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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Organizational Analysis by Stanford University

4.6
stars
1,448 ratings

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

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!

AA

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.

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351 - 375 of 426 Reviews for Organizational Analysis

By Michael M

Feb 11, 2019

Very good course with lots of content. Could be improved using different presenters and incorporating content other than the lectures. The final exam was almost impossible and took several attempts to complete. Needs to be less complex to make success more accessible.

By Denise D

Apr 19, 2023

After many years managing businesses, a good course to add some framework and theory around my acquired skills. Lecturer excellent and clear. Would like to see more examples from the corporate world as opposed to Educational/Governmental but overall very insightful.

By Nishita A

Aug 30, 2020

This course provides in-depth knowledge about various theories and their applications to organisations in a comprehensible manner. The case examples further provide clarity and application of the theoretical concepts, thereby registering the content in my memory!

By Soumi S N C

Jul 30, 2020

Thanks to Professor McFarland and his team. It a journey worth travelling. The detailing and the summary was a piece of cake. I enriched myself with a lot of information. I would request and appreciate for more examples from industries and corporate background.

By V. H

Mar 5, 2018

Great course. You may want to warn future participants of a 3 hour final exam :)

Great content. The fireside chats were informative however since I took the course offline, they seemed a bit off topic. The content is definitely well researched and compiled.

By Stefanie C

Jan 3, 2021

Excellent journey through different organizational theories useful to Analyse organizational development issues. Lots of relevant examples. Having a few practical tools for analysis to make academic concepts readily applicable would have been helpful.

By Erik S

Jun 1, 2020

Very ilustrative. I had some problems with the quizzes and final test, as there were many normative value-driven answers that in my vow can not be answered only with right or wrong. This is a basic problem of Coursera, at least in my experience.

By Virginie C

Aug 25, 2019

I really enjoyed the course, the teacher was great and content very interesting. i would say though that learners shoul be made aware that they should know the textbook in great details to be successful at the final exam.

By Jahnavi V B

Mar 30, 2020

This course is one of the best course which takes you to different perspectives in an organization. I didn't think it will have those many modules. All are very helpful and the professor teaches clearly. Thank you.

By Raj K D

Jan 3, 2019

its an excellent course. i liked the end exam as well as sufficient depth in knowledge is required to pass this . this forced me to go through the course once again and i am thankful that I went though it again.

By Sainath S

Mar 21, 2018

Very interesting to take a course from a Stanford Professor. Just wondering if this is equivalent to a course attained from the university itself by attending physical classes or at least less-equivalent!

By Jay s

May 30, 2020

Very interesting theories and well explained. Only area where this could be improved is diversity in examples. Most of the examples are related to education which became confines your thinking.

By Ivaylo Y

Dec 12, 2016

It's a good course providing broad overview of the field and details into the important theories. Lots of case studies which I didn't find very relevant but still - nice to have them

By Kam L

Sep 3, 2021

Excellent overview. Quizzes should provide better feedback though to why answers are incorrect. Final exam should be omitted for people not interested in certificate of completion,

By Isorn S

Mar 8, 2023

Very good contents with a lot of case studies. However, the cases are in academic field, like schools and universities, then it needs more effort to relate to business context.

By daniel k j

Jan 21, 2019

Thoroughly enjoyed this basic overview of Organizational Analysis. It was a fun and interesting foray into what much of my major in school will look like.

By cristian s p p

Sep 29, 2020

Very complete course, maybe need more applied examples about other organizations different to education, but in general an excellent course, thank you

By Indah A T

Nov 25, 2021

this is a great course, a little bit boring for the materials and presentations, but after all it's enchance your knowledge. glad to finished it

By Evan D

Jan 30, 2022

Very informative but heavy on school examples. It's a great course I'd recommend to anyone interested in starting to learn about organizations.

By Vinod K M

Dec 23, 2018

Excellent course, gives a broad view on how organizations are formed. Theories guidelines on how they could could be adapted to the VUCA world.

By BSt

Aug 30, 2017

Very good course with many examples. I can recommend the course.

It is a bit long in comparison to other Coursera formats but worth the time!

By Neofytos K

Sep 14, 2017

Very intersting course, presenting the theories for approaching and analyzing organizations and always providing appropriate case examples

By Hunter T

Oct 11, 2023

Great and very informative. Though I am not sure if a learned the material completely or just retained answers for the quizzes and test.

By Marlene B

Oct 11, 2020

Interesting course. It allows me to look at organizations from another point of view. Thanks for making this course avail for free.

By Sriram D

Aug 5, 2020

I wish the course was dealt with in a simpler language rather than large words considering the international exposure to the course.