Gudela Grote: Catalogue data in Autumn Semester 2021

Name Prof. Dr. Gudela Grote
FieldWork and Organizational Psychology
Address
Arbeits-& Organisationspsychologie
ETH Zürich, WEV K 507
Weinbergstr. 56/58
8092 Zürich
SWITZERLAND
Telephone+41 44 632 70 86
Fax+41 44 632 11 86
E-mailggrote@ethz.ch
DepartmentManagement, Technology, and Economics
RelationshipFull Professor

NumberTitleECTSHoursLecturers
351-0778-00LDiscovering Management
Entry level course in management for BSc, MSc and PHD students at all levels not belonging to D-MTEC. This course can be complemented with Discovering Management (Excercises) 351-0778-01.
3 credits3GB. Clarysse, S. Brusoni, E. Fleisch, G. Grote, V. Hoffmann, T. Netland, Y. R. Shrestha, P. Tinguely, L. P. T. Vandeweghe
AbstractDiscovering Management offers an introduction to the field of business management and entrepreneurship for engineers and natural scientists. By taking this course, students will enhance their understanding of management principles and the tasks that entrepreneurs and managers deal with. The course consists of theory and practice sessions, presented by a set of area specialists at D-MTEC.
ObjectiveThe general objective of Discovering Management is to introduce students into the field of business management and entrepreneurship.

In particular, the aims of the course are to:
(1) broaden understanding of management principles and frameworks
(2) advance insights into the sources of corporate and entrepreneurial success
(3) develop skills to apply this knowledge to real-life managerial problems

The course will help students to successfully take on managerial and entrepreneurial responsibilities in their carreers and / or appreciate the challenges that entrepreneurs and managers deal with.
ContentThe course consists of a set of theory and practice sessions, which will be taught on a weekly basis. The course will cover business management knowledge in corporate as well as entrepreneurial contexts.

The course consists of three blocks of theory and practice sessions: Discovering Strategic Management, Discovering Innovation Management, and Discovering HR and Operations Management. Each block consists of two or three theory sessions, followed by one practice session where you will apply the theory to a case.

The theory sessions will follow a "lecture-style" approach and be presented by an area specialist within D-MTEC. Practical examples and case studies will bring the theoretical content to life. The practice sessions will introduce you to some real-life examples of managerial or entrepreneurial challenges. During the practice sessions, we will discuss these challenges in depth and guide your thinking through team coaching.

Through small group work, you will develop analyses of each of the cases. Each group will also submit a "pitch" with a clear recommendation for one of the selected cases. The theory sessions will be assessed via a multiple choice exam.
Lecture notesAll course materials (readings, slides, videos, and worksheets) will be made available to inscribed course participants through Moodle. These course materials will form the point of departure for the lectures, class discussions and team work.
CompetenciesCompetencies
Subject-specific CompetenciesConcepts and Theoriesassessed
Method-specific CompetenciesAnalytical Competenciesassessed
Problem-solvingassessed
Social CompetenciesCommunicationassessed
Self-presentation and Social Influence assessed
Personal CompetenciesCreative Thinkingassessed
Critical Thinkingassessed
363-0301-00LWork Design and Organizational Change Information 3 credits2GG. Grote
AbstractGood work design is crucial for individual and company effectiveness and a core element to be considered in organizational change. Meaning of work, organization-technology interaction, and uncertainty management are discussed with respect to work design and sustainable organizational change. As course project, students learn and apply a method for analyzing and designing work in business settings.
Objective- Know effects of work design on competence, motivation, and well-being
- Understand links between design of individual jobs and work processes
- Know basic processes involved in systematic organizational change
- Understand the interaction between organization and technology and its impact on organizational change
- Understand relevance of work design for company performance and strategy
- Know and apply methods for analyzing and designing work
ContentThe course is organized in a highly interactive fashion, where discussion in class is as important as the input by the lecturer. Understanding the dynamics in organizations is helped enormously by concrete examples, which will be provided by the lecturer, by talks by guest lecturers, and also the students themselves based on their prior expreience from working in cvarious roles (as employees, volunteers, student assistants etc.). Through class discussion we aim to deepen the understanding of the
themes covered in the course. The current changes in organizaions brought about by Covid-19 will also be an important example which allows to illustrate and discuss many of the key concepts of the course.

Specifically, the course will cover the following topics:
- Work design: From Adam Smith to job crafting
- Effects of work design on performance and well-being
- Approaches to analyzing and designing work
- Modes of organizational change and change methods
- Balancing stability and flexibility in organizations as design criterium
- The organization-technology interaction and its impact on work design and organizational change
- Example Flexible working arrangements (e.g. home office)
- Strategic choices for work design

All through the course, students will be guided to work on their projects also, with about 25% of class time devoted to the projects. In the final session, students will present the main results of their projects and discuss main insights also across projects.
LiteratureA list of required readings will be provided at the beginning of the course.
Prerequisites / NoticeThe course includes the completion of a course project to be conducted in groups of four students. The project entails applying a particular method for analyzing and designing work processes and is carried out by means of interviews and observations in companies chosen by the students.
363-0311-00LPsychological Aspects of Risk Management and Technology Information Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 65.
3 credits2VG. Grote, N. Bienefeld-Seall, J. Schmutz, R. Schneider, M. Zumbühl
AbstractUsing uncertainty management by organizations and individuals as conceptual framework, risk management and risk implications of new technologies are treated. Three components of risk management (risk identification/evaluation, risk mitigation, risk communication) and underlying psychological and organizational processes are discussed, using company case studies to promote in-depth understanding.
Objective- You know how risk and risk management is defined and applied in different industries
- You know the challenges of decision making under risk and uncertainty and its effects on organisations
- Know about and (partially) apply some risk management tools
- Gain some more in-depth knowledge in a selected field within risk management through the semester project (e.g. transport systems, IT, insurance)

This course consists of three main elements:

A) Attendance of lectures that provide the theoretical foundations of “Psychological Aspects of Risk Management and Technology” together with reading assignments for each lecture.

B) Attendance of guest lectures that provide a rich source of practical insights and enable the transfer of theory into practice by discussing real-life cases with experts from various industries.

C) Furthermore, this course enables you to apply what you have learned in the classroom into practice by participating in a group assignment in which you gain insights into various risk industries (e.g., aviation, healthcare, insurance) and topics (e.g., risks in cyber-attacks, mountaineering, autonomous vehicles). These projects help students understand key aspects through in-depth application of the course material on real-life topics. Each group project will be mentored and graded by one of the lecturers (70% of course grade). To round off the course at the end of the year, you will have the opportunity to present your group’s findings to the lecturers and to your peers (30% of course grade).
ContentThe course is organized into fourteen sessions. Sessions comprise a mixture of (guest) lectures, case discussions, and presentations. Through class discussion we will further deepen understanding of the topics and themes of the class. For each session you are required to prepare by reading the assigned literature or case material provided on the Moodle e-learning platform. Topics covered include:

- Elements of risk management:
o Risk identification and evaluation
o Risk mitigation
o Risk communication

- Psychological and organizational concepts relevant in risk management
o Decision-making under uncertainty
o Risk perception
o Resilient organizational processes for managing uncertainty

- Case studies on different elements of risk management (e.g., rule-making, training, managing project risks, automation)

- Group projects related to company case studies
Lecture notesThere is no scirpt, but slides will be made available before the lectures.
LiteratureThere are texts for each of the course topics made available before the lectures.
Prerequisites / NoticeThe course is restricted to 40 participants who will work closely with the lecturers on case studies prepared by the lecturers on topics relevant in their own companies (SWICA, SWISS, University Hospital Zurich).
364-1064-00LInaugural Seminar - Doctoral Retreat Information Restricted registration - show details
Does not take place this semester.
Pre-registration upon invitation required.
Once your pre-registration has been confirmed, a registration in myStudies is possible.
1 credit1SP. Schmid, S. Brusoni, R. Finger, G. Grote, T. Netland, F. von Wangenheim, to be announced
AbstractThis course is geared towards first and second-year doctoral candidates of MTEC. It is held as in a workshop style. Students attending this seminar will benefit from interdisciplinary discussions and insights into current and future work in business and economics research.
ObjectiveThe purpose of this course is to
- introduce doctoral candidates to the world of economics, management and systems research at MTEC
- make doctoral candidates aware of silo-thinking in the specific sub-disciplines and encourage them to go beyond those silos
- discuss current issues with regard to substantive, methodological and theoretical domains of research in the respective fields