General Information
Instructor(s)
Promotional Video
Unavailable
- 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
Spring 2022 format TBD. Students enrolling should be prepared to attend in-person if it is held in person.
Weekend Intensive Course:
January 28, 29; February 11/12
The format is concentrated and ambitious, but also well-suited to focused and in-depth coverage of the topic. We will use a combination of case discussions, guest speakers, in-class exercises, breakout group discussions, videos and lectures. Course enrolment: 44 students
Course Mission
Some see it 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.
Course Scope
As a way of gaining insight into how networks operate, students will practice putting the network principles to use by:
- Conducting a self-assessment of their own professional networks;
- Considering how organizational networks influence strategic change and implementation; and
- Examining how companies are strategically leveraging (online and offline) social networks to create value.
Evaluation and Grade Distribution
| Component | Due Date | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Class Contribution | Ongoing | 20% |
| Network Audit | 1 week after class | 30% |
| Success Habits for Networking | 2 weeks after class | 20% |
| Networks by Design | 3 weeks after class | 30% |
Required Resources
An electronic course packet of cases and readings will be provided.
Last Updated: