Management of Change Module - Online MBA

Introduction and module objectives

The Management of Change module will introduce students to organisational change and its significance for organisations. Students will be exposed to the multiple perspectives, models and analytical frameworks for analysing organisational change, and how change can be managed. Success in the management of change is perhaps best achieved by understanding how NOT to change an organisation. Therefore the module will spend some time exploring and critically evaluating examples of failures to manage change effectively. The module will discuss and analyse the role of senior managers and “change agents”. The module will also introduce students to the conflicts, and dilemmas encountered by middle managers in implementing change.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the module, students should be able to:

  • Define and provide examples of what constitutes organisational change.
  • Explain the imperatives for, and scope of organisational change: why change happens and what is changed.
  • Explain the relevance of change to a range of contemporary organisations.
  • Explain the major perspectives used in analysing organisational change.
  • Diagnose the implications of a proposed change programme.
  • Explain how change can be attained.
  • Describe the ways in which managers influence other employees in order to achieve desired change outcomes.
  • Explain the general constraints on organisational change, and how these may be accommodated or circumvented.
  • Explain the role of language and culture in organisational change.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the “change agent”.
  • Describe and explain the difficulties faced by middle managers during change processes and explain approaches to overcoming these difficulties.
  • Explain the role of culture and politics in the context of change.

Skills:

  • Present an analysis of proposed organisational change and anticipated problems.
  • Diagnose change imperatives and appropriate management responses to these.
  • Identify sources of resistance to change.