Postgraduate Course: Inter-organisational Working and Collaboration (fusion online) (EFIE11113)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh Futures Institute |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course explores the dynamics of inter-organisational working at the individual and organisational level of service design and delivery organisations. It examines the implications of collaboration for service management and design in both digital and analogue service environments. |
| Course description |
This course draws on Service Management, Organisational Behaviour and Service Design theory to explore and understand the dynamics of inter-personal collaboration and inter-organisational working and their implications for service management and design.
The course is comprised on three main elements:
1) Pre-intensive independent learning (including a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous content).
This will be comprised of the following four elements:
(i) two podcasts comprising a short pre-recorded introduction, detailing an overview of the course and the requirements of the assignment; and a lecture introducing the key element and concepts of collaboration theory
(ii) two podcasts from practitioners, with one discussing the role of relational capital and relationship management and the other discussing collaboration in a virtual environment;
(iii) a pack of nine papers from which course participants should select four to read;
(iv) a seminar to discuss the learning materials and to allocate participants into groups for the intensive days.
2) Two-day intensive course.
This will comprise of a mixture of lecture content/discussion seminars and group activities which will be highly collaborative in nature.
The first day will build on the pre-intensive content to explore collaboration in more depth. It will start with a lecture/discussion seminar which will focus on relationships at the inter-personal level, through the lens of relational capital. It will also explore the roles that participants play in teams and collaborations (asynchronous students will watch a recording of this followed by a tutorial on the content with a TA). A facilitated group exercise will then be conducted to allow course participants to engage in, observe and evaluate individual roles in collaborative relationships (asynchronous students will observe the exercise and then discuss it with the TA).
In the second half of the day, the focus will be on relationships at the organisational level and the concept of 'collaborative advantage'. A scene-setting seminar will be followed by a group activity using a case study to apply the theory on inter-organisational relationships to practice. The case will be presented by a senior practitioner - and they will subsequently contribute to the plenary discussion of the case. The asynchronous students will watch the seminar as a podcast and then discuss with the TA in an asynchronous format.
The second day will be used to prepare and conduct the group presentation, which forms the basis for the summative assignment. The morning session will start with a presentation of the process and ideas of stakeholder engagement, followed by two cases of inter-organisational collaboration offered by practitioners - one from the public and one from the private sector. Course participants will then work in groups to develop a resolution of the challenges presented in one of the cases, by the application of stakeholder engagement (or an alternative approach from the course materials). These will presented back to the course tutor and the practitioners at the end of the day as a 'consultant's pitch'. Asynchronous learners will be asked to record their presentations, which will take the form of group presentations or shorter individual presentations depending on student numbers. These will be reviewed separately by the course lecturer and practitioners for feedback.
3) Post-intensive learning.
This part of the course will focus on preparation of the assignment and is comprised of three elements:
(i) course participants will be provided a pack of nine papers, from which they will select three - four to read;
(ii) participants will attend a seminar with their group members, where they will reflect on their learning, discuss their assignment and receive support/feedback from the course tutor;
(iii) Participants will also be tasked with completing a reflective questionnaire, exploring their learning during the course and their future learning needs.
The student experience will combine independent learning with group activities and collaborative activities to facilitate a supportive and active learning environment. This will include independent study, seminars, and group activities, including problem-based case studies and a presentation. The approach will also support critical reflection on collaboration and the potential implications for service delivery and design.
Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) - Online Fusion Course Delivery Information:
The Edinburgh Futures Institute will teach this course in a way that enables online and on-campus students to study together. This approach (our 'fusion' teaching model) offers students flexible and inclusive ways to study, and the ability to choose whether to be on-campus or online at the level of the individual course. It also opens up ways for diverse groups of students to study together regardless of geographical location. To enable this, the course will use technologies to record and live-stream student and staff participation during their teaching and learning activities. Students should note that their interactions may be recorded and live-streamed. There will, however, be options to control whether or not your video and audio are enabled.
As part of your course, you will need access to a personal computing device. Unless otherwise stated activities will be web browser based and as a minimum we recommend a device with a physical keyboard and screen that can access the internet.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2022/23, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 5 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
| Course Start Date |
16/01/2023 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 4,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 6,
Online Activities 6,
Formative Assessment Hours 4,
Other Study Hours 14,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
64 )
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| Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) |
Other Study: Scheduled Group-work Hours (hybrid online/on-campus) - 14
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Summative Assessment:
The course will be assessed by means of the following assessment components:
1) Reflective Report / Annex (2000 Words) (100%)
The assessment will be based upon the group work from Day 2 of the intensive course. The group or asynchronous presentation will not be assessed in its own right. Rather course participants will write an individual report to the Senior Management Team, making recommendations as to how to address the issue of collaboration identified in the case study (1,000 words). This will be accompanied by an Annex that explains how they derived their approach and its links to the existing research and theory. They must use at least one theory, for example: relational capital, collaborative advantage and/or stakeholder engagement. (1,000 words). |
| Feedback |
Feedback on the formative assessment may be provided in various formats, for example, this could include written, oral, video, face-to-face, whole class, or individual. The course organiser will decide which format is most appropriate in relation to the nature of the assessment.
Feedback on both formative and summative in-course assessed work will be provided in time to be of use in subsequent assessments within the course.
Feedback on the summative assessment will be provided in written form via Learn, the University of Edinburgh's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
Students will received feedback at various points during the course:
- During personal tutorials and group seminars.
- Though responsive email and/or personal contact with the course tutor and/or Teaching Assistant«
- Through feedback on their reflective questionnaire and orally during online and on-campus seminar sessions (formative feedback).
- By written feedback on their presentation and individual paper (summative feedback). |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Critically understand and explain theory on collaborative working, both at an individual and organisational level and its implications for service management and design.
- Critically apply and reflect on the potential for collaborative working to support collaborative advantage in service design and delivery.
- Demonstrate effective communication to different audiences, including peers.
- Demonstrate ability to take responsibility for own work and the work of others.
- Critically evaluate the impact of organisational culture upon collaborative working, in both analogue and digital environments.
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Reading List
Indicative Reading List:
C Huxham & S Vangen (2013) Managing to Collaborate (Routledge, London)
M Hansen & N Nohria (2004) 'How to Build Collaborative Advantage' MIT Sloan Management Review (46, 1)
S Vangen (2017) 'Culturally diverse collaborations: a focus on communication and shared understanding' Public Management Review (19, 3)
C Civera, S de Cole & C Casalegno (2019) 'Stakeholder engagement through empowerment: The case of coffee farmers' Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility (28, 2)
J Bryson, B Crosby & M Stone (2015) 'Designing and Implementing Cross-Sector Collaborations: Needed and Challenging' Public Administration Review (75, 5)
V Waligo, J Clarke & R Hawkins (2013) 'Implementing sustainable tourism: A multi-stakeholder involvement management framework' Tourism Management (36, June)
G Silvius & R Schipper (2019) 'Planning Project Stakeholder Engagement from a Sustainable Development Perspective' Administrative Sciences (9, 2)
Aaltonen, K. & Turkulainen, V. (2018), 'Creating relational capital through socialization in project alliances' International Journal of Operations & Production Management, (38, 6)
W Yan, E Schiehll & M Muller-Kahle (2018) 'Human and Relational Capital behind the Structural Power of Female CEOs in China' Academy of Management Proceedings (2018, 1)
Grönroos, C. (2017) 'Relationship marketing and service: An update', Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science, 27(3)
Sheth, J. (2017) 'Revitalizing relationship marketing', Journal of Services Marketing, February 31/1 |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
The learning content and the activities conducted throughout the course will equip course participants with the following graduate attributes and skills:
- Independent learning and seminars will support the use of personal and intellectual autonomy to support critical evaluation.
- Discussion sessions, group activities and group presentations will support the development of communication skills.
- Group activities and presentations will support the development of skills in analysing facts and situations and apply creative thinking to develop the appropriate solutions and by asking questions (problem solving). |
| Keywords | Collaboration,Inter-organisational Working,Relationships,Services,Design |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Katharine Aulton
Tel: (0131 6)50 8074
Email: Katharine.Aulton@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr David Murphy
Tel:
Email: dmurphy7@ed.ac.uk |
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