Course content
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach
This course provides the student with a set of methods and tools for responding to strategic changes in the international business of companies and organizations in turbulent times.
International Change Management is defined as the methods and manners in which a company describes and implements international change within both its internal and external processes . Drivers of change may include the disruption of international markets and supply chains as witnessed in the wake of the COVID pandemic, the digital and technology revolution, increased competitive pressure, climate change, geopolitical uncertainty, crisis response to the Ukraine war, customer demand changes, and organizational restructuring.
When faced with the need to find new market opportunities, to increase market shares, to realize efficiency gains, to develop new products, to gain access to new resources or simply to reduce risk, companies and organizations tend to resort to a project-based leadership approach.
A well-prepared international change management constitutes an essential pre-condition for the success of European companies on both new and existing global markets. The companies must continually be able to develop their products in line with a sharpened global competition and an ever faster technological change process. Meeting such challenges demands a deft leadership approach based on readiness to carry out changes in the project implentations of the organization, while at the same time being able to carry out project management based on still more detailed and solid planning.
International Change Management is about setting a number of practical criteria for the successful outcome of change projects that leads to the fulfillment of the strategic goals of the company or organization. As these change projects are becoming still more integrated in the key competences of the company, there is a growing and urgent need for converging strategy formulation, business models, risk assessment, planning, organizational development, monitoring and controls, and management principles.
During the course the student is encouraged to think out of the box in developing an individual case study on ways to handle the unique change management challenges of a chosen company or organization. The course contains a practical introduction to concepts, theories and methods in international project management as a means of implementing the international change management strategy of the company. The literature of the course thus brings together different technical and professional philosophies, while placing international change management in an overall organizational perspective based on independent concept analysis and general project management theory. The analytical approach is cross-cutting, so both qualitative and quantitative methods can be applied.
The content of the course is centered around nine main themes:
1. Incorporation of international change in the international business environment.
The first theme highlights the context of the international change management in relation to stakeholder analysis, cross-cultural gap tools and models for cultural management in the company or organization.
2.Realization of the strategic goals of the organizations under change
The second theme deals with models for extended strategic management and program management. includingProject Portfolio Management (PMM) and Project Management Maturity Models (PMM)
3. Strategic development of the international change project through management by objectives.
The third theme concerns the strategic choice embodied in the business plan of the change project, focusing primarily on Logical Framework Analysis (LFA), on configuration management by objectives, and on development of delivery plans based on the Scope of Work and Work Breakdown Structures (WBS).
4. Risk management process of the project and leadership under uncertainty in international markets.
The fourth theme explains the qualitative and quantitative anticipated risk management process and leadership handling of uncertainty, demonstrating tools and techniques for hedging of risk and for prioritizing risk based on quantitative capital budgeting techniques.
5. Effective planning processes and determination of the organization of the international change project.
The fifth theme examines practical planning tools of the international change project in time, costs, and quality within the project cycle phase logic. This is followed by specification of work processes through scheduling, setting up appropriate structures and work packages based on different hybrid aspects of internal and external project co-ordination and the use of a responsibility matrix.
6. Monitoring and control tools in the implementation of the international change project
The sixth theme deals with the implementation phase by employing monitoring and control tools such as a monitoring matrix and an issue log for international change projects. Monitoring and contol mechanisms include Earned Value Analysis (EVA), Balanced Scorecard (BSC), Critical Chain Project Monitoring (CCPM), Agile Project Management (APM),and Digital Platfom Management (DPM).
7. Leading international change management in a supportive cross-cultural project environment
The seventh theme on leading international change management highlights the competencies and roles of the international project manager and the building and sustaining of international teams in larger projects. Challenges facing management in handling innovation and digitalization and in reorganizing supply chains and outsourcing will be subject for more detailed analysis.
8. Cross-cultural communication for co-operation and problem solving in change management
The eighth theme renders an overview of communication models in international change projects and presents co-operation methods and guidelines for effective problem and conflict solving.
9. Sustainable learning in and learning from international project-based change management
The final theme concludes with a review of process-oriented knowledge and learning models in change management. The phase of project completion consists of a number of important elements for building up a learning organization in the company.
Contemporary European case studies as well as analysis of recent changes in the work place will substantiate the teaching of the course.
See course description in course catalogue