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Course Outline ZBUS8913 Leadership, Change and Innovation

School of Business

Course ZBUS8913 Leadership, Change and Innovation (CTMP) 2015 Credit points 6 credit points Duration Monday 23 March - Friday 27 March Schedule Daily 9.00am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-4.30pm Convenor Professor Mark Turner (Visiting Professor, UNSW Canberra; Professor,

Australia and New Zealand School of Government) 1. Introduction

Leadership has been increasingly recognised as one of the key factors for delivering organisational success. While other management fads may come and go, effective leadership remains a highly valued commodity which organisations in business, the public service and civil society all value extremely highly. Having the right sort of leadership is seen to be associated with organisational success. The right leadership enables change and innovation to occur and the performance of companies, civil society organisations and public service departments to improve. But the problem for all organisations is about identifying and securing the right leadership for successful change. Many organisational change initiatives fail, many innovations never get off the drawing board and many leaders fail to motive their staff. There is, however, no shortage of advice for serving and would-be leaders. There are numerous authors advocating a bewildering variety of leadership and change models, which, if followed, apparently guarantee success. There are also competing academic theories and bodies of evidence to confuse the uninitiated even more.

This course seeks to provide some order to this vast body of leadership, change and innovation literature and to give students the skills to critically analyse and choose between the competing models to gain a clearer understanding of the theory and practice of leadership, change and innovation.

2. Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course, students will Be able to analyse the drivers of change and the appropriateness of different change models for particular situations Have a thorough understanding of the contested concept of leadership Be able to apply leadership, change and innovation models and principles in organisations Understand the complex relationships between leadership, change and innovation Be able to critically analyse organisations in terms of their leadership needs for change and innovation

3. Teaching and Learning Methodology

This course takes the form of modularised workshops on different but interrelated topics on leadership, change and innovation. There will be presentations on each topic by the course convener. For the topic of Innovation, Garrett Upstill will be the presenter These presentations will be accompanied by extensive discussions of all topics during which participants are expected to draw on their own work experiences and relate them to the academic literature being presented. There will also be in-class group work and presentations. Case studies will be used for some of the group work. Students will develop their research and writing skills through seeking, gathering and processing information and ideas for their major assignment. At all times, students are encouraged to engage in critical reflection of the study materials.

4. Structure and Content There is no textbook for this course. Appropriate readings will be provided on Moodle for each module.

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Day/time Activity Monday 23 March Morning

Driving change and innovation The turbulent and fast-moving environments which confront organisations today entail that change has become a normal and seemingly continual feature of organisational life. At least thats what were told by CEOs, consultants and the change experts. Organisations in all sectors feel the need to change structures, processes and cultures and introduce innovative products in order to obtain market advantage or produce better services. But as Graetz et al (2010, 2) observe, implementing change is a task fraught with complexity and challenge. Whether it is selecting appropriate changes, communicating the need for change or implementing the changes, there are problems and issues which must be dealt with. In this weeks session we will consider the problem of change and how it has been conceptualised in a variety of perspectives. We will continue by looking at the relationship of change to the organisational environment and explore the possibility of principles that might be applied to change. We will also identify what drives innovation in organisations.

Reading

Dunphy, D., Benn, S. and Griffiths, A. (2014) Organizational Change for Corporate Sustainability, 3rd edition (Abingdon: Routledge) Chapter 2. Grey, C. (2013) A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book About Studying Organizations, 3rd edition (London: Sage) Chapter 4.

Monday 23 March Afternoon

What is leadership and why does it matter?

Leadership is one of the most widely used and valued items in contemporary organisations yet there is much disagreement about all aspects of leadership starting at its definition. This introductory session introduces students to some of the basic issues of leadership including: making sense of multiple definitions; investigating why it is seen to be important; differentiating it from management; and looking at the roles and functions of leaders.

Readings Carol Dalglish and Peter Miller (2010) Leadership: Understanding its Global Impact (Prahan: Tilde University Press), Chapter 1. Keith Grint (2010) Leadership: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press), Chapter 1.

Tuesday 24 March Morning

Strategy and the Tools of Change

Organisations like to determine their destinies or at least create the impression that they are in control. To accomplish either of these objectives it is essential to have a strategy. There is a strong body of belief that change programs are only effective if they embody strategic intention. This means that planning assumes great importance in the change process. But how far can the planners understand and adjust the interrelationships of the open system organisation to improve its performance? Even if we accept that correct and bold strategy formulation is a pivotal dimension governing business success (Graetz et al 2006, 25), that bold strategy still has to be implemented. To undertake this, change directors and managers have an array of tools from which to pick. But which ones are most appropriate? The challenge is to identify which of the tools best fit the unique change history of the organization.

Reading

Graetz, F., Rimmer, M., Smith, A. and Lawrence, A. 2011. Managing Organisational Change, 3rd Australasian edition. (Milton, Qld: John Wiley & Sons) Chapters 3 & 4.

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Tuesday 24 March Afternoon

Transformational, transactional and full-range leadership

One of the principal tasks of leadership is to bring about change. But as we have seen, leaders are faced with a choice of approaches. In this session, we will examine two of the most popular approaches to leadership - transactional and transformational leadership - and then show how they can be combined as alternatives in the full- range leadership model. Transactional leadership involves leaders and followers entering exchange agreements to achieve each their own particular aims. Think of politicians and election promises. By contrast, transformational leadership involves more radical change as it appeals to higher values and purposes to bring about profound changes. However, there may well be a time and place for both types of leadership. Ideally, leaders should be aware of and able to engage in both types of leadership - the full range.

Reading Northouse, P. (2010) Leadership Theory and Practice, 5th edition (Sage: Thousand Oaks) Chapter 9.

Wednesday 25 March Morning

Innovation: what is it and why does it matter?

Constant revolutionising of production, uninterrupted disturbance of all social conditions, everlasting uncertainty.all old-established national industries have been destroyed or are daily being destroyed. They are dislodged by new industries .whose products are consumed at home but in every quarter of the globe. This might serve as an accurate description of today and the era of globalisation and rapid change and innovation. But, they are not the words of a contemporary management guru or political economist but originate from Karl Marx in the19th century. What they show is that the innovation challenge is not new. In this session, we will commence by looking for an answer to the question what is innovation? To undertake this we will examine various aspects of the concept adopting a process view of innovation. We will also consider innovation as a core business process and the management of externally generated, disruptive innovation. The second element of this session will be an interactive case study discussion. The case study addresses the challenge of introducing new technologies, in this case the introduction of digital printing in a large established traditional printing house. Readings

Schilling, M. (2013) Strategic Management of Technological Innovation, 4th edition (New York: McGraw Hill-Irwin) Chapters 1-3

Harvard Business School Case Study 9-396-154, RR Donnelley and Sons: the Digital Division.

Wednesday 25 March Afternoon

Innovation: Creating New Products and Services

In this session we focus our attention on the very practical matter of how to develop new products and services. This is no easy matter and does come automatically from the application of a handy tool or technique. Creating innovative products and services does, however, require a particular organisational structures and management. The problem is that most organisations have not been designed for this activity. This workshop will review how an organisation can develop innovative capacities. Starting by reviewing the most common innovation processes we will then move on to the context in which innovation takes place. This involves examining factors which influence product and service success and failure. We will also briefly review how organisations develop technologies, businesses and products outside of their existing strategies and core competenciesthe world of ventures. The second element of this session will be an interactive case study discussion. The case study addresses the management and leadership issues in introducing new technologies, notably the factors lying behind Apples innovation success and Steve Jobs role in driving this.

Readings Schilling, M. (2013) Strategic Management of Technological Innovation, 4th edition (New York: McGraw Hill-Irwin) Chapters 10-12 Warwick Business School Case Study 309-038-1, Strategic Leadership and Innovation at Apple Inc.

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Thursday 26 March Morning

Managing change: Leadership, power and resistance

Organisational members do not usually uniformly support planned changes of leaders. Organisational change generates resistance. The managerial perspective on change sees such resistance or conflict as undesirable, and so to be avoided or eliminated. The powerful metaphor of the organisation as organism is important here as it has left a legacy of conflict as an abnormal state which must be overcome, perhaps crushed, to achieve steady state. To gain an informed appreciation of resistance to change and its obverse, empowerment, we will examine a range of perspectives and situations relating to these phenomena. Thus, we will look at why resistance to change occurs and the different bases and practices of power and authority which are employed in struggles. We will also investigate and delineate the techniques of empowerment and evaluate their proponents claims. A fundamental question underlying all of this session is whether applying the political metaphor to organisations is a valuable way of analysing change. Reading Helms-Mills, J. et al. (2009) Understanding Organizational Change (London: Routledge) Chapter 9.

Thursday 26 March Afternoon

Leadership and motivation for change

Leaders cannot do everything on their own. It is through their followers that they achieve goals and come to be regarded as effective. But how do leaders get followers to perform well? In contemporary leadership theory, leaders motivate their followers to achieve high performance. But this pushes us to a second question of how leaders go about motivating followers. In this session we will be looking at the concept and practice of followership and of the relationship between leaders and followers paying special attention to the ways in which leaders strive to motivate followers. Reading Hayes, J. (2014) The Theory and Practice of Change Management, 4th edition (Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan) Chapter 12.

Friday 27 March

Morning

Directed and Facilitated Change Implementation

There are two major approaches to change implementation directed and facilitated. Directed change implementation comes from the top of the organisation while facilitated change implementation involves the participation of a wider group of organisational members. Traditionally these two contrasting modes of change implementation have been seen as hard (directed) and soft (facilitated), task-oriented and people-oriented. But is there a clear line separating the two approaches? Can both be used? Also, what roles do organisational members play in implementing change? Reading Myers, P et al. (2012) Organizational Change: Perspectives on Theory and Practice (Oxford: Oxford University Press) Chapters 9 & 10.

Friday 27 March

Afternoon

Group Presentations In this session, all groups will make their presentations.

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5. Assessment

There are three assessment items for this course

1. In-class group presentation (20%)

1. The first step is to form groups of three persons. Then you will choose or be allocated a topic from the list below. Each group will make

a presentation of 15 minutes on their particular topic.

a. Its impossible to tell whether organisational change has been successful b. The idea that were moving into a post-bureaucratic world is nonsensical c. Change initiatives are often doomed to partial completion and unsustainability d. Its the followers not the leaders who determine organisational success e. Organisational change is doomed to failure without effective leadership f. Organisational change initiatives never involve empowerment but are simple exercise in top-down authority g. Organisational change is often portrayed as a rational exercise but this would be a complete misrepresentation h. There can never be any law-like generalisations about organisational change i. The idea that we live in times of unprecedented change is a false justification for organisational change management j. The popularity of change management approaches is determined by metaphor rather than empirical reality k. The most striking thing about organizational change management is that it almost always fails l. despite (or, who knows, because of) the reams of worthy academic treatises, the unending stream of self-congratulatory I did it my

way blather from pensioned-off executives and the veritable textual diarrhoea of self-serving guru handbooks, [organisational] change remains a mystery

m. Companies that do not invest in innovation put their futures at risk. n. Innovation is only one of many factors that account for organisational success. o. Coming up with innovative ideas is easy. Choosing the right ideas is the difficult part of innovation.

2. This assignment is aimed to test your ability to present a convincing argument orally and to respond effectively to questions and critical comments. There is no written paper to hand in.

3. Presentations should be approximately 15 minutes in length and no more than 20 minutes. You can use Powerpoint or whatever media you desire or just speak BUT it is the argument that you mount which is the important thing.

4. There is no need for academic references in the presentation. 5. The presentations are to be made in the afternoon session of Friday 27 March. Depending on class numbers there may be some Friday

morning presentations. 6. The assessment will involve both the lecturer (75%) and students (25%) 7. The criteria for assessment are:

a. The presentation of a clear argument b. The coherence of the argument c. The effective use of theory and practice to illustrate the argument d. Ability to answer questions and respond to comments e. Effective oral presentation skills

2. Reflective essay (30%)

This short essay concerns reflection on the materials presented in class and in the readings for the course. You are expected to reflect on some (not all) of the materials and assess their relevance to organisational leadership, change and innovation. You are encouraged to draw on both personal experience and appropriate literature in writing your essays. You can be both critical or supportive of literature, theories, and concepts. The overall aim of the essay is to demonstrate your understanding of the readings and other materials and their relevance for the real world in which you and other people work. This is an individual assignment.

1. Length of essay 1,000 words. 2. You must reflect on the practical relevance of theories, models and concepts presented in class or in readings. 3. There are various ways in which you can write this essay but two guiding questions are What have I learned that is practically useful? and its

reverse What have I encountered which is not applicable? In both cases you need to provide reasoned arguments to justify your evaluation. 4. You will probably need to focus on two or three items as any attempt to cover all course materials would provide inadequate discussion. 5. You may use materials not presented in the course as supplementary items but the focus should be on those presented in the course. 6. Proper academic referencing is required. 7. The criteria for assessment are:

a. A clearly argued position on the topic b. Appropriate illustration of general points c. Evidence of critical thinking d. Presentation skills

Due date for the reflective essay is one week from the end of the course presentation. The lecturer will confirm the date and time for submission of the essay. Please submit electronically to the course Moodle site.

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3. Major essay (50%) Choose one of the following essay questions: (i) Creativity and innovation are keys to organisational success. Discuss. (ii) What is moral leadership and is it important for contemporary organisations?

(iii) What is the relationship between leadership and successful organisational change? For any of these questions there are numerous possible answers. It is up to you as to what theories, concepts and data that you include but whatever combination you choose it is vitally important that you construct a coherent argument in response to the question posed. The argument should be presented in a clear and logical structure and be expressed in a manner that facilitates good communication. The assignment demands the exercise of skills in research, analysis, writing and creativity. You will need to move beyond your course readings for this assignment and consult other sources including academic journals, media reports, government publications and books.

The following criteria will be used to assess the essay:

a. Identification of key issues b. Presentation of a coherent

argument c. Use of a clear and logical structure d. Demonstrated understanding of appropriate

literature e. Demonstrated independent research f. Presentation and referencing

Due date for the essay is three weeks from the end of the course presentation. The lecturer will confirm the date and time for

submission of the essay. Please submit electronically to the course Moodle site.

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