Details for Organisational Strategy and Innovation

This unit focuses on strategic thinking, planning, and organisational innovation. 

The unit Organisational Strategy and Innovation is part of the subject area Leadership and is offered as a part of the following Awards: Master of Arts (Christian Studies) (Alphacrucis College (NSW Dept. of Education)).

Unit Content

Curriculum Objective

Upon successful completion, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the strategic function as a means of achieving desired organizational outcomes
2. Display the ability to perform a comprehensive situational assessment for an organisation and identify the key strategic challenges
3. Demonstrate a broad understanding of the purpose and vision of an organization, how these communicate the organisation’s values and beliefs and direct strategy.
4. Demonstrate the ability to design the relevant actions, competencies, and processes necessary to achieve desired organisational outcomes
5.  Exhibit a solid understanding of the need for continuous innovation and strategic thinking for organisational sustainability and impact

Subject Content

1. Defining strategy
2. Purpose, mission, vision
3. Situational analysis and goal setting
4. Value creation
5. Strategy maps and the balanced scorecard
6. Innovation and design thinking
7. Crafting strategy
8. Implementing change 

Assessment Methods

Minor essay, case study, major essay.

Representative References

Cooper, P. “Leadership Development Framework” in Public Administration Today. (May-June 2005).

Grant, Robert M., Contemporary strategy analysis, 7th ed., Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2009.

Hawkins, G.L. and C. Parkinson. Reveal. Barrington, IL: Willow Creek Resources, 2007.

Heijden, K. van der, Scenarios: The Art of Strategic Conversation. Sussex UK: John Wiley & Sons, 2005.

Kaplan, R.S. and Norton, D.P., Strategy Maps.Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2004.

Kim, W.C. and R. Mauborgne. BlueOceanStrategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant.  Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2005.

Kotter, J.P. and Cohen, D.S., The Heart of Change. Boston: HBS Press, 2002.

Kotter, John P., A sense of urgency, Mass.: Harvard Business Press, 2008.

Mintzberg, H., Ahlstrand, B., Lampel, J. Strategy safari: the complete guide through the wilds of strategic management. New York: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008.

Niven, Paul R., Balanced scorecard step-by-step for government and nonprofit agencies, Hoboken, N.J.: J. Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2008.

Oster, S. A.O. (ed.), Generating and Sustaining Nonprofit Earned Income. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass 2004.

Pascale, R.T. “Surfing the Edge of Chaos.” Sloan Management Review 4, no.3 (Spring 1999): 83-94.

Reichheld, F. The Ultimate Question. Boston: HBS Publishing, 2006.