MG317      Half Unit
Leading Organisational Change

This information is for the 2025/26 session.

Course Convenor

Availability

Requisites

Pre-requisites:

Students must have completed MG105 before taking this course.

Businesses operate in an increasingly complex environment, where change is a constant feature of business life. The impact of not managing change effectively can be devastating for small and large businesses alike. Getting people to change even when it is in their best interest is the most difficult task faced by today’s leaders. Yet, successful change can be achieved at the individual, team and organisational levels through the use of several practical tools and skills.

The course gives students an understanding of organisational change as a multifaceted phenomenon and equips them with skills to adopt a reflective, multi-dimensional approach when managing change in their future careers.

Topics addressed in the course will include:

• Identifying the need for change and diagnosing what to change
• Understanding organisational change strategies
• Managing internal power, stakeholders and politics
• Leadership in change
• Culture and mergers in change projects
• Resistance to change
• Fairness and change
• Communication and change
• Sustaining change and learning

15 hours of lectures and 9 hours of classes in the Winter Term.

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Winter Term.

Teaching hours in the WT will be commensurate with a usual half unit undergraduate course.

In its Ethics Code, LSE upholds a commitment to intellectual freedom. This means we will protect the freedom of expression of our students and staff and the right to engage in healthy debate in the classroom.

Students will prepare a consultancy change project proposal (500-600 words) in groups in the WT. 

• ISE Managing Organizational Change: A Multiple Perspectives Approach 4th Edition, By Ian Palmer, Richard Dunford, David A. Buchanan, 2022 | Published: January 11, 2021.
• The Theory and Practice of Change Management (5th Edition), John Hayes, Publisher: Red Globe Press, 2021.
• Amis, J.M. & Greenwood, R., 2021. Organisational Change in a (Post‐) Pandemic World: Rediscovering Interests and Values. Journal of management studies, 58(2), pp.582–586.
• Amis, J.M. & Janz, B.D., 2020. Leading Change in Response to COVID-19. The Journal of applied behavioral science, 56(3), pp.272–278.

Course participation (10%)

Presentation (20%)

This component of assessment includes an element of group work.

Course participation (10%)

Report (60%)

Students will write a 2000-word change report in the form of an essay. The readings, case studies, lectures, and classes will prepare you for the summative.  

The participation grade is based on presence and participation in classes. Absence without reason in classes will influence the participation grade and lecture attendance is strongly encouraged as students are expected to demonstrate their engagement with lecture material during classes. 

Exercise: Students are expected to complete the simulation game during the term. 

For detailed assessment information, including all deadlines and timings, please see the relevant course Moodle page. Assessment timings will be available at the start of each term.