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GMBA802 – Know Your Organisation

2019 – GMBA Term 3 Online

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Professor Rebecca Mitchell
Contact via globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
You may book a consultation with your unit convenor via globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Teaching Assistant
Billy Bruce
Contact via globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Academic Program Director
Associate Professor Lan Snell
Contact via globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
2
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to GMBA
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
Developing leadership capabilities requires an understanding of the importance of alignment. This includes understanding the degree of alignment between the why, what, how, and when in a business. We begin each module by covering the foundations, such as discussing what organisational culture is, what the main types of organisation structure are, and what we mean by systems. We build on these foundational concepts by then taking a more strategic perspective across each of these elements. You will learn how to enable an organisation to deliver on its strategic objectives by anchoring it to a focused set of key capabilities. You will learn diagnostic tools that will help you decide whether the current organisation is optimally configured to deliver on these key capabilities. You will also learn how to prioritise specific areas for change. This unit will develop your mastery of strategic thinking with a particular view on what needs to change in an organisation and why. This can act as the starting point for developing a subsequent plan for how to implement the necessary changes.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Analyse the key organisational capabilities required for a firm’s positioning strategy as the anchoring point for leading an organisation
  • Assess the degree of alignment between key capabilities and organisational architecture (culture, structure, people, systems)
  • Evaluate the organisational misalignment issues that a leader should prioritise and focus their change plan on
  • Develop and professionally present concrete, suitable, and feasible organisational change recommendations that can resolve organisational misalignment issues

General Assessment Information

Submission

All assignment tasks will be submitted electronically via your online unit on Coursera. For detailed information on each of the tasks, please refer your online unit: Course Info - Assessment Information.

Referencing

Preferred referencing style should use American Psychological Association (APA) 6th edition style. This means that when referring to an article or book etc, you indicate the author’s name followed by the year of publication (Jones, 1989). For multiple authors include all names (Jones, Smith, & Wilson, 1990). If you use a direct quote put the quoted words in “quotation marks” and include the page number with the reference (Jones, 1989, p. 76). A reference list should be presented in alphabetical order at the end of the paper. Note that APA style references are used for the reading list of articles at the end of this outline.

Further information on APA style is available at: http://libguides.mq.edu.au/content.php?pid=85232&sid=634282

​Extensions 

No extensions will be granted. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission – 20% penalty). This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for special consideration is made and approved.

To apply for special consideration please send an email to globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Business strategy 40% No 11:59pm (AEST) 23 May 2019
Written Report 60% No 11:59pm (AEST) 13 June 2019

Business strategy

Due: 11:59pm (AEST) 23 May 2019
Weighting: 40%

Task type: Individual

Format: Short answer response - to be submitted via the assignment link in Week 3

Word length:  750-1000 words (excluding references)

Assessment 1 aims to help you develop the ability to succinctly describe a business strategy, and identify the key capabilities that are required for succeeding with this strategy. In this assessment you will apply your knowledge of two methods for identifying key capabilities - the checklist method and using business judgment - to identify 3-5 key capabilities that are required for the business strategy of a case study company.

Please refer to the section Course Resources - Assessment Information in your online unit for detailed information on this assignment as well as the marking criteria.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse the key organisational capabilities required for a firm’s positioning strategy as the anchoring point for leading an organisation

Written Report

Due: 11:59pm (AEST) 13 June 2019
Weighting: 60%

Task Type: Individual

Format: Written Report - to be submitted via the assignment link in Week 6

Word length: 1,200 words (excluding references)

Assessment 2 will ask you to synthesise your learning over the past 6 weeks.

You will need to take a step back from all of the frameworks, and assess where the biggest sources of organisational misalignment reside.

Please refer to the section Course Resources - Assessment Information in your online unit for detailed information on this assignment as well as the marking criteria.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse the key organisational capabilities required for a firm’s positioning strategy as the anchoring point for leading an organisation
  • Assess the degree of alignment between key capabilities and organisational architecture (culture, structure, people, systems)
  • Evaluate the organisational misalignment issues that a leader should prioritise and focus their change plan on
  • Develop and professionally present concrete, suitable, and feasible organisational change recommendations that can resolve organisational misalignment issues

Delivery and Resources

Required text

There is no required textbook for this unit

Delivery method

This unit will be delivered entirely online via the Coursera Learning Management System.

Access to a personal computer is required to access the resources and learning materials on Coursera.

Workload

This unit will involve approximately 75 hours of student workload:

  • 6 x 1 hour weekly Zoom meetings (see unit schedule)
  • Approximately 25 hours of online asynchronous learning activities delivered via videos, discussion prompts, quizzes and peer-reviews
  • Approximately 20 hours of class preparation
  • Approximately 24 hours to complete unit assessments (see assessment task information)

Unit Schedule

For this unit, Live Events (via the web conferencing software Zoom) will take place on Tuesday evenings from 6.30pm to 7.30pm (AEST), starting from 7 May 2019 and finishing on the 11 June 2019. The links to the events are available via Live Events in the online unit. It is highly recommended to attend all live events. Recordings of the live events will be made available and can be accessed via Course Resources in the online unit. 

Students are expected to complete all asynchronous learning activities (videos, discussion prompts, quizzes and peer-reviews) for that week before the scheduled Live Event in order to successfully participate in the event.

Note: Week 5's Live Event will take place on Wednesday 5 June from 6:30pm-7:30pm (AEST).

 

Week  Module

Week 1

Webinar: Tuesday 7 May 2019, 7:30-8:30pm (AEST)

 

Organisational alignment 

Week 2

Tuesday 14 May 2019, 7:30-8:30pm (AEST)

 

Organisational culture

Week 3

Webinar: Tuesday 21 May 2019, 7:30-8:30pm (AEST)

A1 due: Thursday 23 May 2019

 

Organisational structure

Week 4

Webinar: Tuesday 28 May 2019, 7:30-8:30pm (AEST)

 

Organisational control systems

***Week 5

Webinar: Wednesday 5 June 2019, 6:30-7:30pm (AEST) ***

 

Strategic human resource management (HRM)

Week 6

Webinar: Tuesday 11 June 2019, 7:30-8:30pm (AEST)

A2 due: Thursday 13 June 2019

 

From organisational alignment diagnosis to solutions

 

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Content Disclaimer

These unit materials and the content of this unit are provided for educational purposes only and no decision should be made based on the material without obtaining independent professional advice relating to the particular circumstances involved.

Graduate Capabilities

PG - Capable of Professional and Personal Judgment and Initiative

Our postgraduates will demonstrate a high standard of discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgment. They will have the ability to make informed choices and decisions that reflect both the nature of their professional work and their personal perspectives.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Assess the degree of alignment between key capabilities and organisational architecture (culture, structure, people, systems)
  • Evaluate the organisational misalignment issues that a leader should prioritise and focus their change plan on

Assessment task

  • Written Report

PG - Discipline Knowledge and Skills

Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Analyse the key organisational capabilities required for a firm’s positioning strategy as the anchoring point for leading an organisation
  • Assess the degree of alignment between key capabilities and organisational architecture (culture, structure, people, systems)
  • Evaluate the organisational misalignment issues that a leader should prioritise and focus their change plan on
  • Develop and professionally present concrete, suitable, and feasible organisational change recommendations that can resolve organisational misalignment issues

Assessment tasks

  • Business strategy
  • Written Report

PG - Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Analyse the key organisational capabilities required for a firm’s positioning strategy as the anchoring point for leading an organisation
  • Assess the degree of alignment between key capabilities and organisational architecture (culture, structure, people, systems)
  • Develop and professionally present concrete, suitable, and feasible organisational change recommendations that can resolve organisational misalignment issues

Assessment tasks

  • Business strategy
  • Written Report

PG - Effective Communication

Our postgraduates will be able to communicate effectively and convey their views to different social, cultural, and professional audiences. They will be able to use a variety of technologically supported media to communicate with empathy using a range of written, spoken or visual formats.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Evaluate the organisational misalignment issues that a leader should prioritise and focus their change plan on
  • Develop and professionally present concrete, suitable, and feasible organisational change recommendations that can resolve organisational misalignment issues

Assessment task

  • Written Report

Changes since First Published

Date Description
26/04/2019 Corrected error in A2