Year
2023Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Prerequisites
MGMT213 Organisational Analysis or HRMG204 Organisational Behaviour
Incompatible
HRMG303 - Organisational Change
Teaching organisation
150 hours over a twelve-week semester or equivalent study period
Unit rationale, description and aim
The effective management of organisational change is an important factor in achieving sustainable organisational outcomes. To be a skilled change practitioner, students will need to understand the issues that shape organisational change policies, systems and practices, and their implementation. In this unit, students will develop their knowledge of the strategies, theories and practices of organisational change which contribute to upholding the human dignity of people during change processes. Students will apply their knowledge of organisational change frameworks and models to organisational activities such as diagnosing change problems, changing culture, organisational transformation, restructuring, intervention strategies, managing resistance, and team development in order to achieve objectives of the organisational change processes that can be sustained. Students will develop skills in the design and implementation of sustainable change processes, activities, and solutions.
The aim of this unit is to enhance students’ knowledge of organisational change theory and practices and to develop their understanding of the processes and skills necessary to effectively design, manage and implement sustainable change solutions and activities.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
LO1 - evaluate foundation frameworks, philosophies and theories related to organisational change management (GA4, GA5)
LO2 - determine organisational change intervention strategies in organisations at all levelsapplicable at an individual level, group level or organisational level and address ethical, social, sustainability issues while respecting the dignity of individuals (GA1, GA5)
LO3 - apply change models to identify organisational and behavioural issues that may affect the identification of organisational change needs, development of change proposals and their implementation leading to organisational sustainability (GA5, GA8)
LO4 - demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and with peers to develop practical and sustainable interventions as a response to change in organisational needs (GA5, GA7)
LO5 - apply effective written and oral communication skills individually or in groups (GA5, GA9)
Graduate attributes
GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity
GA4 - think critically and reflectively
GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession
GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively
GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information
GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media.
Content
Topics will include:
- introduction to organisational change for sustainability
- approaches to organisational change
- determining change diagnosis tools to identify needs for change
- types of interventions and designing change interventions in organisations at all levels
- planning and implementing change milestones for sustainability
- communication, cross cultural dynamics, and stakeholders’ engagement throughout the change processes
- power, readiness, and resistance to change and respecting the human dignity
- sustaining change and stakeholders’ needs and diversity
- analysing future trends and issues in managing organisational change
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
ONLINE MODE
This unit takes an active learning approach to guide students in the development of knowledge associated with organisational change. Students are able to explore the knowledge base underpinning organisational change management in a series of online interactive modules. Students have the opportunity to take part in facilitated synchronous online classes designed to support them to actively participate in the construction of this knowledge. By undertaking the individual activities and participating in these online discussion Boards, students will systematically develop their understanding of the critical aspects of organisational change and how to design sustainable solutions to organisational change problems. This unit takes an experiential approach to support students in developing the skills required to effectively manage organisational change management by sharing stories and insights and reflecting on experiences. This approach provides flexibility and facilitates the participation of students who are unable to attend classes while building in expert support for skills development.
Assessment strategy and rationale
In order to pass this unit, students are required to complete and submit three graded assessment tasks and achieve an aggregate mark of at least 50%. Marking will be in accordance with a rubric specifically developed to measure their level of achievement of the learning outcomes for each item of assessment. Students will also be awarded a final grade which signifies their overall achievement in the unit. The assessment strategy for this unit allows students to sequentially build on the online activities on LEO to develop their knowledge and skills in managing organisational change to the point where they can produce a change plan proposal to resolve an organisational change problem. In order to develop this level of capability, students will demonstrate their knowledge of change theories in a Discussion Boards analytical report, further develop their understanding through a change problem diagnosis discussion Boards, and then apply their knowledge and understanding of the development and implementation change strategies through creation of a collaborative change plan proposal in the final assessment task.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Graduate Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|
Discussion Board Analytical Report: This assessment task consists of a1000-word analytical research report. It requires students to draw on their effective communication critical thinking skills to identify the far-reaching impact of change within an organisation and analyse and evaluate frameworks and theories of change. This task requires critical analyses and evaluation of frameworks and theories of organisational change Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Report Artefact: Written Report | 25% | LO1, LO5 | GA4, GA5, GA9 |
Change diagnosis Report: This assessment task requires five individual engagement submissions to discussion Boards consists of 300 words each (1500 total words). Students to independently apply their critical thinking skills as they analyse, evaluate and diagnose what needs changing in an organisation, the applications of change processes and concisely present results to all stakeholders. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Report Artefact: Written Report | 35% | LO2, LO4 | GA1, GA5, GA7 |
Change Plan Proposal: This assessment task consists of a 1250-word written change plan proposal and produce 5 minutes video or 10 minutes live presentation to stakeholders. This task requires students to collectively apply and integrate the theories, models and concepts from this unit to develop efficient and effective solutions to organisational change problems. Students will be required to draw on their communication skills as they individually reflect on issues of organisational change in the context of ethical implications and understandings of human diversity and various stakeholders’ needs. Individual members to complete Peer Evaluation Tool. Submission Type: Group Assessment Method: Change Plan Proposal Artefact: Written Report and Visual Presentation | 40% | LO3, LO4, LO5 | GA5, GA7, GA8, GA9 |
Representative texts and references
Dianne, W., Creed, A., Cummings, T., and Worley, C. 2019. Organisational Change: Development and Transformation, 7th ed., Cengage Learning Australia.
Hayes, J., 2018, The Theory and Practice of Change Management, 5th ed., McMillan
Beech, N., MacIntosh, R., Krust, P, Kanna, S, and Dadich, A. 2017. Managing change: enquiry and action. Australasian Edition, Cambridge University Press. Cambridge UK
Bettencourt, L. A. et al., 2022. The “New You” Business’, Harvard Business Review, 100(1), pp. 70–81. Available at: https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy1.acu.edu.au/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=154096250&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Cloutier, J. & Robert‐Huot, G., 2021. How organizations adapt their HR practices to a changing environment: 11 theoretical dimensions to inform human resource management. Canadian journal of administrative sciences. [Online] 38 (3), 288–302.
Dawson, P. and Andriopoulos, C., 2017. Managing change, creativity and innovation. Sage Publications Inc. London UK
Domingues, A.R., Lozano, R., Ceulemans, K. and Ramos, T.B., 2017. Sustainability reporting in public sector organisations: Exploring the relation between the reporting process and organisational change management for sustainability. Journal of Environmental Management, 192, pp.292-301.
Hayes, J., 2022, The Theory and Practice of Change Management, 6th ed., McMillan
Kirby, D., 2019. Changing the nature of organizational change. Strategic HR Review, 18(4), 155-160
Kraft, A., Sparr, J., & Peus, C., 2018. Giving and Making Sense About Change: The Back and Forth Between Leaders and Employees. Journal of Business and Psychology, 33(1), 71-87.
Lowe, G., Plummer, V., & Boyd, L., 2018. Nurse practitioner integration: Qualitative experiences of the change management process. Journal of Nursing Management, 26(8), 992-1001.
Riivari, E., & Lämsä, A., 2019. Organizational Ethical Virtues of Innovativeness. Journal of Business Ethics, 155(1), 223-240.
Szabla, David B.; Pasmore, William A.; Barnes, Mary A.; Gipson, Asha N., 2017. The Palgrave Handbook of Organizational Change Thinkers, Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Ziaee Bigdeli, A., Baines, T., Bustinza, O.F. and Guang Shi, V., 2017. Organisational change towards servitization: a theoretical framework. Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal, 27(1), pp.12-39.