Programme Specification
A statement of the knowledge, understanding and skills that underpin a
taught programme of study leading to an award from
The University of Sheffield
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Programme Title
Consultancy & Innovation
2
Programme Code
MGTT164
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JACS Code (if applicable)
Not applicable
4
Level of Study
Postgraduate
5a
Final Qualification
Postgraduate Certificate
5b
QAA FHEQ Level
F7
6a
Intermediate Qualification(s)
-
6b
QAA FHEQ Level
-
7
Teaching Institution (if not Sheffield)
Not applicable
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Faculty
Social Sciences
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Department
Management
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Other Departments involved in
teaching the programme
None
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Mode(s) of Attendance
Part time
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Duration of the Programme
12 months
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Accrediting Professional or Statutory
Body
Not applicable
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Date of production/revision
June 2010
15. Background to the subject area and main features of the programme
This unique learning programme aims to help participants position their business to maximise growth and
development. Facilitated by experienced business academics and entrepreneurs, the programme is designed to
help participants and their business to make significant step-changes in performance. Participants will learn the
latest methods for undertaking innovation and business/organisation growth, including the application of suitable
diagnostics, analysis of resources, capability analysis, identifying required structural changes and re-alignment,
developing intervention and leadership skills, applying new reporting structures for financial and risk analyses,
and creating financial plans that are appropriate for the contemporary financial context.
16. Programme aims
The programme aims to integrate management and organisational development with the following learning
aims:
1.
To apply and critically appraise methodology for achieving innovation and organisation growth;
2.
To critically analyse organisation impact from the application of innovation methodology;
3.
To critically construct key practitioner planning documentation for realising innovation;
4.
To distil the implications at a personal level from the application of innovation methodology.
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17. Programme learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding:
Upon successful completion of the programme, candidates will be able to demonstrate knowledge and
understanding of:
K1
Methodology for consulting and change for the purpose of growth in innovation in organisations;
K2
The nature of an inquiry for undertaking critical areas of change in organisations, e.g. diagnosis, audit,
capability analysis, structural & process analysis;
K3
How to undertake an impact evaluation of a change involving innovation;
K4
The construction of a business and project plan for innovation and change in an organisation.
Skills and other attributes:
Upon successful completion of the programme, students will be able to demonstrate skills and other attributes
in:
S1
Intervention and change in an area of organisation;
S2
Inquiry for business and organisational innovation;
S3
Reflexive practice in applying innovation methodology.
18. Teaching, learning and assessment
Development of the learning outcomes is promoted through the following teaching and learning
methods:
There is a highly process oriented approach to the learning in this programme. Delegates will work in small
groups to relate the conceptual and abstract to the pragmatics of designing intervention and change into their
own organisations. There will be opportunities for: (i) learning from critically analyzing situations in
organizations, and (ii) learning from the fellow delegates’ own reflexive thinking about their own capability to
operationalise the ideas/concepts/methods.
The substantive methodological components will be introduced with a mixture of lectures , designed to relate to
practice and subsequently operationalised in a simulation environment via an ‘Innovation ThinkTank’. This is a
form of learning set, in which members actively engage in a role-play during their activities involved in applying
growth methodologies.
In order to develop this type of ‘process’ approach, the module will be taught in day blocks, supported with
workbook activities. The workbook will structure the activities involved in learning and applying the innovation
methodologies which form the core of the learning in the programme. The Workbook will be applied in the class
based ThinkTanks and in the candidates own workplaces, and will therefore help to facilitate group and
individual learning.
Additional support will be given using on-line facilities to assist in maximising engagement, e.g. providing
access to related materials, to fellow learners and facilitators.
Further, the candidates will have mentoring support throughout this process from a team of facilitators who are
made up of academics and experienced entrepreneurs.
The design and implementation of specific learning programmes will be coordinated and lead by academic staff
of the University of Sheffield’s Management School, in order to ensure appropriate achievement of the learning
outcomes as well as the overall academic rigour and quality of the programme.
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Opportunities to demonstrate achievement of the learning outcomes are provided through the following
assessment methods:
Delegates will use a workbook, which will be divided into two sections.
(i) The workbook will be structured around the application of the key methodological skills, applied to delegates
own innovations in practice. This workbook will be used to assess each candidates’ progress, via the
precision of application of the methods, the detail of the associated inquiry, and the validity of that inquiry in
each element of the methodology.
(ii) The second part of the assessment, will involve the development of a set of documents detailing and
justifying

A Business Plan for organisational change;

A Project Plan for organisational change;

A critical self reflection.
Each of these will be judged in academic terms, e.g. precision of the application of the methodologies,
supporting inquiry, supporting evidence, conclusions drawn. These methods of assessment are used
because they enable the academic judgement of practical outputs.
19. Reference points
The learning outcomes have been developed to reflect the following points of reference:
The University’s LTAS, i.e. ( in summary):
1. to demonstrate a sound knowledge base and to demonstrate the skills and competencies to apply that;
knowledge appropriately;
2. to carry out extended independent inquiry, formulating relevant questions and engaging critically evidence;
3. to demonstrate the core capabilities and skills of information handling in a professional and ethical manner;
4. to be a constructive team member working collaboratively towards a shared goal and demonstrate
transferable skills, where appropriate working across academic disciplines, professional and organisational
boundaries;
5. to communicate effectively, orally, in writing or by other means as appropriate, and in accordance with agreed
conventions;
6. to critically reflect on their strengths and weaknesses;
7. to demonstrate fitness for practice working responsibly, safely and ethically, recognising their limitations, and
meeting the requirements of relevant statutory bodies.
20. Programme structure and regulations
The postgraduate certificate in Consultancy and Innovation will be based around two units.

Consultancy and Innovation Methodology (20 credits), and

Consultancy and Innovation Project (40 credits of project work).
A candidate will be able to undertake both components simultaneously (whilst they are interconnected, the
former is not a pre-requisite in its entirety of the latter).
Detailed information about the structure of programmes, regulations concerning assessment and progression
and descriptions of individual modules are published in the University Calendar available on-line at
http://www.shef.ac.uk/govern/calendar/regs.html.
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21. Student development over the course of study
This programme of study is designed to support student development in such a way that they not only become
‘problem-solvers’ but ‘think about the way they are thinking’ as they ‘problem-solve’. There are several
structures which are designed to support student development to achieve this. (i) the ‘Innovation ThinkTank’ in
which they are members, is a vehicle to support their learning; (ii) the mentoring support provided by both
academics and consultant, and (iii) the application of the methodology into their workbooks. This approach
provides the possibility of a hugely important intellectual leap. Candidates are in effect critiquing their own
knowledge, attitudes, skills, in undertaking their problem solving actions. This is an important component of
inquiry based learning, and a central plank of any practice based learning process. It provides a unique
approach to critical reflection which is highly dynamic (i.e. ‘in action situations’). This approach is based on the
observation that humans are often the victims of their own mind, reacting to deep-seated anxieties. However,
humans can learn to control these reactions, and thereby overcome some of difficulties that can result from a
‘lack of control’. Fundamentally perhaps, becoming to know the self in these terms might be considered to be a
key goal of a reflexive pedagogy, and an essential component of developing as an organisation innovator and
consultant, with associated desirable characteristics.
22. Criteria for admission to the programme
Detailed information regarding admission to programmes is available from the University’s On-Line
Prospectus at http://www.shef.ac.uk/courses/.
The normal entry requirements are as follows:

for graduates, an Honours degree from an approved HE institution;

for non-graduates, a professional qualification in management that is deemed to be equivalent to the
holding of an Honours degree from an approved HE institution;

for candidates who do not hold relevant academic qualifications, relevant evidence of learning from
experience (in this case, normally a minimum of 3 years relevant managerial experience); and
additionally;

for candidates for whom English is not their first language, evidence of achievement of an overall score
of 7 in an IELTS test or equivalent.
Additionally, prospective candidates must be working in a context which will enable them to apply the growth
methodologies to their own organisation context.
23. Additional information
This specification represents a concise statement about the main features of the programme and should be
considered alongside other sources of information provided by the teaching department(s) and the University. In
addition to programme specific information, further information about studying at The University of Sheffield can
be accessed via our Student Services web site at http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid.
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