LD7139 - Critical Management Inquiry

You will learn through a series of experiential learning sessions where you will be guided in the understanding of key aspects of research design and practice. You will learn how management knowledge is generated through research design and how this knowledge influences workplace practice through the publication and dissemination of results. In each session, an experienced practitioner academic will introduce the key underlying theoretical concepts of the techniques to be covered but the emphasis will be on rigorous practical exploration of techniques for interrogating data to reach meaningful and practical conclusions.

Importantly, you will also learn at work, through reflecting on your experiences and applying your knowledge from the module to your practice in the workplace. During the workshops you will be encouraged to discuss the theories and concepts with your tutors and your peers to understand how these relate to your own work-based experiences. The module will provide directed activities to enable you to transfer the learning into your workplace and provide an opportunity for you to apply and evidence the development of your own professional practice.

Finally, for those on the SLMDA route, there will be an opportunity for you to reflect and review your learning with your workplace mentor and executive coach.

You will be supported primarily by the module tutor, who will be available for guidance and consultation about the module and its requirements. A teaching and learning plan and module Blackboard site will also be used extensively to support learning, set out the schedule of work and provide materials. Less formally, all members of the teaching team will provide support and assistance in the taught sessions. Given the practical nature of the work, there will be ample opportunity for discussion and provision of formative feedback in the class contact time.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
On completion of this module you will be able to:
1. Have a critical understanding of how management research is generated, presented and disseminated to inform workplace practice.
2. Have a critical understanding of the ethical principles underpinning business research.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
On completion of this module you will be able to:
3. Be able to critically evaluate management thinking and knowledge in terms of research rigour and design.


Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
On completion of this module you will be able to:

4. Demonstrate intellectual curiosity, exploring theory and research broadly and not merely in pursuit of tackling a specific problem

Formative assessment: Regular feedback will be provided by the module teaching team.

Summative assessment:
A 3,000 word individual critical synopsis of a management ‘fad or fashion’ that has relevance to your own organisational context. This meets all the learning outcomes.

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The growth of evidence-based management, the increasing range and amount of data that managers are expected to process on a regular basis, the rapid development of management ideas and approaches, and the need for management decisions to be based on sound analysis all lead to a need for managers to have analytical skills and a sound understanding of research.