12 Weeks or equivalent

Nil

A unit of study in the Graduate Diploma of Commerce, a nested program within the Master of Commerce.

 

This unit is co-badged with MBM601

The unit enables students to conceptualise the challenges to leading and managing organisations and stakeholders in adapting to complex and often paradigm-shifting environments. It aims to facilitate students' capacity to conceptualise the influence of chaos and complexity on organisational culture. Specifically, the unit focuses on organisational and individual responses to innovation and adaptation in heavy change environments. A thematic focus is applied on the capacity to create a culture of readiness-for-change that supports sustainable business practices. The unit helps students critique emerging debates around new business competencies for leaders and managers as required to meet broad sustainability agendas (commercial, environmental, social, people and governance challenges).

Learning Objectives

By the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Conceptualise and compare organisation models based on equilibrium versus complexity mindsets.

2. Critique leadership models in historical and contemporary business environments.

3. Understand and explain a wide range of human responses to chaotic and complex environments that require leadership skills associated with building a “readiness-for change” culture, embedding organisational and individual resilience.

4. Critique leadership and managerial competencies relevant to organisational sustainability agendas.

5. Develop skill-sets and knowledge to build social capital and related teamwork as an element of sustainable business practice in meeting complex global agendas.

Online delivery is supported by a unit website, CD ROM and video based learning materials, facilitated threaded discussions and interactive chat rooms. Face-to-face workshop/s will be conducted.

Group-based Discussion 10-30%

Individual Report 30-50%

Case-based Project 30-50%

 

1. Strategic competence to align organisational decision making with environmental challenges.

2. Holistic and systemic thinking across business and commerce to support decision making and risk management in complexity

3. Analytical and problem solving skills that include rational-analytical, sense making and anticipatory competencies relevant to a shifting and turbulent business environment.

4. Communication, teamwork and advocacy skills to support the building of social capital in diverse project environments.

5. Capacity to apply normative ethical standards in the context of the business/society interface.

Benn, S & Bolton, D, 2011, Key Concepts in Corporate Social Responsibility. Sage publications, London


Benn, S & Dunphy, D 2009, ‘Leadership for Sustainability’, in R. Staib (Ed) Business Management and Environmental Stewardship, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, pp 56-75.

Bolton, D 2004, ‘Change, coping and context in the resilient organisation’, Mt Eliza Business Review, vol 7, no 1, pp. 57-66.

Burns, B. 2005, ‘Complexity Theories and Organizational Change’, International Journal of Management Reviews, vol 7, no 2, pp. 73-90

Collier, J & Estaban, R 2007, ‘Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee Commitment’, Business Ethics: A European Review, vol 16, no 1, pp. 19-33

Jimmieson, NL, Terry, DJ & Callan, VJ 2004, ‘A Longitudinal Study of Employee Adaptation to Organizational Change: The Role of Change-Related Information and Change-Related Self-Efficacy’, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, vol 9, no 1, pp. 11–27

Hoffman, AJ & Bazerman, MH 2007, ‘Changing Practice on Sustainability: Understanding and Overcoming the Organizational and Psychological Barriers to Action’, in Sharma S, Starik M & Husted B (Eds), Organizations and the Sustainability Mosaic: Crafting Long-term Ecological and Societal Solutions, Edward Elgar, Northampton MA, pp. 84-105

Macey, WH & Schneider, B 2008, ‘The Meaning of Employee Engagement’, Industrial and Organisational Psychology, vol 1, pp. 3-30

Meyer,C & Kirby, J 2010, ‘Leadership in the Age of Transparency’, Harvard Business Review, April


Obolensky, N 2010, Complex Adaptive Leadership: Embracing paradox and uncertainty. Gower, UK

Sikora, PB, Beaty, ED & Forward, J 2004, ‘Updating Theory on Organizational Stress: The Asynchronous Multiple Overlapping Change (AMOC) Model of Workplace Stress’, Human Resource Development Review, vol 3, no 1, pp. 3-35.

Stacey, R & Griffin, D 2005, ‘Leading in a complex world’, in Griffin, D & Stacey, R (Eds), Complexity and the Experience of Leading Organizations, Routledge, London

Waldman, D & Siegel, D 2008, ‘Defining the socially responsible leader’, The Leadership Quarterly, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 117-131