Mark Scheme – Assignment

Level 6 Leading Strategic Change

General overview – word count

The recommended minimum word count is 3,500 words. Anything above +10% (3,850 words) will not be marked.
Appendices and reference list are excluded from the word count and will not be marked.

Context
Choose a company (or context) with which you are familiar. It can be a real company or a fictional company (a small
company that is not well known or a large national / multinational / global company).

Provide one page (up to 200 words) with background information on your chosen company:

▪ Name of the organisation

▪ Size of organisation
▪ Main markets where it operates (geographical locations)
▪ Examples of products and services
▪ Key competitors

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Assignment tasks
Task 1 – 25 marks - 850 words

a. Critically discuss the opportunities in your chosen organisation for ethical and values-based leadership. (13 marks)
b. Explain the potential barriers to the introduction of improved diversity management in your organisation and how
they might be addressed. (12 marks)

Task Indicative content Total

1a • Ethical leadership i.e. Henry’s ‘Roadblocks’ to ethical leadership behaviours and ethical
leadership as a strategic issue model (2009)
• Values-based leadership, i.e. Barrett’s Seven levels of leadership model – this puts a focus on
community and the sharing of ethical values and vision as a priority
• Other leadership approaches such as Goffee and Jones’ Authentic leadership modes could be
applied in this discussion
• Henry’s roadblocks include: 1. Professional and social pressures, 2. Pursuit of pleasure, 3. Desire
for power, 4. Pride and the need to be a winner at any cost, and 5. Conflicting priorities 13
Level Mark Descriptor
0 No rewardable material
1 1-5 • Lack of, limited, or incomplete knowledge and understanding of opportunities for ethical and
values-based leadership
• Limited ability to make connection between chosen organisation and ethical and values-based
leadership
• Lack of ability to present a balanced discussion
2 6-9 • Sound knowledge and understanding of meaning of opportunities for ethical and values-based
leadership
• Sound ability to make connection between chosen organisation and ethical and values-based
leadership
• Sound ability to present a balanced discussion
3 10-13 • Extensive knowledge and understanding of meaning of opportunities for ethical and values-
based leadership
• Extensive ability to make connection between chosen organisation and ethical and values-based
leadership
• Extensive ability to present a balanced discussion

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Task Indicative content Total
1b • Managing diversity can be seen as planning and implementing organizational systems and
practices to manage people so that the potential advantages of diversity are maximised while its
potential disadvantages are minimised
• Consider ethnicity as a particular issue for the workforce
• The organisation should have relevant policies and integrated strategy for diversity management 12
Level Mark Descriptor
0 No rewardable material
1 1-5 • Lack of, limited or incomplete knowledge and understanding of the potential barriers to the
introduction of improved diversity management
• Limited ability to address these barriers
• Lack of ability to present a balanced discussion
2 6-9 • Sound knowledge and understanding of meaning of the potential barriers to the introduction of
improved diversity management
• Sound ability to address these barriers
• Sound ability to present a balanced discussion
3 10-12 • Extensive knowledge and understanding of meaning of the potential barriers to the introduction
of improved diversity management
• Extensive ability to address these barriers
• Extensive ability to present a balanced discussion

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Task 2 – 25 marks - 850 words

In order to answer this task, you are required to briefly describe a change within your chosen organisation, for example,
a restructure or a new product.
Critically discuss the importance of planning and communicating the change process in your chosen organisation.
Refer to a theoretical model of change and outline a communication plan.

Task Indicative content Total

2 • Lewin’s unfreezing/transition/refreezing or his Force Field Analysis model, Beckhard, Harris and
Pritchard’s Change Equation formula, or Kotter’s 8-step model could all be used as theoretical
change models to illustrate the discussion.
• The discussion should explain the role of resistance to change and how effective and timely
communication can demonstrate dissatisfaction with the status quo, and the desirability and
practicality of the change to overcome resistance.
• Strategic change needs to be led by the senior management but the process must involve all
stakeholders.
• The communication plan should include how the new policy will be communicated, what the key
messages will be, to which stakeholders and through which communication channels plus some
estimation of time period.
• There would be a need to communicate both internally and externally with distinct messages,
which, although consistent with each other, have to be distinctly separated for key stakeholder
groups. 25
Level Mark Descriptor
0 No rewardable material
1 1-9 • Demonstrates limited knowledge and understanding of planning and communicating the
change process; there may be gaps or omissions
• Uses limited theory with some development
• Response is not related to the chosen organisation
2 10-14 • Demonstrates basic knowledge and understanding of planning and communicating the change
process within chosen organisation with few omissions
• Uses adequate theory with some development
• Discussion lacks clarity and order
3 15-18 • Demonstrates appropriate knowledge and understanding of planning and communicating the
change process within chosen organisation with few omissions
• Uses a good amount of theory references with sound development
• The response is presented in a logical order and provides a clear discussion
4 19-25 • Demonstrates cohesive and thorough knowledge and understanding of planning and
communicating the change process within chosen organisation; with no gaps or omissions
• Uses an extensive amount of theory references with in-depth development
• Discussion is provided in detail and supported by extended reasoning

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Task 3 – 25 marks - 850 words

a. Produce an impact analysis of the change identified in Task 2, on key groups of stakeholders. (13 marks)
b. Discuss methods the organisation could use to monitor these impacts through the period of change. (12 marks)

Task Indicative content Total

3a • Impact analysis of organisational change on stakeholders (positive/neutral/negative impact)
• This involves initially determining who the key stakeholder groups are – in particular breaking
down staff and management groups into local and European staff as well as breakdown by level
of responsibility. Government may also be considered as a stakeholder group, possibly local
pressure groups or political groups and European corporate owners. Both internal and external
stakeholders must be considered.
• Individual stakeholder groups should be assessed by the amount of power and amount of
interest they will have in the process of change described. This would ideally produce a
power/interest matrix, which would then be used to propose which groups would have most
impact on the change process.
• Many answers to this impact analysis will be acceptable provided there is evidence of
understanding the key concept and its application to the chosen organisation. 13
Level Mark Descriptor
0 No rewardable material
1 1-5 • Lack of, limited, or incomplete knowledge and understanding of the change on key groups of
stakeholders
• Limited ability to make connection between chosen organisation and change, produce
appropriate impact analysis
• Lack of ability to present a balanced analysis
2 6-9 • Sound knowledge and understanding of the change on key groups of stakeholders
• Sound ability to make connection between chosen organisation and change, and produce
appropriate impact analysis
• Sound ability to present a balanced analysis
3 10-13 • Extensive knowledge and understanding of the change on key groups of stakeholders
• Extensive ability to make connection between chosen organisation and change, and produce
appropriate impact analysis
• Extensive ability to present a balanced analysis

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Task Indicative content Total
3b • Methods to ensure stakeholder expectations or requirements are met during or at completion of
the change process include communication plans, briefings, online communications and training.
• Stakeholder expectations and requirements may be monitored through surveys, focus groups
and other research initiatives.
• The role of Black Economic Empowerment as a policy should be recognised and understood in
relation to a range of disadvantaged ethnic groups. 12
Level Mark Descriptor
0 No rewardable material
1 1-5 • Lack of, limited, or incomplete knowledge and understanding of appropriate methods of
monitoring impacts during the period of change for the selected organisation
• Lack of ability to present a balanced discussion
2 6-9 • Adequate knowledge and understanding of methods of monitoring impacts during the period of
change for the selected organisation
• Adequate ability to present a balanced discussion
3 10-12 • Extensive knowledge and understanding of methods of monitoring impacts during the period of
change for the selected organisation
• Extensive ability to present a balanced discussion

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Task 4 – 25 marks - 850 words

a. Critically analyse the leadership skills and competencies required by senior staff in the organisation to drive the
change. (13 marks)
b. Examine how these skills and competencies could be further developed. (12 marks)

Task Indicative content Total

4a • Change management skills and competency frameworks to be discussed in relation to this senior
manager.
• Explanations of the following competencies would be expected: understanding change, planning
change, managing resistance to change and implementing change.
• Discussion of skills may include personal resilience, trust-building, networking, coaching, forcing
clarity, managing others’ uncertainty, organisation and follow-through.
• Other credible skills and competencies can be credited, although simply discussing skills for
general leadership would be insufficient as the answer should relate to change management. 13
Level Mark Descriptor
0 No rewardable material
1 1-5 • Lack of, limited, or incomplete knowledge and understanding of change management skills and
competency frameworks
• Limited ability to make connection between chosen organisation going through change and
appropriate leadership skills and competencies
• Lack of ability to present a balanced analysis
2 6-9 • Sound knowledge and understanding of meaning of change management skills and
competency frameworks
• Sound ability to make connection between chosen organisation going through change and
appropriate leadership skills and competencies
• Sound ability to present a balanced analysis
3 10-13 • Extensive knowledge and understanding of meaning of change management skills and
competency frameworks
• Extensive ability to make connection between chosen organisation going through change and
appropriate leadership skills and competencies
• Extensive ability to present a balanced analysis

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Task Indicative content Total
4b • Supporting the development of change management skills may require performance review,
360-feedback, psychometric testing etc. to establish development needs.
• Such assessment will need to be followed up by coaching, mentoring or training or a
combination to support the senior manager through a turbulent period. Resources will play a
part in the decision as some methods will be more costly than others. 12
Level Mark Descriptor
0 No rewardable material
1 1-5 • Lack of, limited, or incomplete knowledge and understanding of how these skills and
competencies could be further developed
• Lack of ability to present a balanced discussion
2 6-9 • Adequate knowledge and understanding of methods of how these skills and competencies
could be further developed
• Adequate ability to present a balanced discussion
3 10-12 • Extensive knowledge and understanding of methods of how these skills and competencies could
be further developed
• Extensive ability to present a balanced discussion

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