Ashridge Masters in Organisational Change – (M.Sc.)

Contents

Module 1: The foundation of my practice

• Explore the learning territory
• Develop your awareness of your theories
• Explore and locate ideas about organising, change, learning and intervention

Practice Groups

Practice groups run throughout the programme up to Module 4. Each group consists of about six members and is facilitated by a member of faculty. Their purpose is to support the development of your professional and personal cababilites, provide an oppurtunity for sharing and reflection and provide a link between theory and practice by exploring your real life organisational issues.

Module Aims

Module 1 aims to help you reflect on the approaches you take to affecting change in organisations and the impact that this has on your clients, colleagues and others. We introduce Participatory Action Research and support the formation of the AMOC group as a learning community.

Myself in my practice

• Reflect on your experience of organising processes and your participation in them

• Look at how we understand and think about organisations and the implications of this for our practice, through collaborative action inquiry

Workshop 2: Philosophies in action

• Consider how we think about 'reality', 'truth' and the nature of 'knowledge'. How does this impact on the way we conduct ourselves and the meaning we make of our experiences?

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• Clarify the role of inquiry, both as a form of organisational intervention and as a particular practice of learning

Webinar 1: An introduction to virtual working

• This half-day workshop introduces you to the qualities and skills associated with working virtually.

Workshop 3: Change and the nature of intervention

• Explore a consultative approach to supporting and enabling change

• Look at models and theories of consulting and change in organisations as well as an oppurtunity to participate in a 'real life' consulting scenario

Module 2: Relational and sociological perspectives

• Deepen your capactiy to inquire into your experiences within and between groups, informed by a range of psychological lenses

• Critically examine the concept of organisations and communities as socially constructed, cultural patterns of relating and the implications of this for intervening in organisations

Module Aims

Module 2 explores the nature of our practice and participation in organisations from psychological and sociological perspectives. It offers you an opportunity to examine and reflect on your assumptions and beliefs about the nature of organisations and change.

Workshop 4: Relational psychology and change

• Understand group process and interplay between self and other
• Look at relational psychology through experiential learning

Webinar 2: Complex responsive processes in organisations

This half-day webinar offers an introduction to the theory of complex responsive processes and invites you to explore the implications of this perspective for how we see 'power', 'culture' and 'organising'.

Workshop 5: Sociological perspectives

Takes place at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

• Critically assess the theory that organisations are complex networks of relationship and interaction

• Consider implications for our practice

• Be introduced to Appreciative Inquiry as an approach to change

Webinar 3: Integrating theories of socal organising

This half-day webinar offers an opportunity to pursue the theories explored in Workshop 5 in greater depth.

Module 3: Extending our perspectives on organisations and change

• Integrate and deepen your learning
• Revist the core philosophical stance of relational practice, extending this to what it means to 'participate' in the world
• Consider how you see yourself in the world and what consequences this has for your emerging practice

Module Aims

Module 3 aims to help you to integrate your learning, and to situate this in wider context within which organisations operate. In this module we will invite you to consider your perspective on the broader social and ecological contexts in which we live and work, experimenting with various inquiry methods.

Workshop 6: Contextual and ecological perspectives

Takes place at Schumacher College, international centre for Ecological Studies, Dartington, UK.

• Explore ways of perceiving, experiencing and understanding the nature of change

• Engage with the ethical and practical issues associated with corporate globalisation, their relationships and the challenge of sustainable business practice

Webinar 4: Assessment in Practice Groups

During this one day webinar, you will use the virtual platform to present and assess your work for one of the assignments associated with this module.

Workshop 7: Me in my emerging practice

• Help integrate your personal, professional and theoretical learning across the first three modules
• Encourage to consider the kind of practitioner you are becoming, through self-reflection and collaborative inquiry with peers

Module 4: Dissertation

• Engage critically with an action research question as a culmination and extension of your learning journey
• Experiment with action inquiry and action research methodologies, and reflective practice

Module Aims

In Module 4 participants proceeding to the MSc pathway embark on the dissertation process which is supported through individual and group supervision.

Workshop 8: Dissertation and Research Forum

• Share insights and experiences of your dissertation work with your AMOC peers

Accreditation

Ashridge is fewer than 30 schools worldwide to achieve triple accreditation from AMBA, EQUIS and AACSB - the UK, European and American accreditation bodies.