ORGL 570: Introduction to Global Systems

STATED OBJECTIVE:

The purpose of this course is to gain a deeper understanding of social relationships of interdependence and accountability associated with globalization while developing competency in systems analysis and apply it to social and organizational structures, and culture. Students will also have an increased self-awareness and cultural sensitivity through critical reflection and action. Moreover, students learn to foster a capacity of integrating diverse ideas and perspectives from a variety of sources into a coherent perspective and presentation. They become familiar with a range of global issues pertinent to leaders and organizations and analyze these matters using systems thinking concepts and tools.

IMPACT QUOTE:

“It is time to re-imagine how life is organized on Earth. We are accelerating into a future shaped less by countries than by connectivity. Humanity has a new maxim – Connectivity is destiny – and the most connected powers and people will win. Competitive connectivity is the arms race of the twenty-first century. There are no greater stakes than in the question of moving from a nations-borders world to a flow-friction world. We need a more borderless world because we cannot afford destructive territorial conflict, because correcting the mismtach of people and resources can unlock incredible human and economic potential, because so few states provide sufficient welfare for their citizens, and because so many billions have yet to fully benefit from globalization. Borders are not the antidote to risk and uncertainty; more connections are. But if we want to enjoy the benefits of a borderless world, we have to build it first. Our fate hangs in the balance” -- Parag Khanna, from Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization.

Competencies Gained:

We exist in a rapidly shrinking world of intensifying technological, economic, social, cultural, and political interconnections. Organizations across a range of fields and industries are increasingly more diverse and international, and leaders have to address this complex work environment both domestically and globally. This course engages students to become familiar with a variety of global issues tied to organizational performance and to analyze these problems using systems thinking concepts and tools. Students will gain a deeper understanding of social relationships of interdependence and accountability, as well as skills to integrate diverse ideas and perspectives from a variety of sources. Further analysis through case studies, simulations, and discussions of current issues aids students in refining global leadership skills such as self-awareness, inquisitiveness, open-mindedness, and cultural sensitivity.

Course Instructor:

Pavel Shlossberg, Ph.D.

Reference Materials:

Khanna, P. (2016). Connectography: mapping the future of global civilization. Random House.
Khanna, P. (2011). How to run the world: charting a course to the next renaissance. Random House.
Khanna, P. (2008). The second world: empires and influence in the new global order. Random House.
Kelly, K. (2016). The inevitable: understanding the 12 technological forces that will shape our future. Penguin.
Ritzer, G., & Dean, P. (2015). Globalization: A basic text. John Wiley & Sons.
Ritzer, G. (2007). The globalization of nothing 2. Sage.
Blackwill, R. D., & Harris, J. M. (2016). War by Other Means. Harvard University Press.
Segal, A. (2016). The Hacked World Order: How Nations Fight, Trade, Maneuver, and Manipulate in the Digital Age. Public Affairs.
Bolden, R., Hawkins, B., Gosling, J., & Taylor, S. (2011). Exploring leadership: Individual, organizational, and societal perspectives. Oxford University Press.
Stiglitz, J. E. (2012). The price of inequality: How today's divided society endangers our future. WW Norton & Company.
Stiglitz, J. E. (2016). The euro: How a common currency threatens the future of Europe. WW Norton & Company.
Stiglitz, J. E. (2007). Making globalization work. WW Norton & Company.
Stiglitz, J. E. (2015). Rewriting the rules of the American economy: an agenda for growth and shared prosperity. WW Norton & Company.
Tapscott, D., & Tapscott, A. (2016). Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin Is Changing Money, Business, and the World. Penguin.
Robertson, B. J. (2015). Holacracy: The new management system for a rapidly changing world. Macmillan.
Martin, R. L. (2009). The opposable mind: Winning through integrative thinking. Harvard Business Press.
Sundararajan, A. (2016). The sharing economy: The end of employment and the rise of crowd-based capitalism. MIT Press.
Dicken, P. (2015). Global Shift, Seventh Edition: Mapping the Changing Contours of the World Economy. New York, New York: The Guilford Press.
Mendenhall, M.E., Osland, J.S., Bird, A., Oddou, G.R., Maznevski, M.L., Stevens, M.J., & Stahl, G.K. (2013). Global leadership: Research, practice, and development (2nd Ed.). New York: Routledge
Ngunjiri, F. W., & Madsen, S. R. (2015). Women as global leaders. IAP