Leadership and Change management

Assessment

The module is assessed in two concurrent parts

This will consist of a personal learning log (50% of module mark) and an analysis of an organisational experience/event (50% of module mark).

The objective of the assessment is to determine whether students can understand, and use theory to provide insight into managerial and organisational issues and situations. The assessment is

grounded in your own experience. Although knowledge and understanding will be assessed the emphasis is on higher order postgraduate academic skills of analysis, synthesis, evaluation and

creativity. We will be assessing how you “make sense” of managerial situations and how effectively you articulate and defend your position. Re-assessment will be based upon a re-working of the

content in the original submission.

Part 1: Summary of Personal Learning Log (approximately 2000 words)

All change starts with the individual – YOU – and it is imperative that you can work with theory and self-insight since both are fundamental parts of the learning process.

Each student will keep a “Process Log” to record thoughts and views, each week as the programme progresses. You need to capture FOUR KEY ELEMENTS OF PERSONAL CHANGE:

Thoughts Ideas that develop and/or change
Feelings Feelings engendered in response to any aspect of the programme/experience
Experiences From both the classroom interaction/engagement and work
Reflection Take time to reflect and gain deeper personal insight.

It is important to reflect upon how you think and how you feel and how ideas covered in the programme relate to your current and past work experiences and your current learning on the

module. Obviously this will not be a “neat and simple” exercise as ideas and thoughts cannot always be easily categorised and some ideas may overlap. However it is important to capture your

ideas whilst they are current (see Process Learning Log booklet) so that you can track how they change/develop as the module progresses. You can capture these views in pictures, words,

poetry or any way that seems right for you at that point.

A review/summary of your personal reflections will be assessed. The review can be presented in any style or format that you choose (either traditional written rational academic style, or more

emotional prose styles such as poetry, pictorial as opposed to text, video etc) but it MUST cover the key elements identified above. It should not be merely a simple critical summary of the

content covered on the programme. Its purpose is to identify what you have experienced and how you have felt about it. Please attach your “Process Learning Log” as an appendix with your

review.

Part 2: Review of an organisational event (Approximately 2000 words)

This section is designed to test your ability to understand and apply the theories covered in the programme to a real leadership of change situation in your organisation. This will reveal your

analytical insights and managerial judgement.

The brief is to:
Using the literature and drawing upon your own experience, critically reflect on how you make sense of organisations, yours/others leadership approach and the nature of organisational change.

Suggest how you might be more effective.

(i) Identify and describe a change (current or past) in your organisation. Ideally one which you may have initiated or been a victim/target.
(ii) Critically evaluate the change event drawing upon the organisational analysis, leadership and change literature.
(iii) Reflect on it at a personal level – feelings engendered in response to any aspect of the experience.
(iv) Suggest how it might have been improved in practice.

In approaching this assignment it may be useful to identify and describe organisational situations, particular the management of change, where you have been a member or leader of a group. In

addition to considering the situation rationally and objectively also reflects on your experience at a personal level – feelings engendered in response to any aspect of the experience. Critically

evaluate event/incidents drawing upon the organisational analysis, leadership and change literature. Suggest how any events/incidents may have been improved, done differently.