Postgraduate Course: Change Management (CMSE11093)
Course Outline
School | Business School |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
SCQF Credits | 15 |
ECTS Credits | 7.5 |
Summary | Organisations, their workforces, clients and customers face new internal and external contextual issues on a regular basis. This module covers organisational design and development. The course will enable students to develop a critical understanding of organisational change via the theories and conceptual frameworks of organisation design and the principles and practices of organisational development. Both are critical to our understanding of organisations and how they function and both reside within a framework of organisation theory. The course focuses on decisions that have to be made on the most appropriate organisational structure(s) to ensure dynamic delivery of organisational activities.
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Course description |
The course aims to introduce students to a range of explanations that can help in the understanding of how organisations and their component membership approach change. In so doing, students will be encouraged to explore a range of practical techniques that can be used in dealing with change. The course requires critical reflection on theory and practice from an ethical and professional standpoint and provides opportunities for applied learning and continuous professional development.
Organisation design is about shaping an organisation to maximise its effectiveness; aiming for flexibility in delivery of its services. Through breaking down departmental barriers, seeking improved supply efficiencies, teamwork and collaboration and working towards better customer management and retention, organisations can enhance their performance and ensure that organisational goals and targets are achieved. Organisation design activities therefore focus on finding the most appropriate structures, relationships between departments and sections, and allocation of work activities, including definition of duties and role responsibilities. The module also focuses on how an organisation's culture, values and environment support and enhance organisational performance and adaptability.
Organisation development is defined by CIPD as a 'planned and systematic approach to enabling sustained organisation performance through the involvement of its people'. This might include how organisational members acquire new skills, knowledge and behaviours, and do things differently, often as part of the application of continuous improvement strategies. The concept of the 'learning organisation' as one of a number of organisation development strategies that might be adopted as part organisational change activities is also explored.
Syllabus:
Introduction: The Change Process and the Field of Change Management
Recognizing the need for change and starting the change process
Diagnosing what needs to be changed: Models and Diagnostic Tools
Changing groups and changing individuals: The role of leaders
Change communications and motivation: The roles of power, politics, and ethics in managing change
Resistance and other reactions to change
Developing a Change Plan
Types of Interventions
Change agents, change agency, evaluating change, and the HR role in managing change
Student Learning Experience:
You will need to read the recommended text book (Hayes, 2014) in advance of the class and most of the additional references. The weekly class sessions will explore particular aspects of the scheduled topic and help you to put material in context, as well as to develop a critical approach to how theory may or may not operate in practice. The class sessions are not a substitute for reading, they are a supplement and guide to the reading. There are no tutorials for this module. Questions and answers, class discussions and interaction with the course instructor will be encouraged.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | For Business School PG students only, or by special permission of the School. Please contact the course secretary. |
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites | None |
High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
150
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Lecture Hours 20,
Summative Assessment Hours 3,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 3,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
124 )
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Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
65 %,
Practical Exam
35 %
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Additional Information (Assessment) |
The assessment will be in the form of an individual report of 2500 words exploring multiple aspects of managing organisational change using examples. The report accounts for 65% of the course assessment.
Students will also prepare a group presentation around a real-world case study of organisational change and accounts for 35% of each student¿s course assessment. The course tutor's mark will carry 30% and the remaining 5% will be carried by peer assessment.
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Feedback |
All students will be given at least one formative feedback or feedforward event for every course they undertake, provided during the semester in which the course is taken and in time to be useful in the completion of summative work on the course. Such feedback may be at course or programme level, but must include input of relevance to each course in the latter case.
Feedback deadlines
Feedback on formative assessed work will be provided within 15 working days of submission, or in time to be of use in subsequent assessments within the course, whichever is sooner. Summative marks will be returned on a published timetable, which has been made clear to students at the start of the academic year.
Students will gain feedback on their understanding of the material when they discuss their answers to the cases and other experiential learning activities during class sessions. Students may also ask questions in class session to assess their knowledge.
Feedback Format:
On-going class-based feedback, Q&A in relation to readings and class session materials.
Formative feedback and non-assessed group exercises.
Summative feedback on assignments.
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No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand and critically discuss the historical and theoretical basis of organisation design and development and their context in terms of value and contribution to organisational life.
- Understand and critically discuss available design options regarding organisational structures and relationships.
- Critically evaluate processes and systems that need to be in place to maintain such structures and relationships, and evaluation of same.
- Know and critically discuss methods and procedures of organisation development and the skills and tools used to review their strategic impact.
- Understand and critically discuss change management strategies and activities used in the application of organisation development strategies, which might support organisation design and realignment outcomes.
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Reading List
Hayes, John. (2014). The theory and practice of change management (4th Edition). London: Palgrave MacMillan |
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills |
By the end of the course students should have developed critical analytical skills, enabling them to identify aspects organisational, some societal, and broader environmental changes, what the interaction of these factors are and how change can be addressed both managerially and politically, together with how change can be dealt with managerially and politically.
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Keywords | MGMT-CM |
Contacts
Course organiser | Dr Thomas Calvard
Tel: (0131 6)51 5313
Email: |
Course secretary | Mr Peter Newcombe
Tel: (0131 6)51 3013
Email: |
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© Copyright 2015 The University of Edinburgh - 21 October 2015 11:21 am
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