Semester 1, 2023 Online | |
Units : | 1 |
School or Department : | School of Business |
Grading basis : | Graded |
Course fee schedule : | /current-students/administration/fees/fee-schedules |
Staffing
Course Coordinator:
Overview
One major contemporary issue facing virtually all organisations is hyper competition and the exponential rate of change occurring in highly complex and dynamic environments - both externally and internally. Contemporary managers need skills to analyse the organisational environment including the ability to adjust to shifting market demands. There is a constant drive for organisational change - not only to survive but to be able to compete and be successful and sustainable. Contemporary leaders, managers or change agents need to focus on the continuous renewal of their organisation(s) on various fronts. Students in this course will learn how to lead and manage change for improved organisational performance across different contexts. As well, students will gain a solid understanding of how to create a sustainable organisation. The course will help practising managers to build skills and demonstrate competence in applying high level theoretical change concepts.
This course is a core foundational unit in the MBA and consists of many high level concepts. The material covers the planned approach to change and introduces ideas related to meta-models of change. The latter are ways of thinking about change, both from a life-cycle approach, a systems approach and a situational approach which is often called `situated learning' within the organizational learning literature. We take you on a journey of discovery here by first exploring how the various meta-models establish ways of thinking about and implementing change. We next examine interventions of change. Interventions are used as a solution for implementing change approaches. So if a CEO or a GM decides that a hard change approach is required such as restructuring the organization, interventions can be used to help her achieve various process milestones. The course seeks to explore both learning and change given that there are reciprocal relationships between thinking, behaviour and action. Change processes do not just happen. They have to be carefully planned out, linked to broader organizational goals and strategies and involve key systems and processes. We will learn in the course why change is about context, how context is (re)produced on a daily basis providing the basis by which people learn. But we will also learn how to challenge the context through change and learning.
Course learning outcomes
On successful completion of this course students should be able to:
- critically discuss the complex nature of change including those factors that affect and enhance prospects for planned organisational change.
- analyse the processes, strategies and techniques which can be applied to lead, manage and facilitate high impact organisational change.
- use cognitive, technical and creative skills to identify, investigate, analyse and synthesise complex information, problems, concepts and theories to address complex ethical dilemmas as applied to change.
- apply critical thinking to evaluate, synthesise and critically review theoretical frameworks with other evidence to provide innovative solutions to real world problems.
- evaluate and apply the skills required for successful leadership of others, working in teams and working with people from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds in real time spaces.
- coherently communicate a sustained argument using appropriate means, including technology, to engage and communicate in ways that are effective, appropriate and persuasive (both orally and in writing) to diverse audiences including top management teams and senior executives to achieve target outcome.
Topics
Description | Weighting(%) | |
---|---|---|
1. | The nature of organisational change | 25.00 |
2. | Interventions and techniques | 40.00 |
3. | Issues in managing organisational change | 35.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
Student workload expectations
To do well in this subject, students are expected to commit approximately 10 hours per week including class contact hours, independent study, and all assessment tasks. If you are undertaking additional activities, which may include placements and residential schools, the weekly workload hours may vary.
Assessment details
Description | Group Assessment |
Weighting (%) | Course learning outcomes |
---|---|---|---|
Journal | No | 10 | 1 |
Reflection (personal/clinical) | No | 50 | 2,3,4 |
Report | No | 40 | 5,6 |