Subject Code

MM5211

Subject Title

Managing Change

Credit Value

Level

Normal Duration

1-semester

Pre-requisite /
requisite/
Exclusion

Co- Leading Change (MM521)

Role and Purposes

This subject contributes to the achievement of the MBA Outcomes by enabling students
to: think critically and creatively (Outcome 2) and manage change (Outcome 5) with the
change management concepts; and apply the concepts (Outcome 1) to solve real world
problems.

Subject Learning
Outcomes

Upon completion of the subject, students will be able to:

a. explain the concepts of change management;
b. design and manage the transition state; and
c. apply change management concepts to individual and organizational change.

Subject Synopsis/
Indicative Syllabus

Concepts of Change Management

The Nature of Organizational change, The Three States of Managing Change, The
Change Flow Chart, Types and Paths of Managing Change, Styles of Managing
Change, Elements of the Cultural Web.
Analyzing the Change Context
A Context-Specific Approach to Change Design, The Change Kaleidoscope.
Designing and Managing the Transition State
Barriers to Change, The Transition Curve, Communication during the Change Process,
Techniques for Monitoring and Evaluating Change Process, Skills and Competencies of
Change Agent, Change Recipients.
Current Issues in Managing Change
The Changing Environments, Enhancing Creativity and Innovation, Improving
Productivity and Quality, Chinese Philosophy on Managing Change.

Teaching/Learning
Methodology

This subject is designed according to the principles of action learning. Students will
master the concepts of systems thinking and organizational change through a series of
experiential exercises, case studies and business simulations. Students are expected to
participate actively in class discussion. They have to complete both individual and
group assignments as coursework.

Assessment Methods
in Alignment with
Intended Learning
Outcomes

Specific assessment
methods/tasks

%
weighting

Intended subject learning outcomes to be

assessed (Please tick as appropriate)
a.

Continuous Assessment*

c.

100%

1. Individual assignment

50%

2. Group assignment

50%

Total

b.

100 %

*Weighting of assessment methods/tasks in continuous assessment may be different, subject to

each subject lecturer.

To pass this subject, students are required to obtain Grade D or above in the
Continuous Assessment components.
Explanation of the appropriateness of the assessment methods in assessing the
intended learning outcomes:
Students are required to apply change management concept to improve organizational
change of selected organizations in the real world. They have to think critically and
creatively for the challenges facing the organizations and apply change management
concepts to justify their proposed recommendation. They have to submit a written
report and make a presentation to the class for discussion. They are required to
demonstrate their ability to think critically and creatively (Outcome 2) and to manage
change (Outcome 5). Moreover, their recommendations to solve the real world
problems should be justified by the application of change management concepts
(Outcome 1).

Student Study
Effort Expected

Class contact:

Lectures

42 Hrs.

Other student study effort:

Self-study
Total student study effort

84 Hrs.
126 Hrs.

Reading List and

References

Textbook
Balogun, J. and Hailey, V.C. 2008. Exploring Strategic Change, 3rd ed., Prentice Hall,
London.
Reference: Selected Books
Heifetz, R.A. and Linsky, M. 2002. Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the
Dangers of Leading, Harvard Business School Press, Boston.
Jick, T.D. and Peiperl, M.A. 2003. Managing Change: Cases and Concepts, 2nd ed.,
Irwin/McGraw-Hill, Boston.
Kotter, J.P. 1996. Leading Change. Harvard Business School Press, Boston.
Miles, R.H. 1997. Leading Corporate Transformation. Jossey Bass, San Francisco.
Reference: Selected Articles
Beer, M., Eisenstat, R.A. and Spector, B. 1990. Why change programs dont produce
change, Harvard Business Review, vol. 68, no. 6, pp. 158-166.
Checkland, P.B. 1985. From optimizing to learning: A development of systems thinking
for the 1990s, Journal of Operational Research Society, 36(9): pp. 757-767.
Collins, J.C. and Porras, J.I. 1995. Building a visionary company, California
Management Review, vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 80-100.
De Geus, A. 1988. Planning as learning, Harvard Business Review, vol. 66, no. 2, pp.
70-74.
Kotter, J.P. and Schlesinger, L.A. 1979. Choosing strategies for change, Harvard
Business Review, vol. 57, no. 2, pp.106-114.
Mak, W.M. 1995. The 5Ss: The foundation of total quality management. in G.K.
Kanji (ed.) Total Quality Management: Proceedings of the First World Congress,
Chapman and Hall, London. pp. 603-606.
Mak, W.M. 1999. Cultivating a quality mind-set, Total Quality Management, vol. 10,
no. 4/5, pp. 622-626.
Mak, W.M. 2002. Rethinking business strategy with complexity theory, in G. Ragsdell,
D. West and J. Wilby (eds.). Systems Theory and Practice in the Knowledge Age,
Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York. pp. 321-328.
Schaffer, R.H. and Thomson, H.A. 1992. Successful change programs begin with
results. Harvard Business Review, vol. 66, no. 4, pp. 41-51.
Strebel, P. 1996. Why do employees resist change? Harvard Business Review, vol. 74,
no. 3, pp. 86-92.