21827 Change Management

Subject level: Postgraduate

Handbook description

This subject provides managers with a framework for rethinking their past change management experiences, and for gaining a critical appreciation of future change management practices. It takes students through four aspects of change management: leading change; managing individual experiences of change; conceptualising the need for change; and critiquing specific change management programs.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

1. evaluate the pressures managers face to change their organisations
2. utilise diagnostic methods to identify what types of organisational changes are needed
3. develop a change management plan
4. anticipate and respond to individual reactions to change
5. understand the principles involved in developing and communicating vision
6. critically assess the political implications of change
7. analyse the issues associated with achieving enduring organisational change
8. evaluate issues associated with the measurement of organisational change programs
9. evaluate the client/consultant relationship.

Contribution to graduate profile

Change management is fundamental to the understanding and success of organisational change. The subject develops students' ability to critically assess the key pressures/arguments about why the organisation needed to engage in the change, the diagnostic process whereby the change was selected, the change management process used to implement the change, individual/group reactions to the change and how these were managed, the effects of the change including variables/measurements, overall evaluation of the change, how well it was managed, recommendations for improvement.

Teaching and learning strategies

Classes will involve a combination of lectures, discussion of readings, analysis of case studies, role plays and simulation exercises.

Content

• Introduction to organisations change
• What needs to change: diagnostic models
• What needs to change: diagnostic tools
• Change management models
• Reacting to change
• Establishing the need for change and visioning change
• Talking change
• Powering change
• Consolidating change
• Measuring change
• Managing change: downsizing.

Assessment

Assessment item 1: Assignment One (Individual)

Assessment item 2: Assignment Two (Group)

Required text(s)

Palmer, I. Dunford, R. and Akin, G, 2006, Managing Organizational Change: a multiple perspectives approach, McGraw-Hill Irwin: New York

Change Management (2008), Book of Readings CN 2978 (The book of readings provides the core reading for each topic. Please ensure that you read the relevant sections prior to class. The book of readings is available from the Union Shop, level 1, Building 5, Haymarket)

Indicative references

Birch, Charles and Paul, David. 2003 Life and Work: challenging economic man Sydney: University of NSW Press.

Breene, T., Nunes, P.and Shill, W. 2007 The chief strategy officer in Harvard Business Review 85(10): 84-93.

Buchanan, D. and Badham, R. 1999 Chapter 7: Power-assisted steering: maxims for Princes and Princesses in Power, politics, and organisational change: Winning the turf game. London: Sage. pp. 179-208.

Cameron, E. 2004 Making sense of change management a complete guide to the models, tools & techniques of organizational change, London ; Sterling, VA : Kogan Page.

Christensen, C. M., Baumann, H., Ruggles, R., Sadtler, T. 2006 Disruptive Innovation for Social Change in Harvard Business Review, 84(12): 94-101.

Cliffe, S. 1999 Can this merger be saved? in Harvard Business Review 77(1) (Jan.-Feb.): 29-32.

Cook, S. Macaulay, S. and Coldicott, H. 2004 Change management excellence : using the four intelligences for successful organizational change, London ;Sterling, VA : Kogan Page.

Eisenhardt, K.M. and Brown, S.L. 1999 Patching: Restitching business portfolios in dynamic markets in Harvard Business Review (May-June): 72-82.

Folger, R. and Skarlicki, D.P. 1999 Unfairness and resistance to change: Hardship as mistreatment in Journal of Organizational Change Management 12(1): 35-50.

Harrison, M and Shirom, A. 1999 Organizational diagnosis and assessment: Bridging theory and practice, Thousand Oaks, Ca.: Sage. Ch. 4 'Diagnostic Models in Use' (pp. 91-110)

Hoffman, A.J. 1999 Institutional evolution and change: Environmentalism and the U.S. chemical industry in Academy of Management Journal 47(4): 351-371.

Jellison, J. 2006 Managing the Dynamics of Change, McGraw Hill.

Kykyri, Virpi-Liisa, Puutio, Risto and Wahlström, Jarl 2007 Inviting interactional change through "tricky situations" in consulting: Handling criticism and blame in Journal of Organizational Change Management; 20 (5): 633-651.

Leban, B. and Stone, R. 2007 Managing organizational change, Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons.

Maruca, R.F. and Milhaven, J.M. 2000 When the boss won't budge in Harvard Business Review (Jan.-Feb): 25-32.

Nadler, D.A. 1998 Chapter 2 Where to start: Understanding organisations in Champions of change: How CEOs and their companies are mastering the skills of radical change, San Francisco: Jossey Bass: (pp. 21-43)

Nadler, D.A. and Tushman, M.L. 1999 The organisation of the future: Strategic imperatives and core competencies for the 21st century in Organizational Dynamics 28(1) (Summer): 45-60.

Pfeffer, J. and Sutton, R.I. 1999 The smart-talk trap in Harvard Business Review (May7-June): 135-142.

Snowden, D.and Boone, M. 2007 A Leader's Framework for Decision Making in Harvard Business Review, 85 (11): 68-76.

Sull, D. N. 1999 Why good companies go bad in Harvard Business Review (July-August): 42-52.

Vischer, J. 1999 Will this open space work? in Harvard Business Review (May-June): 28-33.

Walsh, P. 2006 The measurement and management of strategic change: a guide to enterprise performance management, Frenchs Forest, N.S.W. : Pearson Education, 2006

Wright, A. 2005 Using scenarios to challenge and change management thinking in Total Quality Management & Business Excellence 16: 87-103.

Faculty of Business, UTS (1999) Guide to Writing Assignments (hard copy available at the Co-op Bookshop or download it at: www.business.uts.edu.au/resources/guide.pdf)

Useful websites

This is the Academy of Management website which contains information about list servers, other management websites and discussion groups.

www.brint.com

This contains a search engine for accessing a range of organisational topics, including new forms of organising etc.