Title:	Leadership and Change Management in International Health
Keywords:	Self-reflexion Organisation Management
Country:	Germany
Institution:	Germany - Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University of Heidelberg
Course coordinator:	Dr. Norma Lange-Tagaza
Date start:	2025-03-10
Date end:	2025-03-21
About duration and dates:	2 weeks
Classification:	advanced optional
Mode of delivery:	Face to face
ECTS credit points:	3 ECTS credits
SIT: SIT: 90 hours 65 direct contact hours (40 hours of lectures and 25 hours of facilitated group work) and 25 hours of self-directed learning.
Language:	English
Description: The overall objective of this course is to explore advanced topics in leadership as it pertains to change management in dynamic health care environments found in low- and middle-income countries and apply these in introducing change in their organisations. Specifically, upon completion of this course, participants will be able to: 1. Formulate an action plan within the cultural, political and socio-economic contexts of their organisations to alleviate health inequity in the community 2. Discuss the need to be agile and ready to change in response to current uncertain and volatile situations facing healthcare organisations 3. Identify and explain a set of concepts and tools to lead and manage changes effectively and efficiently 4. Critically reflect on their personal values and vision and how these impact their role as leaders 5. Identify their own leadership style and how this can contribute to the development of their staff and to the achievement of organisational goals
Assessment Procedures: Course participants are expected to attend teaching sessions and actively participate in class discussions and group work. Assessment of participants’ achievement of the learning objectives will be determined by the following formula: ● 70% for written action plan (individual work = individual mark; 2,000 words; content: using Kotter’s 8 steps, participants write a plan for a specific change in their own organizations, including and considering the role of leadership for successful implementation) ● 30% for case study presentation (group work = group mark; presentation up to 30 min + 15 min discussion; every member of the group needs to present) case studies address either leadership skills or change management skills. ● 100%: Combined score for these two aspects of assessments. ● To pass the course, students need 60%. Students who do not reach the passing mark of 60% (from the combined two sets of grades as described above) have two ways to make up: 1) Redo the written action plan within one month after announcement of grade results. The passing grade for the re-written action plan will also be 70%. The grade achieved from the group presentation which has a value of 30% remains the same. 2) Take a written examination (combined essay, matching type and true or false items to be prepared by the course coordinator) within one month after announcement of the grade results and achieve at least 70% result.
Content: Module 1: Improving Organisational Performance through Change ● The nature and complexities of organisations ● Challenges of modern organisation ● The uniqueness of health care organisations Module 2: The Change Process ● The Phenomenon of change ● Strategizing approaches ● Change models o Bridging Leadership Health Change Model o Lewin three step model o Senge systemic model o ADKAR Module 3: Process of Introducing and Sustaining Change (The 8 Stages of Kotter’s Model) ● Step 1: Creating a sense of urgency ● Step 2: Forming a guiding coalition ● Step 3: Creating a vision for the change intervention ● Step 4: Communicate the Vision ● Step 5: Empowering broad-based action ● Step 6: Creating short term wins/success ● Step 7: Consolidating gains and creating more change ● Step 8: Anchoring new approaches in the culture of the organisation Module 4: Leadership and Management Theories ● Leadership and Management: Conceptual and operational differences ● Leadership theories: A historical perspectives ● Types of Leadership Module 5: Competencies in Change Process ● The Practice of Ethical Leadership ● Leading in Times of Crisis o Structural changes needed o Behavioural requirements ▪ Transformative communication ▪ Emotional Intelligence ● Leading Teams in Times of Crisis o Managing teams in times of crisis: From national strategy to team leadership o Roles of team members o Agile Leadership and how it helps us deal with crises o Women as transformative leaders in times of crisis ● Self-Mastery ● Conflict Management ● Interest-based Negotiation Module 6: Transfer of Learning ● Preparation of Case Study illustrating Change Management
Methods: The course is theory-based and practice-oriented. It is composed of individual teaching units that comprise 40 hours of interactive lecture time and 25 hours of facilitated group work. An additional 25 hours of self-directed learning is expected. Almost 90% of the course methodology uses participatory exercises, role playing, and case studies on topics covered in the curriculum from low- and middle-income countries. These will facilitate the students’ achievement of the learning objectives and demonstrate the applicability of the concepts and methods. Each session has specific objectives and short key readings which are included in the course reader. Further readings are suggested; however, they are not mandatory for the course.
Prerequisites: Participants should be health professionals and/or health? managers with a minimum of 2 years’ experience in International Health, preferably in a leadership position. Evidence of proficiency in the English language is required (6.5 IELTS or equivalent TOEFL score).
Attendance: Max participants 25 including tropEd students
Selection: Only seat availability – first come, first serve
Fees: Course fee: € 1,750 tropEd students: € 1,250
Scholarships: None available
Major changes since initial accreditation: Major changes since the last accreditation are a) the arrangement of contents into modules and b) the sequence of topics. The course, as mentioned above, starts with change and change management (Week 1: Modules 1,2, and 3) followed by leadership and management skills (Week 2: Modules 3,4,5 and 6). Module 6 is Transfer of learning in the form of case studies written by participants which then be the basis of grades
Student evaluation: Positive From 2021 course This course for me, was the second-best course after Reproductive Health, in organization, structure and content, also the group of students was great I consider that the structure of the course is very good, I would not change anything in general. We now have a structural approach to leadership challenges in the field (whether it be our own challenges or other leaders being challenged). It (the course) gives us a better way to understand and act in our daily work wherever that may be. I have actually learned so much from this course and I’d like to thank you all. Most importantly I’ve learned that change is a long-term process that does not occur over night. It takes a lot of planning and using the models we learned will hopefully help us lead our organisations through a successful path It was filled to the brim with information, it was very much a fulltime course. I really appreciated the active and participatory lectures, I think it was the best substitute for face-to-face learning that I could have wished for. Very creative in the teaching methods, and a good range of lecturers. Room for improvement The organization was perfect. The only thing I can comment on was the materials being on moodle in the same day of the lecture Specifically, she (coordinator) would modify the activities of day 9, so that they were much more practical and individual exercises to polish and sharpen the characteristics of a leader within each attendee Given the extremely high intensity of the course, group work, and individual case study, there should be more time designated within course hours for this. 30 minutes (ending at 16:30 pm) is not enough, but also this time was not met, and the sessions ended at 17:00pm anyway. I would like to suggest that everything that is expected in this course is very clear on the first day including instructions. That way you can easier listen to the explanation of the models already. There should be a bit better focus on time management since there is a clear schedule and people make appointments during break time
Lessons learned: ● Courses done virtually can also be interactive by introducing different applications like Polling, Mural, sharing of documents and Whiteboards and group discussions through breakup rooms and even role play. Students were also very creative ● Lectures should be limited and have longer breaks (30 minutes between sessions) are important. ● Professional diversity among lecturers contribute to effectivity of the course.
tropEd accreditation: Accredited in September 2005 in Lausanne, re-accredited in May 2011 and in April 2016. Re-Accredited EC Telco Dec 2020. This Accreditation is valid until December 2025.
Remarks: Description: In a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world, it is critical for leaders and managers of health care organisations to be quick to respond to disruptions and critical times and be able to manoeuvre the organisation back to stability. This task requires leaders and managers to have the knowledge, attitude and skills to manage the ensuing complexity: self-mastery, leadership skills, transformative communication, managing conflict, just to name a few. It is therefore imperative for healthcare leaders and managers to understand the phenomenon of change and how to lead and manage it. The first week of the course will deal with organisational change management: understanding organisations, theories of change and change models, strategies for introducing change. Focus will be on Kotter’s 8 steps of introducing change The second week focuses on skills needed to introduce and manage change initiatives. A greater emphasis will be put on self-mastery and on skills in managing in times of crisis. As in the past courses, a diverse teaching team – in terms of professional experience in the field of health and organizational development, gender, generation – will be engaged to facilitate the learning process.
Email Address:	anne-kathrin.fabricius@uni-heidelberg.de
Date Of Record Creation:	2012-01-10 02:00:20 (W3C-DTF)
Date Of Record Release:	2012-01-10 08:14:44 (W3C-DTF)
Date Record Checked:	2022-01-21 (W3C-DTF)
Date Last Modified:	2024-10-16 07:36:42 (W3C-DTF)