader was Moses in his different phases of life?
>
> In the Entrepreneurship field, there is much literature emerging about
> the difference that lead to successful growth organizations, versus
> flame-outs. I have found Keith Schilit's Rising Stars and Fast Fades
> especially intriguing to undergraduates. Colliins & Porras' Built to
> Last, and the follow-on controversies, make some of these issues
> accessible to laymen. The HBR collection HBR on Strategies for Growth
> might be a good source of research-grounded, lay-accessible material; I'd
> especially commend the opening piece: Stalk, Pecaut, and Burnett on
> "Breaking Compromises, Breakaway Growth." The articled about GE's way of
> integrating acquisitions, by Ashkenas, Demonaco, and Francis, may
> stimulate a lot of discussion later in the course.
>
> Let me know if you want to go further down the ENTR line; I've just
> assembled an extensive list of inexpensive trade books for a new course
> I'm offering next week on Entrepreneurial Growth Strategies. I'll be
> adding more on the research literature as the course progresses. My key
> question is: How do successful entrepreneurs in all sectors build
> organizations so well that they have enduring growth potential?
> Conversely, what goes wrong when the organizations are not that well
> designed? What kinds of flaws are survivable? What kinds are fatal?
>
> Good luck with your course! It sounds like your students will have a
> special experience.
>
> Tom Bryant
>
>
> Dr. Tom Bryant
> Visiting Rohrer Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies
> Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA
> e-mail: bryant@rowan.edu
>
>
>
> On Sep 2, 2006, at 9:40 AM, Jack Ring wrote:
>
>> I think you can serve your students well be revealing a taxonomy of
>> institutions such as a) hierarchy, b) process-oriented, c) object- based
>> and d) chaordic.
>>
>> >>>>>
>> cheers,
>> Jack Ring
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "D. Vidaver-Cohen"
>> <vidaver@SPRINTMAIL.COM>
>> To: <MG-ED-DV@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>
>> Sent: Friday, September 01, 2006 5:37 PM
>> Subject: Institutional Theory for low level undergrads?
>>
>>
>>> I will be teaching a course in organizational behavior for low level
>>> undergraduates and was wondering if anyone could recommend some simply
>>> presented readings on institutional theory? All the work I have in my
>>> library on the subject and all the work I've found in my net searches
>>> is
>>> very academically oriented and would be way too far over their heads.
>>> Any
>>> suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
>>>
>>> thanks in advance --
>>> Deborah Vidaver-Cohen
>>> FIU
>>>
>
>

Bill,

I couldn 't agree more! Last week, teaching traditional undergrads for
the first time in seven years, I started by asking if there were any
questions about the first two chapters of the book. One student said,
courageously, "I read the chapters carefully but I still don't
understand: What is organizational behavior?" So, we spent 75 minutes
on the questions, "What is an organization?" and "What is human
behavior?" ;-)

Ruth

Bill Kaghan wrote:

> I do think that there are some important differences between teaching
> undergraduate courses to "adult learners" than to the traditional
> undergraduate with little or no work experience. You can usually find
> exercises that allow students to draw on their own life and work
> experience so that they can attach the abstract concepts to something
> concrete in their lives. This seems to work pretty well.
--
Ruth H. Axelrod
Gettysburg College

Have you seen the series of articles presented as chapters in the
following book? It was pbulished for O.D. practitioners but may have
some material you could work with.

The NTL Handbook of Organizational Development and Change: Principles,
Practices, and Perspectives / Brenda B. Jones and Michael Brazzel,
editors.
Publisher: Pfeifer
ISBN: 10:0-7879-7773-X

Mike Kiska
Training & O.D. Manager - Administrative Services
Jefferson County Public Library
Find us on the Web: http://jefferson.lib.co.us