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363-0301-00L 3 Credits MSC , NDS D-MTEC , D-HEST

Work Design and Organizational Change

Lecturers & Examiners: PD Dr. Nadine Bienefeld-Seall
VVZ CR n/a

Last Updated: 2026-06-03 00:07:47

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

- 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

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 experience from working in various 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 organizations 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

Literature

A list of required readings will be provided at the beginning of the course.

General Information

Language
English
Levels
MSC , NDS
Frequency
Yearly recurring

Examination

Type
graded semester performance
Evaluation of student performance is based on an applied consulting project carried out in a company of the students' choice. Using structured interviews and on-site work observation, student groups analyze how AI could transform work tasks and processes, and develop recommendations for designing future work systems in a human-centered way.Roughly 25% of in-class time is dedicated to project work, giving students the chance to refine their approach. In the final session, students present their findings and discuss cross-project insights together with company representatives. Students leave the course with a concrete deliverable, a real consulting experience, and a network of company contacts.

Course Components

Type Title Time & Place Hours
lecture with exercise Work Design and Organizational Change
Block course
No time listed 28 h semesterly

Offered In