Short Course: “Digital Transformation of Organizations”
Date : From July 14th to July 19th
Venue : University of Porto (room number to be announced soon)
Number of available places : 18
Course Description:
As part of the partnership between the University of Texas at Austin and Portugal, the University of Porto will offer a short course in July 2008 titled “Digital Transformation of Organizations.” This course will be an introduction to the interesting changes changes brought to organizations by new information technologies, particularly the Internet and “Web 2.0.”
This course is meant for non-technical students and professionals, meaning that it presumes no technical background or preparation. But technical professionals may find it useful as well, as an introduction to managerial, social and political trends that are influenced by information technologies.
The theme of the course will be that all organizations are being transformed from an older paradigm of bureaucracy to a new paradigm of the network, and that organizations and economies that navigate this change will succeed and thrive. The topics that will be covered include:
- An introduction to the technologies of organizational change: the Internet, databases, “middleware,” open data standards, service-oriented architecture and “Web 2.0”;
- The new organizational toolbox: blogs, wikis, content management systems, social networking software, Open Source software and “cloud computing”;
- New collaboration models and organizational change: an introduction to the ways groups are organized online, such as through “groupware,”
- Second Life, social networking, and new collaborative tools;
- New forms of organizations: an introduction to “organizing without organizations,” “wikinomics,” new experiments in e-government, blurring the boundaries of organizations;
- Challenges for network-era managers: new forms of organizational leadership; cultural and generational conflict in the workplace; new skills and educational demands; new forms of work.
The course will consist of six three-hour sessions, from July 14 through July 19, 2008. The course will be conducted in English. In addition to covering the topics listed above, students will also be engaged with developing a collaborative Web site that will demonstrate the capabilities of new online tools. Students will be asked to read articles and other material on the Web, and also from the book Wikinomics - A Nova Economia das Multidões Inteligentes, from QuidNovi publishers (2007).
Required books for the Course:
Wikinomics (There is an edition in English and in Portuguese).
Prof. Gary Chapman’s Short bio:
Gary Chapman is director of The 21st Century Project and a member of the faculty at the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, the university's graduate school of public policy. He is also associate director of the university's Telecommunications and Information Policy Institute. The 21st Century Project is a research and education program about bridging public policy about technology with civic participation and democracy. Chapman was the first executive director of the national U.S. organization Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, he has served as chairman of the selection committee for the Turing Award -- the world's highest award in computer science -- and in 2000 he was named one of the "25 Most Powerful Texans in High Tech" by Texas Monthly magazine. For ten years he was an editorial columnist on technology and society for The Los Angeles Times, The Austin American-Statesman, and Texas Monthly magazine. He has been a featured speaker at conferences around the world. He was educated at Occidental College in Los Angeles and at Stanford University.
How to apply:
If you interested in applying for this workshop, please send an email to palves@inescporto.pt or sofia.santos@fct.mctes.pt with your name, occupation, short CV and a motivation letter (In English and max. 150 words) until June 30th. Please write "Application for Digital Transformation of Organizations" on the subject of the email.
No applications will be considered after this date.
For any questions please send an email to utaustinportugal@fct.mctes.pt.
