10 Best Organizational Design Courses and Certifications Online

Organizational Design is a critical aspect of managing a business or organization as it determines its structure, processes, and functions. To gain expertise in this field, many professionals turn to online courses to expand their knowledge and skills in Organizational Design. In this article, we will be discussing some of the best online courses available that cover this topic, providing an overview of each course, its key features, and its suitability for different types of learners.

Here’s a look at the Best Organizational Design Courses and Certifications Online and what they have to offer for you!

10 Best Organizational Design Courses and Certifications Online

1. Introduction to Organizations by Robert Barcik (Udemy) (Our Best Pick)

Introduction to Organizations is a university course offered at Swedish universities that aims to provide an introduction to the theory of organizations. This course is beneficial for students, entrepreneurs, and managers who want to understand how organizations are created and grow. It covers organizational theory, which is a field that contributes to marketing, product development, and management.

The course covers various interesting concepts, including organizational stakeholders, which differ from shareholders. This course is an ideal introduction to more advanced organizational theory courses such as organizational change or organizational design. Students of this subject at Swedish universities worldwide can find this course helpful and enjoyable.

The course covers the basics of organizational theory in three main areas. Firstly, it focuses on the organizations themselves, explaining why they exist and what they aim to achieve. Secondly, it covers organizational stakeholders and their varying desires. Lastly, it looks outside of the organization and tries to understand the environment in which these organizations function. The course consists of up to 15 videos that provide an intuitive way to learn.

The course covers three main sections: Organizations and Organizational Effectiveness, Organizational Stakeholders, and Environment Around Organizations. By the end of the course, students should have a solid understanding of organizational theory and be able to apply it to various fields such as marketing, product development, and management.

2. Organizational Design: A Modern Practical Approach by ClayDesk E-learning, Syed Ali, Syed Raza, Qasim Shah, Myra Gul (Udemy)

The Organizational Design: A Modern Practical Approach course, instructed by ClayDesk E-learning, Syed Ali, Syed Raza, Qasim Shah, and Myra Gul, is designed to teach how modern companies are implementing organizational design strategies. The course includes case studies and use cases to help students become a high-performance fluid enterprise organization in the 21st century. The course offers hands-on learning, quizzes, and instruction from industry professionals.

Organizational designs generally fall into two categories: traditional and contemporary. Traditional designs include simple structure, functional structure, and divisional structure. Contemporary designs include team structure, matrix structure, project structure, boundary-less organization, and the learning organization. Students can download the course slides from Section 2, Lecture 6.

In this course, students will learn about organizational design and its impact on enterprise organizations. They will also learn about people, process, and technology. The course covers organizational design methodology, the process and stages of organizational development, the role of leaders within the organizational design process, and what organizations of the future look like. Various types and strategies of organizational designs are also covered, along with examples, use cases, and case studies.

The course is highly recommended by former students, who found it comprehensive and applicable. The instructors are experienced enterprise architects and senior consultants who bring real-world knowledge and skills to the course. The course is ideal for those who want to stay at the cutting edge of learning new skills and enjoy bigger, brighter opportunities.

The course includes several sections, including Introduction, Deep Dive: Organizational Practical Approach, Test Your Knowledge, Modern Organizational Design, Leadership: People-Process-Technology, Case Studies, Project Management Fundamentals, Test Your Knowledge, and Conclusion: Resources.

3. Organizational Design by Robert Barcik (Udemy)

The Organizational Design course is a university-level course taught at Swedish universities that focuses on the scope of Organizational Design. Organizational success is largely dependent on appropriate organizational design, which refers to the design of authority and responsibility. The course aims to identify the challenges in organizational design and find the right balance between centralization vs decentralization, mechanistic vs organic structure, and standardization vs mutual adjustment. These balance choices should be tailored to the sources of uncertainty that the organization is facing.

The course is divided into two parts. The first part discusses the basic challenges in organizational design and focuses on finding the right balance. This includes centralization vs decentralization, mechanistic vs organic structure, and standardization vs mutual adjustment. The second part of the course lays focus on the design of authority in organizations, especially tall hierarchies. These hierarchies have many organizational levels and can have serious problems, as demonstrated in Parkinson’s Law Problem.

The course concludes with concrete organizational structures that organizations can undertake. This includes starting with the most basic functional structure and evolving towards one of divisional structures. The course covers the main structures, each possessing specific characteristics. Additionally, the course highlights some interesting structures such as the network, hybrid or network structure. The course is suitable for anyone interested in organizational design and is looking to gain knowledge in this area.

4. Organizational Change by Robert Barcik (Udemy)

The Organizational Change course is being taught at Swedish universities and is designed to introduce students to the concept of organizational change. The course recognizes that for companies to survive, they must adapt to changing conditions constantly. Thus, this course is a must for any organization that wants to thrive in a competitive environment. The course begins by covering basic definitions and concepts and outlines the options available to organizations.

In addition to change, organizational learning and decision making are also important topics for this course. The second and third modules of the course focus on these topics. The course recognizes that organizations need to learn from their experiences and use that knowledge to make decisions. The course explores the factors that negatively affect the learning and decision-making processes of managers. The last part of the course is particularly interesting as it delves into the biases that can impact these processes.

The course is divided into three sections. The first section is focused on Organizational Change, providing an overview of change management and the different types and models of organizational change. The second section is focused on Organizational Life Cycle, exploring the different stages of organizational development and how change can impact each stage. The third section is focused on Organizational Decision Making, exploring the different models and frameworks that organizations can use to make informed decisions.

Overall, this course is designed to provide students with an in-depth understanding of organizational change, learning, and decision making. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to help organizations navigate change successfully and make informed decisions.

5. Organization Design (OD) Theory and Practice by Illumeo Learning, Carrie Foster (Udemy) (Udemy)

The course “Organization Design (OD) Theory and Practice,” instructed by Illumeo Learning and Carrie Foster (Udemy), delves into the flexible use of design features within an organization to achieve desired outcomes. It entails a review of the theory and practice of OD and a critical appraisal of changes in its design capability. Additionally, the course evaluates the use of group dynamics and organization development approaches in shaping organizational climates. The course also emphasizes the importance of Galbraith’s STAR model and the role and implementation of organization design in delivering competitive advantage.
Furthermore, the course highlights organization design as a techno-structural OD methodology that focuses on congruence and alignment to build high-performance environments. It is structured into three sections: Introduction, Supporting Materials, and Review and Test.

6. How to Pull Off Major Organization Development (OD) changes by Illumeo Learning, Carrie Foster (Udemy) (Udemy)

The course titled “How to Pull Off Major Organization Development (OD) Changes” is offered by Illumeo Learning and Carrie Foster (Udemy). The course aims to explain how OD interventions can facilitate organizational change by utilizing the human resource within the organization.

The course begins with a brief overview of how OD intervention methods should be designed to encourage open communication. The diagnostic feedback report is discussed, as it provides the necessary information to design a robust action plan for OD interventions.

The course then delves into the various types of intervention that can be used at the Organization, Team, and Individual levels to address different requirements of the organization system. These interventions can focus on sustaining and maintaining certain elements, consolidating progress made, building strengths, or preparing for future changes.

The course also covers a range of OD tools and techniques such as World Café, Open Space Technology, and others that can be used to achieve the desired OD outcomes.

Overall, the course provides a comprehensive understanding of OD interventions and how they can be used to bring about significant changes within an organization.

7. The Evolution of Organization Development by Illumeo Learning, Carrie Foster (Udemy) (Udemy)

The Evolution of Organization Development is a course that aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the theories and history behind Organization Development (OD) and Change. The course is instructed by Illumeo Learning and Carrie Foster from Udemy.

The course begins with an introduction to OD and a review of its evolution throughout history. This is followed by a discussion on the theories and practices of OD and how they relate to the attitudinal, behavioral, and skill requirements of an organization’s human resources.

The course also delves into the effective application of the information and knowledge gained from the previous discussions. This includes challenging, authenticating, and applying models to specific scenarios such as personal, team, function, and corporate situations.

The main objective of the course is to enable OD practitioners to identify assumptions, evaluate statements, review evidence, and identify values within the organizational system.

The course is divided into three sections – Introduction, Supporting Materials, and REVIEW AND TEST. The Supporting Materials section provides additional resources for students to further their understanding of OD and Change. The REVIEW AND TEST section allows students to test their knowledge and assess their understanding of the concepts covered in the course.

8. Organizational Structure and Design – Foundation by Len Nanjad (Udemy)

The Organizational Structure and Design – Foundation Course is an instructional program facilitated by Len Nanjad. This course is aimed at helping leaders understand how to organize work to achieve better results. During the course, participants will learn various terms, concepts and steps that are crucial to drive meaningful organizational change for their businesses’ sustained success.

The course features several sections that cover the fundamental aspects of organizational design. These sections are designed to equip participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to enable them to initiate and participate in meaningful organizational change.

In the first section, participants will get an overview of organizational structure and design. They will learn how to define organization structure and how it relates to broader definitions of organization design. Additionally, participants will understand the different types of organization structures and how they function.

The second section will focus on identifying indicators of problems with the organization structure. Participants will learn how to assess their organization structure to identify pain points and bottleneck areas that hinder productivity and efficiency.

In the third section, participants will learn about standard forms of organization structures. They will explore various models and concepts for organizing work and managing teams.

In the fourth section, participants will learn how to change the organization structure or design. They will be equipped with the necessary tools and steps to implement the change effectively.

Finally, the course will delve into how to define success when changing the organization structure. Participants will understand how to measure the success of the changes they make and ensure that they align with the organization’s goals and objectives.

In summary, the Organizational Structure and Design – Foundation Course is an informative and practical course that equips leaders with the knowledge and skills to drive meaningful organizational changes for their businesses’ long-term success.

9. Organizational Design and Structure by AJK Consulting (Udemy)

The course titled “Organizational Design and Structure” is offered by AJK Consulting and provides an overview of organizational theory. The course aims to explore the design, organization, and management of organizations to understand the reasons behind their success. It serves as an introductory course in organizational studies, public administration, community development, and related fields.

The course covers topics such as the nature of work, theories of organization, types of organizations, authority, organizational structure, organizational design, organizational size, small business development, organizational design for community development, organizational culture, control systems, leadership, and politics in organizations. The course starts with an introduction to the subject and then delves into understanding organizational structures and designs.

The course aims to provide an understanding of the design and functioning of organizations in modern society. The theories of organization covered in the course include Max Weber’s bureaucracy, Talcott Parsons’ functionalism, and Karl Marx’s capitalism. The course also covers organizational ecology and the evolutionary perspective introduced by Richard Nelson and Sidney Winter.

The course covers various types of organizations, including market/profit-seeking, non-profit, public sector/government units, bureaucracies, and community development corporations. The course also provides an overview of authority in for-profit organizations, internal and external forms of authority, and socialization, legitimation, and expertise.

The course covers various aspects of organizational structure, including formalization, structure and strategy, pyramids, cells, and networks, bottlenecks, authority gradient, and divisionalization. It also covers organizational design, the design process, design essentials, and the three levels of design: functional, divisional, and plant. The course also covers small business development, creating a business case, market selection, business flexibility, and the role of government.

The course covers organizational design for community development, including business models, networking organizations, and collaborative networks. The course also covers organizational culture, including shared assumptions, values, and norms, and cultural change.

10. Structuring your organisation to deliver by Tim Levett at The Working Journey (Udemy)

Course Title: Structuring Your Organisation to Deliver

Course Instructors: Tim Levett at The Working Journey

Course Short Description:

The Structuring Your Organisation to Deliver course aims to equip learners with the necessary knowledge and skills to organise their businesses effectively. It focuses on vertical and horizontal structure design in order to ensure efficient decision-making processes across functions.

Course Long Description:

This course provides learners with an understanding of different tools and methods to help them deliberately set up their businesses for optimal performance. By following the course material, learners will learn how to build an organisation that can successfully deliver its plans with engaged employees.

Course Content and Sections:

The course is divided into two main sections: vertically designing the structure and horizontally designing the structure. In the first section, learners will learn how to organise their businesses to facilitate effective decision-making by ensuring that communication flows smoothly up and down the chain of command. The second section will focus on building an efficient horizontal structure that promotes cross-functional collaboration and teamwork.

Overall, this course is ideal for individuals who wish to improve their business management skills and gain a deeper understanding of how to structure an organisation for success.