Daniel A. McFarland

In this introductory course, you will learn multiple theories of organizational behavior and apply them to actual cases of organizational change.

I am Daniel McFarland, Professor of Education, Sociology and Organizational Behavior at Stanford University, and I am delighted to be your instructor for "Organizational Analysis." There are additional graduate teaching assistants - Emily, Charlie and another Dan - who will frequently visit the class forums and introduce themselves. I hope that by the end of this course, you will have a general sense of organizational theories and how they can help you better understand and manage organizational problems. This week, I will introduce you to the concept of an organization and offer a conceptual framework through which you can recognize their modes of variation. Organizations are everywhere and they widely differ. Moreover, many of our social problems are organizational in nature. This is why we need to study organizations and to take courses on them – all so we develop a better understanding of the world we live in and how to better manage it. The Coursera site for this course will open late Sunday evening, after which I hope all of you will go to the discussion forums and introduce yourself to this huge community of fellow learners. You'll also be able to access the course materials and begin viewing the first week's lectures. Looking forward to ten great weeks of reading, discussing and learning with you about organizations! Daniel McFarland