Historical viewpoints of Complex Organizations

Final Project

Description
Your final assessment is a paper that will explore major themes generated by this course throughout
all five modules. Your paper should address all four of the questions on this page; in addressing the
questions please use at least three outside scholarly sources (in addition to the textbook material). The
body of your paper, not including a title page and any reference/citation pages, should be between 2,000
and 2,500 words. With a typical font and spacing, this will be approximately 8 to 10 pages.
Requirements
Your paper should fulfill all of the following requirements:
1. Taking a historical viewpoint, discuss the evolution of the topic of complex organizations over
the years. That is, how has our thinking about complex organizations evolved and changed over
time?
2. Then, consider the theories of organizations you have covered i this course (such as human
relations, structuration, systems theory, critical theory, and more). Which of these do you think
is the most valuable for understanding organizations today? Justify your response by clearly
defining the theoretical perspective you have chosen.
3. Next, provide at least two pertinent organizational behavior examples that demonstrate the
value and appropriateness of the theory you have chosen. (For example, if you have chosen
critical theory, you may want to discuss examples of organizations that have been particularly
hegemonic in their behavior.)
4. Finally, offer a detailed reflective commentary on how complex organizations may change going
forward. For example, do you believe organizations will become more humane? Will they adopt
more of a complex learning strategy? Could you envision a future where organizations become
more authoritarian? The future you describe is up to you, but be sure to ground your commentary
in relevant scholarly material.
Your paper should conform to either APA or MLA style in terms of text citations, references, and a
references list. It should display a clear style and proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. It should
discuss course concepts accurately and effectively.
Located within the Evaluation Rubrics section of this module is the rubric used in the grading of the final
paper.
Thomas Edison State College. All Rights Reserved.
Thomas Edison State College. All Rights Reserved.