Many of the daily challenges managers face originate from a need to coordinate and control organizational and individual action to meet program goals and broader social objectives. To address these challenges, public and nonprofit managers must understand the unique institutional context of public organizations, and the behavior of individuals within them.
In this course, you will examine several theories that seek to explain the actions of organizations (organizational theory) and the behavior of individuals within organizations (organizational behavior). You will explore relevant research in public administration, and bridge theory and practice in ways that will help you approach and successfully address complex management problems. You will accomplish this by studying relevant cases, submitting a paper describing the development of a hypothetical mini-survey, and completing a group paper and presentation of an organizational analysis. Along the way, you will get a chance to gain insights into specific organizations and meet relevant practitioners.
The developer of this course is Assistant Professor Khaldoun AbouAssi. Professor AbouAssi holds a PhD in public administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and served as an assistant professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M before joining American University. He has extensive, practical experience, having worked for more than 12 years in public and nonprofit organizations in the Middle East. Dr. AbouAssi serves in leadership positions at the American Society of Public Administration and the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action.
Course objectives:
- Explore relevant research in public administration
- Bridge theory and practice to approach and successfully address complex management problems
- Acquire the knowledge and abilities necessary to think critically about organizational action and the behavior of individuals within organizations
- Learn tools and strategies for understanding, interpreting, and responding to the internal and external contexts of public organizations
Topics covered include:
- Foundations
- Public-private distinctions
- Organizational structure, design, and technology
- Politics, stakeholders, and bureaucracy
- Decision making
- Organizational goals and effectiveness
- Work motivation and employee values
- Workforce diversity
- Communication, conflict, and negotiation
- Group behavior and teams
- Leadership and organizational innovation and change
Learn more today. Call us at 855-725-7614 to speak to an admissions representative or request more information here.
