Managing Organizational Change Initiative: Strategic Plan

Knowledge and Understanding:

• Evaluate the impact of client requirements, scope and external stakeholders upon value and risk management decisions in the project process

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

• Analyse the overall facets of project value and evaluate approaches to value management that are applicable to project management.
• Critically analyse and apply appropriate techniques to understand the key drivers for change.
• Develop and evaluate governance frameworks and their ability to deliver strategic objectives within project orientated organisations

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

• Appreciate the complexity and diversity of behavioural dynamics

Module Learning Outcomes (MLOs) Assessed by Coursework

Knowledge & Understanding:

• Evaluate the impact of client requirements, scope and external stakeholders upon value and risk management decisions in the project process

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

• Analyse the overall facets of project value and evaluate approaches to value management that are applicable to project management.
• Critically analyse and apply appropriate techniques to understand the key drivers for change.
• Develop and evaluate governance frameworks and their ability to deliver strategic objectives within project orientated organisations

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

• Appreciate the complexity and diversity of behavioural dynamics

Coursework Overview

This module allows you the chance to “live” the challenges of managing an organisational change initiative with the support of a computerised simulation. The simulation is based on a comprehensive model of how and why human beings react to change which includes a range of commercial, personal, emotional and ‘political’ factors.

The deliverable of this coursework is a strategic plan based on scenario information that you will receive as an appendix to this specification.

The scenario revolves around the integration of two organisations after an acquisition has been agreed. You will be challenged to make decisions on a series of integration options (e.g. staff reduction and IT systems) that have different cost saving and revenue growth impacts. These choices will also have implications on human reactions to the strategic change, and it is the careful balance of these business and human (hard and soft) factors, together with the political and cultural playing field, which determines the final success of the initiative.

Coursework Task to be completed by Students

From the scenario information, independent research and from the knowledge that you acquire as a result of this module, you will prepare a strategic plan addressing relevant issues, in consideration of the different theoretical areas of the module. You will be acting as the Project Manager (Chris Wycliffe), your target audience is the banks board of directors and as such your report should be written accordingly. The geographical context of the banks is entirely at your discretion; however, you will need to indicate this at the start of your report as it will impact on the political, environmental, social, legal and economic factors of your report

The content of the report should include the following; however, this list is a guide and is not exhaustive;

1. Identify and appraise the current position of the banks; what are the key drivers, both internally (organisational) and externally (market), relating to the strategic change, how will these drivers inform the decisions that you need to make for this change to be successful?
2. Critically evaluate the business decisions to be made as part of the integration and explain the value that will be derived as a result of these decisions.
3. Identify, map and rank the stakeholders associated with the acquisition and ascertain the rationale, political and emotional factors of the key stakeholders that impact on the business strategy. Where does each stakeholder fit within their functional group? (Ascertain this through a network analysis) Establish their interests and legitimacy and estimate their power.
4. Prepare an effective stakeholder engagement strategy based on the analysis, that will ensure inclusiveness in the change process.  What communication channels are appropriate? How will they be monitored?
5. Identify the key risks of the change and evaluate the impact on the resources (human and physical) and the culture of the organisation.
6. Summarise key areas of the report and outline additional change strategies and considerations that would enable a positive integration based on the decisions that you have proposed.