MLS 511 - Systems, Change and the Dynamics of Complexity (3 cr.)

This course is designed to help us develop our own pictures and understandings of systems by learning to critically question the assumptions and paradigms of both our own organization and leadership views and those whose work we will read. Students will be introduced to the fundamental questions and theoretical approaches in the study of complex systems. We will consider the relationship between theory and practice as we develop a critical discourse, challenge knowledge claims, and move toward the design and administration of complex systems with multiple feedback effects, long time delays, and nonlinear responses to our decisions. Students will learn to visualize organizations in terms of the structures and policies that create complex dynamics and regulate performance.
Semester(s) Offered: Spring, Summer