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You can earn credits from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign that count towards a Master of Business Administration (iMBA)

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

About this Course

38,866 recent views

Organizations are complex and can be difficult to manage well, so managers need tools to help them better understand and deal with the many complexities and challenges associated with organizational life. In this course, you will learn theories, principles, and frameworks that will help you design more effective organizations. 
You will be able to: 
-	Analyze organizations from multiple perspectives to better understand business challenges
-	Strategically plan for effective organizational governance
-	Develop systems to plan for growth and change
-	Understand implications of the external environment on business and strategically respond to these factors

This course is part of Gies College of Business’ suite of online programs, including the iMBA and iMSM. Learn more about admission into these programs and explore how your Coursera work can be leveraged if accepted into a degree program at https://degrees.giesbusiness.illinois.edu/idegrees/.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Approx. 13 hours to complete

English

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Skills you will gain

Organizational Structure
Knowledge of General Business Functions
Organization Design
Organizational Theory
Strategic Management

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Approx. 13 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructors

Instructor rating

4.76/5 (199 Ratings)

Michael Bednar

Associate Professor

Business Administration

51,304 Learners

2 Courses

E. Geoffrey Love

Associate Professor

Department of Business Administration, Gies College of Business

96,973 Learners

5 Courses

Offered by

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Start working towards your degree

This Course is part of an online degree program offered by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. When you apply for a for-credit non-degree course through the university and complete it online, it counts as credit hours towards a degree at Illinois. All you have to do is apply through the university.

Master of Business Administration (iMBA)

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating95%(6,443 ratings)

Week

Week 1

1 hour to complete

Course Orientation

1 hour to complete

4 videos (Total 16 min), 5 readings, 1 quiz

3 hours to complete

MODULE 1: PURPOSE AND GOVERNANCE

3 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 47 min), 2 readings, 8 quizzes

7 videos

1.1 Introduction to Purpose and Governance2m

1.2 Purpose of a Business6m

1.3 Building Purpose Into Your Organization12m

1.4 Mission Statements9m

1.5 Rational System View of Governance6m

1.6 Natural System View of Governance5m

1.7 Gauging Organizational Effectiveness4m

2 readings

Module 1 Overview10m

Module 1 Readings10m

8 practice exercises

Lesson 1.1 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 1.2 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 1.3 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 1.4 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 1.5 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 1.6 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 1.7 Practice Quiz10m

Purpose and Governance: Quiz20m

Week

Week 2

4 hours to complete

MODULE 2: ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

4 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 32 min), 2 readings, 8 quizzes

6 videos

2.1 Introduction to Organizational Structure5m

2.2 Contingency Theory3m

2.3 Functional Structure3m

2.4 Divisional Structure5m

2.5 Matrix Structure8m

2.6 Other Structures4m

2 readings

Module 2 Overview10m

Module 2 Readings10m

7 practice exercises

Lesson 2.1 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 2.2 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 2.3 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 2.4 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 2.5 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 2.6 Practice Quiz10m

Organizational Structure: Quiz1h

Week

Week 3

3 hours to complete

MODULE 3: GROWTH AND ORGANIZATIONAL LIFE CYCLES

3 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 41 min), 2 readings, 7 quizzes

6 videos

3.1 Growth5m

3.2 Growth and the Challenge of Control8m

3.3 Mechanistic and Organic Designs10m

3.4 Organizational Life Cycle6m

3.5 Integrating Mechanisms9m

3.6 Recap1m

2 readings

Module 3 Overview10m

Module 3 Readings10m

7 practice exercises

Lesson 3.1 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 3.2 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 3.3 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 3.4 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 3.5 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 3.6 Practice Quiz10m

Growth and Organizational Life Cycles: Quiz30m

Week

Week 4

3 hours to complete

Module 4: EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT

3 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 36 min), 4 readings, 7 quizzes

7 videos

4.1 Elements of the External Environment3m

4.2 Designing for Uncertainty5m

4.3 Resource Dependence Theory4m

4.4 Exploitation vs Exploration7m

4.5 Disruptive Innovation7m

4.6 Designing to Overcome Disruption3m

Gies Online Programs3m

4 readings

Module 4 Overview10m

Module 4 Readings10m

Congratulations!10m

Get Your Course Certificate10m

7 practice exercises

Lesson 4.1 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 4.2 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 4.3 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 4.4 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 4.5 Practice Quiz10m

Lesson 4.6 Practice Quiz10m

External Environment: Quiz30m

Reviews

4.6

305 reviews

5 stars
74.75%
4 stars
18.04%
3 stars
4.93%
2 stars
1.62%
1 star
0.64%

TOP REVIEWS FROM DESIGNING THE ORGANIZATION

by JRSep 21, 2017

Watch the summary videos at the end of module four of managing the organization first, they provide great structure to attach your learning to.

by ISDec 11, 2016

This course was good and the professor did a good job explaining content, however, it didn't really seem like useful information to me since it was extremely theoretical.

by JHMar 25, 2018

Good course, but I had a lot of trouble interacting with the app. It would not let me post comments or questions which was a bit frustrating. Going off the app and through the website now!

by JTNov 5, 2019

Great content that I know I will use in the future. Really opened my eyes as to how much the Strategy of the Organization is the key to its success.

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

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What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

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Designing the Organization

About this Course

Skills you will gain