Overview
In this unit students will consider theories of communication within and between organisations. An emphasis will be placed on safety by organisations and its incorporation into the broader organisational culture. The factors which influence the quality and validity of decision making within all levels of organisations, such as, values, mindfulness, culture, adaptive systems, participation and leadership will be considered. Students will explore the characteristics of 'healthy' and 'resilient' organisations and evaluate the theories that underpin resilience in organisations such as resilience engineering, safety culture and high reliability organisations; and discuss the usefulness of the theories to practice. Students will also have the opportunity to evaluate the usefulness of the tools and methods available to measure and monitor factors that affect resilience in organisations such as safety culture.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-requisite:- AINV11002
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2018
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Term 2 2017 Have Your Say Survey.
Some students found the volume and organisation of the content in this unit challenging.
A review of the unit materials will be conducted by the teaching team prior to the next offering to ensure that the volume and organisation are appropriate to maximise the student experience.
- Explore the characteristics of resilient organisations.
- Define a ‘healthy’ organisation.
- Evaluate the theories that underpin resilience in organisations such as resilience engineering, safety culture and high reliability organisations; and discuss the usefulness of the theories to practice.
- Discern those factors which influence the quality and validity of decision making within all levels of organisations, such as, values, mindfulness, culture, adaptive systems, participation and leadership.
- Compare controversial terms related to safety and culture and the ongoing debate underlying these precepts and relationships.
- Evaluate the usefulness of the tools and methods available to measure and monitor factors that affect resilience in organisations such as safety culture.
Nil at this time but congruent with the new Body of Knowledge released by the Australian OHS Education Board.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 20% | ||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||
| 3 - Portfolio - 40% | ||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 20% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Portfolio - 40% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
Managing the Unexpected: Sustained Performance in a Complex World
Edition: Third (2015)
Authors: Karl E. Weick and Kathleen M. Sutcliffe
Wiley
USA
ISBN: 978-1-118-86241-4
Binding: Paperback
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
k.klockner@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
An Introduction to Critical Reading
High Reliability Organisations (HROs) - Early Theory Underpinnings
Chapter
Prescribed Readings Supplied via Moodle
Text Book Chapter 1
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
High Reliability Organisations (HROs) - Current Theory
Chapter
Prescribed Readings Supplied via Moodle
Text Book Chapter 2
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Resilience Engineering
Chapter
Prescribed Readings Supplied via Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Resilience Engineering v Organisational Resilience - Conflict or Conversion?
Chapter
Prescribed Readings Supplied via Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The Five Principles of Resilience - Organisational Mindfulness and Mindful Organising
Chapter
Prescribed Readings Supplied via Moodle
Text Book Chapters 3 - 7
Events and Submissions/Topic
Critical Reading Due: Week 5 Friday (10 Aug 2018) 11:55 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Safety Culture and Safety Climate
Chapter
Prescribed Readings Supplied via Moodle
Start Text Book Chapter 8
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Organisational Resilience Strategy and Leadership
Chapter
Prescribed Readings Supplied via Moodle
Finish Text Book Chapter 8
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Prescribed Readings Supplied via Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Organisational Surveys Report Due: Week 8 Friday (7 Sept 2018) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Safety I and Safety II - Erik Hollnagel's Potentials for Resilience in Organisations
Hollnagel's FRAM Concepts/Context of Event
Chapter
Prescribed Readings Supplied via Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Prescribed Readings Supplied via Moodle
Text Book Chapter 9
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Integrating concepts from this unit into your evidence-based professional practice
Chapter
Prescribed Readings Supplied via Moodle
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Organisational Resilience Review - drawing it all together
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Literature Review Due: Week 12 Friday (5 Oct 2018) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Student's distance learning will be supported by a recorded non-compulsory (evening) weekly Zoom session which will encompass a mini lecture covering the material being presented for the week and allow time for a catch up/chat session and / or assessment help.
1 Online Quiz(zes)
You are required to complete a critical reading assessment in order to enhance your critical reading skills.
This assessment item requires you to critically read, reflect on and comment on two readings and will form part of the skills you will learn as an emerging professional.
You will be asked to reflect on the theories and research which make up the notions of both High Reliability Organisations (HROs) and Resilience Engineering as concepts which inform organisational practices of safety, reliability and resilience.
1
Week 5 Friday (10 Aug 2018) 11:55 pm AEST
Week 6 Friday (24 Aug 2018)
Your online quiz post will be marked on the your ability to:-
(a) Convey reflection on the two topics being discussed (10%); and
(b) Deliver a view point or opinion which demonstrates critical thinking (10%)
A detailed assessment rubric will be provided in Moodle during the term.
- Explore the characteristics of resilient organisations.
- Define a ‘healthy’ organisation.
- Evaluate the theories that underpin resilience in organisations such as resilience engineering, safety culture and high reliability organisations; and discuss the usefulness of the theories to practice.
- Discern those factors which influence the quality and validity of decision making within all levels of organisations, such as, values, mindfulness, culture, adaptive systems, participation and leadership.
- Compare controversial terms related to safety and culture and the ongoing debate underlying these precepts and relationships.
- Evaluate the usefulness of the tools and methods available to measure and monitor factors that affect resilience in organisations such as safety culture.
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
2 Written Assessment
This assessment enables students to gain experience in reviewing and assessing workplace survey tools used to measure an aspect of organisational culture.
You will be presented with several surveys, from which you are required to choose one for review. You will analyse and review the appropriateness of the survey's application in real-world practice.
You are required to:
(a) Recognise the purpose of the survey and its history/relevance to current theory;
(b) Understand when and how the survey would be used in real-world applications;
(c) Evaluate how the meaning of any results obtained by use of such surveys might inform strategic leadership decision making;
(d) Discuss your own thinking (opinions, questions, decisions, thoughts) on the usefulness of the survey (ie how well it is measuring the concept it is supposed to be measuring);
(e) Discuss your own final view on the usefulness of the survey from a safety professional viewpoint, based on what you have discovered in your reading this term; and
(f) Reference appropriate material to support (evidence) your written arguments.
Week 8 Friday (7 Sept 2018) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 10 Friday (21 Sept 2018)
(a) Recognise the purpose of the survey and its history/relevance to current theory (20%);
(b) Understand when and how the survey would be used in real-world applications (20%);
(c) Evaluate how the meaning of any results obtained by use of such surveys might inform strategic leadership decision making (20%);
(d) Discuss your own thinking (opinions, questions, decisions, thoughts) on the usefulness of the survey (ie how well it is measuring the concept it is supposed to be measuring) (20%);
(e) Discuss your own final view on the usefulness of the survey from a safety professional viewpoint, based on what you have discovered in your reading this term (15%); and
(f) Reference appropriate material to support (evidence) your written arguments (5%).
A detailed assessment rubric will be provided in Moodle during the term.
- Explore the characteristics of resilient organisations.
- Define a ‘healthy’ organisation.
- Evaluate the theories that underpin resilience in organisations such as resilience engineering, safety culture and high reliability organisations; and discuss the usefulness of the theories to practice.
- Discern those factors which influence the quality and validity of decision making within all levels of organisations, such as, values, mindfulness, culture, adaptive systems, participation and leadership.
- Compare controversial terms related to safety and culture and the ongoing debate underlying these precepts and relationships.
- Evaluate the usefulness of the tools and methods available to measure and monitor factors that affect resilience in organisations such as safety culture.
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
3 Portfolio
In every good safety researcher’s toolbox is the ability to review past and current research with a view to answering key questions. Evidence-informed practice is undertaken by reviewing key research findings (evidence) which then inform decisions around safety practices.
In this assessment, you will be introduced to the concept of how to carry out and write a Literature Review which is a key skill in any safety portfolio.
A literature review is a critical look at an area of interest from its early theory underpinnings up to current theoretical concepts and research findings to enable you to make informed decisions and gain knowledge about current issues or gaps in current research.
Choose one of the topics below. You are required to prepare a literature review which investigates the topic with a view to being able to answer the question being asked:-
- Organisational Resilience - Do all organisations have the potential to be resilient as proposed by Hollnagel's Safety II concepts?
- Resilience Engineering and Organisational Resilience - What does the current debate tell you about these resilience concepts being the same or different?
- The 5 Principles of Collective Mindfulness - What is understood about how these principles work to enable organisations to be resilient?
- Safety Culture - How can organisations and the leaders within those organisations increase safety culture?
- Strategic Safety Leadership for Managing the Unexpected - What should leaders being doing to manage complex system emergence?
- The 5th Age of Safety - Where have we been and where are we going from a safety professional point of view?
You are required to search and find both relevant and the latest information and research on your chosen topic.
You are also required to incorporate in your writing how the answers you are proposing can translate into evidence-based practice for you, the safety professional.
The literature review should include a minimum of 10 peer reviewed journal articles and should be 3500 words.
If you have any doubt as to what is required for this assessment please ensure that you post your questions in the Q&A Section on the Moodle site, under Assessment 3 Questions for clarification.
Week 12 Friday (5 Oct 2018) 11:45 pm AEST
Exam Week Friday (19 Oct 2018)
The following guide is to be used for grading your submission:-
- Comprehension, discussion and critical review of the theory via an examination of the past and current writing and research on the subject. It would be expected that you will reference at least 10 journal articles to support your writing (30%)
- Evaluation of the review findings and how you critically view those findings to answering the major question under review (30%)
- Demonstrate the ability to write about the transfer of knowledge from the literature review findings/results into safety practice as evidence-informed based practice skills (30%)
- Uses correct Harvard style referencing to support academic writing (10%)
A detailed marking matrix will be provided in Moodle.
- Explore the characteristics of resilient organisations.
- Define a ‘healthy’ organisation.
- Evaluate the theories that underpin resilience in organisations such as resilience engineering, safety culture and high reliability organisations; and discuss the usefulness of the theories to practice.
- Discern those factors which influence the quality and validity of decision making within all levels of organisations, such as, values, mindfulness, culture, adaptive systems, participation and leadership.
- Compare controversial terms related to safety and culture and the ongoing debate underlying these precepts and relationships.
- Evaluate the usefulness of the tools and methods available to measure and monitor factors that affect resilience in organisations such as safety culture.
- Critical Thinking
- Team Work
- Cross Cultural Competence
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
