Leadership and the Management of Strategic Change

Learning outcomes to be examined in this assessment     •    Analyse the features of effective leadership and the impact that the quality of leadership and corporate culture have on corporate success
•    Explain the reasons why it is frequently necessary to change management organisation in response to strategic change
•    ?Identify the management problems that arise from strategic change and how these may be overcome

Percentage of marks awarded for module:    This assignment is worth 100% of the total marks for the module
Assessment criteria     Explanatory comments on  the assessment criteria       Maximum marks for each section
Content, style, relevance, originality      Clear demonstration of rigorous research from recognised authoritative sources. Audience focus.      Eg: 50%
Format, referencing, bibliography     HarvardReferencing: separate Bibliography/Refs
Good  and wide range of books and journal articles cited
Correct grammar and syntax    Eg: 10 %
Constructive critical analysis, introduction, conclusion     Demonstration of a clear understanding of the issues. Use of academic theories and  models. Critique of a range of leadership, change, culture and management models/approaches
Practical and pragmatic conclusions and recommendations
Eg: 40%

Candidates must clearly label their ID Number on additional separate reference, formula or answer sheets.

http://static.hbr.org/hbrg-main/resources/pdfs/chapters/must-read-leadership.pdf
WHAT MAKES A LEADER?

Scenario:

“Where does leadership begin? Where change begins”.
James MacGregor Burns
Marks and Spencer the iconic high street retailer went through a turbulent time at the end of the 1990s. Its UK profits fell from £1 billion in 1997 to £146 million in 2001. The dramatic fall in profits , the response of the market and the its competitive rivals gaining market share  shook the company out of its complacency with the appointment of  the new C.E.O Stuart Rose in 2004. By 2007 and under Rose’s helm,Marks and Spencer,gained £2 billion in value and its share price topped the previous high. Rose’s leadership is credited to have turned the company around, but there is far more to it than simply Rose’s style of leadership. New entrants, new business models , rapidly changing environment etc were all factors that Rose and his management team faced. The success of Marks and Spencer at that time was due to how the leader, his management team and staff responded to the management of strategic change.

Task

Taking the role of a management consultant, you have been requested to provide a report to help the leadership team of the organisation to improve their leadership and management of strategic change. This assessment is based upon application of course concepts and models to a contemporary case study of your choice.  The selected case study should be an organisation/ business/ third sector that have gone through significant change within the last 10 years.

Firstly,your task is to analyse the leadership approaches within the specific contemporary business or organisation of your choice during the period of transformational change,or paradigm shift.

Secondly, you are required to identify important challenges faced by the leadership  in the change process and to critically evaluate the outcome of the leadership style and approach in the organisation/ business.  (Support your report  with reference to a significant range of leadership and organisational development theories.)
Your conclusions and recommendations should provide a practical approach to the outcomes of the theories used, including specific insights into how the case study organisation could adopt new approaches to leadership and managing strategic change

The brief example of the Marks and Spencer scenario above provides the vehicle for  introducing the assessment. Students will critically examinethe  theories and concepts covered over the course of the semester through a case study of their choice. Demonstrating the depth of their  knowledge and understanding of leadership and the management of strategic change.