Why Study Leading Organizational Change
The Leading Organizational Change Graduate Certificate is a professionally oriented program that responds to the dynamic needs of students working in or preparing for rapidly changing professional environments and expectations. The fully online nature of the program appeals to students in many professions and locations.
This program will appeal to students interested in learning to create and manage workplace change to optimize organizational outcomes. Professionals most frequently served by the Leading Organizational Change Graduate Certificate program include, but are not limited to, individuals working in or aspiring to work in corporations, small businesses, information technology, mass media, government, non-profit organizations, social services, health care, and education.
In this dynamic program, the curriculum addresses the influence of an organizational culture and climate on organizational change, the impact of strategic planning on implementing change, and the importance of social influence processes for supporting change and minimizing resistance to change. In order to best serve the needs of our students, APSU offers the Leading Organizational Change Graduate Certificate in a fully online format. Students enjoy small class sizes and opportunities to apply all coursework from this graduate certificate toward the Master of Science in Leadership degree if desired.
Students with an undergraduate degree from any discipline are invited to apply for admission. Nationally, employers continue to report that college graduates are prepared for work with technical skills in their field, but often lack in soft skills, such as leading change. This program serves students who wish to bridge that gap and improve those skills. Students who are responsible for (or are preparing for a role in which they will be responsible for) creating change in the workplace will be able to highlight these skills on their transcripts and resumes to show potential employers that they are well-versed in change management.
Admission Requirements
For information related to admission requirements please visit the graduate bulletin.
What Will I Learn
- Compare and contrast major models and theories of organizational change.
- Outline a strategy for implementing organizational change.
- Identify factors impacting resistance to change and strategies to overcome them.
- Define organizational culture and ways to assess it.
- Explain the origins of culture and the impact it has on organizational change.
- Define organizational strategy including the internal and external factors that drive strategy creation and implementation.
- Identify key stakeholders and how they influence strategy development and execution.
- Explain the role of the leader in change management.
- Explain the functions and consequences of attitudes for enacting organizational change.
- Outline the fundamental principles of persuasive communication.