Master Management, Change and Consultancy

Whenever you page through the business section of a newspaper or a business magazine, you will notice that a great deal of attention nowadays is paid to how organizations deal or should deal with change. This change can come in many forms, but we can make at least one useful distinction in the origin of change sources. On the one hand change may originate from outside the organization. Consider the following examples:

  • New products may be introduced by competitors (e.g. Apple's introduction of iPod).
  • New key technologies are introduced (e-commerce replaces personal selling; hydrogen replaces fossil fuels).
  • New markets may develop (e.g. China; EU-expansion).
  • New demands are made by key stakeholders (e.g. more strict government legislation on labor immigration and safety regulations, pressure groups
  • Awareness of waste management and employee relations).

In these cases management has to decide whether to follow external developments, to what extent and in what form.
Other sources of change originate from within the organization. Some of these sources are consciously put into place to generate change, others tend to work autonomously, beyond control of management. Examples include:

  • the research and development department developing a new product.
  • new managers with new ideas are being appointed.
  • dissatisfaction with current working methods leads to (unofficial) experimentation with different methods (e.g. work schedules are changed or responsibilities are shifted between people).
  • Incidents like technical breakdowns or sick leave of personnel force improvisation yielding different viewpoints and new working options unrecognized before.
  • individuals and groups further their interest in political processes to change the agenda of decision makers and the management of the organization.

In all these cases, the organization reorients itself, answering questions as to when and how to respond. It should be clear from the latter examples that change itself is only to a very limited extend really manageable. The trick is to process change, to contain its effects and -if possible- let the dynamic of change work for you and not against you.

This has different but related consequences for managers dealing with external and internal change. Externally, it means that they should understand the relative costs and benefits of changing an organization and how change processes within industries tend to develop. They should show discretion in selecting which changes to follow and which to forego. Internally, managers should develop skills to become perceptive leaders that have a keen understanding of how people deal with change and how change processes tend to evolve. First, and foremost, however, managers should themselves 'learn to learn'. To this end, fundamental questions on their own preconceived viewpoints, role and position should be posed. This is the reason why this master track puts a heavy emphasis on developing skills and knowledge about personal leadership and its effectiveness as well as a good understanding of what it is that managers actually do in their day-to-day work. In so doing we offer a realistic and hands-on program for students wanting to increase their effectiveness in dealing with issues of change in organizations.

Consultancy

'Change agents' come in various forms. Of those fulfilling an 'official' role in this capacity, consultants form a special category, especially when they come from outside the organization. The past 30 years have shown a dramatic increase in the use and proliferation of (external) management consultancy. Management consultants often play a role in the initiation and/ or implementation of change in organizations. Moreover, the consultancy business itself is a source and distributor of new ideas and concepts that persuade organizations to change. In this master track we offer insights and skills that aid in becoming an effective (change) consultant. But we also try to foster a critical approach to the role of (external) 'helping hands' by examining the development and nature of this business and the special relationship that exists between clients and consultants. This in order to make you both a wise consultant and/ or a wise consultee....

For whom?

The master track management, change and consultancy is aimed at students that want to deepen their understanding of organizational change and dynamic leadership. Those aspiring to a career in training and development, human resources, strategic advice or management consultancy will find the program most helpful in furthering their ambitions. Past graduates were subsequently employed in a broad range of consulting firms (KPMG; ATOS/ORIGIN), human resources departments of large multinationals (Philips, DSM, SHELL). See our alumni page for detailed testimonials of our graduates!

Courses

Click here for the courses that form the core of the program.

Contact

For any inquiries, please contact the coordinator of this master track, dr. Peter Berends at the Organization & Strategy Department. Telephone: (00-31)-(0)43-3883622; E-mail: P.Berends@OS.unimaas.nl.