Leadership and organization development

The following mandatory learning activities must be approved before students can present themselves for final assessment:

• Group assignment, max. 3 students per group: Analysis of a set problem associated with organisation development, max. 1500 words (except bibliography).
• 80% attendance in class.

Should a group fail their assignment, they will be given a second opportunity, in the same academic term, to hand in an improved answer for assessment.

Project group examination based on a set case. Max. 3 students per group.

Scope of assignment is 7000 words (+/- 15%) and 4 weeks deadline. The bibliography is not included in the number of words.

Higher Education Entrance Qualification.

For exchange students from NLA’s partner institutions: The students must be studying business administration or a related field of study.

• Definitions of OD
• Basic assumptions and values associated with OD
• Leadership of OD processes with special emphasis on the action research model for planning, implementing and evaluating the OD process
• The operational components in processes of change
• Diagnostic methodologies for organizations
• Intervention techniques to achieve change/improvement through value-adding processes
• Contributors to the OD process and their roles within the process
• External consultants as designers of OD processes
• Barriers and critical success factors in OD processes
• Measurement and evaluation of OD processes
• Power and politics in OD processes
• The importance of organizational learning in OD processes
• Barriers to organizational learning
• Establishing a learning organization
• The dark side of leadership: consequences for OD

On completion of the course, students will have acquired the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge

Students

• have broad knowledge within the concepts of diagnosis and intervention, and can give an account of the relationship between the two concepts
• have broad knowledge within the action research model as a way of driving OD processes forward
• have knowledge about how to evaluate the results of OD processes
• have broad knowledge within relationship between OD and learning in organisations, including learning processes that block/promote OD
• have a broad understanding on the interaction between a consultant and client, and explains how to achieve a healthy helping relationship
• have broad knowledge within special OD challenges that have been identified in recent research, e.g., "interpersonal mistreatment"
• have knowledge on how to plan, communicate and lead OU processes in different types of organisations (businesses, voluntary and not-for-profit organisations.)
• have knowledge on the significance of Hauge’s contribution to develop the Norwegian society

Skills

Students

• can provide valuable advice in OD processes and assist with the planning, implementation, and evaluation of such processes
• can identify factors that either block or promote OD processes
• can promote motivation and team spirit in OD processes
• can diagnose internal organisational processes with a view to identifying strengths and weaknesses
• can facilitate the use of intervention techniques to improve internal organisational processes
• can identify resistance to change and provide advice on how to handle this type of barrier
• can evaluate the effectiveness of implemented organisational interventions

General competence

Students

• can analyse problems associated with the relationship between leadership and OD in a critical, reflective manner
• can identify and assess ethical issues in OD processes
• can present analyses associated with OD in an academic written presentation
• can give an account of the key actors in OD processes and of their roles in the process

Project examinations are graded from A to F with A being the top grade and F being Fail. Group grading.

In working with a group exam, all participants in the group must contribute to the common product. If there is any doubt as to whether a student contributes or has contributed sufficiently to gain credit for a joint product, the routine described in the study plan will be implemented.