At a glance

Duration: Minimum 12 months, maximum 3 years.

Delivery Method: 100% online via OnlineCampus (an interactive online learning environment) with intensive class discussion and collaboration.

The York Business School MBA Innovation, Leadership and Consulting is a dynamic programme that focuses on developing practical skills that will enable you to lead change in your organisation, develop skills as an entrepreneur and deliver innovation. The programme is designed to develop tools and leadership skills needed to successfully manage innovation projects and programmes and acquire skills in a wide range of creativity and innovation processes and techniques. This programme will be of interest to you if you are a career professional who wishes to develop your skills in leading innovation and change, or you are currently supporting innovation and change in the work place or in the community.

The overall aim of the programme is to enable you to develop your critical understanding of the issues relating to leading innovation and change and consulting, so that you may enhance your leadership skills to develop sustainable individual and organisational potential. The programme brings together relevant contemporary academic theory and research with practical understanding of activities within organisations. You will explore issues that have significant impact within organisations by working with others and building on both their experiences and your own.

The programme provides opportunities for you to work with other leaders and potential leaders of innovation and change. This will be developed by enabling you to share knowledge, relate this to theories developed from relevant research, and learning by practical application.

Much of the learning is developed through the establishment of collaborative learning communities of programme participants and tutors – and you will become part of that community of learning. Your understanding is developed around the key skills, processes and practices of leadership, innovation and consulting. Solutions to real problems are suggested, discussed and analysed within the learning community with the support of tutors and fellow learners.

The programme is international in its design and engages with themes on an international basis. Many different cultural contexts are utilised to help provide the setting for discussions.

On completion of the programme, you will be able to critically evaluate a range of theories and models relating to organisations, leadership, innovation and change, and consulting and apply these to real life situations in order to inform your decision making. The network that you will develop over the duration of the programme often continues to be a supportive and strong community of practice post-graduation.

York St John University

This programme is offered in exclusive partnership with the York St John University.

York St John University received the University title and degree awarding powers by Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council in 2006.

The University is fully recognised by the British Government and duly listed on the United Kingdom’s Department for Education list of recognised UK awarding institutions. You can verify their official University status directly at the UK Government Website.

After successfully completing your studies online at Robert Kennedy College you will receive an Internationally recognised British degree from York St John University.

Admission Requirements

You must meet the University’s general entry criteria for postgraduate study. In addition, you must have:

bachelor’s degree or equivalent, achieved at Class 2.2 or above, from an approved University or Institution;

and

current or recent work experience (within the last two years) appropriate to enable you to contribute to the programme;

or

Entry via Open Access Module If you have extensive work experience appropriate to enable you to contribute to the programme you can gain entry to the programme through the APEL (Accredited Prior Experiential Learning) process. This should be demonstrated via the application form and a CV and will enable you to enter the programme via the Open Access Module MMK009 Mastering Strategic Consulting. If passed, this module will provide the required evidence for you to join the full programme and the credits will count towards your Master’s degree.

YSJU in exceptional cases reserve the right to interview applicants directly to help clarify their eligibility, as appropriate. When this is the case, interviews would normally be conducted virtually.

If your first language is not English, you need to take an IELTS test or an equivalent qualification accepted by the University. You might be able to demonstrate English Language capability through work based references.

If you do not have traditional qualifications, you may be eligible for entry on the basis of Accredited Prior (Experiential) Learning (APL/APEL).

Programme Outline

Introductory Not-for-credit

Induction

This is the first module of the programme which gives an orientation to the course and the online learning style. It does not carry credits, and students are encouraged to go through the material in this module at their own pace and get accustomed to the online medium.

Stage 1

120 credits - Four taught modules

Core

Mastering Strategic Consulting
Leading Innovation and Change
Building and Leading High Performing Teams
Successful Strategic Thinking

Stage 2

60 credits - Individual dissertation

Research Methods Live Class

One week intensive live lectures online to prepare for your final dissertation. Capstone Project
Supervised dissertation work.

Tuition Fees

12,000 CHF (Swiss Francs). This fee includes online library access (including ebooks), OnlineCampus access, graduation fees, and University matriculation fees. Fees are payable in interest free instalments, however, the programme is not eligible for UK Postgraduate Loans for Master’s Study. The fees are for the entire programme, and include all the courses as well as supervision for the final dissertation.

Module Description

Induction Not-for-credit module

This is the first module of the programme which gives an orientation to the course and the online learning style. It does not carry credits, and students are encouraged to go through the material in this module at their own pace and get accustomed to the online medium.

Leading Innovation and Change

The aim of this module is to explore concepts and theories concerning how sustainable innovation and change may be achieved. The module will include analyses of the leadership of innovation and change in different contexts. In addition, participants will be encouraged to use their own experience of leadership, innovation and change to inform discussion, enquiry, critical thinking and reflection.

Building and Leading High Performing Teams

The aim of this module is to appraise critically theories of teams, teamworking and how leadership may be exercised in teams. The module will focus on issues of how effective and creative teams can be developed and maintained in organisations, to achieve a high level of performance. Consideration will be given to enduring teams, such as strategic senior leadership teams, as well as temporary teams – such as project teams – and also teams that cross departmental and organisational boundaries, and virtual teams. The module will include an analysis of a team or teams in an organisation, or organisations, of the participant’s choice. Participants will be encouraged to use their own experience of team membership to inform their enquiry and critical thinking.

Mastering Strategic Consulting

The aim of the module is to build awareness and understanding of the main theoretical and empirical frameworks associated with management consultancy in order to develop an understanding of the key characteristics of the consultancy industry, its market, and the distinguishing features of successful consultancy projects. Participants will develop a critical appreciation of the complexity of relationships and tensions associated with developing and implementing successful consultancy projects. The module will also consider the role of management consulting and consultants in contemporary business and society. Participants will also be encouraged to use their own experience to inform discussion, enquiry, critical thinking and reflection.

Successful Strategic Thinking

The aim of the module is to build awareness and understanding of strategic thinking and strategic leadership and their contribution to sustainable organisational performance by reviewing relevant theories, models and concepts. Participants will develop a critical appreciation of the complexity of relationships and tensions associated with developing and implementing strategy. They will be encouraged to use their own experience to inform discussion, enquiry, critical thinking and reflection.

aims

Aims and Learning Outcomes

The overall aim of the programme is to develop your critical understanding and self-awareness of the issues relating to innovation, leadership and consulting, so that you may develop your own leadership skills and knowledge, and develop both your individual and organisational potential. You will be supported as you:

develop critical awareness and understanding of the key concepts of leadership, innovation and change, consulting, organisational strategy, and national and organisational culture;
develop the ability to connect theory with practice in creative and innovative ways and reflect upon the learning involved as well as the outcomes;
develop critical awareness and understanding of the impact that leadership, strategy and culture can have on innovation and change processes within organisations;
develop and enhance life-long learning skills and personal development in order to work with self-direction and originality.

Programme learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the programme, students will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

1.1 Develop a systematic, integrated and critically aware understanding of processes of leadership, innovation and change in organisations;

1.2 formulate a critical awareness of current issues relating to leadership, innovation and change, informed by leading edge research and practice;

1.3 will have acquired a deep knowledge and critical understanding of theories of leadership, ethics, sustainability, strategy, culture, innovation and change in organisations;

Cognitive and Thinking Skills

2.1 evaluate and integrate theory and practice in a wide range of situations;

2.2 extrapolate information critically and creatively utilising appropriate decision making

2.3 apply appropriate techniques in order to solve problems and identify and evaluate options

2.4 demonstrate the effective synthesis and analysis of information and knowledge in order to extract meaning and understanding of practical challenges;

Practical/Professional Skills

3.1 demonstrating originality, insight, and critical and reflective abilities which can be brought to bear upon problem situations;

3.2 judge complex issues systematically and creatively, with the ability to develop sound analyses whilst dealing with incomplete data;

3.3 the ability to make decisions and communicate them clearly in complex and unpredictable organisational contexts;

Key Transferable Skills

4.1 demonstrate the ability to use and share knowledge and information effectively to articulate key concepts and abstract meaning;

4.2 apply technological skills and research strategies in effective management decision-making;

4.3 be self-directed in the ability to learn independently in a way that ensures continuing professional development;

4.4 develop academic writing skills to share understanding and new ideas

In addition, on successful completion of the programme, participants will have provided evidence of being able to:

5.1 demonstrate an advanced understanding of concepts, information and techniques informed by knowledge at the forefront of the study of leadership, ethics, sustainability, innovation and change;

5.2 exhibit in-depth, critical, specialist knowledge and mastery of techniques sufficient to allow detailed investigation into issues related to leadership, innovation and change;

5.3 design, conduct, analyse and disseminate an extended independent piece of research relevant to leadership and/or innovation/change from inception to completion.

5.4 take a proactive, independent and self- reflective role in working and developing professional relationships with others;

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