Dr Lucia Garcia-Lorenzo, STC. S311

Optional for MSc Organisational and Social Psychology,  MSc Social and Cultural Psychology, MSc Social and Public Communication and MSc Organisational Behaviour. Other students on degrees without a psychology or management component may only attend subject to numbers, their own degree regulations and at the discretion of the teacher responsible for the course.

The course focuses on how people work together in a number of contexts, from project teams within particular organisations to inter-organisational networks and alliances from the perspective of organisational knowledge. It offers students a theoretical and practical understanding about how organisations construct, disseminate and share knowledge in those settings. The focus is both theoretical and practical. Students will be expected to engage with both current theoretical debates and emerging practical issues in organisational life.

The course will cover topics such as: Organisations in the knowledge economy, knowledge-intensive companies, organisational learning, communities of practice, storytelling as knowledge transmission, teams and project organisations, virtual spaces, networks, alliances and partnerships, collaborative work, innovation and knowledge creation, implications for research and practice.

Lecture (one hour) x 10 LT; Class/Seminar x 10 LT. Students will be expected to make extended use of the course intranet - for on-line discussions and group presentations.

An essay plan of not more than 500 words is required.

Reading lists will be provided for each topic, the following are of general use; Castells, M. (1996) The Raise of the Network Society. Oxford: Blackwell; Czarniawska, B. (1998) A narrative approach to organisation studies. Qualitative research methods series. London: Sage; Dierkes, M.; Natal, A. B.; Child, J. and Nonaka, I. (2001) Handbook of Organisational Learning and Knowledge. Oxford: Oxford University Press; Little, S.; Quintas, P. and Ray, T. (2002) Managing Knowledge. An essential reader. London: Sage and Open University Press; Heckscheer, C. and Adler, P.S (2006) The firm as a collaborative community. Oxford: Oxford University Press; Tsoukas, H. (2005) Complex Knowledge: Studies in Organisational Epistemology. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Weick, K. E. (1995) Sensemaking in organisations. London: Sage..

A written assignment of not more than 3,000 words (100%).