Unit rationale, description and aim
Change is a reality that managers face in all contemporary organisations. Understanding the complexities of the process and nature of such change requires rigorous analysis and synthesis of multiple sources of information. If students are to be able to do this, they will need to understand the strategic role and drivers of change in organisations. In this unit, students will develop their knowledge of strategies, theories and practices of organisational change. Students will apply their knowledge of change models, change diagnosis, change leadership and change interventions to the design of socially, environmentally, economically and responsible strategies for organisations in transition. Students will develop their skills in the analysis, development, leadership, implementation and evaluation of change strategies for organisations experiencing the challenge of change in order to recognise their common responsibilities to all stakeholders.
The ultimate aim of the unit is to equip students with practical and ethical knowledge in managing change process that are aligned with organisational mission and strategy, benchmarked against best national and international standards and practices.
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.
Critically evaluate different frameworks, philosop...
Learning Outcome 01
Analyse organisational and behavioural issues that...
Learning Outcome 02
Design change interventions and develop implementa...
Learning Outcome 03
Design effective communication strategies with all...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
- Perspectives on Change
- Factors (national and global) affecting organisational change
- Identifying the needs for change
- Planned directed and emergent change
- Decision Making and Uncertainty in Change
- Change models
- Role of Leadership and structural complexities
- Change, Power and politics
- HR/People Management
- Neuroscience and Change
- Cultural and strategic Change
- Technological changes
- Ethical, Social and Sustainability Issues
- Implementing and evaluating change processes
- Organisational transformation
Note: Those students conducting this unit as part of the Graduate Diploma or Master of OHSEM will be provided with content, examples and applications specific to this discipline.
Assessment strategy and rationale
To pass this unit, students must demonstrate competence in all learning outcomes and achieve an aggregate mark of at least 50%. Marking will be in accordance with a rubric specifically developed to measure students’ level of achievement of the learning outcomes for each item of assessment. Students will be awarded a final grade which signifies their overall achievement in the unit.
The assessment strategy for this Unit allows students to sequentially develop their knowledge and skills in organisational change to the point where they can produce a change plan to resolve an organisational change problem in a real-world scenario. To develop this level of capability, students will demonstrate their knowledge of change theories in an essay, further develop their understanding of organisational change through a change problem diagnosis presentation and then apply their knowledge and understanding of the development, leadership, implementation and evaluation of change strategies through creation of a change plan in the final assessment task. The assessment tasks for this unit are designed for students to demonstrate their achievement of each learning outcome as indicated in the following Assessment Table.
Those students conducting this unit as part of the Graduate Diploma or Master of OHSEM will be expected to complete assessments 2 and 3 with a focus on an OHSE change problem.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Essay: Critical Analysis of ch...
Assessment Task 1: Essay: Critical Analysis of change theories
This assessment task consists of a 1000 word written critical essay. This task requires students to critically analyse change theories and justify their preferred change model .
Submission Type: Individual
Assessment Method: Essay
Artefact: Written essay
25%
Assessment Task 2: Formulation of change interven...
Assessment Task 2: Formulation of change intervention strategies
This assessment task consists of a 1400 word report or 12-15 minutes Video. This task requires student to diagnose the need for change and design responsible change interventions that meets stakeholders’ needs. Utilising their communication skills, students are required to communicate the proposed interventions to various internal and external stakeholders. Video transcripts also need to be submitted.
Submission Type: Individual
Assessment Method: Presentation/ Report
Artefact: Report / Presentation notes / slides?
35%
Assessment Task 3: Develop change plan This asse...
Assessment Task 3: Develop change plan
This assessment task consists of a 1600 word change plan.
This task requires students to create a change plan incorporating implementation and evaluation strategies which address complex economical, social, ethical and sustainability issues in a local, national and global contexts.
Submission Type: Individual
Assessment Method: Change Plan
Artefact: Written change plan proposal
40%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Attendance Mode
This Unit takes an active learning approach to guide students in the analysis and synthesis of knowledge associated with the diagnosis and resolution of complex change problems. Students are able to explore the knowledge base underpinning organisational change management in a series of on campus workshops. These workshops are designed to support students to actively participate in the construction and synthesis of this knowledge both individually and in groups. By participating in these workshops, students will systematically develop their understanding of the critical aspects of organisational change and how to design solutions to organisational change problems. This Unit takes an experiential approach to support students in developing the relational skills required to effectively manage organisational change management by tapping into the knowledge of other participants, sharing stories and insights and reflecting on experiences. This approach is designed to interest students who prefer to learn within a social environment and builds in expert support for skills development.
Online mode
This Unit takes an active learning approach to guide students in the analysis and synthesis of knowledge associated with the diagnosis and resolution of complex change problems. Students are able to explore the knowledge base underpinning organisational change management in a series of online interactive modules. Students take part in facilitated synchronous online classes designed to support them to actively participate in the construction and synthesis of this knowledge. By undertaking the individual activities and participating in these online classes, students will systematically develop their understanding of the critical aspects of organisational change and how to design solutions to organisational change problems. This Unit takes an experiential approach to support students in developing the relational skills required to effectively manage organisational change management by tapping into the knowledge of other participants, sharing stories and insights and reflecting on experiences. This approach provides flexibility and facilitates the participation of students who are unable to attend class.
ACU Online
This unit uses an active learning approach to support students in the exploration of knowledge essential to the discipline. Students are provided with choice and variety in how they learn. Students are encouraged to contribute to asynchronous weekly discussions. Active learning opportunities provide students with opportunities to practice and apply their learning in situations similar to their future professions. Activities encourage students to bring their own examples to demonstrate understanding, application and engage constructively with their peers. Students receive regular and timely feedback on their learning, which includes information on their progress.