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Change Management for Sustainability - ENV00092M

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  • Department: Environment and Geography
  • Credit value: 5 ECTS
  • Credit level: M
  • Academic year of delivery: 2023-24
    • See module specification for other years: 2022-23

Module summary

This module will equip students with the skills, knowledge, tools and experience needed to meet the growing demand for employees and academic researchers who can lead on change towards more sustainable business practice in an uncertain and complex world. Students will gain a critical understanding of the frameworks, principles, concepts and theories of change management, whilst simultaneously designing and undertaking a change project. This will offer the opportunity to reflect on the process of change and application of change management theory in a real-world situation.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 1 2023-24

Module aims

The aims of this module are to:

  • Equip students with the skills, knowledge, tools and experience needed to lead on transformation and change towards more sustainable practice

Skills:

  • Critically apply frameworks, principles, theories and concepts to lead on change

  • Effectively analyse complex sustainability problems

  • Collaborate effectively to design and implement change management plans

  • Effectively communicate change management priorities, plans and outcomes

  • Creatively design innovative and resilient solutions to sustainability problems

  • Actively reflect on process and outcomes of change, and adapt approaches if needed

Module learning outcomes

Students who complete this module successfully will be able to:

  • Demonstrate an advanced understanding of frameworks, principles, concepts, and methods of change management and leadership;

  • Analyse complex sustainability problems and identify foci for change;

  • Apply principles, concepts and methods of change management and leadership to promote shifts towards more sustainable practices;

  • Plan, prepare and implement change management plans;

  • Apply different change-making skills such as facilitation, leadership and innovation;

  • Evaluate and reflect on the effectiveness of different approaches to creating change.

Module content

Students will design and undertake a sustainability change project on a topic of their choice during the module. Projects could involve students bringing about change towards more sustainable living, studying or working in their own life or amongst friends and family. Weekly 3-hour workshops over seven weeks will introduce theories, principles and tools of change, provide opportunities for formative feedback and encourage students to reflect on the change management process. The module includes:

  • Lectures: 0

  • Seminars: 21 hours

  • Assessment: Change management plan (100%)

  • Private Study: 136 hours

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Special assessment rules

None

Additional assessment information

Formative work:

Personal sustainable change; students implement a small sustainable change and understand how they go about doing so. It is a small change. This is done in class and during their free time. This learning feeds into their theoretical Change Management Plan.

Summative assessment:

Change management plan (100%); students select a business and industry case study scenario from a choice provided by staff. Then implement a theoretical change management plan to resolve this. Focus is on the theoretical process of conducting change management. The case study list (with accompanying background info) will be compiled by staff and Industrial Liaison Officer and drawn from real-world Business & Industry (B&I) challenges.

Indicative reassessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Module feedback

Formative feedback will be provided in weekly workshops. Summative feedback will be provided on written feedback sheets.

Indicative reading

Byrd, R. and Demates, L. 2019. Sustainability Made Simple: Small Changes for Big Impact. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers.

Cameron, E. and Green, M. 2015. Making Sense of Change Management: A Complete Guide to the Models, Tools and Techniques of Organizational Change. Fourth Edition. London: Kogan.

Leicester, G. (2016) Transformative Innovation: A Guide to Practice and Policy. Triarchy Press, Axminster, UK

Sharpe, B. (2013) Three horizons: Patterning of hope. Axminster, Triarchy Press

Walker, P. (2017) Change Management for Sustainable Development. IEMA Sustainability in Practice Guide.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University constantly explores ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary. In some instances it may be appropriate for the University to notify and consult with affected students about module changes in accordance with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.