Values and Organizations (Institute for Organization Studies; 4 ECTS)

In general terms, values account for what is good, desirable, or worthwhile. Organizations are inherently intertwined with values at multiple levels. Values provide the common ground of a society which organizations need to respect. In addition, values are distinctive of the roles that particular forms of organizations (such business firms, charities, or state agencies) have and the interests they consider accordingly. Moreover, values define what is distinctive about organizations and therefore account for their individual identities. The goal of this course is to illuminate the crucial part that values play in organizational life.

In particular, students will learn about:

• Competing logics that organizations follow when considering society-level values such as societal responsibility, sustainability, or gender equality (business vs. moral case)

• The legitimate interests of multiple constituents that organizations have to take into account

• How values can help coordinate people within organizations and facilitate collaboration among organizations

• How values relate to central organizational themes such as (good) governance, purpose, and decision-making

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