The Practice of Management

Roles and responsibilities of different managers and strategy professionals

• Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
• Top Management Teams (TMTs) and Boards
• Middle Managers
• Frontline Managers
• Strategic planners and strategy consultants

Core management activities

• Functions of meetings and best practices for conducting them effectively
• Processes of decision-making and ways of countering decision-making biases
• Purposes and trends in strategy consulting

The role of (selective) tools in management and strategy work

• Overview of popular management tools
• Different functions of management tools
• Inclusionary and exclusionary effects of management tools
• Advantages and limits of using GenAI in management and strategy work

Managing diverse workforces

• Different motivations for increasing diversity in organizations
• Effects of diversity on group processes and organizational outcomes
• Managing diversity and inclusion
• Critical and feminist perspectives to diversity management

Strategizing and organizing with and for nature

• Management approaches to comprehend and tackle grand societal challenges
• Strategizing within planetary boundaries

This course explores how management and strategy is practiced in organizations. We examine different kinds of managers and strategy professionals -senior, middle and frontline managers, strategic planners and strategy consultants- and their roles and responsibilities. Students will learn about core management activities, such as meetings, decision-making or consulting. The course also explores the role of tools and frameworks in management and strategy work, including emerging technologies such as generative AI. Finally, we will examine important developments in the practice of management such as the management of diverse workforces or ways of strategizing with and for nature.

Each session combines state-of-the-art academic research with practical insights into how management and strategy unfold in real organizational settings. The course is participative, and active contribution to discussions forms part of the assessment. Students will sign up for a course topic and deliver a presentation. At the end of the semester, they will submit a written synthesis of selective articles.

• Sustainable Development
• Reduced inequalities
• Climate action

In presence

• Lectures
• Case study discussions
• Guest speakers’ talks

20% in-class participation

30% group presentation

50% written essay