AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims at developing critical understanding of the main organizational change issues.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course explores the issues of organisational change in the processes of digital transformation. There are two courses to choose from: a participative course with group work, thematic project work and case study seminars (a) and a non-participative course characterised by individual study of material provided by the lecturer (b). For those following the participative course, the development of skills in the collection, analysis and discussion of data and research results is a specific training objective of the course, as is the development of new knowledge on organisational change in digital transformation processes. The participative course involves a significantly higher workload than merely attending lectures and studying the indicated texts.

PREREQUISITES

Basics of Organizational design and behaviour

TEACHING METHODS

TEACHING METHODS
The course adopts participative teaching methods. All lectures call for dialogue and discussion in a positive atmosphere of interest and spontaneous collaboration. Students are invited to form working groups. The work carried out by each group results in a project work (10 pages), a summary sheet of the same text (1 page) and a seminar (1h). The seminar discussion of all the work takes place on the final day of the course. For those who choose the participative route, attendance of lectures, group work and seminars is compulsory.

COURSE STRUCTURE

The course consists of three parts:

1. Introduction (4 weeks) 21/9 - 13/10

In this first part of the course they build the fundamental theoretical foundations on the digital transformation process and the analysis of organisational change, which form the shared analysis framework to be adopted in group work. Students who choose the participative route independently form working groups (ideally, six groups). At the end of the introduction, students take a basic knowledge test (19/10). The test consists of 3 questions (45 min.) on the contents of the introduction and the indicated texts (see later: Teaching aids).

2. Group work (7 weeks) 19/10 - 1/12

Each group is assigned a research topic consisting of a theme/problem related to the adoption of specific digital transformation technologies and the implications of these for the transformation of organisational action and work processes. Each group explores the assigned topic by carrying out independent research activities under the supervision of the lecturer. Each group develops a project work consisting of: a text (10pp.), a summary sheet (1p.) and a classroom presentation (1 hour) for the discussion and sharing of the results of the in-depth study. The plenary discussion of all group work takes place on the final day of the course (12/12). The research topics for this edition of the course are as follows: RT1) ROBOTIC SUR-GERY RT2) HUMANOID ROBOTIC IN REHAB RT3) TELEMEDICINE RT4) POSTHU-MAN INTELLIGENCE IN DECISION MAKING RT5) THE REVOLUTION OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING RT6) ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. During this part of the course, there are no plenary lectures. Working groups develop project work under the supervision of the lecturer. Each group has a weekly appointment of one hour with the lecturer in the timetable. The other five weekly 'lecture' hours are dedicated to the construction of the project work.

3. Concluding seminars (12/12)

The project works are the subject of presentation and seminar discussion during the final day of the course (12/12 from 9-12 a.m. and 3-6 p.m.). The working groups make use of Aulaweb to make available to the classroom (by Thursday 7 December): a summary sheet (1 page) containing the essential elements of the work carried out; a text (10 pages) in which the group rigorously and punctually sets out the results of the in-depth study carried out in the group work. Each seminar adopts a structured discussion scheme, whereby the group: 1) presents an overall overview of the work carried out (5 min.); 2) discusses the detailed contents of the work (15 min.); stimulates and collects comments from the audience (5 min.); receives comments and questions from the lecturers (15 min.); discusses these comments and answers the lecturers' questions (20 min.). All students take part in the seminars and everything that emerges constitutes study material for the final examination.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course focuses on the process of digital transformation and the adoption of innovative technologies as an opportunity to change organisational action and work pro-cesses. An analytical and non-prescriptive perspective is assumed, which looks at technology in its instrumental dimension of the process of regulating organisational action, in the light of a basic theoretical background on the fundamental concepts and patterns of analysis of business organisation, which are assumed to be familiar.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

TEACHING AIDS 
a) Participatory pathway
The working groups make use of a variety of sources, the specific object of re-search and analysis by the students in their group work. The reference texts for all, in each case, are the following:

• Plesner, Husted (2022), L’organizzazione digitale, Il Mulino, Bologna (Introduzione e Parte prima)
• Masino (2011), “La tecnologia come razionalità tecnica”, in B. Maggi (a cura di), Interpretare l’agire: una sfida teorica, Carocci, Roma.
• Albano, Curzi, Fabbri (2020), Organizzazione: parole chiave, Giappichelli, Torino (specifiche voci di glossario indicate in aula).

Questi testi, insieme alle lezioni del primo mese (Introduzione al corso), costituiscono il materiale su cui preparare la verifica delle conoscenze di base del 19/10.

• Beane, M. (2019). Shadow Learning: Building Robotic Surgical Skill When Approved Means Fail. Administrative Science Quarterly, 64(1), 87–123.
• Gasparre, A., & Tirabeni, L. (2023). Choreographies of Care: A Dance of Human and Material Agency in Rehabilitation Work with Robots. Work, Employment and Society.
• Gherardi, S. (2010). Telemedicine: A practice-based approach to technology. Human Relations, 63(4), 501–524.
• Gasparre, A., & Monti, A. (2023). Posthuman intelligence in healthcare organizations. Exploring Human and Nonhuman Technological Encounters in Medical Work With A.I. (paper presented to EGOS colloquium, Organizing for the Good Life: Between Legacy and Imagination, Cagliari, 6-8 July 2023)
• Beltrametti, L. & Gasparre, A. (2018). Industrial 3D printing in Italy. International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management, 32(1)
• Mohammed, L, Niesten, E. & Gagliardi, D. (2020). Adoption of alternative fuel vehicle fleets – A theoretical framework of barriers and enablers, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 88.
• Project work elaborati dai gruppi di lavoro

These texts, together with the content of the end-of-course seminars, constitute the material on which to prepare for the final written examination to be taken in the examination sessions (see below: Examination Modalities).

b) Non-participatory route

• Plesner, Husted (2022), L’organizzazione digitale, Il Mulino, Bologna
• Masino (2011), “La tecnologia come razionalità tecnica”, in B. Maggi (a cura di), Interpretare l’agire: una sfida teorica, Carocci, Roma.
• Salento (a cura di) (2018), Industria 4.0 oltre il determinismo tecnologico, TAO Digital Library, Bologna
• Masino (a cura di) (2022), Autonomie nel lavoro negli anni Duemila, TAO Digital Library, Bologna

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

ANGELO GASPARRE (President)

TERESINA TORRE

LESSONS

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

a) Participatory pathway
Students who choose the participative pathway obtain an assessment consisting of the following profiles
1. an individual assessment reported in the 19/10 basic knowledge check (15%); 
2. an individual assessment on participation in group work (individual contribution, group report) (15%);
3. a group evaluation on the contents of the thesis and the summary sheet (15%); 
4. a group evaluation on the effectiveness of the presentation (15%);
5. an individual assessment in a final exam to be taken in the appeals (40%). The final examination is written: 3 open-ended questions (45 min). on the materials indicated (see above: Teaching aids)). A maximum of 10 points will be awarded for each question. In the event that two out of three questions are marked very well (9 or 10 points) and one question is marked poorly, the student may, at his or her discretion, take a supplementary oral examination or record the marked mark. The final examination may be repeated without restriction. 

N.B.: Those who, not yet enrolled, do not graduate or pass the admission test by December will not be able to take the final exam in the appeals per-dating any other marks obtained through participation in the working groups, and will therefore be obliged to take the exam in full in accordance with the non-participation route.

b) Non-participatory course
The examination is written: 6 open-ended questions, 60 min on the material indicated (see above: Teaching aids). A maximum of 5 marks will be awarded for each question. If four out of six questions are marked very well (4.5 or 5 points) and one or two questions are marked poorly, the student may, at his or her discretion, either take an integrative oral examination or record the mark given.

Exam schedule