Most of us will spend a large portion of our lives contributing to organizations. Organizing for Good will explore the concept of the "good organization" and what it means to "do good" and how, and under what conditions organizations, teams, and individuals within organizations can and should focus on "doing good." We will examine well-established organizational approaches and concepts such as corporate social responsibility, philanthropic organizations, non-government organizations, social and environmental entrepreneurship as well as examine novel organizational forms and assess their potential for "doing good" in a complex, global world. We will discuss the role of meaning and purpose in work, the responsibilities of leaders and employees, the tradeoffs of various organizational structures and alliances, and the role of culture and cultural differences when trying to "do good" globally. At the end of this course, students will have a deeper appreciation of the their own point of view on their own and organizations' responsibility for doing good, the role of organizations in society, the challenges organizations face in attempting to "do good," limitations to current ways of organizing, and some alternative ways to organize and lead organizations that have a positive effect on the world around them.
4 units · Letter (ABCD/NP)
Most of us will spend a large portion of our lives contributing to organizations. Organizing for Good will explore the concept of the "good organization" and what it means to "do good" and how, and under what conditions organizations, teams, and individuals within organizations can and should focus on "doing good." We will examine well-established organizational approaches and concepts such as corporate social responsibility, philanthropic organizations, non-government organizations, social and environmental entrepreneurship as well as examine novel organizational forms and assess their potential for "doing good" in a complex, global world. We will discuss the role of meaning and purpose in work, the responsibilities of leaders and employees, the tradeoffs of various organizational structures and alliances, and the role of culture and cultural differences when trying to "do good" globally. At the end of this course, students will have a deeper appreciation of the their own point of view on their own and organizations' responsibility for doing good, the role of organizations in society, the challenges organizations face in attempting to "do good," limitations to current ways of organizing, and some alternative ways to organize and lead organizations that have a positive effect on the world around them.
Offered in Autumn 2026 at Stanford University.