MGT4844 Strategic Human Resource Management

Assessment Criteria and Weighting 

There are two elements of assessment to the summative assessment all of which count to the final module mark and which build on each other to form a holistic assessment and these are as follows: 

1. Change, Innovation, Creativity Challenge (70%)

Propose and communicate a value-based initiative for your organisation that is linked to the change and innovation agenda. 

Critically evaluate this initiative in the context of your organisation’s current challenges and opportunities. 2,000 words

2. Reflective report (30%)

Reflect on your leadership or management capabilities and challenges in dealing with the initiative evaluated in part one. 1,000 words

Note/ guidance:  By reflection it is intended that you evidence self-evaluation and self-learning and the key aspects you will take into consideration for future capability build. 

Assignment Guidance 

This part allows you to show deep contemplation of the challenges and considerations that Senior Leaders are faced with when evaluating creativity, innovation and change initiatives that can bring value to the organisation.  Aspects to consider when embarking upon this task are how change, innovation and creativity (CIC) is construed as well as how CIC is practised within the context of your organisation. Demonstrate an understanding of change as content and as a process.  Create linkages between leadership and organisational change, innovation and creativity and the management of structure, systems and resources.  This exploration and review of key concepts should also include evaluation of how your initiative can be financially positioned using financial data to support your discussion.  Consideration should be given to the importance of CIC in a world of flux and transition and how it is central to organisations given the commercial context of ever more competitive and demanding global markets, financial crises, shorter product life cycles and increasing customer demands.   

• Consider the leadership approaches that can be conducive to change, creativity and innovation.

Further engagement could be made with Ibarra, H. (2015). Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader. HBR Press: Princeton. 

• You may wish to consider the culture of the organisation and how it is an important shaper of organisational creativity, innovation and change. Further engagement could be made with Paroutis, S., Heracleos, L., Angwin, D. (2016). Practising Strategy. Sage: London. 

Remember to analyse and evaluate your response in alignment with the concepts, theories, and frameworks encountered throughout this module. This will help demonstrate that you are using knowledge to shape your new senior leader behaviours.  

Reflect on the challenges involved in linking change, innovation and creativity to value based on your experience of making it happen within part 1 of this assessment and generally in your experience. Include reflections on analysing and communicating complex information that involves change, innovation and creativity to stakeholders. (1,500 word count)  

The response to this question should flow from the theory, practices, assessments and reflections that you have experienced. Therefore, this part should not be a standalone but should help provide more context and understanding of the nuances that exist in your organisation with regards to the linkages between creativity, innovation and change. Furthermore, the exploration of stakeholder power and interests and your organisation culture with regard to discussion of such linkages is required.  Ensure that as part of your review, any critique is supported by evidence.  

This question provides an opportunity to reflect and defend a specific organisational practice, recommending a new practice that has emerged during this module, and identifying an important new initiative that could benefit your organisation. Questions and points that you may wish to consider when constructing your response include: 

Word Count Policy 

Guidance on assignment marking 

The criteria outlined below are for guidance only so do not constitute a definitive marking scheme. The weighting is a close approximation of the marking scheme for the assignment. The general assessment criteria apply. Some specific comments relevant to grading in this assessment follow. 

70% and above   

Assignments in this category will engage with a selection of Change, Innovation and Creativity literature and financial management theory in ways that are highly insightful in terms of how they are particular to the student, their role, their organisation and their sector.  The work will critically explore the importance of Change, Innovation and Creativity and explain why these concepts are essential for survival and growth whilst also bringing value to the organisation.  

A great depth of understanding of how to practice CIC that is supported by theory and conceptual ideas will be demonstrated. The ability to reflect on personal experience and engage in new experiences to drive professional development, is needed for a distinction. Distinction students will embrace previous understanding gained from other modules and use it to convey the complexity of practice without selecting pieces of knowledge that are complex tools or concepts. How they use knowledge will create highly personalised organisational-level insights into how different concepts and research in strategy can be used effectively. The student will demonstrate critical engagement with the content of the module and demonstrate further self-guided engagement. 

Evidence of action taken and multiple stakeholder perspectives on the impact of performance will be present and again particular to the work being discussed. 

The two parts of the assignment will flow together into a whole that clearly shows how the student is using their learning to stretch beyond their previous level of professional practice using an expanded stakeholder and professional network. 

60-69% 

Work that nearly always uses knowledge to generate personalised insights, but which does not quite do so in as sophisticated ways as that of a distinction student, will receive a merit. Work in this category will have elements of what is required to be awarded a mark of 70. It will be less likely to have been as insightful and critical about the assumptions underpinning relationships between Change, Innovation and Creativity and creating value for the organisation.  Critical engagement with the key concepts, critical analysis and evaluation of financial implications, adding value, ambidexterity and leadership theories will be less apparent. The narrative about the person and their role, organisation and sector may be less intertwined with theory.  That said it will show an ability to work on self and involve others in the improvement of practice in these areas of change, innovation and creativity.  However, may lack the depth required for a distinction.  

Evidence will be present to back up all claims of action or intention to act and their impact. It will be less innovative and less integrated than for a grade of 70% and above. 

Discussion will be lively; entering the debates of the importance of leading the creative and innovative organisation and engaging with the tensions.  The flow of the assignment will not present as holistic picture as possible.  It will show clear use of learning beyond current professional practice in impactful ways. 

50-59%

Work in this category is satisfactory and will engage with the theory.  There will be areas where the engagement is less specific about the individual, their role, organisation and sector than it could be. There will be limited critical engagement with the theory, research and concepts related to change, innovation and creativity and generate personal insights. Exploration on evaluation and reflection will be limited. Evidence to back up claims made will be not as comprehensive as it possible. It will still be present and easy to access. The discussion and links between the key concepts and how this creates value for the organisation will be limited.  

Discussion of the challenges involved will be limited to either the complexity of the working environment being discussed or the use of theory or both. Clear use of learning to move beyond current professional practice will be present; in some cases showing meaningful high impact on stakeholders. 

Work that is adequate will pass but will lack insights. Theory engagement will be often descriptively applied with some critical evaluation attempted followed by further description of practice rather than intertwining, applying and critically analysing the CIC themes throughout. Connections between the 2 parts will be present but either lacking or difficult to understand. Evidence to back up claims, although present, will be not be convincing in places and will lack the perspective of employees and other managers on occasions. Use of learning to move beyond current professional practice will be present in some cases.  The discussion and links between concepts and how this creates value for the organisation is adequately discussed.  Exploration evaluation and reflection is limited.   

Use of learning to move beyond current professional practice will be present in some cases. The potential to realise and evidence more impact by incorporating knowledge acquired through new ways of working will be missing. 

39% and under

Work that is a fail will be in the most part descriptive of change, innovation and creativity knowledge and descriptive of experience.  It might well include misunderstandings and/or unethical or unprofessional workplace practices. Work that shows limited connection and integration/flow between parts 1 and 2 will fail. Work that has limited evidence of personalising the challenges and providing evidence of the claims in progressions made will fail. 

Above all, work that does not show how the learning has resulted in more professional and scholarly leadership considering strategic choices and financial management to be aware of what it takes to perform at a senior level where strategic choices to support growth can be paradoxical, complex and involving multiple tensions will fail.