Power, Communication, and Conflict Behind the Organizational Chart

Group of men in suits and military uniforms around a digital map table planning strategy

C. Wright Mills’ The Power Elite through an organizational behaviour and Standing on the Ledge perspective Introduction In The Power Elite, published in 1956, sociologist C. Wright Mills argues that the most consequential decisions in American society had become concentrated among leaders occupying the upper levels of three major institutional systems: large corporations, the military … Continue reading Power, Communication, and Conflict Behind the Organizational Chart →

Communication, Conflict, and the Institutional Control of Identity

People in uniforms entering Total Institution with conveyor belt stripping personality and stamping uniform IDs

Erving Goffman’s Asylums through an organizational behaviour and Standing on the Ledge perspective Introduction Erving Goffman’s Asylums: Essays on the Social Situation of Mental Patients and Other Inmates examines how people experience life inside what he calls total institutions. These are organizations in which a large portion of a person’s daily life occurs under a … Continue reading Communication, Conflict, and the Institutional Control of Identity →

MGT2382 Week 13 Learning Journal: Organizational Change and the Difference Between Movement and Repair

Team meeting on organizational change and accountability with presenter and laptops

Date: Calendar week: August 4-August 10, 2026 Category: Field Lab Learning Journals > MGT2382 Learning Journal Course link: MGT2382 Organizational Behaviour – Week 13: Organizational Change; McShane Chapter 15. Lens: Critical lens: change is not automatically progress; it becomes progress only when it is honest, supported, and connected to real repair. Opening reflection This week’s … Continue reading MGT2382 Week 13 Learning Journal: Organizational Change and the Difference Between Movement and Repair →

MGT2382 Week 12 Learning Journal: Organizational Structure and the Shape of Responsibility

Comparison chart showing mechanistic structure with hierarchy and centralized control versus organic structure with decentralized decision-making and teamwork

Date: Calendar week: July 28-August 4, 2026 Category: Field Lab Learning Journals > MGT2382 Learning Journal Course link: MGT2382 Organizational Behaviour – Week 12: Organizational Structure; McShane Chapter 13. Lens: Critical lens: structure is not just a chart; it decides how authority, information, responsibility, and pain move through the organization. Opening reflection This week’s material … Continue reading MGT2382 Week 12 Learning Journal: Organizational Structure and the Shape of Responsibility →

MGT2382 Week 11 Learning Journal: Organizational Culture and the Stories a Workplace Actually Lives By

Healthy organizational culture with teamwork and open communication versus toxic organizational culture with micromanagement and burnout.

Date: Calendar week: July 21-July 27, 2026 Category: Field Lab Learning Journals > MGT2382 Learning Journal Course link: MGT2382 Organizational Behaviour – Week 11: Organizational Culture; McShane Chapter 14. Lens: Critical lens: culture is not what an organization claims to value; culture is what people learn will be rewarded, punished, tolerated, and protected. Opening reflection … Continue reading MGT2382 Week 11 Learning Journal: Organizational Culture and the Stories a Workplace Actually Lives By →

MGT2382 Week 10 Learning Journal: Leadership, Accountability, and the Weight of Example

A group of people in rain gear receiving instructions outside a tent in muddy terrain

Date: Calendar week: July 14-July 20, 2026 Category: Field Lab Learning Journals > MGT2382 Learning Journal Course link: MGT2382 Organizational Behaviour – Week 10: Leadership; McShane Chapter 12. Lens: Critical lens: leadership is not proven by title, confidence, or image; it is proven by behaviour under pressure. Opening reflection This week’s material on leadership is … Continue reading MGT2382 Week 10 Learning Journal: Leadership, Accountability, and the Weight of Example →

Module 13 Learning Journal: Change Is Not a Memo

Diagram showing drivers for change and resistance to change forces impacting organizational change

Module focus Resistance to change, Lewin's force field analysis, unfreezing, movement and refreezing, urgency, communication, learning, involvement, stress management, negotiation, coercion, action research, appreciative inquiry, large group interventions, parallel learning structures, coalitions, and pilot projects Lens Resistance is not always refusal to move. It may be information about fear, loss, distrust, poor design, or the … Continue reading Module 13 Learning Journal: Change Is Not a Memo →

Module 12 Learning Journal: The Org Chart Is Not the Work

Organizational chart with executive leadership directing operations, product, growth, and services teams; showing coordination and collaboration among Team Alpha, Team Beta, Team Gamma, and Team Delta.

Module focus Organizational structure, division of labour, coordination, span of control, centralization, formalization, mechanistic and organic structures, departmentalization, and structural contingencies Lens Structure is not merely boxes and reporting lines. It is the system that distributes information, authority, workload, delay, and consequence. Topic Focus This learning journal examines organizational structure as the formal and informal … Continue reading Module 12 Learning Journal: The Org Chart Is Not the Work →

Module 11 Learning Journal: Culture Is What the Organization Repeats

Group of professionals discussing alignment of company values and current behaviors using a whiteboard with color-coded notes

Module focus Organizational culture, subcultures, cultural artifacts, adaptive culture, cultural strength, socialization, culture change, and culture mergers LensCulture is not what an organization claims to value. Culture is what its people repeatedly experience, reward, tolerate, and learn to expect. Topic Focus This learning journal examines organizational culture as the shared values and assumptions that guide … Continue reading Module 11 Learning Journal: Culture Is What the Organization Repeats →

Module 10 Learning Journal Leadership That Can Survive the Leader

Team of professionals collaborating on project goals with whiteboard and laptops

Module focus Leadership, shared leadership, transformational and managerial leadership, leadership perspectives, effectiveness, and authenticity Lens Leadership is not proven by how much depends on the leader. It is proven by how much capacity remains when the leader steps away. Topic Focus This learning journal examines the difference between occupying a management position and exercising leadership. … Continue reading Module 10 Learning Journal Leadership That Can Survive the Leader →