Week 1 Discussion

The discussion assignment provides a forum for debating topics that may not have one clear answer.

This week, be sure to agree or disagree; defend your position with evidence from our textbook and recommended scholarly sources.

Before beginning work on this week’s discussion post, review the following resources:

• Doing Discussion Questions Right


• Expanded Grading Rubric

Early in the week, reserve your selected topic by posting your response (reservation post) to the Discussion Area, identifying your topic in the subject line. By the due date assigned, research your topic and start a scholarly conversation.

From the statements below, select one topic and your position on the topic (agree or disagree).

The topics this week are:

• Complexity is directly related to unpredictability in organizations.

Be very specific with the topic you choose:

• What are the phenomena or managerial problems related to the statement?


• What is the intellectual foundation of the statement in question, and what are its assumptions and philosophy of science?


• What are the key concepts and theoretical propositions (if relevant) in the statement?


• What does the statement propose as the task of the manager? What are the managerial implications of the statement?


• What are the main problems or challenges with the statement?

As the beginning of a scholarly conversation, your initial post should be:

• Succinct—Be no more than 500 words.


• Provocative—Use concepts and combinations of concepts from the readings to propose relationships, causes, and/or consequences that inspire others to engage (inquire and learn). In other words, take a scholarly stand.


• Supported—Scholarly conversations are more than opinions. Ideas, statements, and conclusions are supported by clear research and citations from course materials as well as other credible, peer-reviewed resources.