Managing the Enterprise

1.5 Credits · Level: Graduate

This course will examine the most pivotal question that a manager will face – “What do I need to do in order to build, motivate, lead and manage a high performing organization?”. It will explore how to do that at varying stages of organizational maturity – but especially at scale. It will focus particular attention on the most critical asset of most enterprises – people and how they behave towards each other. Drawing upon well-researched literature and current case examples, we will explore how inspirational and authentic leaders can make transformational changes in organizations and in their environments by more effectively managing their human capital. The first half of this course will focus on establishing sound organizational foundations for the enterprise. We’ll ask why does management matter so much, and why does good management make such a difference? How should you design (or re-design) the organization; recruit, inspire and develop people; build the most important institutional skills and core management processes; ensure that the enterprise is agile and adaptable to changing circumstances; create a motivational culture and working environment; and measure and track organizational performance and health? In the second half of the course, we’ll examine what it takes to manage a dynamic organization, going through episodes of challenge and change. How should you undertake transformational change programs; manage the particular complexities of post-merger integration; enable diversity and inclusion; meet overlapping and conflicting stakeholder demands; and handle significant managerial crises in the glare of public scrutiny? Throughout this course we will draw upon the latest research into organizational behavior at the enterprise level, and we’ll explore numerous examples of enterprises which have tackled – with greater or lesser success – a range of managerial challenges and opportunities.