Strategic Thinking & Management and Organisation Development

This exchange programme dives into strategic business shifts and the interpersonal skills required to succeed. You will learn about the shift in business strategy from pipelines to digital platforms and the shift in organisation from hierarchies to agile networks. You will learn the art of negotiations and influencing people. We’ll use practical examples, case studies, business literature and project assignments.

• Strategy and Organisation 1
  You will address strategic managerial issues related to organisational agility and business platforms. You will get extensive practice in reviewing and searching for relevant business literature which explores the issues and solutions to the issues from the professional field and use case studies to apply insights from state-of-the-art business literature. Organisational agility (networks) and platforms (digitisation) are oftimes two sides of the same coin. But they don't have to be. Both represent major transformations of modern organisations, not merely in structure and process, but more importantly in mindset and organisational definition. You will gain insight into the challenges to modern businesses at a strategic level, contemporary managerial practice theory, and emerging technologies. You will become adept at sourcing, summarising and synthesising management literature from both professional and peer-reviewed authorities to apply this knowledge like a lens to a unique organisational situation.
• Strategy & Organisation 2
  In this project we continue to develop logic in thinking but emphasise the synthesising, visual mind. Together with a team of peers you will select an assignment and work with a large degree of autonomy towards the end goal: to bring to light the practices of one or more enterprises listed in the HNPP catalogue for Hierarchies to Networks and/or Pipelines to Platforms. The results of your investigations will be delivered in the form of a poster presentation supported by a written case study and be added to the body of knowledge of the Transformations Observatory Project (TOP). Your investigation will primarily include desk research, but primary research in the form of interviewing or surveying employees of the enterprise are encouraged. Using visual Agile project project techniques (Kanban boards) to plan and record your work activities in combination with an Scrum sprint methodology, each two weeks you will exhibit (demo) your progress to a pair of assessors. During regular sessions you will have opportunities to spar with lecturers on your intended investigation activities.
• Professional Skills 1
  Negotiation prepares the students for successful negotiations with customers and business partners. “In business today, effective influence is essential. Want your ideas implemented? You must
  influence others to act on them. Want more clients? You must influence people to buy from you. Want more advancement or responsibility? You must influence leaders to see the value you offer. And to be an effective leader, you must be able to influence others. In all respects, being able to influence others is the ultimate power tool.” (R. Cialdini, www.influenceatwork.com) The
  student will expand his knowledge of the negotiation process and the psychology behind it, and will apply the skills needed to negotiate successfully with business partners.
• Professional Skills 2
  Networking, you will develop international networking and interpersonal skills. Using the Virtual Erasmus+ program, Global Connect, an online Think Tank, you will engage in weekly discussions about the challenges that your generation faces with students from across the globe, and connect with an international business professional to explore the impact that these challenges have on businesses that work across borders. This course will help the student with deepening the communication skills needed to build an international professional network, and to use the possibilities to digitally inform this network about current issues.

Would you like to know more about this programme or do you have a specific question? Please contact the programme coordinator, Ellen van der Zande or Cindy Neeser.

The programme takes place during one semester and contains the following courses:

Please note that the programme reflects a (logical) bundle of courses/subjects and should normally be followed as such. By choosing this package you will have to participate in ALL the courses included. It is not possible to combine (two or more) programmes in one single period.

In our course guide you can find all relevant information about the programme in one practical document. Download it here for your convenience.

• Course guide - overview
• Course guide Strategy & Organisation 1
• Course guide Strategy & Organisation 2

When applying for this programme, you are expected to have a solid basis on intermediate to advanced level in International Business and Management.

Minimum English CEFR level B2. However, this module has a lot of academic reading so it works best if you have at least level C1 English!

Please note: If your English language ability proves to be insufficient to participate actively in (parts of) the courses you have chosen, we cannot be bound to the Learning Agreement, neither can we guarantee to offer you the required amount of Study load (EC’s). Teachers might request you to take a diagnostic test at the start of the course to check if your English language ability is sufficient to successfully participate in that specific course. In all cases it is up to the programme manager, to decide if your English language ability is sufficient to be eligible for the programme/course.