Never Stand Still Business School

AGSM @ UNSW Business School

business.unsw.edu.au/agsmCRICOS Code 00098G

Session 1, 2015

MNGT6272Change Skills

Published in 2015 byUNSW Australia Business School

UNSW AustraliaSydney NSW 2052

CRICOS Provider Number: 00098G

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Change Skills

Course overview

We welcome ideas to improve these course materials.

Please email suggestions to coursematerials@agsm.edu.au.

CS 2015

Change Skills Do NOT move or delete, edit only when this document is used for a different course.

Contents

Course calendar 1

Session 1, 2015 1

Getting started 2

Course outline 5

Learning goals 5

Course structure 5

The action learning cycle 7

Learning resources 8

The units and readings 8

Feedback on your skills 8

Your instructor 9

Your learning partner or study group 9

Your mentor 9

The online dialogues 11

Videoconferences 11

eLearning support 12

Administrative support 12

Online dialogue 14

Dialogue, discussion and debate 14

Guidelines for online participation 16

Change Skills Audit 19

Ethical considerations 20

Complete the Self questionnaire 21

Identify colleagues and distribute questionnaires 21

Support 24

Assessment 25

Assessment policy 25

Summary of assessment requirements 25

Assessment criteria 26

Assessment 1: Self-management skills 26

Assessment 2: Coaching and process facilitation skills 27

Assessment 3: Online dialogues 28

Assessment 4: After-action reviews and breakthrough skills development plan 29

References 32

Course calendar

Session 1, 2015Change SkillsGraduate Certificate in Change Management (GCCM)

Week no.

Week begins UnitAssessments (% weighting)

Online dialogues Other activities

0 26 Jan Opening dialogue Introductory activities

1 2 Feb Unit 1 Dialogue 1 Videoconference

2 9 FebUnits 2 & 3

3 16 Feb Dialogue 2

4 23 FebUnits 4 & 5

5 2 MarAssessment 1:

due Monday 2 March (15%) Dialogue 3

6 9 MarUnits 6 & 7

Videoconference

7 16 Mar Dialogue 4

8 23 MarUnit 8

9 30 Mar Dialogue 5

Easter Break

10 13 AprilUnits

9 & 10Assessment 2:

due Monday, 13 April (27%) Dialogue 6

11 20 April

Unit 1112 27 April

Assessment 3: online dialogues 1-7 (34%) Dialogue 7 Videoconference

13 4 MayAssessment 4:

due Saturday, 9 May (24%)

Course overview 1

Getting started

Welcome to Change Skills, one of the four courses in the Graduate Certificate in Change Management

In this opening section of the Course Overview, we briefly outline some opening activities that will enable you to make a good start in your studies. Ideally, you would have completed all or most of these activities before the beginning of Week 1.

Connect your UNSW zMail address to a preferred email addressMake sure that emails sent to your UNSW zMail address are forwarded to a preferred email address. To do this, go to:

https://www.it.unsw.edu.au/students/zmail/redirect_external.html

Your instructor will use your UNSW zMail address to send you important information about the course (including assessment feedback and grades). So it is important that you set up, and keep current, your email forwarding address at UNSW Identity Manager:

https://idm.unsw.edu.au

Please take a few minutes to check that now. It will ensure you do not miss out on emails vital to your success and enjoyment of the course.

Read this Course OverviewThis will give you a picture of the overall goals, structure and content of the course, the assessment requirements, the learning processes that you will be using and the resources that will enable you to make the most of the learning opportunities.

Log in to the course website and complete four introductory activities:• Post your profile

• Book a place in an introductory videoconference in Week 1

• Send an introductory email to your instructor

• Post two or three contributions to the Introductory Dialogue in the week leading up to Week 1.

These activities will help you to get to know other members of your class and your instructor, find your way around the website, and start familiarising yourself with the online dialogue process.

2 Change Skills

To log in to the course website:

• Go to https://moodle.telt.unsw.edu.au/

• Enter your zNumber and your zPass to access Moodle

• Under ‘Course overview’, click over your Change Skills class and this will take you to the online classroom and the course Homepage.

For details of assistance with login problems, see the sub-section on eLearning support at the end of the section on Learning resources

Familarise yourself with the 360 feedback process (see pp. 19–24 of the Overview)This is the process that you will use to get feedback about your skills as a change agent.

Seek a learning partner/study group and a mentor Take steps towards forming a learning partnership or study group

(see p. 9 of this Overview)

Take steps to find someone who could act as your mentor during the course (see pp. 9-10 of this Overview)

Survey what lies aheadLook ahead at the tasks and activities over Weeks 1 to 13 and consider how you will program your activities week-by-week. The following flow diagram gives an indication of the pattern of tasks and activities over the span of the course. Further details about these tasks and activities are given in later sections of this Course Overview.

Course overview 3

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4 Change Skills

Course outline

Learning goalsChange Skills focuses on the development of your skills as a change agent. The aims of the course are to enable you to:

• analyse, critique and strengthen your approach to skills development

• identify a range of core skills required for leading, managing and facilitating change and deepen your understanding of these core skills

• assess your competence in each skills area – recognising your strengths and identifying skills that you need to strengthen in order to be a more effective change agent

• craft and implement action plans to develop your skills, building on your strengths and strengthening skills that need to be further developed.

Course structureThe course consists of 11 units.

Unit 1 outlines the selection of skills that are covered in the course and examines the process of skills development

Units 2 and 3 look at a variety of self-management skills that contribute to a change agent’s effectiveness.

Units 4 to 7 examine a range of communication and relationship building skills – including skills in coaching, communicating to influence and networking.

Unit 8 focuses on skills for understanding the dynamics of teams and on skills for improving their effectiveness.

Units 9 and 10 explore methods and approaches in conflict resolution and negotiation.

Unit 11 presents some ideas about how we can find and fully express our voice as managers and leaders of change.

The unit structure is summarised in the following diagram.

Course overview 5

UNIT 1 Becoming a more skilful change agent

UNIT 11Centred leadership and

finding your voice

UNIT 2 Managing your mindset, your ego-

state and your performance

Psychological flexibility

UNIT 3 Managing stress

Building your psychological

capital

Self-management

UNIT 4Communication

skills

UNIT 5Coaching skills

UNIT 6Skills in inquiry,

listening and sending

Communication

UNIT 8Working with teams

Teamwork

UNIT 9Conflict resolution

UNIT 10Negotiation skills

Resolving differences

UNIT 7Communicating

to influence

Networking

6 Change Skills

The action learning cycle

In each of the units in the course, we encourage you to reflect on your work as a change agent, devise ways to develop your skills and improve your performance, and begin implementing your development plans. These processes are part of the action learning cycle.

In the action learning cycle, you use data – gained from self- awareness, self-observation, observation of your environment and feedback from others – to reflect on your practice, performance and skills as a change agent. In your reflections, you aim to identify:

• what you do effectively as a change agent and the strengths that enable you to be effective

• areas of your work where there is a need or opportunity to improve your effectiveness.

You then generate ideas about ways to develop your skills and improve your performance and you formulate development plans. In the implementation phase of the cycle, you take the steps outlined in your plans.

The cycle is summarised in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1 Using action learning for skills development

Getting data about my practice, performance and skills, via• Self-awareness and self-

observation• Observation of my environment• Getting feedback from others

Reflecting• Evaluating my practice,

performance and skills, and their outcomes, in relation to my values and goals

• Analysing to identify strengths and areas for improvement

Generating ideas and crafting plans for improvement and development:• To build on my strengths• To develop new skills or

skills that are currently underdeveloped

Implementing my improvement & development plans• Building my motivation and

commitment• Enacting the steps in my plans

Unit 1 gives a more detailed account of the action learning cycle.

Course overview 7

Learning resources

In Change Skills, the following resources are available to assist you in your action learning and skills development:

• The units and readings

• Feedback on your skills via the Change Skills Audit

• Your instructor

• Your learning partner or study group

• Your mentor

• Online dialogues

• Videoconferences

The units and readingsThe units and readings are intended to provide concepts, theories and frameworks to help you reflect on your skills and devise plans to improve your effectiveness as a change agent.

The exercises in the units encourage you to continually apply the course ideas to yourself and to your work as a change agent, and to explore their practical implications for your development.

You can find the units and readings in your online classroom on the eLearning website.

To log in to the course website:

• Go to https://moodle.telt.unsw.edu.au/

• Enter your zNumber and your zPass to access Moodle

• Under ‘Course overview’, click over your Change Skills class and this will take you to the online classroom and the course Homepage.

For details of assistance with login problems, see the sub-section on eLearning support at the end of the section on Learning resources

Feedback on your skillsThe Change Skills Audit outlined later in this Course Overview will provide a systematic way for you to evaluate your skills and seek evaluative feedback from others about your skills.

8 Change Skills

Your instructorYour main contact with your instructor will be in the online dialogues in the online classroom (https://moodle.telt.unsw.edu.au). Your instructor will post dialogue topics and facilitate the dialogue process.

Feedback on your written assessments will be sent to you via email.

In one of the introductory activities in the week before Week 1, you are invited to send an email to your instructor, introducing yourself and outlining your reasons for undertaking the course.

Your learning partner or study groupYour learning partner/study group is a critical ingredient of the GCCM learning process.

It is best to find a learning partner/study group in your geographic area so that you have an opportunity for face-to-face contact with fellow students during the course.

The timing and frequency of meetings is for you to decide. Weekly meetings can be helpful in providing an incentive to read a unit each week and to discuss it with your partner/group. Meetings also provide an opportunity to discuss:• the feedback you have received in the Change Skills Audit and its

implications for your skills development

• your progress in implementing your skills development plans during the course.

In forming your learning partnership/study group, it will be helpful to use the profiles that members of the class have posted in the online classroom (https://moodle.telt.unsw.edu.au).

Once you have selected a learning partner/study group, spend some time discussing your learning goals for the partnership/group and the ways you will be working together, as well as the timing and location of your meetings.

Remember that you are a learning resource for your learning partner/study group – a source of support, insight and challenge. It would be good to reflect on the contributions you can make as an effective learning partner.

Your mentorYour mentor’s role is to assist you in linking your learnings to the workplace. You could have the same mentor through all the GCCM courses or find a different mentor for each course.

Course overview 9

After the initial contact with your mentor, six mentoring sessions are recommended over the duration of the course, with specific activities suggested for each session.

The GCCM Mentor’s Handbook outlines the mentor’s role. We encourage you to read this outline. It will give you an idea of what might be expected from your mentor and may influence your decision about whom to approach.

When you approach someone to be your mentor, please provide him or her with a copy of the Handbook,

In your initial contact with your mentor, you will need to discuss your arrangements for further meetings and what you expect from him/her. You should also discuss your mentor’s expectations for the mentoring relationship. This is a learning opportunity for them too and an opportunity to discuss the latest thinking about change management with you. In return for the wisdom, guidance and support provided by your mentor, make sure that he/she receives intellectual stimulation from you.

The following is a suggested schedule of meetings with your mentor, with topics for discussion. You may wish to adapt this schedule in the light of your learning goals and your mentor’s availability.

Week No. Week begins Purpose of contact and topics for discussion Unit

0 26 JanuaryInitial contact with your mentor The timing, topics and process of your future meetings

Course Overview

1 or 2 2 or 9 February Your mentor’s approach to skills development Unit 1

3 or 4 16 or 23 FebruaryYour mentor’s self-management skills and techniques How your mentor manages stress and builds resilience

Units 2 & 3

6 or 7 9 or 16 MarchHow your mentor uses communication skills to influence people, build commitment and respond to resistance Whether and how your mentor uses coaching skills

Units 4, 5, 6 & 7

9 30 MarchHow your mentor uses team skills in leading and managing change Your mentor’s approach to team leadership

Unit 8

10 or 11 13 or 20 April Your mentor’s approach to conflict resolution and negotiation Units 9 & 10

12 27 AprilYour skills development during the course Your skills development plans for the future

Unit 11

10 Change Skills

The online dialoguesThere are seven assessable online dialogues in Change Skills, counting towards 34% of the grade. Dialogues 1 to 6 each count towards 5% of the grade, and Dialogue 7 counts for 4%.

The dialogues provide opportunities to discuss:

• the concepts, frameworks and theories in the course and their application to your work as a change agent

• your analysis and evaluation of your skills, on the basis of your Change Skills Audit results

• your development plans and your progress in implementing them during the course.

Each online dialogue is an important forum for sharing your ideas, experiences and learning with fellow students and with your instructor. Your instructor will post some topics in each dialogue. However, feel free to make contributions on other topics in the units covered in the dialogue.

The dialogue schedule is as follows.

Week No. Assessable online dialogues Units covered in each dialogue

1 Dialogue 1 Unit 1

3 Dialogue 2 Units 2 & 3

5 Dialogue 3 Units 4 & 5

7 Dialogue 4 Units 6 & 7

9 Dialogue 5 Unit 8

10 Dialogue 6 Units 9 & 10

12 Dialogue 7 Unit 11

The introductory activities in the week before Week 1 will provide opportunities to explore the dialogue process before the first assessable dialogue in Week 1. Later in this Overview, we provide more advice about your contributions to the online dialogues.

VideoconferencesThere will be three videoconferences with your instructor during the course, with about 6 participants in each videoconference. The first videoconference in Week 1 will provide an opportunity to clarify course requirements, learning processes and resources.

The schedule below is provided as a guideline only and could change depending on the needs of your class. Your instructor will advise of any changes.

Course overview 11

Week No. Week beginning Videoconference topics

1 2 February • Your learning goals and expectations of the course• Course requirements, including the requirements for the

assessments• Learning processes in the course, including the online dialogues• Guidance about Assessment 1• Guidance about • Your learning strategies

6 9 March • Debriefing the first three online dialogues• Your learning in the course so far• Your 360 profile • Guidance about Assessment 2• Guidance about the After Action Reviews that you will be writing

for Assessment 4

12 27 April • Your skills development during the course• Your plans for future skills development• Guidance about Assessment 4

eLearning supportFor enrolment and login issues contact:

UNSW IT Service CentreEmail: ITServiceCentre@unsw.edu.au Internal: x51333 External: +61 2 9385 1333

Hours: Monday to Friday: 8am – 8pm Saturday and Sunday: 11am – 2pm

For ALL issues relating to the Moodle online platform:

External TELT SupportEmail: externalteltsuppport@unsw.edu.au Internal: x53331 External: +61 2 9385 3331

Hours: Monday to Friday: 7.30am – 9.30pm Saturdays and Sundays: 8.30am – 4.30pm

Administrative supportIf you have any administrative queries, they should be addressed to Student Experience.

12 Change Skills

Student Experience AGSM MBA Programs UNSW Business School SYDNEY NSW 2052

Tel: +61 2 9931 9400 Fax: +61 2 9931 9205

Email: studentexperience@agsm.edu.au

Additional student resources and support

The University and the UNSW Business School provide a wide range of support services for students, including:

• UNSW Business School Education Development Unit (EDU) (www.business.unsw.edu.au/edu) Academic writing, study skills and maths support specifically for UNSW Business School, AGSM and MBT students. Services include workshops, online and printed resources, and individual consultations. EDU Office: Room GO7, Ground Floor, UNSW Business School Building (opposite Student Centre); Ph: + 61 2 9385 5584; Email: edu@unsw.edu.au

• UNSW Learning Centre (www.lc.unsw.edu.au) Academic skills support services, including workshops and resources, for all UNSW students. See website for details.

• Library training and search support services http://info.library.unsw.edu.au

• UNSW IT Service Desk Technical support for problems logging in to websites, downloading documents etc. Library, Level 2; Ph: + 61 2 9385 1333. Website www.its.unsw.edu.au/support/support_home.html

• UNSW Counselling Service (www.counselling.unsw.edu.au) Free, confidential service for problems of a personal or academic nature; and workshops on study issues such as ‘Coping With Stress’ and ‘Procrastination’. Office: Level 2, Quadrangle East Wing; Ph: +61 2 9385 5418

• Student Equity & Disabilities Unit (http://www.studentequity.unsw.edu.au) Advice regarding equity and diversity issues, and support for students who have a disability or disadvantage that interferes with their learning. Office: Ground Floor, John Goodsell Building; Ph: +61 2 9385 4734

Course overview 13

Online dialogue

Dialogue, discussion and debatePeter Senge (2006) makes an important distinction between two processes that a group can use to exchange and explore views, ideas and experiences – processes he labels ‘discussion’ and ‘dialogue’.

Senge defines ‘discussion’ as a process in which the purpose is to ‘win’, in the sense of having one’s views accepted by the group.The extreme version of this kind of process is a debate in which each side seeks to demolish the position of the other. In dialogue, on the other hand, individuals suspend their assumptions and their attachment to their opinions and focus on expanding and enriching a shared understanding of the topic or issue.

Senge does not dismiss the value of discussion as a process. He writes that ‘both are important to a team capable of continual generative learning, but their power lies in their synergy, which is not likely to be present when the distinctions between them are not appreciated’ (ibid, p. 240).

We are encouraging you to engage in dialogue rather than discussion in our online activities for two reasons.

• Dialogue is a highly effective process for group learning about change management, in which it is critically important for people to examine their underlying assumptions, listen fully to others’ perspectives, and seek ways of synthesising and integrating the best from a variety of perspectives on a change issue.

• Dialogue skills are an important part of the skills repertoire needed for effective change management; yet many change agents have much better developed skills in debate and discussion than in dialogue.

Table 1 further unpacks the distinction between dialogue on the one hand and discussion and debate on the other.

14 Change Skills

Table 1 Dialogue, discussion and debate

DIALOGUE DISCUSSION AND DEBATE

MINDSET

Assuming that many people have pieces of the answer or that there are a number of ‘right’ answers

Assuming there is a right answer and you have it

Seeing all sides of an issue Seeing two sides of an issue

Willing to suspend and test your assumptions Invested in/committed to your assumptions

Openness to letting your assumptions go Determined to be right

Willing to play with and try out new ideas and possibilities

Resistant to entertaining alternative points of view

GOALS

Expanding options and appreciating complexity Seeking closure by deciding which view is to prevail

Finding common ground and working toward a common understanding: Win-Win

Attempting to show that the other side is wrong and that you are right: Win-Lose

Your view is enlarged and changed Your view is affirmed

A shared understanding to which all contribute and which is:• greater than the sum of its parts• richer than any single participant’s contribution

Aiming for one view to prevail over othersDeciding what is rightor Seeking a compromise between alternative views

PROCESS

Inclusive, inquiring Exclusive, polarising

Shared collaborative and co-operative inquiry – exploring complexities and options

Competitive

Focusing on commonalities and connections Focusing on differences

Building on others’ contributions Using counterarguments to refute or rebut others’ contributions

Sharing your power and using the power of the group

Using your individual power and the power of your argument

Expanding and exploring new options and shared understandings. Keeping the discussion open to challenge and divergent views

Seeking a conclusion that ratifies your position. By creating a winner and a loser, discouraging further discussion

EXPRESSING YOUR VIEWS AND IDEAS

Presenting your assumptions for examination and testing

Defending your assumptions as the truth

LISTENING AND RESPONDING TO OTHERS

Listening to understand, find meaning and common ground

Listening to find flaws and construct counter-arguments

Searching for strengths and value in others’ positions

Searching for flaws and weaknesses in others’ positions

Acknowledging that others’ thinking can improve on your own

Defending yourself and your views against others

Source: Adapted from three sources:

(1) Gerzon, M. 2006, Leading Through Conflict: How successful leaders transform differences into opportunities, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, Mass, p. 170.

(2) www.globallearningnj.org/global_ata/a_comparison_of_dialogue _and_debate.htm

Course overview 15

The table on this website was adapted from a paper prepared by Shelley Berman, which was based on discussions of the Dialogue Group of the Boston Chapter of Educators for Social Responsibility (ESR).

(3) www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ELA/SocraticSeminars/ dialoguedebatediscussion.htm

Thus defined, dialogue and discussion/debate are probably best regarded as poles of a continuum with a variety of possible processes between the two poles. For our online activities, we encourage you to reflect on the process you are using and to aim at a process as close as possible to the dialogue end of the continuum.

Guidelines for online participationGetting started

If you defer posting until later in the dialogue week, you may find that by the time you attempt to contribute, there is a daunting number of postings to read and/or that most of what you wanted to say has already been said. So the earlier you can start, the better.

If you are new to the GCCM, you might be a little nervous about getting online. Our advice is to take the plunge, begin posting early and then actively build your confidence as you become more familiar with the dialogue process.

Reader-friendly postings

Feedback from students indicates that they find that the following kinds of postings from fellow students are frustrating and time consuming, discouraging rather than encouraging dialogue:

• postings that make more than two or three key points. These are often either not read or not responded to. In fact, a reader friendly posting will often make just one point, with a brief supporting example or reason, ending with a question to stimulate further discussion

• postings that repeat course material in the student’s own words

• Postings that do not link back to previous postings (unless, of course, a new dialogue thread is being started). This kind of posting suggests that either the student has not read others’ contributions and/or that the student is not engaging in a dialogue

• postings that repeat points already made by other students.

16 Change Skills

The implications for you in crafting your contributions are to:

• keep postings short and to the point

• read other relevant postings before crafting yours and build on these postings

• go for quality of insight rather than quantity of material.

The following is one simple template for an effective posting

Acknowledge and value previous contributions

Add value via clarification, providing an example, presenting a different view or perspective, asking a question to explore a previous posting, etc.

Invite further responses via a thought-provoking question.

Keeping track

As more messages are posted, it is sometimes daunting to try to keep track of everything. Don’t worry. You don’t have to keep track of everything everyone has said. If you were in a crowded room with everyone talking at once, you would not be expected to keep track of all the conversations.

It will help everyone decide which conversations to join if the dialogues are clearly structured into threads, with the postings in each thread headlined to indicate the topic of the thread.

Your instructor will post some dialogue topics and questions at the beginning of each dialogue. However, feel free to post on any topics or issues relating to the week’s unit. One way of contributing to a lively dialogue is to post interesting questions or examples for discussion.

Other suggestions

The following are some additional suggestions for building a fruitful dialogue.

• Respond quickly to others’ postings. It can be off-putting to be out there alone!

• Be polite and look for opportunities to express appreciation and give positive feedback.

• Use inclusive humour and a light touch.

• Acknowledge other participants’ contributions before putting forward an alternative perspective.

• Actively invite and encourage contributions from others.

• Use other contributors’ first names in responding to their postings.

Course overview 17

• Remember that there are no non-verbal cues in an online dialogue, only what’s on the screen. So you need to be particularly sensitive about the way in which you put your ideas across and respond to others.

• Have fun and enjoy the process. Enjoy and play a little with the possibilities.

eLearning support

For enrolment and login issues contact:

UNSW IT Service CentreEmail: ITServiceCentre@unsw.edu.au Internal: x51333 External: +61 2 9385 1333

Hours: Monday to Friday: 8am – 8pm Saturday and Sunday: 11am – 2pm

For ALL issues relating to the Moodle online platform:

External TELT SupportEmail: externalteltsuppport@unsw.edu.au Internal: x53331 External: +61 2 9385 3331

Hours: Monday to Friday: 7.30am – 9.30pm Saturdays and Sundays: 8.30am – 4.30pm

18 Change Skills

Change Skills Audit

The Change Skills Audit provides you with an opportunity to evaluate your skills as a change agent and to collect feedback from others who know something of your work. The Change Skills Audit questionnaire has been developed by Faculty at AGSM MBA Programs and by Leaderskill Group Pty Ltd.

The survey will be accessed on the Internet. We will provide Leaderskill Group with your name and email address. These are for use with the Change Skills Audit only and there is a strict privacy policy regarding all information.

Leaderskill Group will email you with your password and details of how to log into your Participant Control Centre. Through the Participant Control Centre you can:

• fill in your Self questionnaire

• enter your respondents and email their passwords

• monitor the completion of questionnaires and send reminders

• download and print your profile when complete.

There are four steps to completing the feedback survey.

Step 1Read the section ‘Ethical considerations’, which follows.

Step 2Complete the questionnaire yourself. The results of your self-evaluation will be included in your feedback for comparison with the feedback from others.

Step 3Identify colleagues from whom you will receive feedback about your skills as a change agent. These colleagues can include your ‘Boss’, Peers and Staff who report to you.

Once you have entered your colleagues’ details, you should monitor whether they have responded until they have completed their questionnaires.

Step 4 You will be able to download and print a self-only profile report as soon as you complete your Self questionnaire. (This will show only Self & ‘Boss’ questionnaires even if some of your Staff and/or Peers have already submitted questionnaires). Later, when most or all of your respondents have submitted their questionnaires, you will be able to download your full report with your Staff &/or Peer data.

Course overview 19

Use your Self-only Profile from Week 1

From Week 1 onwards, each unit will ask you to reflect on your self-evaluation of your skills and to discuss your self-evaluation in the online dialogue. So you will get most benefit from the process by completing your Self questionnaire right away.

Use your Full Profile from Week 3

From Week 3 onwards, each unit will also ask you to reflect on the feedback you have received from others and to discuss it in the online dialogue. So it will be important to ensure that your ‘Boss’, Peers and Staff complete the questionnaires as quickly as possible – ideally by the end of Week 1 and certainly by the end of Week 2.

Ethical considerationsWe would like you to take note of a number of ethical considerations.

In order for the feedback process to be effective and for everybody involved to be treated fairly and with respect, we recommend that the following principles of appropriate disclosure, avoiding conflicts of interest, informed consent and confidentiality be observed.

Disclosure: appropriate disclosure of information gathering and storage processes.

The information you and your work colleagues give will not be disclosed to anybody except you and your course Instructor. The database is kept by Leaderskill Group and will not be accessed by anybody other than you and your Instructor. However, an overall statistic of all students is maintained.

Conflicts of interest: the avoidance of conflicts of interest where sensitive personal information might be used for purposes other than the one intended.

Your colleagues have invested time in you by giving their responses. They do this under an agreement of confidentiality. Therefore, when you get your report it is important that you do not use this information for anything other than your own professional development. For example, complaining to others at work about the feedback from your ‘Boss’ is not appropriate.

Informed consent: informed consent by all the parties involved.

Everybody who responds to this survey must give their consent for the information to be used in the way it will be used within this course. Make sure they are aware of the format of the report that you will receive, and get their acceptance of this. This is particularly important for your ‘Boss(es)’as their responses will be individually identifiable.

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Confidentiality: the practice of appropriate confidentiality, and assurances of this to respondents (staff and peers).

Complete the Self questionnaireLeaderskill Group will email you with details of how to log in to your Participant Control Centre.

You should complete your Self questionnaire as soon as possible. As mentioned above, in each week from Week 1 onwards, you will be asked to reflect on your self-evaluation and to discuss it in the online dialogue. Completing your Self questionnaire early will ensure that you have some data in time for Week 1.

Filling in the questionnaire

Your name will appear at the top of the questionnaire page.

• Make sure you have 20 minutes of uninterrupted time.

• If you need to leave the questionnaire before you finish, you can manually save it to log in again at a later time. To do this, you will need the personal ‘Retrieval Code’ you set up when you first access the questionnaire.

• You can scroll up and down the page.

• Your questionnaire will not be sent until you click on the ‘Submit’ button at the bottom of the screen and see the message: ‘Your questionnaire has been sent successfully’.

• You must close the browser tab or window when you finish. This completes your input and deactivates the ‘Back’ button.

Should you require further assistance, please contact Student Experience on phone +61 2 9931 9400, or for technical support, contact Leaderskill Group via email (support@leaderskill.com.au) or phone +61 2 9449 7737.

Identify colleagues and distribute questionnairesThe next step is to identify work colleagues who will fill in a similar questionnaire about your change agent skills.

The four categories of Self, ‘Boss(es)’, Staff and Peers are shown separately on the profile.

Course overview 21

Depending on who is available, you can include just Staff or just Peers, or you can include both. Note that:

• to show the Staff category in your profile, you must have three Staff (to ensure the confidentiality of their responses)

• to show the Peer category, you must have three Peers (to ensure the confidentiality of their responses).

Four or more respondents in either category will allow you to see the raw scores in the results for that category. If you have only three people in a Staff or Peer category, you will see only the average scores. You won’t be able to see the range of responses and will only get the average of all responses for that category.

The inclusion of ‘Boss(es)’ is optional. Note that, since a separate analysis of ‘Boss’ feedback is presented in the report, it is not possible to preserve ‘Boss’ anonymity.

In SummaryYour respondents can include:

• your ‘Boss’ (up to 2 ‘Bosses’ can be included)

• all your Staff and/or Indirect Reports − from a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 20

• peers − a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 20. However, 4 to 6 is usual.

If you only have 3 available in either Staff or Peers, their responses will be shown as an average. If you have less than 3 in either category, nothing will be displayed unless you request Leaderskill to combine Staff and Peer responses in one category.

Respondent options

In the absence of enough direct reports, we recommend that you use:

• current indirect reports i.e. the next level down, but no further

• ‘dotted line’ reports.

When selecting Peers, choose people who know you well enough to be able to respond. Invite both ‘fans’ and ‘critics’. If you can’t find three Peers, you can use only Staff, or arrange to have Staff combined with Peers.

If you are not able to meet the minimum for Staff or Peers, and you have at least three responses in total, they can be combined into a single category.

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Briefing respondents

Aim to brief your respondents face-to-face, or at least by telephone, so you can deal with any concerns and questions at once. Before sending the emails, make sure they know why you are asking them to complete the questionnaire and that they agree to do so.

Ask each colleague if they are prepared to spend some time on the questionnaire in order for you to develop your skills. When talking to them about their participation explain the process and discuss the following:

• They have been chosen because they are familiar with you at work.

• Their responses will be very valuable to you, but only if they are totally honest.

• Their responses are completely anonymous and confidential and you will not be able to see the questionnaire they fill in, nor identify their individual responses on the final report (except for your boss).

Since the responses from your ‘Boss’ are the only ones that are individually identifiable, you must make sure this is clear to your ‘Boss’ before he or she agrees to participate.

Deadline for completion of the questionnaires

Each unit from Unit 3 onwards asks you to reflect on the feedback you have received from others and to discuss it in the week’s online dialogue. So it will be important to ensure that your ‘Boss(es)’, Peers and Staff complete the questionnaires as quickly as possible – ideally by the end of Week 1 and certainly by the end of Week 2.

It is very important to make sure that your colleagues are aware of the deadline for completing the questionnaire and that they are confident they can complete it in time.

Thank your colleagues in advance for their time and support.

Entering respondents and sending passwords

Once you have selected your respondents, you need to enter their details through your 360 Facilitated® Participant Control Centre. You will need to select which category (‘Boss’, Peer or Staff) they are responding in, and their name and email address.

Remember that it is best to have four to six respondents in each of the Staff and Peer categories. Only limited feedback can be provided with three respondents in these categories.

Course overview 23

By clicking on ‘Send Emails’, an email will be sent to each of your respondents, including details of how to log in to the questionnaire, and their password.

Send emails only to those people who have agreed to respond, and emphasise the importance of keeping them entirely confidential.

Monitoring progress and sending reminders

Through your Participant Control Centre, you can check on the progress of your respondents. The ‘Monitor Respondents’ page will show you which of your respondents have completed their questionnaires. You can send reminders when required.

Printing your profile report

You will be able to download your self-only profile directly from your Participant Control Centre as soon as your Self questionnaire is complete. Your self-only profile can also include responses from up to two ‘Bosses’, though this is optional for the self-only profile. Your self-only profile will not show any Staff or Peer data even if some of their questionnaires have been completed.

Later, when more feedback has been submitted, you will be able to download a final report that includes ‘Boss’, Staff &/or Peer data.

SupportEmail: support@leaderskill.com.au − at any time

Phone: 02 9449 7737 − 9.00 am to 5.00 pm AEST/AEDT

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Assessment

Assessment policyThe assessment process plays two roles: it provides feedback to you on your progress, and is a means of testing and grading your performance.

All information on assessment is provided in the Assessments & examinations section of the AGSM website.

https://www.business.unsw.edu.au/agsm/students/resources/assessments-and-examinations

Summary of assessment requirementsIn order to pass this course, you must:

• achieve an aggregate (overall) mark of at least 50 per cent, and

• achieve a result of Pass or better in Assessment 4.

Assessment 1: Self-management skillsDue: Week 5, Monday, 2 March, 5.00 p.m. AEDT Weight: 15%Maximum length: 5 pages

Assessment 2: Analysis of your coaching and process facilitation skillsDue: Week 10, Monday, 13 April, 5.00 p.m. AEST Weight: 27%Maximum length: 9 pages

Assessment 3: Contributions to Online Dialogues 1-7Weight: 34%Maximum length for a posting: 200 words

Assessment 4: After-action reviews and breakthrough skills development planDue: Week 13, Saturday, 9 May, 5.00 p.m. AESTWeight: 24%

Part 1: Three (3) after-action reviewsMaximum length of each review: 2 pagesWeight: 6% for each review

Part 2: Breakthrough skills development planMaximum length: 2 pagesWeight: 6%

Course overview 25

Assessment criteria

Written assessments

In assessing your written work, consideration will be give to the following:

• your attention to the prescribed topics of the assessment• the accuracy and insight with which you have applied relevant

concepts, frameworks and theories – for example, in analysing , diagnosing and evaluating change management skills and practice, and in crafting plans for improvements in skills and practice

• how well you have supported the application of course concepts with succinct relevant, specific, descriptive details that provide evidence of how each concept applies

• the range of relevant concepts you have applied• how you have linked and integrated the concepts you have used• logical flow - the logical sequence of your points, the soundness of your

arguments, and the logical flow between the sections of your assessment• evidence of critical thinking, e.g. critiquing your own assumptions

or the limitations of your arguments, or critiquing course concepts, frameworks and theories

• whether the assessment is written in clear, succinct prose without excessive jargon

• how far you have met the formatting, length and referencing requirements.

Grids giving details of the assessment criteria for each assessment will be posted in the online classroom (https://moodle.telt.unsw.edu.au).

Contributions to online dialogues

Online assessment criteria relate to both the content of your postings and the ways in which you support a productive dialogue process. A grid detailing assessment criteria for the online dialogues will be posted.

The word limit for an online posting is 200 words. Please note that an effective online posting can often use considerably fewer than 200 words.

Assessment 1: Self-management skillsDue: Week 5, Monday, 2 March, 5.00pm AEDT

Weight: 15%

Maximum length: 5 pages

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Drawing on concepts from Units 1, 2 and 3, analyse and evaluate your self-management skills and outline a plan to strengthen them.

1. Analyse and evaluate your current skills in self-management (50%)

• Identify self-management strengths and areas for improvement.

• Support your analysis and evaluation with evidence and examples, including data from the Change Skills Audit about your self-management skills.

• Relate your analysis and evaluation to the challenges you face and expect to face as a change agent.

2. Outline a plan for managing yourself more skillfully (50%)

Ensure that your plan is focused on improving your self-management and meets the requirements for a well-formulated implementation plan.

• Identify possible obstacles that you might face in implementing your plan and describe how you will deal with them.

• Outline how you will monitor and evaluate your progress in implementing your plan.

Assessment 2: Coaching and process facilitation skills

Due: Week 10, Monday, 13 April, 5.00pm AEST

Weight: 27%

Maximum length: 9 pages

As a basis for this analysis, conduct two coaching sessions, in which you use process facilitation skills to assist someone to develop one or more of the skills covered in this course.

1. Analysis of two coaching sessions (50%)

(a) Identify two or three points in the coaching sessions where you believe that what you did as a coach was effective. Use course concepts to identify what you did and how and why it was effective.

What conclusions do you draw about your strengths in process facilitation?

Course overview 27

(b) Identify two or three points in the sessions where you could have been more effective as a coach and process facilitator.

Use course concepts to analyse what you might have done differently and the expected effects on the coachee and the coaching process.

2. Lessons learnt from the coaching about process facilitation and the application of these lessons in your work as a change agent (50%)

Based on your analysis and evaluation of your coaching in the two sessions:

(a) Identify two lessons you have learnt about process facilitation that you could apply in working as a change agent with either individuals or groups.

(b) Explain the relevance of these lessons to your work as a change agent and how implementing these lessons would enhance your effectiveness.

(c) Describe specific steps that you will take to implement these two lessons in your work. Identify possible obstacles that you might face in implementing them and describe how you will deal with them. Outline how you will monitor and evaluate your progress in implementing these steps.

Assessment 3: Online dialoguesWeight: 34%

Maximum length for a posting: 200 words

The grade for this assessment is based on your contributions to Dialogues 1 to 7 inclusive. Dialogues 1 to 6 each count towards 5% of the grade, and Dialogue 7 counts for 4%.

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Assessment 4: After-action reviews and breakthrough skills development plan

Due: Week 13, Saturday, 9 May, 5.00pm AEST

Weight: 24%

Maximum length of total Assessment: 8 pages

Part 1: Three (3) after-action reviewsWeight: 6% for each after-action review

Maximum length: 2 pages for each review

Write three (3) after-action reviews, each of which analyses your intentional application of a course concept in your work as a change agent.

• One review should focus on something you have done to implement an element of your Assessment 1 plan for managing yourself more skillfully.

• Each of the three reviews should focus on a different concept and a different situation.

In each review, address the following topics.

Action Recommended length: 15%

What did you do to intentionally apply the concept to address the challenge(s) you faced in that situation?

Outline:• the concept that you were applying

• what you did to apply it

• your rationale for applying this course concept in this situation.

Course overview 29

Results Recommended length: 15%

What resulted from your applying the concept?

Your description and analysis of the results could include the impact:

• on you, e.g. on your thoughts, feelings and actions

• on others, e.g. their reactions

and/or

• on the change process and outcomes.

Insights

Recommended length: 35%

What did you learn from applying the course concept and reflecting on this event?

Your account of your insights could include what you learnt about:

• the course concept

• yourself

• others

• the kind of challenge you were encountering in this situation

and/or

• effective ways of dealing with the challenge.

Next Steps

Recommended length: 35%

What steps will you take to build on your insights from this action learning experiment - to continue to develop your change skills and to improve your practice as a change agent?

What do you expect to be one significant challenge in taking these steps and how will you address it?

Note: You are strongly encouraged to begin deliberately experimenting with applying course concepts and taking notes on your action learning experiences as soon as possible, i.e. within the first couple of weeks of the course.

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Part 2: Breakthrough skills development planWeight: 6%

Maximum length: 2 pages

A breakthrough skills development plan focuses on developing a skill that will unlock many possibilities for you. For example, a plan for more skilful listening could unlock possibilities for skills development in a number of skill areas; and a plan for managing your confidence or resilience could enable you to handle many different types of situations more skillfully.

• Clearly identify the skill that is the focus of the plan.

• Briefly describe the data that indicates that there is a good reason to develop this skill, e.g. Change Skills Audit data, feedback from others, self-observation, etc.

• Show how developing this skill will unlock many skills development possibilities for you and/or have a widespread impact on your effectiveness as a change agent.

• Outline your skill development goal and the steps you will take to achieve it.

• Discuss how you will monitor and evaluate your progress in implementing your plan.

• Discuss possible obstacles (including any ambivalence or resistance you might feel about implementing your plan) and ways of overcoming them.

Course overview 31

References

Senge, P. 2006, The fifth discipline, the art and practice of the learning organization, 2nd edn., Random House, London.

Gerzon, M. 2006, Leading Through Conflict: How successful leaders transform differences into opportunities, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, Mass, p. 170.

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