INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
Syllabus
EN
IT
Learning Objectives
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
The teaching activities will provide students with the core information and notions to understand, contextualize, and make sense of organizational change processes. Moreover, the teaching activities will shed lights on the tools and approaches that organizational actors may use to design and implement organizational transitions that meet the effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness, appropriateness, and sustainability criteria. Lastly, yet importantly, a toolkit to manage organizational change will be delivered to students. In fact, the learning experience will include special practical sessions, during which students will be solicited to apply the concepts and theories of organizational change to real-life experiences, thus developing the skills and the expertise needed to perform as 'change agent' within modern organizations.
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
The students will develop the conceptual knowledge they need to improve their awareness and acknowledgement of inner processes of change across various types of organizations. A twofold perspective will be adopted to increase the students’ ability to collect information and insights about the distinguishing features of organizational change. On the one hand, attention will be paid to the explicit and formal side of organizational change, in an attempt to illuminate the strategic, structural, and managerial triggers of organizational transitions. On the other hand, a special focus will be attached to the implicit and tacit side of organizational change, pointing out the 'soft' issues that are related to organizational transitions.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
Students who will attend at the teaching activities will be constantly encouraged to match the conceptual topics discussed in the classroom with the real experiences of organizational change faced by entities operating in the public and the private realms. From this point of view, the course will elicit the specific challenges that generally affect the visioning, design, and implementation of organizational change projects. The opportunity to compare conceptual topics with real-life experiences of change will allow students to better understand the dynamics of change and factually apply the toolkit for change management that will be delivered during the class activities.
MAKING JUDGEMENTS:
The students will develop the ability to make autonomous judgments about the opportunity to implement processes of organizational change. In the assessment of change, issues related to the appropriate management of the organizational transitions and considerations about the social equilibria impaired by organizational change will be taken into consideration. More specifically, the students will be able to assess the economic feasibility of organizational change processes, comparing the costs and the benefits of organizational transitions. The social desirability of organizational change will be gauged by taking into consideration the dynamics of inertia and resistance to change at the micro-organizational level.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
The teaching activities will provide students with the communication skills and the lexicon to increase their capability to contextualize, from a semantic point of view, the dynamics of organizational change and communicate the peculiarities of organizational transitions. In particular, students will be incited to enhance their communication skills throughout the teaching activities. This will be possible due to the use of active learning methods, such us role playing, case histories, and case studies.
LEARNING SKILLS:
As a result of the teaching activities, students will develop a significant awareness of the strategic, structural, and managerial challenges that affect the implementation of organizational change. Alongside understanding the twofold nature of organizational change, the students will be able to effectively handle the tools and techniques to achieve success in realizing smooth transitions of organization structures and processes.
The teaching activities will provide students with the core information and notions to understand, contextualize, and make sense of organizational change processes. Moreover, the teaching activities will shed lights on the tools and approaches that organizational actors may use to design and implement organizational transitions that meet the effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness, appropriateness, and sustainability criteria. Lastly, yet importantly, a toolkit to manage organizational change will be delivered to students. In fact, the learning experience will include special practical sessions, during which students will be solicited to apply the concepts and theories of organizational change to real-life experiences, thus developing the skills and the expertise needed to perform as 'change agent' within modern organizations.
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
The students will develop the conceptual knowledge they need to improve their awareness and acknowledgement of inner processes of change across various types of organizations. A twofold perspective will be adopted to increase the students’ ability to collect information and insights about the distinguishing features of organizational change. On the one hand, attention will be paid to the explicit and formal side of organizational change, in an attempt to illuminate the strategic, structural, and managerial triggers of organizational transitions. On the other hand, a special focus will be attached to the implicit and tacit side of organizational change, pointing out the 'soft' issues that are related to organizational transitions.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
Students who will attend at the teaching activities will be constantly encouraged to match the conceptual topics discussed in the classroom with the real experiences of organizational change faced by entities operating in the public and the private realms. From this point of view, the course will elicit the specific challenges that generally affect the visioning, design, and implementation of organizational change projects. The opportunity to compare conceptual topics with real-life experiences of change will allow students to better understand the dynamics of change and factually apply the toolkit for change management that will be delivered during the class activities.
MAKING JUDGEMENTS:
The students will develop the ability to make autonomous judgments about the opportunity to implement processes of organizational change. In the assessment of change, issues related to the appropriate management of the organizational transitions and considerations about the social equilibria impaired by organizational change will be taken into consideration. More specifically, the students will be able to assess the economic feasibility of organizational change processes, comparing the costs and the benefits of organizational transitions. The social desirability of organizational change will be gauged by taking into consideration the dynamics of inertia and resistance to change at the micro-organizational level.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
The teaching activities will provide students with the communication skills and the lexicon to increase their capability to contextualize, from a semantic point of view, the dynamics of organizational change and communicate the peculiarities of organizational transitions. In particular, students will be incited to enhance their communication skills throughout the teaching activities. This will be possible due to the use of active learning methods, such us role playing, case histories, and case studies.
LEARNING SKILLS:
As a result of the teaching activities, students will develop a significant awareness of the strategic, structural, and managerial challenges that affect the implementation of organizational change. Alongside understanding the twofold nature of organizational change, the students will be able to effectively handle the tools and techniques to achieve success in realizing smooth transitions of organization structures and processes.
Prerequisites
None; however, basic knowledge of Business Organization is warmly recommended.
Program
First part of the course (12 hours; 2 hours for each session)
1. Introduction to organizational change: definitions;
2. Underpinning theories of organizational change;
3. Organizational design and structural change;
4. The 'hard' model of change;
5. The 'soft' model of change;
6. Organizational knowledge, organizational learning, and change.
Second part of the course (12 hours; 2 hours for each session)
7. Inertia and resistances to change;
8. The role and the styles of leadership in the process of organizational change;
9. Power, politics and organizational change;
10. Communication and organizational change;
11. Sensemaking and organizational change;
12. Transitions and organizational culture(s).
Third part of the course (12 hours; 2 hours for each session)
13. The types of organizational change;
14. The roles of organizational change actors;
15. The diagnosis of organizational transitions;
16. The redesign or organizational structures;
17. The reengineering or organizational processes;
18. Action planning and organizational change
1. Introduction to organizational change: definitions;
2. Underpinning theories of organizational change;
3. Organizational design and structural change;
4. The 'hard' model of change;
5. The 'soft' model of change;
6. Organizational knowledge, organizational learning, and change.
Second part of the course (12 hours; 2 hours for each session)
7. Inertia and resistances to change;
8. The role and the styles of leadership in the process of organizational change;
9. Power, politics and organizational change;
10. Communication and organizational change;
11. Sensemaking and organizational change;
12. Transitions and organizational culture(s).
Third part of the course (12 hours; 2 hours for each session)
13. The types of organizational change;
14. The roles of organizational change actors;
15. The diagnosis of organizational transitions;
16. The redesign or organizational structures;
17. The reengineering or organizational processes;
18. Action planning and organizational change
Books
Senior, B. & Swailes, S. (2020). Organizational Change, Sixth Edition. Pearson. ISBN-13: 9781292243436
Bibliography
Cawsey, T. F., Deszca, G. & Ingols, C. (2016). Organizational Change. An Action-Oriented Toolkit. Sage
de Biasi, K. (2019). Solving the Change Paradox by Means of Trust. Springer
Garden, A. (2017). Organizational Change in Practice The Eight Deadly Sins Preventing Effective Change. Routledge.
Palmer, I., Dunford, R., & Buchanan, D.A. (2017). Managing Organizational Change: A Multiple Perspectives Approach. McGraw-Hill Education
de Biasi, K. (2019). Solving the Change Paradox by Means of Trust. Springer
Garden, A. (2017). Organizational Change in Practice The Eight Deadly Sins Preventing Effective Change. Routledge.
Palmer, I., Dunford, R., & Buchanan, D.A. (2017). Managing Organizational Change: A Multiple Perspectives Approach. McGraw-Hill Education
Teaching methods
Teaching activities will be delivered according to a mixed approach, consisting of both frontal lessons and active learning sessions. More specifically, students will be involved in role playing, case analysis and in-basket activities. Moreover, students will be involved in targeted project works, with the discussion of individual and group outputs during class activities.
Exam Rules
The students' evaluation will focus on their ability to discuss and to provide insights about the topics related to organizational change. Either a written exam (only first exam session) or an oral exam (exam session after the first one) will be delivered to students, consisting of four to six open questions, which will address all the topics covered during teaching activities.
The following criteria will be used for assessing the students' performance:
0 point: The student is unable to effectively discuss the main issues reported in the questions. Theoretical knowledge is not adequately exploited to articulate convincing propositions and arguments. No insights are provided drawing on examples which may enhance the understanding of the topics dealt with in the question.
Not sufficient (<18): The student provides fragmented notions which allows her/him to address some superficial issues touched by the questions. Theoretical knowledge is poorly exploited to articulate convincing propositions and arguments. Limited insights are provided drawing on examples which may enhance the understanding of the topics dealt with in the question.
Sufficient (18/22): The student provides some notions which allows her/him to address the key issues dealt with in the questions. Theoretical knowledge is adequately exploited to articulate convincing propositions and arguments. Some insights are provided drawing on examples which may enhance the understanding of the topics dealt with in the question.
Adequate (23/25): The student provides adequate notions which allows her/him to address most of the issues dealt with in the questions. Theoretical knowledge is effectively used to articulate convincing propositions and arguments. Good insights are argued drawing on examples which enhance the understanding of the topics dealt with in the question.
Good (26/28): The student completely addresses the issues contemplated in the question. The student is proficient in using theoretical knowledge to critically frame the answer and are able to draw insights from connecting different topics discussed in the textbook. Fitting insights are provided drawing on adequately developed practical examples.
Excellent (29/30): The student completely addresses the issues contemplated in the question. The student uses a wide array of conceptual tools to investigate the teaching topics. Practical examples are discussed in a critical way to provide multifaceted perspectives to comprehensively address the issues touched by the question.
The 'cum laude' honor will be conferred to top students.
The following criteria will be used for assessing the students' performance:
0 point: The student is unable to effectively discuss the main issues reported in the questions. Theoretical knowledge is not adequately exploited to articulate convincing propositions and arguments. No insights are provided drawing on examples which may enhance the understanding of the topics dealt with in the question.
Not sufficient (<18): The student provides fragmented notions which allows her/him to address some superficial issues touched by the questions. Theoretical knowledge is poorly exploited to articulate convincing propositions and arguments. Limited insights are provided drawing on examples which may enhance the understanding of the topics dealt with in the question.
Sufficient (18/22): The student provides some notions which allows her/him to address the key issues dealt with in the questions. Theoretical knowledge is adequately exploited to articulate convincing propositions and arguments. Some insights are provided drawing on examples which may enhance the understanding of the topics dealt with in the question.
Adequate (23/25): The student provides adequate notions which allows her/him to address most of the issues dealt with in the questions. Theoretical knowledge is effectively used to articulate convincing propositions and arguments. Good insights are argued drawing on examples which enhance the understanding of the topics dealt with in the question.
Good (26/28): The student completely addresses the issues contemplated in the question. The student is proficient in using theoretical knowledge to critically frame the answer and are able to draw insights from connecting different topics discussed in the textbook. Fitting insights are provided drawing on adequately developed practical examples.
Excellent (29/30): The student completely addresses the issues contemplated in the question. The student uses a wide array of conceptual tools to investigate the teaching topics. Practical examples are discussed in a critical way to provide multifaceted perspectives to comprehensively address the issues touched by the question.
The 'cum laude' honor will be conferred to top students.