15.903  Organizational Economics (H1)

Good evening,

1. Last call for the questionnaire on Stellar! I will shut the questionnaire down next Weds end of the day.

2. I'm demoting the reading for Tues on Self-determination theory from "required" to "optional". We'll talk about many related things in class but not SDT per se. It's still recommended reading because it's thought-provoking, evidence-based and influential: you can find a related HBR piece on rewards and motivation by one or the other management guru about once a year, so it's useful to know the modern theory behind it. Some of you may also know Daniel Pink's 2009 bestseller "Drive", which is essentially a popularization of SDT.

3. On Tues will talk about three things: 1. Main topic is relational contracts, main reading is the lecture note. We'll spend about 10 mins on the Lincoln Electric article in your reader; it's a pretty cool story about leadership and culture. 2. We'll connect #1 with the Aghion-Tirole model of delegation that you read about in LN2 but that we haven't gotten to yet in class. 3. We'll talk about some recent economics research on motivation and trust, and managerial implications. The SDT reading relates indirectly to #2 and #3.

4. The main topic of Thurs is subjective evaluations, but the MFS case writeup question has more to do with org. structure/corporate strategy. Writeups (for teams that have chosen this case) are due by Weds 5pm on Stellar.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend,

Michael

Hi,

1. Please email Eliza and me the teams for your case-writeups if you haven't done so yet (see syllabus). If you're planning to write a final paper, the team for the paper needn't be the same as for your case writeups. Please also remind me if you're auditing/listening, so I can keep you on the class list but leave you out of the grading business.

2. The first writeup-eligible case is MFS next week Thurs, but all case writeups are due the day before class by 5pm; that's next Weds if MFS is among your case choices. Refer to the syllabus for the requested format.

3. Contrary to what the syllabus says, please UPLOAD your writeups on Stellar in the homeworks section. No need to email to Eliza or me.

4. After reading the Enterprise articles, have a quick look here http://www.erac.com/default.aspx and the pages underneath (e.g. culture)

5. I won't bug you with class emails more than once or twice a week. As always: check/post on the Discussion forum on Stellar for anything immediately related to class, incl questions about class content or assignments (I posted two items so far). Check Twitter @MRaith for news items related to class. See me in my office hour W9-11 or by appointment. Email me about anything, but if it's of general interest I may ask you to post on the discussion board instead.

See you tomorrow,

Michael

Hi Folks (apologies to those who have dropped the class but are still on the Stellar list - we'll update that sometime soon),

1. Looks like enrollment is back in the 50s where it was 2 weeks ago. Almost certainly those of you currently waitlisted should be able to join. I can sign your Add forms after class tomorrow.

2. Hope everyone managed to get hold of the course reader... The Arck case for tomorrow is only a few pages long = not much prep. If you want to balance the weekly workload, read ahead for Thurs, beginning with Lecture note 2.

3. I posted the first few items on Twitter over the weekend. At this rate, there may be an item every other day or so. Again, this is not "grade-relevant" but to help you apply 903 to the world around you.

4. Class-relevant out-of-class discussions can take place on the Discussion forum on Stellar. I posted something there too.

5. For those of you who missed the first class: the slides from last Thurs are posted on Stellar, but bear in mind that the two slides with photos in the middle account for about 55mins of class discussion. The conclusion slides hopefully capture some of the most important takeaways, but these (and future) slides are unlikely to be self-explanatory.

6. Most of you already responded to the Questionnaire on Stellar; thanks! Keep them coming.

See you tomorrow,

Michael

1. Slides from Session #1 are posted in the Materials section
2. I posted a PS on real-estate agents in the Forum on Stellar. Use the Forum to ask/discuss anything of general interest related to our class.
3. I started tweeting.

 

Welcome to 15.903 "Organizational Economics"! Our first class is next week Thursday, and I look forward to meeting you. This web page is still under construction, but everything you need for the first few weeks is here. Before our first class, I would like you to do a few things, which shouldn't take that much time:

Have a great holiday weekend and see you soon,

Michael