ORGANIZATION THEORY: PA 6320

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

SCHOOL OF ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, AND POLICY SCIENCES
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS

SUMMER 2007
WEDNESDAYS 6:00 – 10:00 P.M.

Instructor: Stephanie Newbold, Ph.D.

Email: stephanie.newbold@utdallas.edu
Phone: 972.883.5341
Office: Westec 1.212
Office Hours: Before Class & By Appointment

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the theoretical and

practical underpinnings of organization theory and how it relates to the
broader field of public administration. Public organizations differ from private
and nonprofit organizations because of their relationship to the state, its
constitutional heritage, democratic institutions, and its citizenry. The
separation of powers system of American government has a profound impact
on how public organizations serve the state and work to advance its
constitutional tradition. Public agencies are responsible to the executive,
legislative, and judicial branches of government – an observation that has led
several scholars within the Constitutional School of American public
administration to argue that U.S. public servants serve “three masters”. This
environment can create tension within and among public organizations,
particularly in terms of balancing democratic values like responsibility,
responsiveness, and representativeness with economic values like economy,
efficiency, and effectiveness. Although a significant portion of the literature
you will read for this course could be applied easily to private and/or non-profit
organizations, we will be primarily focused on how it relates to public agencies.

Public organizations provide a wide range of essential services at all levels of

government, including, but not limited to: public education; health and human
services; housing and urban development; energy and public utilities; the
environment; homeland security; water treatment; and transportation. It is,
therefore, essential for students of public administration to understand how
organizations are structured. More specifically, a comprehensive
understanding of the literature that comprises the study of complex public
organizations; organization behavior and change; and organization theory
provides us with a greater knowledge base to evaluate the successes and
failures of organizations. In addition, it enhances our understanding for
finding ways to improve or enhance organizations that are failing to achieve
some aspect of their mission; meeting the demands of policy implementation as
it relates to the goals and objectives of their agency; or difficulties affecting
behavioral dynamics.

REQUIRED TEXTS

Rainey, Hal G. (2003, 3rd ed.). Understanding and Managing Public

Organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
(From this point on will be referred to as HGR).

Shafritz, Jay M., J. Steven Ott, and Yong Suk Jang. (2005, 6th ed.). Classics
of Organization Theory. Belmont, CA: Thomson-Wadsworth.
(From this point on will be referred to as S&O).

Selected Journal Articles and Book Chapters at the Professor’s Discretion.

Optional – Book Review Selection.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS & EXPECTATIONS

Examinations:
There will be two examinations for this course: a mid-term and a final. The
mid-term will cover material up to that point in the course; the final will cover
all subsequent material. Both exams will be take home essays, consisting of
three questions each. Students will have one week from the time both exams
are distributed to complete them.

Understanding Organization Theory Through Film:

An excellent way to understand the many complexities of organization theory
is through film. During this course, we will be reviewing ten films that relate
to important themes associated with organization theory. Students are to view
each film outside of class, write a five-page reaction paper outlining how the
film relates to the literature, and come to class prepared to discuss their
reactions.

Group Presentation:
The class will be divided into five groups, each of which will be responsible for
reading an important work within organization theory. On the first class,

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students will select their top two choices. The professor will assign students to
groups on Class II.

Each group will be required to make an oral presentation of the intellectual

significance to the field of organization theory for the work they reviewed; why
it remains important to the field; and how it relates to organization theory and
organization behavior and change.

Students may choose from the following options:

Kaufman, Herbert. (1991, 2nd ed.). Time, Chance, and Organizations:

Natural Selection in a Perilous Environment. Chatham, NJ:
Chatham House.

Light, Paul C. (1999). The New Public Service. Washington, D.C.:

Brookings Institution Press.

Perrow, Charles. (1986, 3rd ed.). Complex Organizations: A Critical

Essay. New York: McGraw Hill.

Selznick, Philip. (1957). Leadership in Administration: A Sociological

Interpretation. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Thompson, James D. (2003, originally published, 1967). Organizations

in Action: Social Science Bases of Administrative Theory. New
Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers

Class Attendance & Participation:

Students are expected to attend class and to participate in discussions. If you
cannot attend class, please inform the instructor as soon as possible.
Excessive absences will affect your grade negatively.

Writing Expectations:
All written work submitted for this course must be typed and double-spaced.
Correct English, grammar, spelling, and punctuation is expected. Papers that
do not meet this expectation will be penalized; the worse the grammatical
infraction(s) the more steep the penalty. Graphs, charts, bullets, etc. should
not be used for any of the assignments submitted for this course. Students
should write only in complete sentences. Please remember that paragraphs
consist of three or more complete sentences. All written work should follow
either the APA or Turabian format, should be submitted with a title page, and
paginated.

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Late Work:
Students are expected to submit work on-time. Unless prior arrangements are
made with the instructor, work submitted after the due date will be penalized
a half letter grade for each day late.

Students with Disabilities:

Students classified as disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act
should advise the professor of their condition, no later than the second class, so
appropriate accommodations can be made.

Academic Integrity:
Students are expected to uphold the University honor code at all times.

GRADING

The evaluation for this course is based on the following percentages:

Mid-Term Exam 20%

Final Exam 20%
Group Presentation 20%
Film Critiques 20%
Class Participation 20%

COURSE CALENDAR

CLASS I – MAY 16TH COURSE INTRODUCTION

CLASS II – MAY 23RD CLASSICAL FOUNDATIONS OF ORGANIZATION

THEORY

S&O: Introduction & Chapters 2, 5, 6, 7, 8

HGR: pp. 22-33

FILM: A Man for All Seasons (1966)

Book Review Groups Announced

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CLASS III – MAY 30TH NEO-CLASSICAL PERSPECTIVES OF
ORGANIZATION THEORY

S&O: Chapters 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

HGR: pp. 33-36

FILM: Chariots of Fire (1981)

CLASS IV – JUNE 6TH HUMAN RESOURCE THEORY

S&O: Chapters 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

HGR: Chapters 9, 10, 12

**Barnard, Chester I. (1938). “Informal Organizations and

Their Relation to Formal Organizations.” From The
Functions of the Executive. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press.

FILM: Norma Rae (1979)

CLASS V – JUNE 13TH MODERN STRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION THEORY

& DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF PUBLIC
ORGANIZATIONS

S&O: Chapters 20, 23, 24

HGR: Chapters 3 & 4

**Appleby, Paul. (1945, 1973). “Government is Different.”

From Big Democracy. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

FILM: All the King’s Men (1949)

MID-TERM EXAM DISTRIBUTED

CLASS VI – JUNE 20TH ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

S&O: Chapters 35, 36, 38, 43

HGR: Chapter 6 & pp. 405-414; 417-423

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 **Light, Paul C. (2006). “The Tides of Reform Revisited:
Patterns in Making Government Work, 1945-2002.”
Public Administration Review. 66:1, 6-19.

**Selden, Sally C. and Frank Selden. (2001). “Rethinking

Diversity in Public Organizations for the 21st
Century.” Administration and Society. 33:3, 303-29.

MID-TERM EXAM DUE

CLASS VII – JUNE 27TH POWER AND POLITICS

S&O: Chapters 29, 31, 33, 34

**Lindbloom, Charles. (1959). “The Science of Muddling

Through.” Public Administration Review. 19:2, 79-88.

**Long, Norton. (1949). “Power and Administration.” Public

Administration Review. 9:4, 257-64.

FILM: A Few Good Men (1992)

CLASS VIII – JULY 4TH INDEPENDENCE DAY

NO CLASS

FILM: THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)

CLASS IX – JULY 11TH ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP, INNOVATION,

& CHANGE

S&O: Chapter 46

**Denhardt, Robert B. and Janet Vinzant Denhardt. (2000).

“The New Public Service: Serving Rather than
Steering.” Public Administration Review 60:6, 549-59.

**Mumford, Michael D. et al. (2000). “Leadership Skills For A

Changing World: Solving Complex Social Problems.”
Leadership Quarterly 11:1, 11-35.

FILM: Watership Down (1979)

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CLASS X – JULY 18TH ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP, INNOVATION,
& CHANGE II:

“MANAGING COMPLEX PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS IN TIMES OF CRISES” –

AN IN CLASS CASE STUDY

**Cohen, Steven, et al. (2002, Special Issue). “Catastrophe

and the Public Service: A Case Study of the
Government Response to the Destruction of the
World Trade Center.” Public Administration Review.
62, 24-32.

**Kettl, Donald F. (2003). “Contingent Coordination:

Practical and Theoretical Puzzles for Homeland
Security.” American Review of Public Administration.
33:3, 253-57.

**Wise, Charles R. (2002). “Organizing for Homeland

Security.” Public Administration Review. 62:2, 131-44.

**Wise, Charles R. (2006). “Organizing for Homeland

Security after Katrina: Is Adaptive Management
What’s Missing?” Public Administration Review.
66:3, 302-18.

FILM: Breaker Morant (1980)

CLASS XI – JULY 25TH GROUP PRESENTATIONS

FINAL EXAM DISTRIBUTED

DUE ON OR BEFORE: AUGUST 1, 2007