Provide students with an appreciation of a range of models and strategies associated with organisational change;

Develop an awareness of the need to manage disruptive change (be it triggered by market, financial or operational factors) and proactively lead organisational change;

Encourage students to consider the links between the design of an organisation and its ability to react to change;

Enable students to understand the relationship between leadership and learning at both an individual and organisational level.

(LO1) Examine strategic challenges that organisations face, especially (but not limited to) disruptive change

(LO2) Compare and contrast key theories of organisational change

(LO3) Demonstrate the impact of organizational design on the ability of an organisation to successfully change (e.g. communications, decision making, authority, reporting reward and control structure)

(LO4) Evaluate the role of human resource management and organisational leaders in facilitating, leading or managing organizational change

(LO5) Understand and manage the dilemmas and paradoxes faced when leading and managing change (e.g. growth with reduced costs)

(LO6) Understand the factors that influence the adoption, acceleration, and resistance to change

(LO7) Understand the importance of learning for personal, team and organisational development

(S1) Communication Skills: Students will have opportunities to develop written communication skills through group discussions and coursework. This will be assessed by written assignments, individual work and the dissertation.

(S2) Problem Solving and Decision Making: Students will be challenged to think critically about organisational issues and dilemmas. They will do this by gathering and synthesising information, analysing alternative perspectives and options and presenting a considered opinion or programme of action in their course assessment.

(S3) Information and Communication Technology Skills: Students will have opportunities to improve their ICT skills. Students will demonstrate skills in the use of software applications including word processing, visual presentations, data bases, spread sheets and using the internet for information searches in the course of researching and presenting coursework.

(S4) Group Working Skills: Some work will require students to work in groups and manage the interaction and relationships with other group members. In doing so, they will gain experience in negotiation, persuasion, influencing and managing conflict.

(S5) Personal Effectiveness: This applies to all modules where students will be encouraged to think critically about theory and practice and to challenge and critique assumptions about the management of people and organisations. In doing so they will be able to recognise and consider issues such as corporate social responsibility, ethics, diversity, technology and strategy. This will be assessed through attaining the appropriate level of critical engagement with theory and practice in programme assignments.

(S6) Time management: This applies to all modules of the programme and is relevant for planning scheduled work and meeting assessment deadlines. This will be evident in the students’ independent management of their assignments and coursework and by meeting coursework deadlines.

Teaching Method 1 - Virtual classroom hours (for online modules)
Notes: Number of hours per week, per student expected in the virtual classroom in discussion, dedicated to group work and individual assessment is 7.

Teaching Method 2 - Non-classroom hours (for online modules)
Notes: Number of hours per week, per student expected for reading, research and other individual work to support engagement in the classroom is 13.

Indicative topics:

Theories and models of organisational change - planned and disruptive;

Strategies for implementing and evaluating organisational change (e.g. outsourcing, restructuring, systems);

Strategic change processes and responses to causes of change;

Change and organizational design - the human resource management role;

Change and people - leadership, motivation, culture, history, capability;

Adoption, acceleration, and resistance factors;

Change as a response to organisation crisis.