Topics in Communication Studies (395-0-29)

Topic

Communication, Innovation and Organizing

Instructors

Pablo J Boczkowski

Meeting Info

Frances Searle Building 3220: Wed 2:00PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

The ability to lead and make change through innovation begins with the development of multiple perspectives on people and organizations. Individuals and groups habitually settle into fixed perspectives, unchallenged mental models of how the world works, unconscious filters determining what we pay attention to and what we ignore. These habits offer powerful economies of thought: without them, the simplest task of picking a face out in a crowd or listening to the radio while driving would be impossible. But they impose costs as well. They lock us into a single view of the world that may not be advantageous, that is surely incomplete, resistant to change, and likely to soon become outdated.

Innovation involves trading off economy of thought for creativity of thought. It requires the discipline of interpreting what we see and hear in organizations from multiple standpoints. Accordingly, we will learn to analyze situations and craft implementation plans using three perspectives on organizations—strategic design, political and cultural. While leading change always presents challenges, our goal in this course is to use the three perspectives to develop a more complete understanding of these challenges and how to address them.

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Reserved for Communication Studies Majors only until the end of preregistration, after which time enrollment will be open to everyone who has taken the prerequisites.