Understanding Organisations by Sander Mulder Organisations are somewhat like trees, with roots, trunks and branches that extend in different directions. Only if designers understand the roots of organisations can they make a difference and give rise to novel branches. Increasingly, designers shape organisations creatively and responsibly by devising new key collective goals that address the challenges of our time. Everyone has a lived experienced being part of an organisation, be it with a school, hospital or company. Tapping into that experience, this course aims to bring a deeper understanding of organisations, to look at them from three perspectives: technical, interpretative and critical. Explore how to categorise, interpret and produce knowledge about organisations while making use of key thinkers and renowned examples that shaped the study of organisations. Such efforts to create general understanding helps with developing a critical view of organisations, with an eye to what they could become while considering the consequences for stakeholders and society. Learn to think beyond the status quo, recognising that we cannot solve today’s problems with the thinking of today. Use this to propose a specific change within an organisation. Part of a designer’s job is to make sense. This course can be applied to Design Projects 1, 2 and 4 and relates to other courses that require an understanding of organisations.
“Students should experience that they can plant new trees or branches. By clarifying their own aspirations and understanding the dynamics of organisations they can deliberately conceive triggers that set people into motion.”
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