MAN 675: Selected Challenges in Nonprofit Management – Power, Purpose, and Change in Organizations

Contents
In this seminar, the role of organizations in the economic system is critically examined, with a particular focus on nonprofit organizations, power structures, and alternative design approaches. This is achieved through the analysis of academic texts, practical simulations, and case studies.

Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students will have acquired competencies in the following three areas:

• Organizational Design: Students understand the fundamentals of organizational structures, power dynamics, and new organizational forms and can assess their advantages and disadvantages.
• Strategic Planning: Students analyze stakeholder interactions, evaluate courses of action, and develop creative solution strategies.
• Critical Thinking: Students question different perspectives, identify the root causes of conflicts, and find common solutions.

In addition, key skills such as presentation skills, working with academic texts, and teamwork will be developed.

Necessary prerequisites
–

Recommended prerequisites
Helmig, B. & Boenigk, S. (2020). Nonprofit Management. 2nd edition, München: Vahlen.

Forms of teaching and learning	Contact hours	Independent study time
Seminar	2 SWS	15 SWS

ECTS credits	6
Graded	yes
Workload	180h
Language	English
Form of assessment	Presentation (40%), Learning Diary (10%), and Essay (50%)
Restricted admission	yes
Further information	–

Examiner Performing lecturer

Prof. Dr. Bernd Helmig Ludwig Uhl

Frequency of offering	Fall semester
Duration of module	1 semester
Range of application	M.Sc. MMM, M.Sc. Bus. Edu., M.Sc. Econ., M.Sc. Bus. Inf., LL.M., MAKUWI
Preliminary course work	–
Program-specific Competency Goals	CG 1, CG 2, CG 3, CG 4
Literature	Amis, J. M., Mair, J., & Munir, K. A. (2020). The organizational reproduction of inequality. Academy of Management Annals, 14(1), 195–230. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2017.0033 Battilana, J., Yen, J., Ferreras, I., & Ramarajan, L. (2022). Democratizing work: Redistributing power in organizations for a democratic and sustainable future. Organization Theory, 3(1), 26317877221084714. https://doi.org/10.1177/26317877221084714 Ghoshal, S. (2005). Bad management theories are destroying good management practices. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 4(1), 75–91. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2005.16132558
Course outline	The course consists of several blocks: Theory Sessions: The instructor presents content, and students critically discuss texts. Simulations: Abstract concepts, such as power, are made tangible through interactive elements. Case Studies: Students present their solutions to the case studies discussed in the course. Guest Lecture: An external speaker will give a talk on the topic.