Level 6, Unit 2, Managing in Organisations (25 credits)
Assessor's guide to interpreting the criteria
RQF general description for Level 6 qualifications
- Achievement at Level 6 requires a learner to command highly specialised skills, including scholastic, across the entire area of business studies, and be able to critically review, consolidate and extend a systematic and coherent body of knowledge.
- Learners at this level are expected to be able to critically evaluate new information, concepts and evidence from a range of sources.
- Learners should be able to utilise, transfer and apply research, diagnostic and creative skills in a wide range of situations. They will exercise appropriate judgement in complex planning, design, technical and management functions related to products and services, operations, and processes, including resourcing.
- The level of accountability at Level 6 expects the learner to accept full responsibility for determining and achieving outcomes. In an observed behaviours plan, he/she should be attempting to lead, for a first time, complex and heterogenous groups.
EQF general description for Level 6 qualifications (RQF Level 6 is mapped to EQF Level 6)
- Achievement at EQF Level 6 reflects the ability to build, select and use advanced, factual and theoretical knowledge within the field of business. The learner must also demonstrate critical understanding of relevant theories and principles.
- This level commands an advanced range of cognitive and practical skills, demonstrating mastery and innovation, required to solve complex and unpredictable problems in the specialised field of business.
- A learner at this level is expected to manage complex technical or professional activities or projects, taking responsibility for decision-making in unpredictable work or study contexts, and to take responsibility for managing professional development of other individuals and groups.
General requirements
- Conformance of individual student’s performance to unit criteria and standards must be confirmed by a trained assessor.
- Centres, in collaboration with the assessors, must ensure that there is system in place allowing collection and storage of routine evidence of students’ work (e-portfolios). E-portfolios should be in a format allowing online access, on request, by a TLM account manager.
- When the assessor is satisfied with a candidate matching all the criteria to the specification subject to the guidance below, the Centre can request a review of the e-portoflio by an account manager.
- If the account manager confirms the assessor’s judgements, the student will get 30 marks towards his/her final mark, and be allowed to sit a final examination.
- When the student passes the final examination (see below Method of assessment), the student is considered to have completed all the requirements for the qualification.
Expansion of the assessment criteria
1 The learner will be able to compare and evaluate alternative approaches to organisation theory.
1.1 The learner can describe the development of organisation theory.
Candidates must describe the framework and the development of different organisational theories.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
Additional information and guidance:
Learners are expected to discuss and explain the classical, neo-classical and environmental (contingency theories) perspectives and place the different organisational theories in the historical and economic context of the time of their emerging and development.
1.2 The learner can critically evaluate key alternative approaches for understanding organisations.
Candidates must evaluate key alternative approaches to understanding how organisations work.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
Additional information and guidance:
Learners must explain the key assumptions and characteristics, and the advantages and disadvantages -- from present day perspective -- of bureaucracy, scientific management and division of labour theories, and of contingency theories.
2 The learner will understand the key elements in organisational structure and design.
2.1 The learner can define the structural elements for an organisation.
Learners must define the structural elements which define any organisation:
departmentalisation, authority and hierarchy, span of control, geography, customers, special
projects.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
Candidates must explain the practical use of structural elements in deciding on organisational design which fosters and facilitates organisational goals and objective.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
Candidates must compare and evaluate such alternative organisational structures, that are focused on fostering hierarchy, authority, and specialisation.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
3 The learner will understand managerial processes within an organisational context.
Candidates must explain management functions and processes and discuss how they may contribute to the achievement of organisational goals.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
Learners must start with the basic model of 4 management functions, and expand it with later additions. They should demonstrate how these functions are translated into operational processes.
Candidates must demonstrate strong analytical skills in comparing and explaining the alternative ways in which management functions may be put to work in practical context, and how management processes are organised in a coherent manner.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
3.3 The learner can assess managerial processes and make judgements about how they can be improved.
Extending the answer to 3.2 above, candidates must critically assess the managerial processes in a particular organisation, and suggest reasonable, feasible and appropriate improvements.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
Candidates must draw a clear line between bureaucracy and rigour within the organisation, and explain the impact of such organisational properties and models on achieving outcomes.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
Learners must be able to explain, justify, and back their reasoning with relevant and appropriate examples. They must clearly understand and convey the difference between bureaucracy and rigour, and explain how people can recognise their symptoms. The critical approach requires that both advantages and disadvantages be discussed.
4.1 The learner can distinguish between organisational effectiveness and organisational efficiency.
Candidates should clearly distinguish between organisational effectiveness (achieving objectives) and organisational efficiency (minimising resources needed for achieving these objectives), by providing clear definitions and examples in the context of a particular business organisation.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
4.2 The learner can distinguish between organisational goals and organisational strategy.
Candidates must understand the strategic planning process and be aware of the role and place in this process of goals and strategies.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
Additional information and guidance:
A good answer would include, in addition to what the criterion clearly demand, a discussion on the hierarchy of goals and strategies, and the different types and levels of strategies which a comprehensive strategic development plan incorporates, including their relationships and interconnected nature, and the need of coordination among them.
4.3 The learner can explain the concept of pluralism in an organisational context.
Candidates must define organisational pluralism and explain the concept.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
Additional information and guidance:
Learners should demonstrate understanding of the very complex nature of organisations and their parallel existence in several different spheres or states at the same time, outlining the many implications which simultaneous holding of many identities has on organisational culture, decision-making, etc.
4.4 The learner can relate efficiency and effectiveness to identified strategies.
Candidates must relate and explain efficiency and effectiveness to identified organisational strategies.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
Learners should differentiate between by managing for reducing the use of resources by maximising return (efficiency, usually short-term), and managing for greater impact (effectiveness, usually long-term). They should recognise that while the two may be characterised as distinct managerial styles and strategic approaches, in reality they coexist, since short-term and long-term goals and objectives need aligning.
Candidates must explain how external environment influences and shapes organisational structures and management processes.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
Candidates must explain how internal environment influences and shapes organisational structures and management processes.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
Candidates must outline possible response strategies associated with changing elements and issues of dynamic environments.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
Additional information and guidance:
Learners who demonstrate knowledge and understanding of dynamic dynamic model of strategy process should be rewarded in assessment.
5.4 The learner can explain the principles of disruptive innovation.
Candidates must define the term ‘disruptive innovation’ and explain how it differs from other types of innovation and what are its key characteristics.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
Additional information and guidance:
A good approach to this criterion would be direct comparison backed by examples from the world of business. Learners must clearly distinguish between innovation leading to market evolution and innovation creating new markets.
6 The learner will understand the processes of organisational change and organisational development.
6.1 The learner can identify and explain external and internal triggers of change.
Candidates must identify, explain and illustrate by examples the external and internal triggers of change to which an organisation is susceptible.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
Additional information and guidance:
A possible approach to this criterion would be to attempt it as a mostly theoretical matter with textbook examples. An alternative approach may be to present the learner with a real business case -- or allow some time for research and selection of such a case by the learner -- and assess both knowledge and application skills.
Candidates must critically analyse the effects which different approaches to change are likely to have on an organisation’s culture.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
Though there are numerous approaches, classifications and current work in the field of change management, learners should be expected to structure their attempt at this criterion using a framework of their choosing (e.g. Thurley and Wirdenius, 1973), in order to ensure that the answer is comprehensive. Curriculum may suggest or prescribe a different framework context, but there should be one such framework to guide and direct the attempt. Needless to say that the criterion also requires sufficient proof that the learners have solid knowledge in the domain of organisational values and culture, resistance to change (possibly reaching out to 6.3 below), etc. Proper use of terminology must be observed and be part of the assessment.
Candidates must explain, using current theories and developments in the field, how an organisation may manage the change process and the resistance to change.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
Additional information and guidance:
This criterion require theoretical knowledge in the domain of management of change, and skills in extending and applying this knowledge in practical situations. Learners should also be able to provide relevant examples. As advised in 6.2, a good approach to this criterion would be for the learners to ensure comprehensiveness of their answers by using a theoretical framework of their choosing, or as expected or prescribed by the curriculum of the academy/centre.
This criterion is self-explanatory.
Evidence: Evidence from assessor’s observations and documented work.
