Engage students in the critical analysis of contemporary efforts to work across boundaries, whether international or local, professional or organizational; Introduce the key arguments for collaboration, including collaborative advantage and network theories; Consider problems of culture, power and legitimacy in supra-national institutions and professional and organizational barriers to effective action on the ‘wicked issues’; Examine the theory and research evidence of practice of cross-organisational partnership working in local public services.

(LO1) Analyse the theories of collaborative advantage and of networks in management sciences;

(LO2) Evaluate the changing pattern of responsibilities for service delivery between the public, private and voluntary sectors;

(LO3) Evaluate the cultural differences relevant to cross-boundary working, including across national and professional boundaries;

(LO4) Apply analytical tools with which to diagnose failings in collaborative working;

(LO5) Evaluate the personal dynamics in cross-boundary working.

(S1) Communication Skills: Students will have opportunities to develop written and oral communication skills through group discussions, presentations and coursework. This will be assessed by written assignments, reports, the dissertation and short individual and group presentations;

(S2) Problem Solving and Decision Making: Students will be challenged to think critically about organisational issues and dilemmas. They will do this by gathering and synthesising information, analysing alternative perspectives and options and presenting a considered opinion or course of action in their course assessment;

(S3) Information and Communication Technology Skills: Students will have opportunities to improve their ICT skills. Students will demonstrate skills in the use of software applications including word processing, visual presentations, data bases, spreadsheets and using the internet for information searches in the course of researching and presenting coursework;

(S4) Personal Effectiveness: This applies to all modules where students will be encouraged to think critically about theory and practice, and to challenge and critique assumptions about the management of people and organisations. In doing so they will be able to recognise and consider issues such as ethical dilemmas, corporate social responsibility, organisational values, leadership approaches and styles. This will be assessed through attaining the appropriate level of critical engagement with theory and practice in programme assignments;

(S5) Time management: This applies to all modules of the programme and is relevant for planning scheduled work and meeting assessment deadlines. This will be evident in the students’ independent management of their assignments and coursework and by meeting coursework deadlines.

Teaching Method 1 - Virtual classroom hours (for online modules)
Notes: Number of hours per week, per student expected in the virtual classroom in discussion, dedicated to group work and individual assessment is 4.

Teaching Method 2 - Non-classroom hours (for online modules)
Notes: Number of hours per week, per student expected for reading, research and other individual work to support engagement in the classroom is 8.

Reviewing governance, networks and partnerships; Reviewing multi-level governance; Theories of collaborative advantage; Models of partnership working; Managing across territorial boundaries; Managing across professions; Managing across sectors; Partnerships in action; Leadership and accountability; The psychology of collaborative working environments.