BUSI 6997 introduces students to the key theories and practices of Organizational Change and gives students an understanding of the principles used to develop and apply change strategies in today’s organizations. The course unfolds across three modules with several lessons within each module. The overarching goal of this course is the focus on evolving management practices within today’s diverse environment. Students will be introduced to three areas in change leadership theory that are being called for in more recent years, adaptability, innovation, and inclusion. Then in modules two and three, students will explore a variety of change tools and strategies and apply them to practical applications in the workplace.
Module Focus
Module 1 introduces change leadership theory to students and quickly moves them into seeing how adaptability, innovation, and inclusion are critical skills to manage real time change in organizations today. Change theory in organizations requires that the students understand the internal and external forces that act as drivers for change and the context of leading responsibly. Students will develop leadership competencies using current organizational change peer-reviewed sources, videos, and exercises.
Module 2 moves the students toward understanding how leaders become progress makers and the introduction of strategies to apply in real-time organizational change. Students review progress maker theory and develop exploration and refinement skills to navigate contemporary organizational change contexts. This block will also include work with analytical frameworks for planning and implementing complex and inclusive change initiatives.
Module 3 is a tools-focused block that introduces students to a set of planning tactics and implementation methods for moving change initiatives forward in an organization. This block also builds the students adaptability and innovation skills as they must seek, nurture and evaluate actionable ideas for sustainable change.
The Intensive sessions for BUSI 6997 focus on developing the student’s capacity to manage common organizational change challenges effectively and on integrating the course learning outcomes into the students’ everyday managerial practice. The intensive sessions emphasize peer learning via a variety of group analytical exercise and development of persuasive initiatives.