Managing Change

UMOCB3-15-M

MSc in Business Management

2022-2023

Module Handbook for the Winter 2023 cohort

Version 1 updated on the 31st of January 2023

Module leader: Dr Olivier Ratle

Author’s Name or subtitle text

Contents

Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................3
1. General rationale of the module ....................................................................................................................3
2. Learning outcomes .........................................................................................................................................3
3. Teaching and learning methods .....................................................................................................................4
4. Contact details and support ...........................................................................................................................5
5. Time allocation ...............................................................................................................................................6
6. Textbook and readings ...................................................................................................................................6
7. Schedule of activities ......................................................................................................................................7
8. Assessment structure .....................................................................................................................................8
9. A note on essay mills ......................................................................................................................................8
10. Assignment brief for element 1 .................................................................................................................9
11. Assignment brief for element 2 .................................................................................................................9
12. Assignment brief for resit of component a ...............................................................................................9
13. Marking scheme ..................................................................................................................................... 10

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Introduction
This handbook is a resource for you whilst you undertake the module Managing Change. It
provides you with guidelines on expectations, processes, and information on the sessions’
content. Overall, we hope you will find this module interesting, stimulating, challenging and
rewarding intellectually.

PLEASE NOTE: This document may be updated during the term. The version kept on
Blackboard™ takes precedence over any other version.

1. General rationale of the module

This module gives an overview of different ways organisational change can be understood,
analysed, and evaluated. The different theories we will engage with are grouped into three
‘lenses’, presented successively. For each theory we discuss, we will ask ourselves a number
of questions, which will form a reading grid:

1) How is change understood and conceptualised? Or what exactly is changing?

2) Why should organisational actors be concerned with change? Or what is the rationale for
change?
3) Who is potentially benefitting from the change? Who is potentially losing out?
4) To be effective, does change has to be incremental or revolutionary?
5) What is the role of managers at different levels in this process? What is their degree of
agency?
6) How do organisations transform and/or renew themselves?

It is by tackling these questions that we will address a wider set of questions and problems in
relation to organisational change.

2. Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module students will be able to:

• Identify, explain and categorise common ways of understanding and analysing

organisational change.
• Analyse concrete organisational problems by selecting relevant theories, and by using
their insights in a meaningful manner.
• Assess the usefulness of the different theories of change available.
• Recognise the role ascribed to managers by different theories of change.
• Construct, assess and synthesise solutions to problems in light of contradictory views
and insights.

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3. Teaching and learning methods
There are three principles underpinning the design of this module, consistent with the vision
of a former Dean, crystallised into this statement: “We are an inclusive and innovative learning
community, developing people to make a positive impact in the world”.

1) A multiple-perspective approach for understanding organisational change. The most

fundamental idea underpinning this module is that when it comes to understanding
organisational change, no single theoretical perspective can be entirely satisfying. Theories
are simplified representations of reality that, just like maps, have their own natural limitations.
Just as we need different kinds maps to navigate different terrains with different purposes,
we need different kinds of theories to navigate the complex reality of contemporary
organisations. This is challenging in at least two ways. First, you may have acquired though
the course of your life a preferred way of seeing the world—a preferred way of understanding
contemporary organisations. For example, for some, it will be through the lens of ‘culture’, or
through the lens of ‘politics’. You may see change as something that is inevitable and
inherently positive. The module aims precisely to make you realise that you have preferred
ways of approaching the world (also known as biases), and to help you finding other ways of
seeing and interpreting the world around you. The assignments are designed to help you
developing your knowledge and understanding of organisational change, and developing the
skill of reading a complex reality in a richer way. Second, to discover alternative ways of seeing
the world and understanding organisations involves a fair amount of personal discoveries
through reading interesting and challenging material.

2) Research-led learning. Also central to the teaching and learning strategy in this
postgraduate module is the principle that students should develop their research skills and
become proficient in using academic literature on organisational change. This means that you
will be encouraged and supported in developing a number of skills:

• You will become increasingly more familiar with the format, conventions and style of
academic literature.
• You will develop the ability to obtain, analyse and evaluate information, and
communicate relevant conclusions and recommendations to colleagues, and
professional and academic audiences in oral and written formats.
• You will develop your analytical abilities; you will learn to establish relevant links
between theory and practice. You will be encouraged to reflect upon your work
experiences and relate them to the concepts and principles learnt in the module.
• You will develop your critical and evaluative skills; you will learn to appreciate the
usefulness of theories, but also to recognise their limitations.

3) Active engagement. As you may have experienced before, for many educators, teaching is
underpinned by the assumption that memorising information and regurgitating it at the
desired moment constitutes a meaningful form of learning. Within the banking system of
education, learning is mostly an individual process where a teacher transmits ‘knowledge’ to
the individual learner. An alternative to this is the problem-posing education model, where
students work individually or collectively toward solving concrete problems presented to them.

Active engagement also means that we all have a role to play and a responsibility to participate
and contribute to the learning. And whilst the tutor may bear a strong share of that
responsibility, as a student you share the responsibility of preparing yourself, and to make
yourself mentally available in the classroom (mostly by avoiding undertaking activities on your
phone or computer that take your attention away from what the group is doing). In the words

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of the critical pedagogy author bell hooks (1994: 8), “[i]t is rare that any professor, no matter
how eloquent a lecturer, can generate through his or her actions enough excitement to create
an exciting classroom. Excitement is generated through collective effort”.

4. Contact details and support

Dr Olivier Ratle (module leader)
Email: olivier.ratle@uwe.ac.uk
Tel: 0117 3283434
Room: 5X215

• Generally, it is preferable to ask questions of general interests during our sessions.

Questions of general interests can benefit others. And you may not know this, but it
is generally the case that most students ask exactly the same questions, generating a
lot of unnecessary work for their tutors. Using a common forum is a more effective
way of working for all of us.
• Complex and/or urgent queries are best dealt with in person of via any form of
synchronous communication (e.g. in person during office hours, or via Microsoft
teams)
• Email is best for queries that are non-urgent, and of a personal and confidential nature.
Please avoid using emails for other types of queries.

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5. Time allocation
At postgraduate level, an important amount of time should be dedicated to reading and
engaging with relevant literature. The normal guideline on how to organise your time is that
a 15-credits postgraduate module requires you to undertake the equivalent of 150 study
hours. In the case of this extraordinary run, we suggest the following:

• Reading and engagement with online material: 120 hours

• Assignment preparation: 30 hours

If needed, help with study skills can be found on the UWE study skills website at:

http://www.uwe.ac.uk/library/resources/hub/

6. Textbook and readings

Throughout the module, we will be reading mostly journal articles and book chapters available
through the library’s electronic portal Reading list. For all students preparing a dissertation,
this will contribute toward making you proficient at reading academic texts in organisation
and management studies. For those wishing to locate their dissertation within the area of
change management, this will enable you to become familiar with key texts and authors.

Whilst you will be able to succeeed in this module by reading the core texts, you may wish to
consider purchasing the two books below. Demers (2007) is an excellent and comprehensive
supplementary text, which will be particulary useful to those who wish to specialise in this
area. It is organised by theoretical approaches. Pugh and Hickson (2007) is particularly useful
for Part 1 of the module. It summarises the work of key authors in a succinct and very
accessible manner.

• Demers, C. (2007) Organizational Change Theories: A Synthesis . London: Sage.

• Pugh, D.S. and Hickson, D.J. (2007) Writers on Organizations. 6th ed. London:
Penguin.

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7. Schedule of activities
Date Session Theme
LENS I — Organisations and their environment

2-Feb 1 Introduction
9-Feb 2 Contingencies and configurations

16-Feb 3 Between resource-dependency and strategic

choices
23-Feb 4 Structural inertia in organisational populations

2-Mar 5 Organisational efficiency or institutional

legitimacy?

LENS II — Changing mindsets: cognitive

change, sensemaking, and the management of
culture
9-Mar 6 Two views on culture and organisations

16-Mar 7 Cognition and sensemaking

LENS III —The struggle for power: politics,
resistance and ideology in organisations

23-Mar 8 Power, politics and resistance in organisations

30-Mar 9 The politics and ethics of change: conservative

versus radical change

20-Apr 10 Assignment support session

27-Apr 11 Conclusion

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8. Assessment structure
The module is assessed by one component (A) which has two elements (1 and 2). This means
that to pass the module, you need to obtain an overall average mark of 50% or above. You
do not need to pass both elements, nor to achieve a minimal mark in any of them.

Weight Deadline

Element 1: Essay 40% 7th of March 2023,

14.00.
Suggested wordcount: 1600 words
Maximum wordcount: 2000 words

Element 2: Case analysis 60% 2nd of May 2023,

14:00.
Suggested wordcount: 2400 words
Maximum wordcount: 3000 words

Re-sit of Component A: Essay 100% TBC.

Suggested wordcount: 4000 words
Maximum wordcount: 5000 words

Submission is done via Blackboard.

9. A note on essay mills

An essay mill is a business that provides a piece of writing (e.g. coursework) to a paying
customer. It is a bad idea to use them, for many reasons:

1) We will know that you cheated because it will be obvious, and you will be sanctioned
as per regulations. It will be unpleasant (mostly for you).
2) We also dispose of several tools to detect the use of essay mills, and we routinely
use those tools.
3) You make yourself vulnerable to blackmailing and extorsion. We have seen many
cases of essay mills threatening students and trying to extort more money from
them once the work has been submitted.
4) The work is generally of poor quality, which is to be expected given that the writer
has not attended any of the sessions (assuming that the work will be good is like
assuming that what we do in the classroom is as useful as watching kitten videos on
YouTube).
5) Ultimately, you deprive yourself of an opportunity to learn stuff, and that is big loss.
We think this is a great module, and there is plenty to learn.

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10. Assignment brief for Element 1
Drawing on the module core readings on contingency theory, strategic choice theory, resource
dependence theory, population ecology theory, and neo-institutional theory, explain how has
evolved over the first part of the module, your understanding of why organisations change,
or do not change, or cannot change.
The suggested word count is 1600 words, and the maximum wordcount is 2000 words. Only
the main body of your text goes into the wordcount. Appendices, cover page, and list of
references are excluded from it. Your answer must demonstrate an understanding of the core
readings, and refer to them appropriatedly. Please note that demonstrating an understanding
of the core readings is required, and it is advisable to focus on those texts in the first place
rather than on other texts that deal with similar topics.

11. Assignment brief for Element 2

Preamble: The different lenses by which we analyse organisational change enable us to pay
attention to many facets of a given situation Different theories of organisational change can
often provide us different interpretations. Thus, developing the capacity to frame problems
adequately is a key skill for organisational actors who want to understand the world around
them, and want to exercise a meaningful influence on it.
Brief: choose and describe an instance of organisational change that you experienced during
your working life, and explain how the insights from the second and the third part of the
module help you understanding what happened then – whether you deem the change to have
been a failure or a success.
Advice: You are advised to treat wordcount as a scarce resource, and to focus on analysis of
the case rather than on description. If you wish, you can put a factual description of the case
in appendix, and this will not count toward the wordcount.
The suggested word count is 2400 words, and the maximum wordcount is 3000 words. Only
the main body of your text goes into the wordcount. Appendices, cover page, and list of
references are excluded from it.

12. Assignment brief for resit of Component A

If your module mark is below 50, you will need to resit Component A. You should not resubmit
Element 1 and Element 2, but produce an entirely new piece using the brief below.
For the resit assignment, we would like you to take the opportunity to reflect on what you
have learned during the module, and to highlight the most important thing you have learned
from each session. This could be presented as a list of important things you have learned by
undertaking this module, along with an explanation of why you think those things may come
to be important in your professional life and in your future organisational roles.
The suggested word count is 4000 words, and the maximum wordcount is 5000 words. Only
the main body of your text goes into the wordcount. Appendices, cover page, and list of
references are excluded from it.

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13. Marking scheme
Both elements will be marked using the same scheme. Your work will be assessed against
three criteria:

1) Research: your capacity to engage with meaningful reading material to engage with,
and to understand it
2) Argumentation: your capacity to show that you can use theories to analyse and
reflect on concrete organisational practices, that you can develop a coherent and
structured argument throughout your work, and that you are able to answer the
question featured in the brief.
3) Presentation: your capacity to enact professional standards of presentation in
written documents.

You are expected to use with accuracy the UWE Harvard referencing format. Help with how
to use this format can be found on the UWE study skills website at:

http://www.uwe.ac.uk/library/resources/hub/

Descriptors for each level category can be found in the marking grid below. Please note that
by detailing the marking criteria, we are not trying to create a mechanistic scheme of marking
where marks are awarded for each element and simply added up to give an aggregate score.
Instead, we are providing you a guide against which you can self-assess the strengths and
weaknesses of your work.

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Managing Change / UMOCB3-15-M / Marking scheme
Mark range Research
Distinction The submission demonstrates a detailed
and thorough knowledge and
(70-100) understanding of meaningful scholarship.
The core readings are very well
understood, and at the upper end, there
may be strong evidence of meaningful
further readings. Appropriate sources are
used very effectively in supporting the
argument articulated.
Merit The submission demonstrates knowledge
and understanding of meaningful
(60-69) scholarship. The core readings are well
understood, and there may be some
evidence of further readings. Appropriate
sources are used effectively in supporting
the argument articulated.
Pass The submission suggests knowledge and
understanding of meaningful
(50-59) scholarship. The core readings are
understood, but not always very well.
There is evidence of individual reading
and investigation, but the sources
selected are not always shown to be
relevant in a convincing manner. There is
some use of appropriate sources in
supporting the argument articulated but
this could be expanded.
Fail The submission demonstrates limited or
sporadic knowledge and understanding of
(0-49) meaningful scholarship. Perhaps there is
no or limited understanding of the core
readings, perhaps there is unclear
evidence of individual reading and
investigation, or perhaps the sources
selected are not shown to be relevant in
a convincing manner.
Argumentation
There is strong evidence of an ability to use knowledge to generate
insights. Independent thinking, creativity in approaching tasks and solving
problems and original insights are also features of work at this level.
Arguments are fully developed, sustained and substantiated. When
relevant, appropriate and sometimes innovative solutions are offered to
problems. When relevant, the work demonstrates an ability to engage in
critical evaluation of concepts/arguments/data and to make appropriate and
informed judgements.
There is clear evidence of an ability to use knowledge to generate insights.
There is some evidence of independent thinking, originality and creativity in
approaching tasks and solving problems. Key points are organised and
arguments are well-defined, clearly articulated and supported with
appropriate evidence. Arguments are clearly considered and substantiated
and there is evidence of an ability to make appropriate judgements and to
suggest solutions to problems. When relevant the work demonstrates an
ability to engage in critical evaluation of concepts/arguments/data and to
make appropriate judgements.
There is some evidence of an ability to use knowledge to generate insights.
The discussion of complex contain errors, omissions or misconceptions
which undermine the argument. There is some evidence of independent
thinking in approaching tasks and solving problems. Arguments are
generally substantiated and there is some evidence of an ability to make
judgments and to suggest solutions to problems. When relevant, the work
demonstrates an ability to engage in critical evaluation of
concepts/arguments/data, although there may be too much reliance on
description and factual presentation.
At the upper end, the submission is likely to have attempted some enquiry
and analysis relevant to the task but outcomes may be descriptive,
simplistic and/or unconvincing. If attempted, the presentation of arguments
and more complex ideas may be confused and poorly expressed. The work
is largely descriptive and arguments, if attempted, are rarely substantiated.
The work demonstrates little evidence of critical evaluation and reflection.
At the lower end, the work presented does not really address the
assignment brief in a meaningful manner. Such work is often characterised
by the absence of any engagement with the module’s key themes and
ideas, an overreliance on generic texbooks, and the use of clichés and
platitudes in lieu of arguments.
Presentation
The standard of presentation is highly
professional. Written documents are highly
readable, and demonstrate an ability to
communicate information, complex ideas, results
of research and concepts in a coherent and
succinct manner. The referencing of literature
and other sources is entirely accurate and in line
with the UWE Harvard format.
The standard of presentation is quite
professional. Written documents are quite
readable, and demonstrate an ability to
communicate complex information, results of
research, ideas and concepts clearly and
succinctly. Some minor errors may be present in
the referencing of literature and other sources.
Alternative format to UWE Harvard may have
been used.
The standard of presentation does not
consistently meet professional standards.
Written documents are generally readable but
with much room for improvement. They
demonstrate an ability to communicate complex
information, results of research, ideas and
concepts successfully but with some limitations.
Numerous errors may be present in the
referencing of literature and other sources.
Alternative format to UWE Harvard has been
used.
The standard of presentation fails to meet
professional standards. Written documents are
difficult to read due to errors (e.g. inaccurate
syntax, spelling and punctuation) and problems
in their structure and organisation. There are
frequent errors in the referencing of literature
and other sources. The principles of referencing
may not be entirely understood.