Unit rationale, description and aim

This capstone unit builds on previous units in the course that focused on organisational culture and management (HLSC603), quality and safety in health care (HLSC604), leadership (HLSC605) and workforce management (HLSC606). These are critical aspects for effective leadership in a healthcare environment. Understanding organisational culture is essential for leading staff in managing resources for innovative practice improvement and implementing change processes.

This unit is essential for students to be able to use advanced knowledge and skill to create strategies for organisational change founded on an evidence-base and critical application of change theory, collaborative communication, workforce management and effective leadership. As leaders in driving change, students will be supported in developing and applying the skills necessary to predict potential outcomes of change and the impact on workforce, organisational performance and safety and quality improvement.

The aim of this unit is to develop health care leaders who will demonstrate competencies necessary to address health service challenges and lead staff in opportunities for socially responsible change, capacity building and quality improvement in a complex, evolving environment from both a national and international perspective.  

2025 10

Campus offering

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  • Term Mode
  • ACU Term 2Multi-mode
  • Term Mode
  • ACU Term 2Online Unscheduled
  • ACU Term 4Online Unscheduled

Prerequisites

HLSC603 Organisational Culture and Management AND HLSC604 Quality and Safety in Health Care AND HLSC605 Leadership in Health Care

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

Demonstrate an understanding of the significance o...

Learning Outcome 01

Demonstrate an understanding of the significance of effective leadership and how this has an impact on achieving quality improvement in a health care setting through appraising different approaches to change
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC7, GC9, GC11

Critically analyse principles of effective governa...

Learning Outcome 02

Critically analyse principles of effective governance in leading change from a national and international perspective
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC7, GC9, GC11

Apply change management and effective leadership t...

Learning Outcome 03

Apply change management and effective leadership techniques aimed at successfully leading staff through accreditation, management of a sentinel event, disaster/crisis response or other identified change process
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC4, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC10, GC11, GC12

Create a strategic, ethically based health service...

Learning Outcome 04

Create a strategic, ethically based health service delivery plan underpinned by organisational values that has the potential to improve organisational performance
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11

Content

Topics will include:

  •  Theoretical underpinnings
  • Leadership theory
  •  Leading Change
  • Developing leadership self-awareness
  • Strategic thinking
  • Effective communication
  • Appraising political, social, technological and economic factors that influence health service delivery
  •  Leadership in Action
  • Leadership processes
  • Strategic workforce management
  • Leading and managing change processes (for example, accreditation, sentinel events, disaster/crisis)
  • Balancing supply and demand in equitable resource allocation
  • Decision-making models and application to healthcare environment
  • Developing intra and intersectoral alliances
  • Organisational ethics and corporate social responsibility
  •  Evaluating Change
  • Evaluation of the relationship between governance, organisational culture and impact on organisational performance and quality improvement 

Assessment strategy and rationale

In order to pass this unit, students are expected to submit two graded assessment tasks. In addition, students must achieve a cumulative grade of at least 50% across both assessments.

In this unit, to support students in being able to demonstrate unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes, a standards-based assessment is utilised, consistent with University assessment requirements. The assessment strategy allows for the progressive development of knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for the student to be able to demonstrate an understanding of leadership theory and the requisite skills necessary to achieve optimal outcomes when leading staff through change in health service delivery. These assessments are required to build student knowledge, skills and attitudes to graduate as a healthcare professional who can effectively lead staff through organisational change processes.

Assessment tasks are used that assess students’ ability to: (i) demonstrate the leadership skills necessary to effectively lead staff through a significant change process, and (ii) apply knowledge and skill in leadership to develop a draft health service plan. 

Overview of assessments

Assessment Task 1: Written Essay Enables student...

Assessment Task 1: Written Essay

Enables students to appraise elements of effective leadership and impact of change processes in healthcare.

Weighting

50%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2

Assessment Task 2: Health Service Plan Enables st...

Assessment Task 2: Health Service Plan

Enables students to apply knowledge and skill in leadership to develop a plan that addresses an area requiring improvement in a health care organisation.

Weighting

50%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

ACU Online

This unit uses an active learning approach to support students in the exploration of knowledge essential to the discipline. Students are provided with choice and variety in how they learn. Students are encouraged to contribute to asynchronous weekly discussions. Active learning opportunities provide students with opportunities to practice and apply their learning in situations similar to their future professions. Activities encourage students to bring their own examples to demonstrate understanding, application and engage constructively with their peers. Students receive regular and timely feedback on their learning, which includes information on their progress.

Multi-mode

This unit includes significant face-to-face interactions with lecturers and peers to assist students in linking theory with application of knowledge and skill. Lectures and online learning activities are utilised to convey content while collaboration with peers in face-to-face mode will support students in applying leadership techniques aimed at successfully leading staff through a change process such as accreditation, a sentinel event, a potential disaster/crisis or other identified change that requires effective strategic leadership to achieve optimal outcomes. There is potential for interaction with industry practitioners and/or site visits.

Learning and teaching strategies will reflect respect for the individual as an independent learner. Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively with peers.

Representative texts and references

Representative texts and references

Barr, & Dowding, L. (2019). Leadership in health care (4th edition.). SAGE Publications.

Clegg, S., Pitsis, T., & Mount, M. (2021). Managing and Organizations: An introduction to theory and practice (6th ed.). Sage Publications.

Kouzes, J. M. & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations (6th ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2016). Leadership: Theory, application, & skill development (6th ed.). Boston, MA: South-Western/Cengage Learning  

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