Presentation

In this class, we will combine a global reflection on the changes that organizations and their management have undergone since the 19th century, with a detailed study of the main schools of thought on and theories of organizations and a critical presentation of change management in organizations. After having shown how the scientific revolution, the idea of progress and its transformation into ideology, and the technological revolutions have affected organizations, we will then approach the sociology of organizations through presentations and critical analyses of the theories and their evolution and concrete cases, past and present. The objective of the class is to enable students ­- building on solid organizational knowledge - to understand and assess the functioning of an organization, on the one hand, and to anticipate the changes related, in particular, to evolutions in current production modes and to the transition into the post-industrial and consumerist era.

Recommended Prerequisite(s)

An interest and basic knowledge in economic and social history and sociology are required.

Form of assessment

The number of ECTS credits and the assessment methods are likely to be different for students in credit exchange programmes.

Bibliography

• Morgan G., Images of Organizations, Sage publications, 1986.
• Rist G., Le développement histoire d’une croyance occidentale, Presses de la FNSP, Paris, 1996.
• Bartolli A., Le management des organisations publiques, Dunod, 2005.
• Hobsbawn E., The Age of Revolution 1789–1848 and The Age of Empire 1875 – 1914. London, Abacus, 2003. 
• Gergen K.J. & Joseph T., Organizational science in a postmodern context, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 1996, 32, 356-378.

Educational formula

The class is structured around a PowerPoint presentation made available to students at the beginning of the class. The PowerPoint serves as the basis for an oral class, the oral version being the official version of the year’s course. It is supplemented by a set of references, written, and video sources posted on the Moodle platform. The oral class makes it possible both to update cases and data and to test the students’ understanding, using short videos for example. Fifteen minutes before each class session, a video is shown that highlights the issues and topics that will be examined in the session.