COMMGMT 3506OUA - Managing Conflict and Change

OUA - Trimester 1 - 2024

The aim of this course is to explore approaches to managing conflict and change in the workplace. The course will consider theory and research as well as practical management tools and techniques for dealing with conflict and change. The course is designed to facilitate experiential learning through structured workshop activities, negotiation exercises and group assignments. Learning will be reinforced through reflection and self and peer evaluation

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code COMMGMT 3506OUA
    Course Managing Conflict and Change
    Coordinating Unit Management
    Term Trimester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s OUA
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Prerequisites COMMGMT 2500
    Incompatible COMMGMT 3506
    Restrictions Available only to University of Adelaide Open Universities Australia students
    Course Description The aim of this course is to explore approaches to managing conflict and change in the workplace. The course will consider theory and research as well as practical management tools and techniques for dealing with conflict and change. The course is designed to facilitate experiential learning through structured workshop activities, negotiation exercises and group assignments. Learning will be reinforced through reflection and self and peer evaluation
    Course Staff
    Course Coordinator: Dev Kumaria

    Location: Room 9.11, 10 Pulteney Street
    Email: devendra.kumaria@adelaide.edu.au

    Course Website: www.myuni.adelaide.edu.au
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

    Interactive Sessions:
    - Occur once weekly across Trimester 1.
    - The first interactive session commences in week 1.
    - the last interactive session will be in week 12.

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from the Course Planner at https://access.adelaide.edu.au/courses/search.asp
  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    On successful completion of this course, Managing Conflict and Change, you will be able to:
    1. Explain the causes of conflict in organisations, and different mechanisms for conflict management and resolution.
    2. Critically analyse different frameworks and methods of organisational change.
    3. Assess the major processes and practices that underlie successful and unsuccessful change.
    4. Diagnose the dynamics of environmental and organisational change.
    5. Apply conflict and change management concepts and theories to real-world situations.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)

    Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth

    Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.

    1,2,3,4,5

    Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving

    Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.

    1,2,3,4

    Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills

    Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.

    1,2

    Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness

    Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.

    5

    Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency

    Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.

    1,2,3

    Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence

    Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.

    2
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    We will be utilising selective chapters from the following three texts:

    Negotiations – Closing Deals, Settling Disputes, and Making Team Decisions
    Author: David S. Hames
    Publisher: SAGE

    The Theory and Practice of Change Management
    Author: John Hayes
    Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Education

    Managing Change Seventh EDITION
    Author: Bernard Burnes
    Publisher: Pearson
    Recommended Resources
    Reading is considered to be an essential part of the course, and students are expected to access and critically analyse the relevant literature. Apart from becoming familiar with the contents of the main text, students are also strongly urged to refer to academic journals in the area of (or relevant to) Conflict and Change Management.

    Access to a variety of journal articles are provided through MyUni within the various modules for recommended reading. 

    Other resources:

    Lewicki, R.J. Barry, B. and Saunders, D.M. 2010. Negotiation, 6th ed. McGraw-Hill/Irwin, Boston.

    Fisher, R. Ury, W. L. and Patton, B., 1999. Getting to yes: negotiating agreement without giving in. 2nd Penguin Books, New York.

    Lewicki, R.J. 2011 Mastering Business Negotiation: A Working Guide to Making Deals and Resolving Conflict. Hoboken : John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [San Francisco. electronic resource]

    Lewicki, R.J. Barry, B. and Saunders, D.M. 2010. Essentials of Negotiation, 5th ed. McGraw-Hill/Irwin, Boston.

    Pruitt, D G and Carnevale, P. J.1993. Negotiation in social conflict, Open University Press, Buckingham.

    Hughes, M.2006 Change Management: A Critical Perspective, London : Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

    Carnall, C. 2007 Managing change in organizations 5th ed. Harlow:Prentice Hall/Financial Times

    Senior, B. and Fleming J. 2006 Organisational change Harlow ; 3rd Ed Sydney : Financial Times Prentice Hall

    Journals:

    Harvard management communication letter: a newsletter from Harvard Business School Publishing

    International Journal of Conflict Management

    Journal of Change Management

    Negotiation journal

    Strategic Change
    Online Learning
    This course is completely delivered online.

    All learnings and assessments are available through the MyUni portal. Students are expected to self-pace their learnings within the course stipulated timelines, details of which are provided in the MyUni portal.

    There will be weekly interactive sessions with the course coordinator where support and certain planned activities will be discussed, these will be recorded and made available on MyUni.

    Resources for this course are available from the relevant MyUni site.

    The University of Adelaide believes that education needs to be available to everyone, which means supporting the creation of accessible educational resources. We are actively committed to increasing the accessibility and usability of the courses we produce

    This course has been designed to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, level AALinks to an external site by incorporating these features:
    - Keyboard navigation through all pages and interactions
    - Alternate text and description text for visual content
    - Closed captions, text transcripts and audio-only alternatives for all video content
    - Text transcripts for audio content
    - Colour and contrast considerations for visual content
    - Links, headings, tables, and images have been designed to work with screen readers
    - Font size can be increased with the use of browser control, and
    - Microsoft Immersive Reader is enabled for all content pages.

    While we strive to ensure that this course is as accessible and as usable as possible, we might not always get it right. We always aim to communicate clearly and simply, but this is not always possible when discussing technical subjects.

    If there are any issues, please raise this with your tutor as the first point of contact. If you require further assistance, please contact Disability Support.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    This course is completely delivered online.

    All teaching and learnings are available through the MyUni portal. Students are expected to self-pace their learnings within the course stipulated timelines, details of which are provided in the MyUni portal.

    There will be weekly interactive sessions with the course coordinator where support and certain planned activities will be discussed, these will be recorded and made available on MyUni.

    Please refer to MyUni for additional support materials.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    This course is comprised of 12 modules, over 12 weeks.

    You do not have to spend a full week on each module if you would like to progress through them more intensively, but we recommend that you move through each module in sequence (start with Orientation, then Module 1, then Module 2, etc.), as the modules are linked to each other, and to the requirements and timing of assessments.

    Key readings are pointed out to you and accessible from within the lesson pages. You can also always find them under the Course Readings tab, marked according to whether they are recommended or optional.

    The Assignments tab is where you will find the most up-to-date information on each of the assessments for this course. We recommend that you spend some time at the start of this course getting familiar with the assessments: make sure you know the structure of each assessment and when it is due.

    Each week, an interactive session will be held. The interactive sessions will focus on supporting you with the weekly topics and also the assessments. See the Interactive sessions page for details of when these are held.

    Throughout the modules, there are also some discussion pages, which provide touchpoints for class discussion of key topics, cases, and issues. These can feed into the interactive sessions, and also provide a way for you to engage with your peers if you cannot attend that week's interactive session. You can find these within the module's lesson sequence, and also find all the discussion pages organised at any time under the Discussions tab.

    Finally, keep an eye out for announcements from the teaching team. If we need to provide you with any quick alerts, reminders, or updates, we will make use of the announcements feature, and so recommend that you either regularly check the Announcements tab when engaging with the course materials, or manage your Canvas (MyUni) account notifications (by going to Account > Notifications, and setting your announcement notifications to immediate), so that whenever there are new announcements you receive an email notification.
    Learning Activities Summary

    No information currently available.

  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment 1 -> Four (4) Reflective Journals (Journal 1A - Journal 1B - Journal 1C - Journal 1D) - Weightage 15%
    Assessment 2 -> Conflict Management Observation - Weightage 20%
    Assessment 3 -> Change Management Presentation - Weightage 35%
    Assessment 4 -> Change Implementation Executive Report - Weightage 30%
    Assessment Related Requirements
    Assessment extensions:
    Extensions are granted on medical, compassionate or other special circumstances recognised under the University’s Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment policy.

    Extension Application form:
    The completed extension application form and any documentation (such as a medical or counsellor's certification) should be emailed to your course coordinator, and submitted 2 days before the due date.

    Your course coordinator will consider the request in the light of the case made, and University deadlines and may grant an extension of up to 3 days. You will be notified of the result of your request by email.

    Late penalties:
    For each assessment, your grade will be penalised by 5% per day if submitted after the due date and time, unless you have an extension approved by the Course Coordinator.

    Appeal of grade:
    Students who wish to appeal their mark for an assessment item should initially discuss their concerns with their tutor. If they are still dissatisfied they should then make contact with the course coordinator. Any student who, after discussion of the result with the course coordinator, is still dissatisfied with the mark awarded for a particular piece of assessment work, and who has specific grounds for objecting to the mark, may lodge a written request for a review of the result or an independent second assessment with the Head of Discipline or School within 10 University business days from the date of notification of the result.
    Such a written request must contain details of the grounds on which the objection is based. Requests must include a summary of the reasons the student believes his or her assessment work deserves a higher mark. These reasons must be directly related to the academic quality of the work.

    You can refer to the University Policy on Student Grievance for further information.
    Assessment Detail
    Assessment 1: Total Weightage 15%

    Reflective Journal 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D:
    When managing conflict, you will need to actively and dynamically reflect on your own approaches to and techniques, to achieve the best or most desired outcome. In this task you'll draw connections between your own personal experiences of conflict, and reflect on how you might better navigate and resolve conflict in your future personal and professional life.

    You'll be asked to consider specific concepts and techniques, identify which may have been present in an experience you have had, and then apply them to the same situation to achieve alternative outcomes and better manage conflict.

    Weighting: 3.75% - (15% across 4 submissions)
    Word count: 150 - 200 words

    Due date (Reflective Journal 1A, 1B): End of Week 2 (Sunday 11:59pm ACST)
    Due date (Reflective Journal 1C, 1D): End of Week 3 (Sunday 11:59pm ACST)

    ==============================
    Assessment 2: Total Weightage 20% - Report 

    Individual Negotiation StyleConflict Management Observation
    Building on the reflection skills and observations you have gained through your Reflective Journal and the activities throughout Modules 1 to 4, you will collate your learning into an observation report.

    You will practice applying multiple technique to prepare for a negotiation, actively and dynamically manage a conflict, as well as identifying and explaining the causes of conflict between two parties. You'll identify and propose alternative conflict management methods, and reflect upon the ways in which you personally prefer to handle conflict may influence your recommendations.

    Due date: End of Week 5 (Sunday 11:59pm ACST)
    Word count: 1500 words
    ==============================

    Assessment 3: Total Weightage 35% - Presentation

    Change Management Presentation

    Managers involved in organisational change will be required to diagnose issues within the organisation, as well as the dynamics of the organisation's structure, environment and politics. They might propose approaches to organisational change, and assess recommended processes and practices to enact a successful change.

    In this task, you'll make recommendations for an organisational change, based on the planned change approach. You'll analyse and diagnose the issues experienced within an organisation, using some of the techniques you've learnt throughout Modules 5 - 8, before presenting your proposed solution for management in a presentation-style format.

    Due date: End of Week 9 (Sunday 11:59pm)
    ==============================

    Assessment 4: Total Weightage 30% - Report

    Change Implementation Executive Report

    When it comes to organisational change management, management naturally aims to implement an organisational change successfully. Managers need to consider which approaches may be successful or unsuccessful, given their diagnoses and analysis of the issue being addressed and the organisation's dynamics.

    In this task, you will write an executive report, from the viewpoint of a consultant working with a prospective health agency, utilising Kotter's 8-step model.

    Due date: End of Week 11 (Sunday 11:59pm ACST)
    Word count: 2000 words

    ==============================
    Submission
    - Please note that all requests for extensions should be directed in writing to the Course coordinator no later than 48 hours before the due date.
    - Extension requests after this time will only be granted for exceptional circumstances. This does not include poor time management or poor file management.
    - Extensions to the due date of individual and group assessment may be granted under special circumstances.
    - An extension request based on illness or on exceptional personal circumstances must include the "Supporting Statement / Certification Form" that should be asked through the student services.
    - Students applying for an extension based on medical reasons must visit their medical practitioner, with the approved University form, and have the medical practitioner complete it. A normal doctor's certificate will not be accepted.

    - All assignments are to be lodged at, or prior to, the due date and time. A late assignment where no extension has been granted will be penalised by a reduction of 5% of the mark given for each day, or part of a day, that it is late.
    - Assessment marks prior to the final exam will be displayed on the course website. Students are encouraged to check their marks and notify the Course Coordinator of any discrepancies.
    - The quality of English expression is considered to be integral parts of the assessment process. Marks may be deducted in the final examination because of poor English expression.

    5.3.1 Presentation of Assignments
    - Students must retain a copy of all assignments submitted.
    - All individual assignments must be attached to an Assignment Cover Sheet that must be signed and dated by the student before submission. Lecturers will withhold students’ results until such time as the student has signed the Assignment Cover Sheet.
    - All group assignments (if applicable) must be attached to a Group Assignment Cover Sheet that must be signed and dated by all group members before submission. All team members are expected to contribute approximately equally to a group assignment.
    - Students may not submit work for an assignment that has previously been submitted for this course or any other course.
    - Markers can refuse to accept assignments that do not have a signed acknowledgement of the University’s Policy on Plagiarism: www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/230/
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
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