Overview
Change processes are a natural part of evolution. However, change presents significant challenges to organizations. Managers assist organizational members in meeting both organizational and individual goals, including navigating change. Knowing the dynamics of change enables managers to help individuals develop the resources and tools necessary to prepare for and move through change processes.
Since this course has been designed for those currently working in or hoping to move into management positions, the perspective of the manager/leader is woven throughout. Increasingly, as people work in teams where leadership is shared, managerial positions are becoming de-emphasized. This course will benefit anyone interested in understanding the processes of change from both personal and organizational perspectives.
Outline
The course consists of nine lessons:
- Lesson 1: Overview of Organization Development
- Lesson 2: Managerial and Leadership Responsibilities
- Lesson 3: The Process of Organization Development
- Lesson 4: Collecting, Analyzing, and Feeding Back Assessment Information
- Lesson 5: Designing, Managing, and Evaluating Interventions
- Lesson 6: Human Process Interventions
- Lesson 7: Technostructural Interventions
- Lesson 8: Human Resource Interventions
- Lesson 9: Strategic Change Interventions
Learning outcomes
After completing this course, you should be able to:
- Describe the nature of organizational change.
- Assess change issues that need intervention.
- Identify forces facilitating change and build on them.
- Identify forces constraining change and address them.
- Develop appropriate resources and tools to facilitate your own and an organization’s readiness for change.
- Create a portfolio of organizational development (OD) strategies designed to facilitate change.
- Facilitate implementation of appropriate strategies for change.
- Facilitate change transition and integration.
- Evaluate change outcomes.
Evaluation
To receive credit for ORGB 390, you must achieve a composite course grade of at least D (50%) for the entire course.
The following chart describes the credit weight associated with each course requirement:
| Activity | Weight |
| Assignment 1 | 25% |
| Assignment 2 | 25% |
| Assignment 3 | 25% |
| Assignment 4 | 25% |
| Total | 100% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Cummings, T. G., & Worley, C. G. (2019). Organization development & change (11th ed.). Cengage Learning. ISBN: 978-1-337-61883-0
Physical course materials
The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:
Kotter, J. & Rathgeber, H. (2017). Our iceberg is melting (10th Anniversary ed.). Penguin.
Kotter, J. & Rathgeber, H. (2016). That’s not how we do it here! Portfolio.
Other resources
All other learning resources will be available online.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the ORGB 390 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent) on the challenge assignment.
Comprehensive Challenge Assignment
Challenge for credit course registration form