Strategies and Transformation in Practice

22M0934

Master

English, German

5.0

only winterterm

1 semester

The module ”Strategien und Veränderungsprozesse: praktische Simulationen” focuses on strategic management, leadership and change management. It integrates a number of crucial higher education management issues – such as resource allocation, quality of teaching and research, leadership styles, organizational cultures, student satisfaction, human resources and external demands – into actual higher education and science strategy and change simulation exercises. Next to some introductory lectures, participants are assigned to various roles and positions in a fictional university. As such, participants in various simulation exercises have to develop coherent strategies to manage change processes towards a new innovative teaching model, towards a new institutional culture, a more performance oriented funding mechanism and towards an overall sustainable university in terms of teaching and research quality and stable financial position. Participants continuously have to balance between the interest of their individual unit and the objectives of the organisation as a whole.

1. Introduction into key strategic management aspects:
   Universities / science institutions as complex organisations: structures, actors, roles and interests
   Strategic management: a resource-based approach to identify your key focus areas
   Leadership and change: leadership styles & roles; personal strengths, weaknesses & preferences
   Defining the current and desired organisational culture. Then using different leadership styles to develop management instruments to develop toward the desired organisational culture
   Internal resource allocation: models to (re)allocate financial resources corresponding to the strategic objectives of a HE or science organization

2. Simulation exercise 1: implementing a new curriculum structure for all bachelor programmes:
   This simulation exercise concerns a change management process to implement a new innovative structure for all bachelor programmes of Central Valley University in Imaginalia. Different internal stakeholders have to negotiate on various aspects of the reorganization process needed to change the curricular structure of al BA programmes, including the speed of the reforms, the rewards for faculty, approval procedures and the way of student progress monitoring.

3. Simulation exercise 2: develop a new funding model:
   Students in groups have to develop a performance oriented funding model based on renewed strategic objectives after the government changed its funding model for HE institutions.

4. Simulation exercise 3: a new strategy for CVU:
   Participants are assigned to roles and university functions. They have to respond to a decline in student numbers as well as a financial deficit while developing a long term sustainable situation for Central Valley University in terms of financial viability, the quality of teaching and research and strengthen the entrepreneurial profile. How do various stakeholders – university leadership, director of finance, director HR, deans and professors of various faculties – match their individual (unit) interest with the collective university interest? How do the participants evaluate their own behaviour? What leadership styles are used?

5. Presentations of individual or pairs of students
   Participants present real life challenges with managerial roles, styles and strategic behaviour of their own organization. They analyse it based on the concepts taught in this module.

The total workload for the module is 125 hours (see also "ECTS credit points and grading").

• Presentation or
• Homework / Assignment

The selection of graded and ungraded types of examinations from the given options is made by the instructors in compliance with the applicable study regulations.

Active participation in and reflection on the simulation exercises; individual/duo presentations

None

The students who successfully completed this module are knowledgable about the concepts and processes of strategic management, leadership styles, change management, organisational culture and internal resource allocation mechanisms.

The students who successfully completed this module:  
have an intensified knowledge and understanding of strategic and change management processes in complex multi-stakeholder situations. They can use different leadership styles to bring about change.
have hands-on practical experience with complex multi-stakeholder management dilemmas and processes in a HE and research setting.
have experience with formulating arguments and how to bargain and lobby to protect their own (unit’s) interest in complex multi-stakeholder management situations.
have experience with collaboration strategies to achieve one’s unit’s interests.
have further experience to analyse and present on a personally experienced management dilemma.
are capable to analyse complex management situations in which they relate personal (unit) interests to the overall organisational objectives.
have learned how the activties of sub-units contribute to the overal organisational objectives and functioning.

Basic modules of the first year give an overview of the approaches of university and science management, which are thematized in this module "Strategies and change processes: practical simulation". A transfer of the acquired know-how into practice takes place.

• Higher Education and Research Management MBA (01.03.2024)

• Certificate Program Education and Research Management DAS (01.09.2022)

• Vossensteyn, Hans

• Vossensteyn, Hans