VVZ API is not affiliated with ETH Zurich. Data might be outdated or incorrect. Please view the official ETHZ Vorlesungsverzeichnis for binding information.
Work Design and Organizational Change
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:36:31
Abstract
Good work design is crucial for individual and company effectiveness and a core element to be considered in organizational change. Meaning of work, organization-technology interaction, and uncertainty management are discussed with respect to work design and sustainable organizational change. As course project, students learn and apply a method for analyzing and designing work in business settings.
Objective
The purpose of this lecture is to introduce the high relevance of work design for employee well-being and satisfaction as well as for individual and company performance and to present and discuss different approaches to bringing about the necessary changes in organizations. Specific learning objectives are the following: - Know effects of work design on competence, motivation, and well-being - Understand links between design of individual jobs and work processes - Know basic processes involved in systematic organizational change - Understand the interaction between organization and technology and its impact on organizational change - Understand relevance of work design for company performance and strategy - Know and apply methods for analyzing and designing work In the first part of the lecture, criteria for good work design and the empirical evidence for their impact on individuals and organizations are presented and discussed. In the second part of the lecture, organizational change is discussed, both based on research as well as many company examples. In this part, several guest lecturers from consulting companies present their approaches to helping organizations manage change. Moreover, the role of technology as a source and catalyst of change, such as in the current digital transformation, is examined. In addition to the lectures, students will work on a project in small groups in which they will analyze a work system in a company according to a set pf criteria for good work design and develop a proposal for organizational change to improve work design.
Content
The course is organized in a highly interactive fashion, where discussion in class is as important as the input by the lecturer. Understanding the dynamics in organizations is helped enormously by concrete examples, which will be provided by the lecturer, by talks by guest lecturers, and also the students themselves based on their prior expreience from working in cvarious roles (as employees, volunteers, student assistants etc.). Through class discussion we aim to deepen the understanding of the themes covered in the course. The current changes in organizaions brought about by Covid-19 will also be an important example which allows to illustrate and discuss many of the key concepts of the course. Specifically, the course will cover the following topics: - Work design: From Adam Smith to job crafting - Effects of work design on performance and well-being - Approaches to analyzing and designing work - Modes of organizational change and change methods - Balancing stability and flexibility in organizations as design criterium - The organization-technology interaction and its impact on work design and organizational change - Example Flexible working arrangements (e.g. home office) - Strategic choices for work design All through the course, students will be guided to work on their projects also, with about 25% of class time devoted to the projects. In the final session, students will present the main results of their projects and discuss main insights also across projects.
Resources
Lecture Notes
Slides for the lecture and a set of readings that cover the different parts of the lecture will be provided.
Literature
A list of readings will be provided at the beginning of the course.
Learning Materials (Links)
- Main link
- MOODLE
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- MSC , NDS
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise |
Work Design and Organizational Change
The lecture will be live streamed (recorded).
|
|
2 h weekly |
Offered In
-
Management, Technology and Economics Master (Welcome and Introduction to MSc ETH MTEC Montag, 14.09.2020, 14.00 h, HG E1.1 (tbc))
-
MAS in Management, Technology, and Economics (MAS MTEC Introductory Event for 1st Semester Students. Monday, 14.09.2020, 16.00 h, HG E1.2 (tbc))
-
-
-