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Home » Course Catalogue » MBA Electives » RSM2061H – Strategic Networks (Fall 2022)

RSM2061H – Strategic Networks (Fall 2022)

General Information

Instructor(s)

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Applicable Emphases:
(m) = Main, (s)= Supplemental

  • Strategy (m)

Applicable Major(s):
(c) = Core, (r) = Recommended

  • Business Design (r)
  • Consulting (r)
  • Health Sector Management (r)
  • Innovation and Entrepreneurship (c)
  • Leadership and Change Management (c)

Description

This course will be of particular interest to students in the Consulting, Leadership and Change Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Business Design majors. This course is a complement to several other strategy electives including: Strategic Change and Implementation, Entrepreneurship, Network and Digital Market Strategy. Since one of the main assignments for the class involves analyzing students’ networks with other students in the MBA cohort, this course is open to Rotman MBA students only.

Format

This course is offered in the intensive format.  All sessions will occur over two half days (Fridays) and two full days (Saturdays).  The format is concentrated and ambitious, but also well-suited to focused and in-depth coverage of the topic.

Target Audience

This course will be of particular interest to students in the Strategy, Leadership, and Innovation/Entrepreneurship/Business Design emphases or in the Consulting, Leadership & Change Management, Innovation & Entrepreneurship majors.  This course is a complement to several other strategy electives including: Strategic Change & Implementation, Power & Influence, Entrepreneurship, Network & Digital Market Strategy. Since one of the main assignments for the class involves analyzing students’ networks with other students in the MBA cohort, this course is open to Rotman MBA students only.

Course Mission

Some see networking as unpleasant and offensive, others view it as a necessary evil, and there are those that find it just plain baffling. Although the concept of networking is not new, the core principles that make this activity valuable to individuals, entrepreneurs, and organizations are often misunderstood. The purpose of this course is to cut through the clutter and help students gain a better understanding of how to create, use, and evaluate networks to generate value. 

To do so this course will introduce students to some simple, but powerful principles that explain: how networks form, what benefits are associated with different positions in networks, and the social dynamics (e.g., reciprocity, trust, norms, reputation) upon which networks are based. As a result, students will gain valuable insights about developing a strategy for managing their own professional networks and will learn how to leverage organizational networks to achieve strategic outcomes. 

Evaluation and Grade Breakdown

ComponentDue DateWeight
Class ContributionOngoing20%
Network Audit1 week after class30%
Success Habits for Networking2 weeks after class20%
Networks by Design3 weeks after class30%

Required Resources

An electronic course packet of cases and readings will be provided.

Last Updated: 2022-06-28 @ 11:29 am