Course Info

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Course Info for FORG - 308 - 01, Spring 2023
Class number: 3155 Title: Leaderless organizations Department: Formal Organizations
Career: Undergraduate Component: Seminar Session: Regular
Instructor's Permission Required: Yes Grading Basis: Regular Units: 1.00
Enrollment limited to 19 Current enrollment: 19 Available seats: 0
Start date: Wednesday, January 25, 2023 End date: Friday, May 12, 2023 Mode of Instruction: In Person
Schedule: T: 1:30PM-4:10PM, 71VS - SEM Instructor(s): Stringham, Edward
Prerequisite(s): None
Distribution Requirement: Meets Social Sciences Requirement
Course Description:
People form organizations to pursue collective goals and although most formal organizations have people in charge and varying degrees of hierarchy, this is not necessarily the case. The course will study examples of what potentially could be classified as leaderless organizations including communal Owenite cooperatives in nineteenth century America or communally run kibbutzim in modern Israel. The course will also study recent examples of digitally autonomous organizations built on blockchain and cryptocurrency technology and algorithmically enforced "smart" contracts. Although many intentionally leaderless organizations have encountered challenges that led to their demise, others seem to be flourishing. This reading and discussion intensive course will study the extent to which intentionally leaderless organizations can offer alternatives to or lessons for traditional hierarchical formal organizations.