MODULE SPECIFICATION TEMPLATE

MODULE DETAILS

Module title / The Leadership of Change
Module code / MNM82
Credit value / 20
Level
Mark the box to the right of the appropriate level with an ‘X’ / Level 4 / Level 5 / Level 6 / Level 7 / X / Level 8
Level 0 (for modules at foundation level)
Entry criteria for registration on this module
Pre-requisites
Specify in terms of module codes or equivalent / No pre-requisites
Co-requisite modules
Specify in terms of module codes or equivalent / No co-requisites
Module delivery
Mode of delivery / Taught / X / Distance / Placement / Online
Other
Pattern of delivery / Weekly / Block / X / Other
When module is delivered / Semester 1 / Semester 2 / X / Throughout year
Other
Brief description of module content and/ or aims
Overview (max 80 words) / This module engages with the very topical and relevant topic of the leadership of organizational change. Organizations seek out change leaders often following Professor John Kotter’s eight leading change steps either explicitly or implicitly. However, increasingly academics have critiqued such approaches drawing attention to followership and the power and politics of organizational change and offering ways of critically rethinking the leadership of change.
Module team/ author/ coordinator(s) / Mark Hughes (Coordinator)/Stephen Reeve
School / Brighton Business School
Site/ campus where delivered / Moulsecoomb
Course(s) for which module is appropriate and status on that course
Course / Status (mandatory/ compulsory/ optional)
PG Certificate in Change Management / Compulsory
PG Diploma Managing Change and Innovation / Compulsory
MSc Managing Change and Innovation / Compulsory

MODULE AIMS, ASSESSMENT AND SUPPORT

Aims / ·  To introduce leadership of change theories and practices as a major component of organizational change.
·  To understand the leadership of change from the perspectives of communication, resistance and power/politics.
·  To critically review leadership of change theories, models and concepts.
·  To acknowledge and understand the applicability of the latest leadership of change knowledge within organizational settings.
Learning outcomes / On completion of this module the postgraduate student will be able to:
·  Understand the contribution of the leadership of change within organizational change studies and initiatives.
·  To critically understand the leadership of change from the perspectives of communications, resistance and power and politics.
·  To critically evaluate what is known about the leadership of change.
·  To apply the latest leadership of change knowledge within organizational settings.
Content / The content will reflect the module aims and learning outcomes, with a three day intensive block typically organized into four parts.
Part One
-  Introduction to leadership and leadership studies
-  The practices of leading change
Part Two
-  The leadership of change as communicating change
-  The leadership of change as a response to resistance
-  The implicit and explicit power and politics of leading change
Part Three
-  The contribution of Keith Grint and critical scholars
-  Critique of what is known about the leadership of change
Part Four
-  Synthesis of what is known about the leadership of change
-  Application of what is known about the leadership of change within organizational settings
Learning support / Books
The latest editions of:
Aitken, P. and Higgs, M. Developing change leaders: The principles and practices of change leadership development, London: Butterworth- Heinemann
Alvesson, M., and Spicer, A. Metaphors we lead by: Understanding leadership in the real world. Abingdon: Routledge.
Barrett, D.J. Leadership Communication, Boston: McGraw-Hill International.
Buchanan, D. and Badham, R. Power, Politics and Organizational Change: Winning the turf game, London: Sage Publications
Burns, J.M. Leadership. New York: Harper Row Publishers
By R.T. (eds) Organizational change, leadership and ethics: Leading organizations towards sustainability, Abingdon: Routledge
Hayes, J. The Theory and Practice of Change Management, Houndmills: Palgrave
Hughes, M. Managing Change: A Critical Perspective, Wimbledon: CIPD Publishing
Grint, K. The arts of leadership. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Grint, K. Leadership: Limits and possibilities, Houndmills Palgrave Macmillan
Senior, B. and Swailes, S. Organizational Change, Harlow: FT/Prentice Hall
Storey, J. Leadership in organizations: Current issues and key trends. Abingdon: Routledge.
Quirke, B. (2008) Making the connections: using internal communication to turn strategy into action. Aldershot: Gower Publishing.
Journals (with coverage of leadership)
Human Relations
Leadership
The Leadereship Quarterly
Journal of Change Management
Journal of Management Studies
Leadership and Organization Development Journal
Students are encouraged to review the latest research papers through the Online Library facility on Student Central
Teaching and learning activities
Details of teaching and learning activities / The module content will be delivered through a three day intensive block workshop. There will be a mix of focussed lecturer input and small group application of leadership of change theories, models and concepts. The objective is to relate theories, models and concepts to postgraduate student experiences and to encourage critical dialogue around what is known and not known about the leadership of change.
Allocation of study hours (indicative)
Where 10 credits = 100 learning hours / Study hours
SCHEDULED / This is an indication of the number of hours students can expect to spend in scheduled teaching activities including lectures, seminars, tutorials, project supervision, demonstrations, practical classes and workshops, supervised time in workshops/ studios, fieldwork, and external visits. / 24
GUIDED INDEPENDENT STUDY / All students are expected to undertake guided independent study which includes wider reading/ practice, follow-up work, the completion of assessment tasks, and revisions. / 176
PLACEMENT / Not applicable
TOTAL STUDY HOURS / 200
Assessment tasks
Details of assessment on this module / Assessment will be based upon an individual assignment. The assignment will require the postgraduate student to relate their learning and subsequent reading to a real leadership of change scenario which they were either involved in, or have knowledge about.Understanding about relevant theories, models and concepts will be assessed through their application to practice. The indicative word count is 4000 words.
Types of assessment task[1]
Indicative list of summative assessment tasks which lead to the award of credit or which are required for progression. / % weighting
(or indicate if component is pass/fail)
WRITTEN / Written exam
COURSEWORK / Written assignment/ essay, report, dissertation, portfolio, project output, set exercise / 100%
PRACTICAL / Oral assessment and presentation, practical skills assessment, set exercise

EXAMINATION INFORMATION

Area examination board / MSc Managing Change and Innovation
Refer to Faculty Office for guidance in completing the following sections
External examiners
Name / Position and institution / Date appointed / Date tenure ends
Refer to Studentcentral

QUALITY ASSURANCE

Date of first approval
Only complete where this is not the first version / Course/Module first approved June 2012
Date of last revision
Only complete where this is not the first version / Not applicable
Date of approval for this version
Version number / 2
Modules replaced
Specify codes of modules for which this is a replacement / Not applicable
Available as free-standing module? / Yes / No / X

Module descriptor template: updated Aug 2013

[1] Set exercises, which assess the application of knowledge or analytical, problem-solving or evaluative skills, are included under the type of assessment most appropriate to the particular task.