This core module is integral to your Postgraduate Certificate programme. You begin the module by taking part in activities that help you become more self-aware of your strengths, areas for improvement, and the skills and knowledge needed for your personal and professional growth. This helps you plan a course of study that aligns with your personal and professional development needs. Throughout the programme, you will receive support from a learning mentor.

After designing and negotiating your programme, this module will support you throughout your learning journey until its completion. The main purpose of the module is to help you learn about learning and develop this important lifelong and work-based skill. This will give you the confidence to critically evaluate and challenge ideas, advocate for your own opinions, and communicate complex ideas to different audiences.

The module covers the following topics:

• History and development of Quality Improvement Science
• Models and techniques for Quality Improvement and Improvement Science
• Policy and context of Quality Improvement in healthcare
• Organisational readiness for Quality Improvement

By the end of the course, you will have developed

• A critical understanding of the role of improvement science in a healthcare context
• Knowledge and understanding of key models related to Quality and Improvement Science
• An understanding of improvement practices in relation to your own organisational role and context.

The project syllabus will be largely determined by the focus and nature of your project and will be agreed between you and your mentor-facilitator. You will be guided, supported and encouraged to take a proactive role in designing your own learning. It is likely this learning will be located in the following areas:

• Knowledge creation - identifying potential enquiry approaches suitable for work-based projects that deliver impact
• Developing critical cognitive skills for questioning and challenging existing organisational ideas and practices
• Developing clarity and consistency in communicating with a range of organisational and academic audiences.
• Exploring social and ethical challenges in changing organisational contexts

Creative thinking is the ability to imagine or invent something new and is a powerful skill in the work context spanning the spectrum of 'brilliant ideas' to 'better ways of doing things'. It can be closely linked to problem-solving. This module will help you develop your abilities and support you to develop a creative, innovative culture in your team.

You will examine concepts and models used to stimulate creative thinking and frameworks for problem-solving and assess their applicability and usefulness to your work. For example, you might look at the work of experts such as Edward de Bono and evaluate ideas such as ‘left and right brain thinking’, ‘six thinking hats’ and a ‘solution focus rather than a problem focus’.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to be aware of one's own and other people's emotions, to differentiate between different emotions, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behaviour. There are various perspectives on EI. For example, Daniel Goleman has linked it to self-awareness, self-management, and the development of approaches for leading and working with others, such as developing insight and empathy.

In this module, you will explore and critique the concept of EI as well as evaluate different models in terms of their validity and effectiveness. You will explore how you can apply emotional intelligence in your workplace, to yourself and in analysing and understanding others, increasing your ability to perceive, understand and manage emotions. We will also critically analyse the applicability of EI to areas such as job performance, leadership, team effectiveness and cultural awareness.

Increasingly, organisations see the benefits of mentoring and coaching as a way to develop individuals in line with organisational objectives. Line managers and trainers can use mentoring and coaching skills as a way to support and develop staff.

This module is suitable for anyone wishing to gain personal knowledge, understanding, and skills in mentoring and coaching and apply these skills to their practice. It is also appropriate for managers and others who wish to consider whether this approach is appropriate for introduction into their organisations.

You will develop your understanding of well-researched approaches, techniques, and frameworks, as well as your mentoring and coaching skills. We will explore key principles and processes such as confidentiality, values, and ethics and support you in considering them in your practice.

This module will cover topics including:

• Leadership in times of change
• Transitional to transformational leadership
• Appreciative leadership
• Stakeholder analysis
• Supporting staff in embracing change
• Capacity building to cope with uncertainty
• Achieving sustainable change
• Dealing with resistance to change
• Emotional Intelligence - self and social awareness
• Influencing skills

You will develop your understanding of various approaches to leading others through times of change. You will develop your ability to understand how to engage and influence others and how to take into account different individual’s responses to change. This learning will enhance your capacity to lead and manage people through change.

Information for this module is currently unavailable.

This course sets the scene for understanding the context and agenda for organisation development. The topics covered include:

• What is Organisation Development? History, perspectives and definitions
• Theory and practice of Organisation Development
• Organisation Development and its links to business strategy, HR strategy, systems thinking and organisation learning
• Models for understanding your own organisation
• Developing organisation practice
• The role of Organisation Development Practitioner - limits and possibilities