BUSN 545 Managing Change
Action learning in organizations typically results in planned organization change. This might include changes to strategy, structure, processes, or people. This course helps managers learn theories and techniques for managing planned change in their organizations. It begins by helping managers to diagnose what needs to be changed in their organization. It then helps managers to identify the individual, organizational, and environmental forces for and against their planned change, and to estimate the relative strength of each force. It introduces managers to a number of practical models that can guide them in planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating planned organizational change. It helps managers to examine both first-order and second-order change and discusses ways to avoid and/or manage resistance to change. The course will help managers to consider what needs to be done to ‘refreeze’ their organization in its new state, while at the same time keeping it responsive to continuous change. Finally, students will critically reflect on how Christianity might influence/inform these change models.