Leading Change in a Complex World

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

120 hours

150 credit points of undergraduate study

None

• Ability to work in groups
• Knowledge of sustainability principles
• Ability to reflect
• Writing, speaking and research skills

None

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

How do you develop personal and professional practice that actively contributes to creating sustainable environments for future generations? This subject will prepare you for work and broader life challenges, where you may be called upon to lead or manage what are often called ‘wicked problems’. Examples include challenges in the areas of sustainable resource, energy and water production and usage; restoring and improving urban infrastructure; responding to climate variability. In these situations there are incomplete or contradictory requirements that are interdependent. Further, the range of stakeholders will likely have very different views of the ‘problem’ and will tend to change their minds with emerging circumstances. The ‘problem definition’ may not be agreed until a solution is formulated and attempts to solve these types of problems typically cause further ramifications

Through a four stage process, you will work with other students in your tutorial class to explore a problem from various stakeholder perspectives and from various disciplinary perspectives. You will then consider a range of “solutions” in order to make a recommendation for action

On completion of this subject students should be able to:

• Show evidence of grappling with complex problems through the lenses of your own and others' perspectives
• Demonstrate increasing self-awareness, including being able to articulate the things that shape your thinking
• Demonstrate tolerance and awareness of other viewpoints, including to create new viewpoints (different foci, criteria)
• Demonstrate confidence and flexibility in dealing with uncertainty
• Demonstrate learning consultative skills with stakeholders
• Demonstrate the ability to make a case to lead change, taking into account your own and others’ perspectives
• Demonstrate the use and integration of the knowledge developed over the course of your degree

• This subject requires active, on-time, weekly class participation (20%)

• Develop and present a change initiative proposal, demonstrating leadership and community engagement (group task). This will require intermediate milestones every 3-4 weeks, including stakeholder analysis (individual task), creative development of alternative initiatives (individual task), and evaluation of these initiatives (40%)

• Weekly Reflective Journal entries demonstrating personal learning, including a critical review in weeks 6 and 12 and presented as an e-portfolio (40%)

TBA

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Biomedicine
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Engineering

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

• Leadership potential through practising, initiating and implementing constructive change
• Approaches to dealing with uncertainty
• Knowledge across and between the disciplines
• Understanding of social and cultural diversity – including Indigenous cultures; valuing different cultures
• Global citizenship skills by advocating for improving the sustainability of the environment