Managing and Leading Strategic Change

Learning outcomes and assessment criteria specific to this assignment: On completion of the assignment, students should be able to demonstrate their ability to:  1. Critically analyse and evaluate the nature of the relationships between an organisations’ environment and forces for change. 2. Critically evaluate key issues arising from the management and leadership of change. 3. Critically appraise management and leadership responses in relation to change forces, and emerging organisational dynamics.  4. Structure and communicate ideas and arguments effectively in writing, and reference source materials consistently and accurately using the Harvard referencing system.  1. Assessment Overview  1.1. Overview The Assignment context “…the competencies that helped the current leaders succeed may not be appropriate for the next generation of leaders. Next generation leaders require different skills, behaviours, and insights for the challenges ahead…” (Conger 2004) One of the most significant of these challenges will be the necessity to understand change and its underpinning, emergent dynamics in order to lead and manage successful and sustainable organisational change. Many organisations such as CMI, CBI, CIPD conduct and commission research across a range of sectors to help inform effective organisational responses to the opportunities and threats arising from change.   1.2. Assessment Responding to the challenges of change:  a Briefing document This assignment requires you to conduct research, then plan and produce a 3000 word Briefing report Document. As a graduate you are likely to be involved with Briefing documents/papers to support a range of organisational activities, and will see them presented in various formats dependent on the purpose. They are often used within organisations to clearly and concisely present research findings when considering strategic options and choices. Given this purpose they are particularly helpful for contemporary organisations when trying to assess and make sense of strategic opportunities and threats generated by a complex and dynamic mix of both external and internal forces. Building on this feature effective briefing documents can then be used to inform and evaluate appropriate organisational responses in support of sustainable development and change.  2. Assessment Brief  2.1. Required task(s) The Briefing report document for this assignment has three sections and the requirements for each of the sections are introduced below; Section 1 (a) Select and justify an appropriate focus for the Briefing document (i.e. chosen sector/industry etc.). See the notes below offering ideas for shaping a focus. (b) Research and identify the current trends and drivers for change that are influencing and impacting on organisations operating within the chosen sector/industry. (c) Given the trends identified above identify two or three key areas of change that managers/leaders within organisations may be required to work with.  Section 2  Drawing on the key findings of Section1 you are required to apply ideas and theory from appropriate academic sources in order to evaluate how managers/leaders and organisations may respond effectively to key aspects of the organisational dynamics likely to be generated by the areas of change identified.  Section 3  As a conclusion the final section requires you to draw on the evaluation and discussion within the Briefing document to establish the key elements of learning in terms of approaches, skills and qualities etc. for leading/managing sustainable responses to change.