CJ 809 Topic: The Management of Change in the Justice System Organizations

Judicial Administration Specialization General Course Description
Fall Semester, 2009

CJ 809 (Section 732 for Fall, 2009) Topic: The Management of Change in the Justice System Organizations. The status quo is not an option.  Every organization will either change or be changed.  One of the primary responsibilities of leaders is to either champion an intended change (e.g., e-filing) or to help the organization cope with an externally mandated change (e.g., sentencing guidelines).  In either instance, the primary issue is not whether courts will experience change, but only how well the change process will be managed.  As noted by psychologist Harry Levinson, “the most critical problem leaders have is that they don’t understand the powerful impact of change on people.  They are wise about the mechanics of change, but stupid about the dynamics of transition.  That stupidity is dooming many of their change efforts to failure.”  This is strong language, but a key point to consider.

This course will present a three-stage model designed to equip court leaders to manage the change process successfully, so the intended outcomes of the proposed change are fully realized.  The three stages include:  (1) establishing the need for the change; (2) creating a clear vision for the future; and, (3) institutionalizing the change in the organization.  While the change process is not a neat and tidy affair, which occurs at an even and predictable pace, each of these three stages will occur in some form and will need to be managed intentionally.

Students will think and write out of the context of their respective organization with a focus on specific change management projects with which they are familiar (past, present and future).  Each student will interact with the instructor through written assignments and through group discussions with the instructor and with the other members of the class. 

Course Objectives: The overall learning objective for this course is to instruct each student in how to apply a comprehensive model of change management to the implementation of proposed innovations in their respective organization.  In support of this primary objective, the students will learn how to:  (1) analyze the substance of the proposed change with respect to its purpose, benefits and impact on the organization; (2) determine the nature and scope of the initial resistance to the proposed change and how to manage it; (3) formulate the relative advantages of the proposed change in contrast to the current situation; (4) assess the organization’s readiness to fully adopt the proposed change; and, (5) incorporate and sustain the proposed change into the larger organization at the individual and institutional levels.  

Students will engage with each other, the instructor, and the subject matter through readings, films, critical thinking, assessment and analysis, individual writings, and group discussions.  A full syllabus will be available to students when classes begin.

This is an online course, which will offer students the opportunity to access the course materials at times that are best for them but still within the prescribed time periods.  Interactions with other students and with the instructor will be online. Required readings will be announced.

Required Course Materials : This will be provided at a later date.

Instructor: Instructor: R. Dale Lefever, Ph.D. Emeritus Faculty University of Michigan                         

Course Dates:  Classes begin September 2 and end December 18, 2009.

Student Eligibility:  CJ 809 (Section 732 for Fall, 2009) Topic: The Management of Change in the Justice System Organizations is a required course for both the Judicial Administration credit-bearing certificate and master’s degree specialization.  Thus, both the certificate and graduate program students are eligible to enroll in this class.

Tuition:  $1560.00 for students in the CJ Master’s Degree (JA Specialization)
               $1302.00 for In-State Lifelong Education students (JA Credit-bearing Certificate)
               $1704.00 for Out-of-State Lifelong Education students (JA Credit-bearing Certificate)                     

Registration: Dr. Sharon George (georges@msu.edu) will make enrollment arrangements for this course.  Registration has already begun.  Students can enroll up to the date the class begins (Monday, January 11, 2010). Students that are interested in enrolling should contact Dr. George expressing their intentions. Other important dates that are not course-specific including late registration fees, drop/add and tuition refund deadlines can be found at: https://www.reg.msu.edu/ROInfo/Calendar/WWWDates.asp?Semester=FS09