When managers try to implement new practices in their organization and when entrepreneurs set up a new company, they often refer current management concepts to explain their behavior. In recent years, management concepts like “Blue Ocean Strategy”, “Business Model Generation”, and “Design Thinking” are more and more referenced. With these concepts, old questions about how to design the actual products of a company come into focus of managers. This is an astonishing development: Some years ago there was a silent agreement that managers and designers solve different tasks and do not mingle too much. While designers care about features and characteristics of products (artifacts), managers try to optimize processes and organizational structures. Management concepts which circle around business models and artifacts try to overcome this established division of work between managers and designers.

In our seminar, we try to understand these new management concepts: What are their origins? How are these concepts applied when founding or changing a company? Which tools are used to implement these concepts? Should managers become designers? To answer these questions, we start with a summary of theories about the diffusion of management concepts and about the way management concepts work (I. Theoretical Toolbox). Then we apply these theories to older management concepts to get an idea about their possibilities and shortcomings (II. Products and Production). In light of these theories and the knowledge about established concepts, we analyze the way new concepts try to help managers to think about the business model and the artifacts of their company (III. Revival of Ideas and Artifacts).


I. Theoretical Toolbox
1.Diffusion of Management Concepts
2.Rhetoric and Communication of Management Concepts
3.Theorizing Change Management Activities

II. Products and Production
1.Scientific Management
2.Lean Production
3.House of Quality
4.(Total) Quality Management

III. Revival of Ideas and Artifacts
1.Business Model Approaches
2.Blue Ocean Strategy
3.Design Thinking
4.Usability and User Experience


General aim of module:
Relevant topics from the area of organizational and entrepreneurship research are analyzed and discussed. The focus of the seminar can thereby differ somewhat from term to term. Generally, research seminars may be conceptually or empirically oriented.

Learning outcomes:
Within the research seminar master students will learn how to write a scientific paper dealing with a relevant topic from the area of organizational or entrepreneurship research. Students also present the results of their research and are confronted with questions from the audience.

Prerequisites:
Formal:
MAN 630 and MAN 631 or
MAN 630 and MAN 632 or
MAN 631 and MAN 632 or
MAN 631 and MAN 633

Recommended:
Knowledge of basic theoretical and empirical literature from the area of organizational and entrepreneurship research.

As of fall 2011 (HWS 2011) master students beginning their studies and wishing to write their master thesis at the Chair of SME Research and Entrepreneurship have to attend a seminar at the chair beforehand. For master students of previous classes the research seminar is optional