Aims

Given that the analysis of organisations is an experimental subject, the course will seek
to develop both skills in scientific analysis and professional know how. It calls for a kind of thought process that embraces an inductive approach, and an ability to grasp, and make sense of, concrete situations in a range of organisations. By the end of the course, students will be able to use analytical elements provided in general lectures, and to effectively integrate theoretical concepts and facts that they will have to interpret.

Main themes

The course consists of an inter disciplinary approach to the phenomenon of public sector
organisation. It will aim to embrace the complex nature of the subject, and explore its
numerous dimensions. The course will also provide explanations of the two main poles around which the theories of organisation are built: an analysis of how the organisation functions, and a study of the behaviour of individuals. New approaches will also be taken into consideration.

Content and teaching methods

Content
Presentation of the various stages and the numerous studies that have culminated in the
elaboration of a theoretical analysis of organisations and of public sector organisations. The
bureaucracy will serve as the point of departure, and the course will then move on to an analysis of formal organisations, and from there to an analysis of organised action. Other issues to be addressed include questions of change in the organisation, its relationship with its environment, issues of decision making, and the organisation's identity and culture. These classical analyses will be complemented with the help of ideas that cast new light on them ('composite montage', 'field' and 'network').
Methodology
The course will also rely on contributions from many actors and researchers in the field. In addition to lectures, the course will invite students to make an in depth study of a theme through personal reading, or through the examination of a concrete case.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

The oral examination will focus on theoretical and conceptual information developed during the course, and on defence of work that has been completed by the student, and which attempts to understand a particular organisational situation, and enables the student to present relevant explanatory hypotheses. Reading portfolio.

Programmes in which this activity is taught

Other credits in programs