MAN 5132 Strategic Change Management in the Education Sector

MAN 5132 Strategic Change Management in the Education Sector

Course code: 
MAN 5132
Department: 
Leadership and Organizational Behaviour
Credits: 
15
Course coordinator: 
Tom Colbjørnsen
Course name in Norwegian: 
Strategisk endringsledelse i utdanningssektoren
Product category: 
Executive
Portfolio: 
EMM - Educational Leadership, Specialisation
Semester: 
2020 Autumn
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
Norwegian
Course type: 
Associate course
Introduction

The course MAN 5132 Strategic Change Management in the Education Sector can be an element in the degree Executive Master of Management with specialisation in school management. It can also be taken as a stand-alone course.

Strategic Change Management in the Education Sector provides the participants with a theoretical foundation in strategy and management subjects, focusing on schools. This gives the participants a solid basis for their third year in the EMM specialisation, and the course therefore contributes to integrating the different elements in the specialisation.

Learning outcomes - Knowledge

The course gives the candidates advanced knowledge in strategy, organisation and management subjects with relevance for making and implementing long-term decisions for their own organisation. The overarching goal is to improve the pupils’ learning outcome. The candidates have advanced knowledge about how schools experience ever more complex and rapidly changing environments, and how leaders can meet these challenges by developing organisations with clear roles and responsibilities, and with capacity for change. The candidates know what makes organisations capable of effective implementation, and the potential for school leaders to be change agents in their own organisation.

Learning outcomes - Skills

The candidates can apply the theoretical basis in strategic and organisational analyses of their own organisation, and translate strategic choices to action plans aiming at increasing pupil learning. They are able to drive processes to increase teachers’ competence, create a collective culture for learning, and strengthen the reputation and innovative capacity of their organisation. The candidates can identify organisational and leadership success factors and drive challenging processes of change.

General Competence

The candidates will reflect on the relationship between the course’s theoretical perspectives and the educational sector’s values, goals and practical reality. The candidates are able to identify ethical dilemmas emerging from strategic choices, whilst keeping pupils’ learning outcome as a core premise of their weighing of such dilemmas.

Course content

Strategic analysis and their implementation in educational institutions

  • Point of departure: the school’s “mission” and goals
  • Environment: significant players and drivers of change  
  • Governmental framework conditions
  • International development characteristics  
  • The activity’s strategic resources and priorities
  • Directional choices and priorities
  • Action plan for implementation

    Education leadership for effective organisation and implementation

  • Organisational roles, authority and responsibility
  • Minimum hierarchy: delegation to the lowest effective level
  • Effective decision-making and implementational processes in organisations
  • The moment of truth: the meeting between teacher and pupil  
  • Professional sub-cultures and professional cooperation  
  • Horisontal processes and coordination
  • Cooperation with external players  

    Management of strategic change processes in educational institutions  

  • Phases of the change process
  • Management “top-down” and adaptation “bottom-up”
  • Change willingness and change opposition
  • Management of strategy and change processes
  • Conflict management, power and negotiations
  • Influence and change of organisational cultures
Teaching and learning activities

The course is comprised of three modules for a total of 75 hours. The scope of the counseling contribution will vary somewhat in the different Master of Management programs. Personal counseling will be provided, as well as counseling provided during the lectures. Generally speaking, students can expect consultative counseling as opposed to evaluative counseling.

Active participation is expected during the modules. 

Participants will be divided up into groups of three that will produce their own project papers.  After each module the group will produce a chapter of between 10 to 15 pages using the following structure:

  1. Presentation of one of the theories/professional approaches that have been discussed during the module
  2. Adaptation of that theory/approach in one’s own enterprise
  3. A comparison of the three schools represented in the group

The project paper will be comprised of three such chapters. 

Software tools
No specified computer-based tools are required.
Qualifications
  • You have a Bachelor’s degree – 180 study points/credits – from a college, university or the equivalent. .
  • You are at least 25 years of age.
  • You have four years of work experience fulltime.  For applicants who have a Master’s degree, the requirement is three years.
Assessments
Assessments
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
40
Grouping: 
Individual
Duration: 
72 Hour(s)
Comment: 
72 hour take-home exam counts 40% for a grade in MAN 5132.
Exam code: 
MAN 51321
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination when next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
60
Grouping: 
Group/Individual (1 - 3)
Duration: 
1 Semester(s)
Comment: 
Project paper counts 60% for a grade in MAN 5132.
Exam code: 
MAN 51322
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination when next scheduled course
Type of Assessment: 
Ordinary examination
All exams must be passed to get a grade in this course.
Total weight: 
100
Sum workload: 
400

A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 15 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 400 hours.