MN3285: Managing Organisational Change, 2010-2011
Course Coordinator and Tutor
Ed Clark,
Founders East, FE154
ed.clark@rhul.ac.uk
Brief Outline and Aims of the Course
The course is concerned with developing a critically reflective understanding of the emergent discipline of
organisational change and change management. It examines the theoretical foundations of this field of
research by presenting and evaluating key ideas concerning the context, nature and process of
organisational change. However, this is also a practical and applied discipline, dealing with organisational
problems central to the contemporary management condition and the course is structured around
opportunities to put the diagnostic and prescriptive tools into action. The course largely comprises
workshop sessions, in which students are asked to discuss, apply and evaluate the core theories and
techniques of managing organisational change.
The main aims of the course are:
 To develop conceptual and theoretical frameworks for understanding the process of organisational
change
 To evaluate critically research in and theories of organisational change and change management
 To explore and evaluate different theories and practices of managing the change process
 To develop diagnostic and analytical skills for complex organisational situations
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course you should be able to:
 Explain social scientific concepts and theories about organisational change and the management of
change
 Analyse factors underlying these processes
 Demonstrate and appreciate a concrete knowledge on practices and techniques for managing
change
 Evaluate different theoretical and practical approaches to change management
 Apply concepts and theories to practical problems of change management
 Present a reflective understanding of this body of knowledge in written and spoken forms
Organisation
The course comprises a programme of one three-hour introductory lecture, four fortnightly three-hour
workshops, and a session devoted to project presentation.
The introductory lecture will clarify the structure and experience of the course, outline the broad context of
the development and growth of change management as an emergent management discipline and practice
and present key ideas that underlie the course. The four workshops combine short lecture inputs with
experiential learning activities, in which students work in groups and consider, practise and critically assess
different aspects of organisational change and its management. This approach to learning is unusual at
undergraduate level, but is the most appropriate way of examining this applied field of management
studies. While the course makes reference to various standard textbooks (see reading, below), it is designed
around the reading of original academic articles and research reports on organisational change. The last
session involves student presentations, in small project groups, that consider the application of concepts
and theories to a case study and reflect upon the tools that can be used to manage an organisation through a
set of change-related problems.
MN3285 and Moodle
All documents relating to Managing Organisational Change are available on Moodle:
http://moodle.rhul.ac.uk/
You should visit this web page regularly to keep abreast of new or updated information regarding your
studies on this course.
1
Overview of Learning Programme
WEEK
MAIN THEME AND TOPIC
WORKSHOP ACTIVITIES
COMMENCING
10th January
Introductory Lecture: explanation of the course programme, setting the context for the
course and introducing key concepts and theories that underpin the course content.
17th January
Preparation for Workshop 1
WORKSHOP PROGRAMME
Why do organisations change? Why is
managing change so important to modern
management? What changes in organisations?
What are the different patterns of
organisations change?
Workshop 1: the context and
nature of organisational change
24th January
31st January
Preparation for Workshop 2
Workshop 2: change agency
The political nature of organisational change
and the key roles involved in change
management: leadership, internal and external
change agents; the impact of human agency on
diagnosis and implementation of change.
7th February
14th February
Preparation for Workshop 3
What factors and processes create inertial
forces in organisations? Why do managers and
employees resist change? Is resistance
functional or dysfunctional? How can
resistance be managed?
Workshop 3: implementation of
change
21st February
28th March
7th March
14th
March
Preparation for Workshop 4
Workshop 4: sustaining
organisational change
Creating organisations that can act flexibly
and adaptively. Organisational culture change,
organisational learning, creating structures for
innovation and knowledge creation.
GROUP PRESENTATIONS OF CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
Presentation session
Presentations of group project findings
GROUP REPORTS TO BE HANDED IN WEDNESDAY 23RD MARCH 2010
2
Readings and Preparation for Workshops
WORKSHOP:
CORE READING (in Reading Groups)
SUPPORT READING
Week starting
Workshop 1: the
context and
process of
organisational
change
24th January
Workshop 2:
change agency
7th February
Workshop 3:
implementing
change
21st February
Greenwood, R. and Hinings, C.R. (1988) ‘Organizational
design types, tracks and the dynamics of strategic change’,
Organization Studies, 9/3:293-316
Huczynski, A. (1993) ‘Explaining the succession of
management fads’, International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 4/2: 443-63
Romanelli, E and Tushman, M (1994) ‘Organizational
transformation as punctuated equilibrium: an empirical
test’, Academy of Management Journal,, 37/5: 1141-1166
Miller, D. and Friesen, P. (1980) ‘Momentum and revolution
in organizational adaptation’, Academy of Management
Journal, 23/4: 591-614
Van de Ven, A.H. and Poole, M.S. (1995) ‘Explaining
development and change in organizations’ Academy of
Management Review, 20/3, 510-40
Caldwell, R. (2003) ‘Models of change agency: a fourfold
classification’, British Journal of Management, 14: 131-42
Ginsberg, A. and Abrahamson, E. (1991) ‘Champions of
change and strategic shifts: the role of internal and
external change advocates’, Journal of Management
Studies, 28/2: 173-190
Kotter, J.P. (1995) ‘Leading change: why transformation
efforts fail’, Harvard Business Review, March-April: 5967
Nadler, D. and Tushman, M. (1990) ‘Beyond the charismatic
leader: leadership and organizational change’, California
Management Review, 32/2: 77-97
Pettigrew, A (1987) ‘Context and action in the
transformation of the firm’, Journal of Management
Studies, 24/6, 649-670
Schein, E. (1978) ‘The role of the consultant: content expert
or process facilitator’, Personnel and Guidance Journal,
February: 339-343
Clark, E. and Soulsby A. (1995) ‘Transforming former state
enterprises in the Czech Republic’, Organization Studies,
16/2: 215-242
Dunphy, D. and Stace, D. (1988) ‘Transformational and
coercive strategies for planned organizational change:
beyond the O.D. model’, Organization Studies, 9/3: 317334
Fiol, C.M. (2002) ‘Capitalizing on paradox: the role of
language in transforming organizational identities’,
Organizational Science, 16/6: 653-666
Knights, D. and McCabe D. (1998) ‘When “life is but a
dream”: obliterating politics through business process
engineering’, Human Relations, 51/6: 761-798
McNulty, T. and Ferlie, E. (2004) ‘Process transformation:
limitations to radical organizational change within public
service organizations’, Organization Studies, 25/8: 13891412
3
Burnes, 2004, 282-4, Ch.10
Carnall, 2007, Chs 3-7
Dawson, 2003, Chs 2, 3, 8
Genus, 1998, Ch 7
Hamlin et al., 2001, Ch 2
Hayes, 2002, Ch 1
Paton & McCalman, 2000 Ch
1
Senior & Fleming, 2006, Chs
1&2
Thornhill et al., 2000, Ch1
Burnes, 2004, 267ff., 309312, 471, 503-518
Carnall, 2007, Chs 9 & 13
Darwin et al., 2002, Ch 1 &
11
Dawson, 2003, Ch 3
French & Bell, 1999, Chs 4
&6
Genus, 1998, Chs 5 & 8
Hamlin et al., 2001, Chs 3 &
5
Hayes, 2002, Chs 2 & 9
Paton & McCalman, 2000,
Ch 9
Senior & Fleming, 2006,
Chs 5 & 6
Burnes, 2004, 263-276, 475481
Carnall, 2007, Ch 8
Darwin et al., 2002, Chs 4 &
8
Dawson, 2003, 19-21, Chs 4
&7
French & Bell, 1999, 73-75
Genus, 1998, Ch 6
Hayes, 2002, Chs 12 & 13
Senior & Fleming, 2006, Ch
6
Thornhill et al., 2000, 22838, Ch 9
Workshop 4:
sustaining
organisational
change
7th March
Brown, A.D. and Starkey, K. (2000) ‘Organizational identity
and learning: a psychodynamic perspective’, Academy of
Management Review, 25/1: 102-120
Brown, S. and Eisenhardt, K. (1997) ‘The art of continuous
change: linking complexity theory and time-paced
evolution in relentlessly shifting organizations’,
Administrative Science Quarterly, 42: 1-34
Crossan, M., Lane, H. and White, R. (1999) ‘An
organizational learning framework: from intuition to
institution’, Academy of Management Review, 24/3: 522537
Lawler, E. and Mohrman, S. (1987) ‘Quality circles: after
the honey moon’, Organizational Dynamics, 14 (Spring):
42-55
Nonaka, I. (1994) ‘A dynamic theory of organizational
knowledge creation’, Organization Science, 5/1: 14-37
Burnes, 2004, 277-81, 298309
Carnall, 2007, Ch 10
Dawson, 2003, 30-33
French & Bell, 1999, Chs 2
&4
Genus, 1998, Ch 4
Hayes, 2002, Chs 4 & 18
Paton & McCalman, 2000,
Chs 7, 8 & 10
Senior & Fleming, 2006, Ch
8
Thornhill et al. 2000, 173179
Assessment
The course is assessed through a group project worth 30% and an end-of-year unseen examination 70% of
the total course mark.
 Coursework assignment (30% of total course mark):
i) Worth 10%: a 20-minute group presentation of the main arguments to be developed in the written
report (presentations to take place in week 10)
ii) Worth 20%: an analytical and self-reflective group report on managing change within a given case
organisation. The report will be fully referenced in an academic style, a maximum of 4,000 words
and handed in no later than 1200 noon, Wednesday 23rd March 2011.

Closed book, unseen two-hour examination (70% of total course mark): answering any two questions
from 5.
Course Assignment
You are required to participate in a small project group in order to examine, analyse and present a 4,000word report on a case study that will be distributed at the beginning of the course. The group will be
constituted at the beginning of the term and will meet and work together outside formal class time in order
to develop its understanding of the case. The group will present its findings in oral form during week 10 of
the course, when it will receive critical feedback from tutors, who will allocate 10% of the course marks.
The final report will be handed in at noon on Wednesday, 23rd March 2011).
Remit. As a group, you are to play the role of a consultancy firm specialising in managing change. The
case organisation has hired you to offer their senior management team advice on changes that they have
recognised to be necessary for their company to remain viable. Your role as an external change agent
includes analysis of the pressures for and against change, the type and nature of the change that is
needed and practical advice about how to implement the recommended changes. Your report should
include a one-page Executive Summary and a two-page Reflective Academic Appendix, in which your
group reflects upon the practical problems faced by external change agents in researching and
diagnosing change problems, and designing and implementing change programmes.
In brief, your Group Report needs to combine a practical approach with academic thinking. It should
contain the following elements:
1. Executive summary of the reports findings and recommendations (one page)
2. Group report: this should have a practical focus and at least include the topics mentioned above.
Unusually for a consultancy report, we need you to refer to theories and concepts, making
academic referencing where relevant (maximum 4,000 words)
3. Reflective Academic Appendix: critical reflections about the practical problems of being an
external change agent (two pages maximum)
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Start from the original readings attached to the workshops to get started, but you may also refer to
textbooks (see below). Visit Bedford and other University of London libraries to find relevant books and
articles that you find referenced, and/or use the library’s electronic journal resources to search for and
locate articles (see list of useful journals below). The final report must be fully referenced using the
Harvard referencing system, which has been used throughout this document and in most textbooks. For
specific advice, please look at the School of Management Referencing Guidelines, at:
http://www.rhul.ac.uk/Management/UGmotd.html
Speak with your workshop tutor if you need further clarification.
Late submissions and extensions
Please note that we shall adhere strictly to College policy for late submission of assessed work. Work
handed in up to 24 hours after the deadline will be marked, but a penalty of 10 percentage points will
be deducted. However, if the work is worthy of a pass mark, the application of a penalty will not result
in failure. For example, if you received 45% for a piece of work, the penalty will reduce the mark to
40%, not 35%. Work submitted more than 24 hours late will be awarded a mark of ZERO.
Extensions may be granted at the discretion of the Course Co-ordinator and must be sought in advance in
writing (email will suffice). Any approved extension MUST be attached to your work when submitted;
failure to do so will result in the work being awarded ZERO.
Recommended Reading
There are many texts in the field of organisational change and change management, but they are all
written from perspectives that do not quite match the format and rationale of our course. As a result, the
course has been designed around original research articles (see below) and we recommend that you
look for general textbook support from a list of the most relevant and current texts. Some of these books
are very applied in their orientation (e.g. Hamlin et al., 2001), others more theoretical (e.g. Burnes,
2004) but most combine in various ways the practical and academic approaches. They tend to share
some topics in common (e.g. resistance to change), but each has a particular context to explore (e.g.
change and innovation) or perspective to promote (e.g. human resource management). As always, you
should be discerning in your reading of textbooks, remembering that authors adopt particular
approaches and hold particular interests.
TEXTBOOKS
Andriopoulos, C. & P. Dawson (2009) Managing change, creativity and innovation.
London: Sage
Burnes, B. (2009) Managing change. (5th edition) Harlow: FT Prentice Hall
Buchanan, D. & R. Badham (2008) Power, politics and organizational change: winning
the turf game. London: Sage
Carnall, C. (2007) Managing change in organizations. (5th edition) Harlow: FT Prentice Hall
Darwin, J., Johnson,P. & J. McAuley (2002) Developing strategies for change. Harlow: FT Prentice
Hall
Dawson, P. (2003) Understanding organizational change: the contemporary experience of people at
work. London: Sage
French, W. & C. Bell (1999) Organization Development. (6th edition) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice
Hall
Genus, A. (1998) The management of change: perspectives and practice. London: ITP Press
Hamlin, B., Keep, J. & K. Ash (2001) Organizational change and development: a reflective guide for
managers, trainers and developers. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall
Hayes, J. (2002) The theory and practice of change management. Basingstoke: Palgrave
Palmer, I., Dunford, R. & G. Akin (2009) Managing organizational change: a multiple perspectives
approach (2nd edition). New York: McGraw-Hill
Paton, R. & J. McCalman (2008) Change management: a guide to effective implementation. (3rd
edition) London: Sage
Senior, B. & J. Fleming (2006) Organisational change. (3rd edition) Harlow: FT Prentice Hall
Thornhill, A., Lewis, P., Millmore, M. & M Saunders (2000) Managing change: a human resource
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strategy approach. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall
Tushman, M.L. & P. Anderson (eds.) (2004) Managing strategic innovation and change: a collection
of readings (2nd edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press
ARTICLES
What follows below is a list of academic articles that have been directly consulted in developing this
course. You are not expected to read all (or even most) of them, but the list provides opportunities for
your further reading, especially when it comes to your project.
Brown, A.D. and Starkey, K. (2000) ‘Organizational identity and learning: a psychodynamic
perspective’, Academy of Management Review, 25/1: 102-120
Brown, S. and Eisenhardt, K. (1997) ‘The art of continuous change: linking complexity theory and
time-paced evolution in relentlessly shifting organizations’, Administrative Science Quarterly, 42:
1-34
Burnes, B. (2004) ‘Kurt Lewin and the planned approach to change: a re-appraisal’, Journal of
Management Studies, 41/6: 978-1002
Caldwell, R. (2003) ‘Models of change agency: a fourfold classification’, British Journal of
Management, 14: 131-142
Clark, E. and Soulsby A. (1995) ‘Transforming former state enterprises in the Czech Republic’,
Organization Studies, 16/2: 215-242
Cook, S. and Brown, J. (1999) ‘Bridging epistemologies: the generative dance between organizational
knowledge and organizational knowing’, Organization Science, 10/4: 381-400
Crossan, M., Lane, H. and White, R. (1999) ‘An organizational learning framework: from intuition to
institution’, Academy of Management Review, 24/3: 522-537
Dunphy, D. and Stace, D. (1988) ‘Transformational and coercive strategies for planned organizational
change: beyond the O.D. model’, Organization Studies, 9/3: 317-334
Easterby-Smith, M., Crossan, M. and Nicolini, D. (2000) ‘Organizational learning: debates past,
present and future’, Journal of Management Studies, 37/6:783-796
Eisenbach, R., Watson, K. and Pillai, R. (1999) ‘Transformational leadership in the context of
organizational change’, Journal of Organizational Change Management, 12/2: 80-88
Fincham, R. (1999) ‘The consultant-client relationship: critical perspectives on the management of
organizational change’, Journal of Management Studies, 36/3: 335-351
Fiol, C.M. (2002) ‘Capitalizing on paradox: the role of language in transforming organizational
identities’, Organizational Science, 16/6: 653-666
Ginsberg, A. and Abrahamson, E. (1991) ‘Champions of change and strategic shifts: the role of
internal and external change advocates’, Journal of Management Studies, 28/2: 173-190
Greenwood, R. and Hinings, C.R. (1988) ‘Organizational design types, tracks and the dynamics of
strategic change’, Organization Studies, 9/3:293-316
Hartley, J., Benington, J. and Binns, P. (1997) ‘Researching the roles of internal change agents in the
management of organizational change’, British Journal of Management, 8: 61-73
Huczynski, A. (1993) ‘Explaining the succession of management fads’, International Journal of
Human Resource Management, 4/2: 443-63
Knights, D. and McCabe D. (1998) ‘When “life is but a dream”: obliterating politics through business
process engineering’, Human Relations, 51/6: 761-798
Kotter, J.P. (1995) ‘Leading change: why transformation efforts fail’, Harvard Business Review,
March-April: 59-67
Kotter, J. and Schlesinger, L. (1979) ‘Choosing strategies for change’, Harvard Business Review,
March-April: 106-114
Lacey, M.Y. (1995) ‘Internal consulting: perspectives on the process on planned change’, Journal of
Organizational Change Management, 8/3: 75-84
Lawler, E. and Mohrman, S. (1987) ‘Quality circles: after the honeymoon’, Organizational Dynamics,
14 (Spring): 42-55
Leitch, C., Harrison, R., Burgoyne, J. and Blantem, C. (1996) ‘Learning organizations: the
measurement of company performance’, Journal of European Industrial Training, 20/1: 31-44
Levy, A. (1986) ‘Second-order planned change: definition and conceptualization’, Organizational
Dynamics, Summer: 5-20
6
McNulty, T. and Ferlie, E. (2004) ‘Process transformation: limitations to radical organizational change
within public service organizations’, Organization Studies, 25/8: 1389-1412
March, J. (1991) ‘Exploration and exploitation in organization learning’, Organization Science, 2/1:
71-87
Miller, D and Friesen, P (1980) ‘Momentum and revolution in organizational adaptation’, Academy of
Management Journal, 23/4: 591-614
Nadler, D. and Tushman, M. (1990) ‘Beyond the charismatic leader: leadership and organizational
change’, California Management Review, 32/2: 77-97
Nonaka, I. (1994) ‘A dynamic theory of organizational knowledge creation’, Organization Science,
5/1: 14-37
Pettigrew, A (1987) ‘Context and action in the transformation of the firm’, Journal of Management
Studies, 24/6, 649-670
Romanelli, E and Tushman, M (1994) ‘Organizational transformation as punctuated equilibrium: an
empirical test’, Academy of Management Journal,, 37/5: 1141-1166
Schein, E. (1978) ‘The role of the consultant: content expert or process facilitator’, Personnel and
Guidance Journal, February: 339-343
Taylor, S. (1999) ‘Making sense of revolutionary change: differences in members’ stories’, Journal of
Organizational Change Management, 12/6: 524-539
Van de Ven, A.H. and Poole, M.S. (1995) ‘Explaining development and change in organizations’
Academy of Management Review, 20/3, 510-40
OTHER READING
Remember that your MN100 textbook and any HRM text you may have are likely to make some
references to organisational change and issues relevant to managing change in organisations.
RELEVANT ACADEMIC JOURNALS
Journals provide the most up-to-date management knowledge available at any particular time, and you
should always be scanning their contents for relevant information. The following provides a list of some of
the more important journals that relate to this course.
Academy of Management Journal
Academy of Management Review
Administrative Science Quarterly
British Journal of Management
Harvard Business Review
Human Relations
International Journal of Human Resource Management
Journal of Organizational Change Management
Journal of Management Studies
Organization
Organizational Dynamics
Organization Science
Organization Studies
General Information
Students are advised to see their workshop tutor first if they have any academic problems concerning the
course. Tutors are available for consultation during their “surgery hours”, posted outside their offices.
Assignments should be presented on time in the manner described in the School of Management Student
Handbook 2009/2010.
Allocation to Work Groups
There will be only one workshop group for the course. You will be allocated to both a Project Group and a
Reading Group.
N.B. Please ensure that you keep all course outlines as they will prove valuable in obtaining
exemptions for postgraduate qualifications, e.g. CIMA and useful for future employers. Note that
the Department only keeps previous years’ outlines for a limited period.
Current outlines and other course materials are available from the School of Management Web Site
and Moodle.
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