SOCIOLOGY OF COMPLEX SYSTEMS

The course presents the structural and behavioral characteristics of the complex organizational systems, having as reference, in comparative terms, the Public Administration (PA), the non-profit and profit organizations.
The aim is to provide students with the ability to critically analyze the dynamics of the governance processes of network systems and the characteristics of the regulatory mechanisms used in integration processes by organizations that produce public goods or manage common goods.
The first part of the course is of a theoretical nature – characterized by a historical and social recognition from the Weberian concept of bureaucracy up to the most recent orientations on the possibilities and limits of a post-bureaucratic organization of work, such as the corporate case of Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention – and will end with seminars in which managers of the PA, Third sector and private companies will be invited to discuss some of the most topical issues related to complex organizations: debureaucratization, public service ethics, organizational democracy, networks in policy governance, hybrid forms of governance.

The course aims to enable students to:
- know the evolution of the different theories of analysis of bureaucratic processes
- know the socio-cultural dynamics of complex social systems
- know and be able to use the main sociological concepts in the analysis of bureaucracies
- be able to recognize the mechanisms of governance

The basic concepts of Sociology

First part
Organization and bureaucracy: theoretical references and historical-social framework

- The characteristics of bureaucratic processes
- The network and social dynamics (morphology and social dynamics)
- Some concepts in the governance of complex systems (authority, social capital, trust)
- Governance processes and complex systems (multistakeholder and multi-level governance)

Second part
Lectures in seminar form with external experts

At least 3 lessons in which a PA manager (theme: debureaucratization and organizational democracy), a manager of a start-up (topic: use of digital technologies to support and improve the quality of interpersonal relationships in organizational contexts) and a coordinator of the Third Sector (theme: co-design of social policies and public/private multistakeholder governance) will be invited.

- G. Bonazzi (2008, 14th edition), Storia del pensiero organizzativo, vol. 2, 'La questione burocratica', FrancoAngeli, Milan.
- Other texts indicated in the document 'Guida dell'Insegnamento', Moodle page and collected in the 'Course materials' folder.

Students are kindly requested to register on the Moodle page in advance of the start of the course to familiarise themselves with the documents entered. It is recommended to read the documentation contained in the 'Course Materials' folder according to the indications and deadlines provided in class.

The learning assessment is conducted by an oral examination based on the course bibliography and the documentation contained in the 'Course Materials' folder (only the texts indicated as compulsory). During the oral examination the student must demonstrate knowledge of the topics covered in the course and be able to critically analyse them.

Attending students will be invited to carry out laboratory activities during the course (interviews with stakeholders, textual analysis of the contents and presentation of the results with the support of power points). The workshop activity will be graded in thirtieths. The marks for the oral examination will be supplemented by the points obtained in the laboratory activity by means of an arithmetic mean.

The marks for the oral test are awarded as follows:

A. marks in the range 18-22:
- sufficient knowledge and applied understanding with reference to the syllabus;
- limited capacity for analysis;
- limited ability to make independent judgements;

B. marks in the range 23-26:
- fair knowledge and ability of applied understanding with reference to the syllabus;
- discrete ability to analyse syllabus topics and concepts;
- fair communication skills, especially in relation to the use of specific language relating to the
subject of bureaucracy and complex social organisations;

C. marks in the range 27-30:
- good or very good knowledge and ability of applied understanding with reference to the syllabus;
- good or very good ability to analyse the themes and concepts of the syllabus;
- fully appropriate communication skills, especially in relation to the use of specific language relating to the subject of bureaucracy and complex social organisations;

D. award of 'lode':
It will be awarded in the presence of knowledge and applied understanding with reference to the syllabus, excellent judgement and communication skills.

The course favors student-centered teaching, which emphasizes the active participation of the student by placing him at the center of the teaching process to facilitate a reflective approach, critical and analytical learning and greater autonomy.

The initial part of the course includes traditional teaching methodologies (lectures).

In the final part of the Course, some meetings are scheduled in seminar form with external experts, which will be followed by a debriefing activity in which students will be invited to reflect on the experience to understand it and bring it back to the general theoretical frameworks, with the aim of building a semantic map of the relevant concepts and themes that emerged. Small working groups will be formed followed by plenary discussions in which students are invited to comment and provide feedback on the work of others.

Italian

The course is carried out in collaboration with the extended partnership AGE-IT Age-It - Ageing well in an agening society” (PE0000015), CUP H73C22000900006, public notice no. 341/2022 of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan ("NRRP"), Mission 4 - Component 2 - Investment 1.3, funded by the European Union - NextGenerationEU. As part of the course, meetings with companies’ testimonials involved in the project may be offered, focusing on the development of practical knowledge in the subject matter, as well as the results of the project itself. This course covers topics related to Spoke 10 Mainstreaming ageing by building institutional mechanisms for better and future-oriented policy making – WP3.

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