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UVM School of Business Administration course proposals 2009

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The consultant as influencer: diagnosis and intervention in organizational consulting Focusing on the role of consultant, this course focuses on the theory and practice of diagnosing and designing interventions in organizations. The course emphasizes group process consulting as a model for effecting change in any part of the organizational system. We begin at the beginning, with values and ethical assumptions, entry and contracting. Using case studies, students learn and apply problem solving models to intervention design. Finally, students use a real-life work experience to assess, select, design and plan an intervention. Although the course assumes that consultants may be internal or external, the course ends with practical considerations for starting a consulting business Audience MBA students Examples of reading Block, P. (1981). Flawless consulting, a guide to getting your expertise used. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, Inc. Schein, E. (1999). Process consultation revisited. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. Straus, D. (2006). How to make collaboration work, powerful ways to build consensus, solve problems, and make decisions. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. Examples of modules Overview of process consulting Values and ethical assumptions The importance of self-awareness in the influence process Entry into organizations: defining issues, clarifying expectations, negotiating the contract and structuring the process Creating an action research plan that uses real-life experience Panel of consultants addressing ways of starting a consulting business

Merryn Rutledge, Ed. D, Principal

802 863 7084 [email protected] www.revisions.org

UVM School of Business Administration course proposals 2009

2

Leading and facilitating complex systems change in organizations I am happy to present or modify what UVM lists in the catalogue: BSAD 376 - Mgmt of Change in Organization Applied behavioral science perspective adopted to identify conceptual issues, develop diagnostic skills, examine alternative intervention strategies relevant to accomplishment of planned changes in organizational systems. Audience MBA students. MPA students (?) Examples of possible reading CBAM project, University of Texas Bartunek, J., Rousseau, D., Rudolph, J., & DePalma, J. (2006). On the receiving end: Sensemaking, emotion, and assessments of an organizational change initiated by others. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 42(2), 182-206. Gajda, R. (2004). Utilizing collaboration theory to evaluate strategic alliances. American Journal of Evaluation, 25(1), 65-77. Kotter, J. P. (1995). Leading change: Why transformation efforts fail. Harvard Business Review, 59-67. Marcus, L. J., Dorn, B. C., & Henderson, J. M. (2005). Meta-leadership and national emergency preparedness.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. Marshak, R. J. (2006). Covert processes at work, managing the five hidden processes of organizational change.San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. Schein, E. H. (2004). Organizational culture and leadership (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Examples of modules Essential theoretical frameworks, e.g., systems thinking, open systems Assessing and describing the organizational culture as a facet of effecting change Analysis of case studies: identifying priorities for change Analyzing power dynamics and covert processes at work in organizational systems Design and planning a change project How your personal style affects the change efforts you lead or facilitate Challenges in sustaining change

Merryn Rutledge, Ed. D, Principal

802 863 7084 [email protected] www.revisions.org