1.0 INTRODUCTION

This is an elective unit targeted at students wishing to gain a greater insight into issues associated with Change Management. It will cover both theoretical aspects and practical application of key topics relevant to the task of managing change in a context specific manner.

The unit focuses on the design of the change process and the analysis of the change context within an organisation, and introduces the "Change Kaleidoscope" -model as the basis of analysis. The unit will also provide the base competence for the associated unit "Implementing Change".

As befits a post-graduate/post-experience unit, the emphasis will be more strategic and applied rather than technical and theoretical.

Although there are no specific formal pre-requisites, the unit is interdisciplinary and participants will benefit from having some previous experience in strategic and/or human resource management.

3.0 UNIT OBJECTIVES

The main objective of the unit is to equip participants with tools and frameworks to understand the nature of strategic change and its implications for organisations.

The unit's specific objectives are:

· to develop students' understanding of the nature, styles, and causes of organisational change
· to develop students' understanding of the revolutionary changes in today's environment and the impact of these changes on organisational structures
· to develop students' appreciation for a need to develop a change approach which is suitable for the organisation's specific context.
· to provide students with various approaches to change design and change management including the "Kaleidoscope Model" and differentiate between the design of recipe-driven or formulaic approaches to change implementation and more context-specific approaches.
· to develop an appreciation of the linkages between organisational culture and change, including the "Cultural Web", and the international dimension through Hofstede's studies.
· to provide students with the models to analyse relationships between power and influence within organisations
· to develop an appreciation of leadership in change management
· to develop students' understanding of the managerial skills of an effective change agent

4.0 LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the unit students will be able to:

· Understand the theoretical underpinnings of change management
· Apply this knowledge to "real life" situations through synthesis of theoretical frameworks and practical application via case studies
· Have the ability to analyse and recommend solutions to complex organisational change problems
· Understand political dynamics within organisations and the role of a change agent as a chance catalyst

5.0 TRANSFERABLE SKILLS

Through both lectures and case study workshops the unit seeks to develop information interpretation and evaluation skills, and analytical/problem solving skills. The analysis of change management issues in the case-studies help in further developing the students' analytical skills.

The workshops involve important elements of team working, and the case study presentations and written reports will further develop presentation and report writing skills. Overall, the unit seeks to build the students' critical understanding and analytical judgement of strategic issues within the context of change management.

6.0 TEACHING AND LEARNING PATTERN

Theory and overviews will be developed in a series of formal two-hour lectures using OHP's and video. Students will have access to lecture notes via the university Intranet, (if applicable) prior to the lectures. Each formal lecture will be supported by a mini-case study, relevant to the lecture, to encourage student participation.

Formal lectures will be supplemented by two six-hour workshops. Students will be distributed with a major case study for each of the workshops to be analysed in a study group during the workshop. Team presentations of maximum of 20 minutes will be held at the end of the workshop followed by a plenary session to give feed-back on the case. A team report, not exceeding 2,000 words, will be submitted one week after the workshop.

7.0 INDICATIVE CONTENT

1. Introduction to Unit
Examine linkages between organisational change and strategic change management. Introduce key strategic principles of context specificity, prescriptive and emergent strategies.

2. The Causes of Change
Explore different theories on the causes of organisational change; ie. Tichy's environment, business relationships, technology, new entrants; and Kanter, Stein and Jick's three dynamics, environment, life-cycle differences, political power changes.

3. Organisational Structures and Cultures
Explore the meaning and dimensions of organisation structure and culture. Assess the extent to which different types of organisational structure, form and cultures can cope with and adapt to a variety of change processes. Special emphasis is placed on analysis of organisations in the 'knowledge economy' context.

4. Politics and Leadership of Change
Examine the meaning of organisational politics and distinguish between different sources of power and the ways of using power to influence people. Explore different conflict types, layers of organisational conflict and conflict resolution strategies. Compare and contrast leadership with management and assess different leadership approaches with different types of change situations.

5. Analysis of Change Context
Use the 'Change Kaleidoscope' framework to introduce and explain the contextual features in the 'Change Kaleidoscope', scope, time, preservation, diversity, capability, capacity, readiness for change and power. Discuss the implications of each feature for the design of change.

6. Making Change Judgements
Drawing on WH Smith and Hewlett-Packard case studies use the 'Change Kaleidoscope' to understand change context, identify which contextual features are critical, and how the analysis of context is linked to the decisions made about change.

8.0 INDICATIVE READING

Core reading:

Balogun, J & Hope-Hailey, V, Exploring Strategic Change, Prentice Hall, 1999

Senior, B, Organisational Change, Prentice Hall, 1997

Burns, B, Managing Change 2nd Ed., Pitman, 1996

Sadler, P, Managing Change, Kogan Page, 1995

Harvard Business Review on Change, Harvard Business School Press, 1998

McCalman, J & Paton R A, Change Management, A Guide to Effective Implementation, Paul Chapman Publishing, 1992

Senge, P, The Dance of Change, Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 1999

Background Reading:

Nonaka, I & Takeuchi, H, The Knowledge - Creating Company, Oxford University Press, 1995

Klein, D, The Strategic Management of Intellectual Capital, Butterworth - Heinemann, 1998

Senge, P, The Fifth Discipline - Field Book, Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 1999

Kanter, R M, The Change Masters, Thomson, 1992

Kanter, R M, When Giants Learn to Dance, Thomson, 1992

Handy, C, The Age of Unreason, Arrow, 1995

Drucker, P F, Management Challenges for the 21st Century, Butterworth-Heinemann, 1999

Case Studies:

Seminar case studies:

1. Managing Change in the NHS, A case study of the resource Management Initiative (Manchester Business School, 1991)

2. Changing the Culture at British Airways (Harvard Business School, 1990)

Lecture Case Studies (Wicham, P A, Financial Times Corporate Strategy Casebook, Prentince Hall, 2000):

1. Poll offers little comfort for producers (Gillian O'Connor)
2. A new-style networker with a radical edge (David Owen)
3. A spirited strategist (John Willman)
4. India's industrial architect (Krishna Guha)
5. Dow tries to engineer a quiet chemical reaction (Tracy Corrigan)