England
Where do you live?
Key features
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Learn practical skills that you can apply to your work straight away -
Tackle real-world organisational problems across the public, private and civil sectors through hands-on activities -
Interact with co-learners and a course mentor to further support your learning -
Created by academic experts from The Open University’s triple-accredited Business School (AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS) with input from industry experts -
The course has a global focus and delivers transferable skills for diverse sectors and organisations
What you will study
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Organisational structures and emerging challenges faced by managers of contemporary organisations -
Developing and managing teams effectively and evaluating team performance -
The importance of keeping teams engaged and motivated -
How wider structures influence managerial decision-making, including the dynamics of power and politics -
How organisational culture is shaped, how it can manifest itself and how it can break down -
Drivers of organisational change and strategies for managing organisational change within its broader socio-political and economic environment -
Learning as a valuable practice, different individual learning styles, systemic approaches to learning, and digital learning -
Contrasting different leadership concepts and evaluating your own practice and preferences -
Ethical considerations within organisations and management
You will learn
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experiment with different concepts, tools and frameworks to enhance your organisational practice -
understand the effect of the broader environment on your organisation to increase your ability to adapt to change -
draw upon a range of managerial and study skills that will enhance your practice -
use theories that will support you to become a more efficient and supportive manager to your team -
ensure that the principles you deploy are ethical and promote equality and diversity in your organisation.
Skills you will gain
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Time management -
Effective communication -
Problem-solving -
Critical evaluation -
Networking -
Formulating an effective argument -
Collaboration -
Digital literacy -
Presenting -
Promoting equality, diversity and ethics
Vocational relevance
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professionals aspiring to progress to management roles -
those new to management without formal qualifications -
senior professionals looking to enhance their skills to meet evolving demands -
self-employed professionals aiming to develop skills and knowledge to achieve personal goals.
Created by academic experts from The Open University’s triple-accredited Business School
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Nela Smolović Jones is a Senior Lecturer in Organisation Studies at the OU. Her research focuses on advancing gender equality in public, civil and private sector organisations. She’s interested in feminist solidarity building, democratic organising, workplace equality, and gendered corruption in organisations. -
Gemma Lord is a Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at the OU. Her research focuses on the experiences of those working within organisations delivering public policy in terms of social care contracts. She’s interested in non-profit organisations, including their function and management amid technological and institutional conditions.
You will gain
Teaching and assessment
Study support
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Learn 100% online on the OU’s learning platform with a mix of video, audio and written materials. -
Engage in interactive learning through self-assessment questions, polls, tasks and reflection. -
Share ideas and experiences in discussion with other learners, building skills, confidence and knowledge. -
Receive support from mentors who guide discussions and answer questions. -
Study at a time that suits you with the flexibility to access the course from your desktop, tablet or mobile device.
Assessment
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End-of-module assessment
Course length
What's included
Future availability
Regulations
Entry requirements
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The course material doesn’t assume learners are working. Past experiences will be just as relevant. -
All teaching is in English, and your English proficiency needs to be adequate for undergraduate study. As a guide, this corresponds to Level 5.5 of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). However, you won’t need to provide a formal English language score to enrol.
Computing requirements
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Primary device – A desktop or laptop computer. It’s possible to access some materials on a mobile phone, tablet or Chromebook; however, they will not be suitable as your primary device. -
Our OU Study app operates on supported versions of Android and iOS. -
Operating systems – Windows 11 or the latest supported macOS. -
Internet access – Broadband or mobile connection.
If you have a disability
Course fee
| Start | End | Register by | England fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04 Jul 2026 | 31 Oct 2026 | 03 Jul 2026 | £550 |
