The curriculum requirements for the MSOD program concern "categories" rather than specific courses. For example, while a student must select courses from the Foundations, Methods, and Applications categories, the choice of which courses are selected is up to the participant. Each semester, approximately 25-30 courses are offered of which 5 or 6 are available each evening, and 3 or 4 on Saturday. There are no introductory or advanced courses, all are in small (usually no more than 16 students) seminar format, and new courses are added regularly.

Students make course selections for many reasons including professional or personal relevance or interest; the unique disciplinary "lens" offered by a faculty member; desire to earn a certificate associated with a declared track/orientation; and the limitations of one's schedule or availability to attend classes.

The Program's academic advisors, faculty, other participants, and the website descriptions all offer means of gaining information about which courses are most likely to satisfy interests or to meet requirements for a concentration. Ultimately, however, it is the participant who is responsible for course selection and the design of an interesting and relevant education.

If you are currently enrolled in another graduate degree program at the University of Pennsylvania and wish to take courses in the Organizational Dynamics Program, please refer to the special instructions for non-Organizational Dynamics students for information.

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Course Requirements

Individual course requirements are provided in the syllabus describing each class. While obligations vary, they always include class attendance, readings, and the delivery of one or more papers. The ability to speak and write clearly and cogently are critical elements in each of the seminars.

A typical course may require one or more short papers and a longer final paper. Another may require a case study or group project with individual write-up. Another may require a critique of readings or an analysis of a specific organizational problem. There are no examinations or other "tests." Rather, participants are encouraged to use the written assignments as a way of applying the course material to their work settings in order to gain insight into a particular organization's culture, problems, and management issues.

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Courses Involving Travel

For most participants, global issues involving culture, communication, economics, labor, negotiation styles, joint ventures and acquisitions, or new markets are fundamental parts of their organizational lives. To support this, the MSOD Program offers seminars with a global focus, as well as seminars that take place in different parts of the United States and abroad.

Courses that incorporate global concerns travel from 1 - 3 days to U.S. cities such as New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, and San Francisco.

International Courses Abroad (ICA Seminars), each of which ranges from 7 - 14 days abroad, include travel to China, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Sweden, France, Belgium, Greece, and other countries. Course requirements are similar to traditional classes in that they involve readings, interactive discussions, and written assignments. Classes meet at Penn before and after travel. During periods of travel, class activities include meetings with representatives from business, government, academia, and the arts; visits to various institutions and organizations; and individual time to become immersed in the culture. ICA Seminars permit a student to see and feel how another society, with its own institutions and culture, organizes and behaves.

Organizational Dynamics Projects

Organizational Dynamics Graduate Studies conducts applied research and other projects for organizations interested in our expertise as trans-disciplinary applied scholars. Projects are supervised and directed by faculty and program administrators and involve our professional adult graduate students. Project outcomes include defined organizational objectives and academic scholarship.

Our educational model for projects is collaborative. We prefer to work with rather than for the organization making the request. Where possible, members of the requesting organization become co-designers, co-teachers, and co-actors with our faculty and students during the project.

Projects Available

Education and Interpretation Project for Flight 93 National Memorial (2007~Ongoing)

Collaborator:	National Park Service
Faculty:	Dr. Alan Barstow
Description:	(Note: Course number is DYNM 645, section 016) This project, which will be undertaken throughout the academic year, is to help the NPS develop the education and interpretation program for the Flight 93 Memorial in Somerset County, PA. The project will involve coding and evaluation of data and information gathered from site visitors, oral histories taken from first responders and family and friends of the passengers and crew of United Flight 93, as well as gathering data and information from the general public about sense-making and the meaning of the actions of the passengers and crew aboard United Flight 93 on September 11, 2001.

Practicum in Coaching and Facilitating Team Development (2007~Ongoing)

Faculty:

Dr. Bill Wilkinsky

Description:

(Note: Course number is DYNM 645, section 004) This course provides a semester-long, hands-on experience coaching small teams of undergraduate students as they go through a team development process. Skills in diagnosis, planning, intervention implementation, team facilitation, and team coaching are central to the content of this course. Participation in this project-based course requires previous completion of DYNM 637 (Coaching and Facilitating Teams) OR permission of the professor.

Mantua Community Development (2005~2008)

Collaborator:	GlaxoSmithKline
Faculty:	Dr. Larry Starr Dr. Russell Ackoff
Description:	This community development project is connected to DYNM 629: Organization Development Proseminar. The Mantua Cares project (http://www.mantuacares.com/) is a local chapter of the Adopt A Neighborhood Development (A.N.D.) program whose mission is to foster the self development of communities while serving as an advocate for community leaders and their importance to society. Mantua Cares involves the redesign and development of Mantua , a residential community on the border of the University of Pennsylvania . Helping to supervise students is Dr. Russ Ackoff, Distinguished and Emeritus Professor of Management Science and Dr. Jason Magidson, Director of Innovation Processes for GlaxoSmithKline. The Executive Director of Mantua Cares is Mr. E. Darnell Ryans (http://www.mantuacares.com/staff.html). Student participants become familiar with Ackoff's theory and methodology for change through interactive planning and organizational redesign and will work directly with members of the community as they design their own future. Interactive Planning is and has been used worldwide in corporations of every size and type including GSK; by governments including the US White House; NGOs and other nonprofit settings, as well as in communities and cities including Paris .

Supporting a Healthcare Coaching Culture Project (2007-2008)

Collaborator:	The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)
Faculty:	Dr. Bill Wilkinsky
Students:	Karen Chance, Deb Denis, Vanessa Kraus, Linda Pennington, Kim Perry
Description:	This Organizational Dynamics coaching project was designed to assist the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in its efforts to develop and sustain a coaching culture within its healthcare system. Five Senior Organizational Dynamics coaching graduate students have provided faculty-supervised coaching to middle managers of CHOP between January and October, 2008. The coaches followed guidelines established in the Organizational Coaching coursework, built on the principles of client-centered coaching and using a comprehensive methodology that assisted the clients in establishing a career enhancing development goal, gathering data, developing and implementing an action plan. Outcomes are reflected in the following comments from Madeline Bell, COO, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: "The true measure of success of our coaching program is in the outcome,and I can say that I am overwhelmed by the outcome! If you recall,we were initially unsure if we should include one of the candidates, but we took a chance by allowing one of the Penn coaches to work with the person, and did it pay off! Now this person is a high performer and slated for accelerated development in our leadership development talent mapping. Another case was a person on an accelerated development path. I do not believe that promotion would have been in the cards without the coaching support. So, from my vantage point, the Penn Coaching Program at CHOP has been a tremendous success. Coaching is very much a part of our leadership development plan and I hope that we can continue the Penn relationship.

Global Coaching Project (2007~2008)

Collaborator:	Graduate School Alliance for Executive Coaching (GSAEC) and theFoundation of Coaching
Faculty:	Dr. Larry Starr
Description:	This research project is designed to help build organizational and executive coaching into a professional academic discipline by (a) identifying all academic institutions (worldwide) that offer graduate-level programs in organizational and executive coaching, and (b) engaging leadership of these programs in a peer-review of a proposed graduate coaching curriculum. The project is funded by the Foundation of Coaching to the Graduate School Alliance for Executive Coaching a community of universities, including Penn, that offer graduate coaching programs. Coaching researchers from across the world, including Dr. Starr, met at Harvard University in September 2008 to establish the International Coaching Research Forumin order to set a global coaching research agenda.

Organization Development and Change Project (2005~Ongoing)

Collaborator:	Academy of Management Committee of Organization Development Change
Faculty:	Dr. Larry Starr
Description:	This project is connected to DYNM 629: Organization Development Proseminar. It is designed to help the Academy of Management�s Organization Development and Change (ODC) Committee build community and academic excellence. The project involves identifying and describing ODC academic programs, interviewing senior faculty and administrators within them, building a web database that contains information about these programs, and helping to plan for the annual Professional Development Workshops held at the annual meetings.

Completed Projects

Organizational Diagnosis and Evaluation of Relationships between HR Department and HR Internal Customers (2007)

Collaborator:	Veterans Administration Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA
Faculty:	Dr. Alan Barstow and Dr. Dana Kaminstein
Students:	Ozias Moore, Jess Lienart, Jules Spaeth
Description:	The Organizational Dynamics Team conducted a six-month diagnosis project to assist the VAMC in its efforts to develop and sustain more productive relationships between its Human Resources department and other departments within the Medical Center. An appreciative inquiry approach was used to design and carry out twelve individual interviews with Senior Staff and four group interviews (31 participants). The assessment and recommendations were presented to the project microcosm group, the HR department staff, and the Senior Staff of the VAMC.

Team Business for Team Dynamics Simulation Project (2007~2008)

Collaborator:	Lauder Institute-Wharton School
Faculty:	Dr. Alan Barstow
Students:	Kay Anderson, Vanessa Kraus, Gary Hammell, Deb Dennis, Linda DeLuca
Description:	Organizational Dynamics Students served as facilitators and observers in a day-long team project simulation designed for incoming Lauder Institute students. The Lauder Institute is a pioneer in integrating management education with international studies and language and cross-cultural proficiencies. Our students were able to use their Organizational Dynamics skills to contribute to the simulation and gain valuable facilitation experience.

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