Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
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.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description | Relevant Graduate Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| LO1 | Evaluate foundation frameworks, philosophies and theories related to organisational change management | GC3, GC7, GC11 |
| 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 | GC2, GC7, GC11 |
| 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 | GC2, GC7 |
| LO4 | Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and with peers to develop practical and sustainable interventions as a response to change in organisational needs | GC4 |
| LO5 | Apply effective written and oral communication skills individually or in groups | GC11, GC12 |
Content
Topics will include:
- introduction to organisational change for sustainability
- approaches to organisational change
- 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 managing stakeholders’ needs and diversity
- analysing future trends and issues in managing organisational change
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit takes an enquiry-based 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 workshops. These workshops are designed to support students to actively participate in the development of this knowledge both individually and collaboratively. By participating in these workshops, students will systematically develop their understanding of the critical aspects 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 is designed to build 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 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 analytical report, further develop their understanding through a change problem diagnosis, and then apply their knowledge and understanding of the development and implementation of 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 Capabilities |
|---|---|---|---|
Analytical Report: This assessment task consists of a1000-word analytical research report. It requires students to draw on their effective autonomous learning, critical thinking and written communication skills to critically analyse and evaluate change management frameworks and theories.. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Report Artefact: Written Report | 25% | LO1, LO5 | GC3, GC7, GC11, GC12 |
Change Diagnosis Report: This assessment task consists of a 1500-wordchange diagnostic report. f. It requires students to apply their critical thinking skills as they analyse, evaluate and diagnose what needs changing in an organisation. Students will apply change processes and change frameworks to real-life scenarios. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Report Artefact: Written Report | 35% | LO2, LO4 | GC2, GC4, GC7, GC11 |
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 change theories, models and frameworks to develop efficient and effective solutions to organisational change problems. Students will be required to draw on their applied knowledge, collaborative, critical thinking and communication skills as they consider issues of organisational change in the context of ethical implications and understandings of human dignity 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 | GC2, GC4, GC7, GC11, GC12 |
Representative texts and references
Aitken, K., & von Treuer, K. (2021). Leadership behaviours that foster organisational identification during change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 34(2), 311–326.
Burnes, B. (2020). The Origins of Lewin’s Three-Step Model of Change. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 56(1), 32–59.
Cimini, C., Boffelli, A., Lagorio, A., Kalchschmidt, M., & Pinto, R. (2021). How do industry 4.0 technologies influence organisational change? An empirical analysis of Italian SMEs. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 32(3), 695–721.
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, 38(3), 288–302.
Domingues, A.R., Lozano, R., Ceulemans, K. & 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, 292-301.
Endrejat, P. C., Klonek, F. E., Müller-Frommeyer, L. C., & Kauffeld, S. (2021). Turning change resistance into readiness: How change agents’ communication shapes recipient reactions. European Management Journal, 39(5), 595–604.
Errida, A., & Lotfi, B. (2021). The determinants of organizational change management success: Literature review and case study. International Journal of Engineering Business Management, 13, 184797902110162.
Hayes, J. (2022). The Theory and Practice of Change Management, 6th ed., McMillan.
Holmemo, M. D.-Q., Powell, D. J., & Ingvaldsen, J. A. (2018). Making it stick on borrowed time: the role of internal consultants in public sector lean transformations. TQM Journal, 30(3), 217–231.
Islam, M. N., Furuoka, F., & Idris, A. (2020). Employee championing behavior in the context of organizational change: a proposed framework for the business organizations in Bangladesh. Journal of Asia Business Studies, 14(5), 735–757.
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.
O’Reilly, C. A., & Pfeffer, J. (2021). Organizational power and politics: The narcissist’s advantage? Personality and Individual Differences, 182, 111061.
Puri, S. (2022). Case Study: Should You Compromise Your Founding Principles for Faster Growth. Harvard Business Review.
Riivari, E., & Lämsä, A.-M. (2019). Organizational Ethical Virtues of Innovativeness. Journal of Business Ethics, 155(1), 223–241.
Rosenbaum, D., More, E., & Steane, P. (2017). A longitudinal qualitative case study of change in nonprofits: Suggesting a new approach to the management of change. Journal of Management & Organization, 23(1), 74–91.
Sharma, N., Herrnschmidt, J., Claes, V., Bachnick, S., De Geest, S., & Simon, M. (2018). Organizational readiness for implementing change in acute care hospitals: An analysis of a cross‐sectional, multicentre study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 74(12), 2798–2808.
Sparr, J. L. (2018). Paradoxes in Organizational Change: The Crucial Role of Leaders’ Sensegiving. Journal of Change Management, 18(2), 162–180.