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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Organizational Analysis by Stanford University

4.6
stars
954 ratings
•
292 reviews

About the Course

In this introductory, self-paced course, you will learn multiple theories of organizational behavior and apply them to actual cases of organizational change. Organizations are groups whose members coordinate their behaviors in order to accomplish a shared goal. They can be found nearly everywhere in today’s society: universities, start-ups, classrooms, hospitals, non-profits, government bureaus, corporations, restaurants, grocery stores, and professional associations are some of many examples of organizations. Organizations are as varied and complex as they are ubiquitous: they differ in size and internal structure; they can entail a multiplicity of goals and tasks (some of which are planned and others unplanned!); they are made up of individuals whose goals and motivations may differ from those of the group; and they must interact with other organizations and deal with environmental constraints in order to be successful. This complexity frequently results in a myriad of problems for organizational participants and the organization’s survival. In this course, we will use organizational theories to systematically analyze how an organization operates and can best be managed. Organizational theories highlight certain features of an organization’s structure and environment, as well as its processes of negotiation, production, and change. Each provides a lens for interpreting novel organizational situations and developing a sense for how individual and group behaviors are organized. Theories are valuable for the analyst and manager because most organizational problems are unique to the circumstances and cannot be solved by simple rules of thumb. Armed with a toolset of organizational theories, you will be able to systematically identify important features of an organization and the events transforming it; choose a theoretical framework most applicable to the observed mode of organizing; and use that theory to determine which actions will best redirect the organization in desired directions. In sum, the course has three goals: to become familiar with a series of real-world organizational phenomena; to learn different theoretical perspectives that can elucidate these phenomena; and to apply these different ways of “seeing” and managing organizations to cases. In such a fashion, the course is designed to actively bridge theory and practice, exposing students to a variety of conceptual tools and ways to negotiate novel situations....

Top reviews

MA
Apr 29, 2020

This course provides in-depth analyses of a host of organizational theories and their application in real life. The dissection of each case and the applicability of the theories are really insightful.

AL
Sep 2, 2019

Very challenging yet worth it. If you are in an administrative position in an organization (especially education) you will get some great perspectives/understandings from this course. Take good notes!

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276 - 288 of 288 Reviews for Organizational Analysis

By Ye M T

•
Jan 15, 2021

It's quite challenging.

By yashaswini

•
Apr 2, 2018

GREAT LECTURES & TOPIC

By Ing. P G

•
Sep 7, 2017

great very deep course

By sergio

•
Apr 14, 2020

was good -

By kareem E h

•
Jan 9, 2018

.

By Jeanna K

•
Jan 3, 2018

Excellent overview of theories helps you understand what else to pursue or research, it's a very good baseline. The testing concepts are dated and not terribly effective. The capstone is 111 questions, which as we all know, prompts us all to develop a strategy to pass the test, vs assessing our application of concepts . Also there was no response to questions during the course. (Coursera tried to make contact and get resolution as well, the response problem is with the course developer not Coursera)

By Janice

•
May 1, 2017

Interesting concepts. The instructor is knowledgeable. As an organizational development practitioners, I found it very academic relative to the terms used and examples given. In some cases, I had to translate the terms used to every day layman language to really understand the concepts as they would apply in my day-to-day work.

By Jani S

•
Jun 11, 2017

Thank for you for a interesting course, helping me to understand the dynamics of organisations. The course has fostered me an interest to pursue other courses in same path.

By Ana C S

•
Sep 20, 2020

Amazing content although not dynamic which makes it difficult to follow during 11 weeks. The final exam is too long.

By Ann T J

•
Sep 23, 2020

My quiz session from week 2 is locked. I can't open it. Please Help me !!

By Stephanie D

•
Jan 17, 2021

This course did not meet expectations. The content was delivered in a dry and outdated way. As someone working in a company, I unfortunately was not able to take much out that would be applicable in my day to day life. The case examples and a lot of the content seemed to be geared towards the public sector (schools, government, etc.). Compared to other courses, this was not engaging or delivered in an exciting way, to have the presenter in the corner and very copy/content heavy slides did not match my expectations from other courses. It seemed this was created several years ago and has not been updated or could provide more business related examples. I highly recommend updating the course description to be more reflective of content and who should take the course. And for Standford, to consider updating the content or presenting the material in a more interactive and engaging way.

By Helena H

•
Nov 4, 2020

So boring, I fell asleep halfway through the second video. The teacher has an unengaging voice and personality.

By SIRAJ A

•
Mar 29, 2020

Too much difficult course.

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