Bradford University School of Management

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Management of Change

Change is a broad topic, and is one that has always been with organizations. Nevertheless, it is often something that individuals and organizations fail to cope with or address effectively. In our discussion of change, we will look at why this might be so and what can be done to improve the effectiveness responses to change in an organizational setting.

AIMS

The module aims to provide participants with a framework for understanding the issues associated with managing change in organizations and to provide opportunities for reflecting on change in real organizations.

OBJECTIVES

On completion of this module, students will be able to:
a) Understand the change process and their own and others’ reactions to it.
b) Understand and identify environmental influences on change.
c) Assess the implementation of change within organizations.

TEACHING APPROACH

Sessions will be case-study led. Each session will begin with case discussion and these present us with an opportunity to debate the realities of change and the implications for practice of various manages and organizations experiences with change. Preparation is therefore essential and there is an expectation that you come to class having read the cases. Sessions will also include lecture presentations/seminar discussions of the nature and process of change, and we may also use role-play, assessments, videos and student presentations. Students will be expected to work in groups and much will be made of sharing participants' own experiences. The aim is to provide essential information, but also an environment for applying your knowledge and exploring and reflecting on your own understanding and experiences of change. The module is organised around 8 core units of study:

  1. Understanding Change
  2. Environment and Context for Change
  3. Preparing for Change
  4. Implementing Change
  5. Enabling Change
  6. Communicating Change
  7. Evaluating Change Effectiveness
  8. Sustaining Change

MODULE LEADER

Dr. David P. Spicer BSc, MBA, PhD, FHEA
David is Senior Lecturer in Organizational Change and Head of the Human Resource Management Group at Bradford University School of Management where he lectures in the areas of change management and organizational behaviour on undergraduate, postgraduate and executive programmes. He is also a visiting professor at TiasNimbas Business School in Holland and Germany. David is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy and thereby an accredited Higher Education Teacher and an alumnus of both the prestigious International Teachers Programme and Harvard Business School’s Global Colloquium for Participant Centred Learning. He holds degrees from the Universities of Bristol, Stirling, and Plymouth. Before moving into academia, he worked for Woolworths (it was fine when he left), first as a store manager and then in Human Resources where he had responsibilities for recruitment and management development. David has spent most of his ten years at the School of Management in various roles connected with the MBA, but moved to take over leadership of the Human Resource Management and Organizational Behaviour Group last year. His research is concerned with organizational learning and change, and he is currently engaged in this regard on a major project looking at the dynamic capabilities of two major international high-technology firms. He has worked and consulted in both public and private sectors and with a number of well know organizations including AstraZeneca, Cannon, the BBC, Emirates airlines and the NHS, and well as a ranger of smaller businesses. David is a member of American and British Academies of Management, and is track chair for the Knowledge and Learning Special Interest Group at the 2012 British Academy of Management Conference.

You can reach David at D.P.Spicer@bradford.ac.uk or by phone on +44 (0)1274 23 4373