Unit 24: Strategic Change Leadership at Marks & Spencer (M&S) Assignment Help

Strategic Change Leadership at Marks & Spencer (M&S)

Qualification: Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma Business RQF

Unit number and title: Unit 24: Managing and Leading Change Credit Value: 15

Assignment title: "Strategic Change Leadership at Marks & Spencer (M&S)"

Assessor: Business team

Academic year: 1

Unit Code: T/650/2921

Assignment: Integrated

Internal Verifier:

Verification Date:

Issue Date: W/c 2nd September 2025

Due Date: No later than 1st July 2026

Assignment Tasks

Task Number | Task Title | What You Must Produce | Output Format | Academic Conventions

Task 1 | Organizational Change Drivers and Impacts | A professionally written business report analyzing types of change, their drivers, and impact on organizational behavior; includes critical evaluation and justified recommendations | Business report PDF with headings, introduction, analysis, and conclusion | Harvard referencing, third-person voice, analytical tone & Academic.

Task 2 | Leadership Decision-Making and Resistance to Change | A concise, evidence-informed briefing paper for M&S leadership that investigates forces for and against change, applies force field analysis, and recommends leadership responses | Briefing paper format PDF: Executive summary, key issues, analysis, strategic insights, recommendations | Academic; Use visuals (e.g. force field diagram), formal tone, professional layout, Harvard referencing.

Task 3 | Strategic Recommendation Report | A structured strategic recommendation report proposing suitable leadership approaches and change models; includes critical evaluation and alignment to organizational vision | Strategic report format PDF: Executive summary, evaluation, model analysis, numbered recommendations, conclusion | Justified recommendations, use of models (e.g. Kotter, ADKAR), critical synthesis, Harvard referencing.

Originality: Confirm the work is your own, with all sources properly cited.

Plagiarism: You acknowledge that plagiarism and collusion are forms of academic misconduct and are strictly prohibited.

Plagiarism Detection: Your assignment will be submitted to Turnitin, a plagiarism detection service that compares your work against databases, online sources, and other students' work.

False Declaration: Making a false declaration is academic misconduct.

AI use: If you are using AI for any purposes, all "prompts used" should be shown after the references section to avoid any AI related academic misconduct.

Professional Conversation: Selected assignments will require a video conference to assess understanding before final grades are issued.

All Grades remain provisional subject to the awarding body external moderation.

Vocational Scenario or Context

Vocational Scenario

You have joined the Organizational Development Division at Marks & Spencer (M&S) as a Change and Transformation Analyst. M&S is implementing a major strategic overhaul as part of its 'MS2' transformation agenda, responding to intense competitive pressures, the growth of digital retail, evolving customer expectations, and the urgent need for sustainable business practices.

M&S is undertaking changes in organizational structure, leadership approach, employee culture, digital infrastructure, and customer engagement strategies. These include adopting AI-powered supply chain systems, streamlining store management, digitalizing customer services, and reducing carbon emissions across its operations.

You have been commissioned to produce a professional change analysis portfolio for the senior leadership team. This portfolio will critically assess change management drivers, analyze behavioral implications, investigate leadership decision-making, and propose evidence-based models and leadership approaches to help navigate M&S's change journey successfully.

Task 1

Task 1: Understanding Organizational Change at M&S

Task Title: Organizational Change Drivers and Impacts

Word Count Guidance: 1,500-1800 words

Task Description:

You are required to write a professional analytical report that:

• Reviews a range of contemporary examples of change in large UK organizations (with a focus on M&S).
• Compares and analyses the different types (e.g. strategic, structural, cultural) and drivers (e.g. PESTLE, digital transformation, internal capabilities) of organizational change.
• Examines the impact of change on individual, team, and organizational behavior.
• Evaluates measures to minimize negative behavioral impact, such as stakeholder communication, readiness planning, and succession strategies.

Guidance:

• Use real and referenced examples from M&S and other UK organisations (e.g. John Lewis, Sainsbury's).
• Explain what planned, emergent, structural, strategic, or technological change looks like in M&S.
• Apply models such as PESTLE, Burke-Litwin, Change Impact Analysis, or Readiness for Change models.
• Evaluate psychological responses to change (e.g. fear, disengagement, acceptance) and team dynamics.
• Recommend approaches (e.g. communication strategy, business continuity planning) that minimise resistance and maintain morale.
• Use Harvard referencing to support claims for the in-text and full reference list.

Submission Format:

• Business report format
• Use headings/subheadings.
• Include introduction and conclusion.
• Apply appropriate academic and professional tone

Task 2

Task 2: Leading Through Change and Managing Resistance

Task Title: Leadership Decision-Making and Resistance to Change

Word Count Guidance: 1500-1800 words.

Task Description:

Prepare a briefing paper for M&S leadership that:

• Investigates the forces driving and resisting change within M&S.
• Analyses how such forces influence leadership decision-making in practice.
• Discusses effective leadership techniques for managing resistance to change.
• Applies the force field analysis framework to diagnose barriers and enablers of change.

Guidance:

• Apply Kurt Lewin's Force Field Analysis to the M&S context. Identify what forces push change forward (e.g. digital efficiency, stakeholder pressure) and which resist it (e.g. fear, cultural rigidity).
• Analyze individual, team, and organizational resistance using models like Schein's Culture Model, TKI Conflict Model, or Self-Efficacy Theory.
• Discuss how leadership approaches (e.g. Vroom-Yetton-Jago, ethical decision-making, adaptive leadership) influence how decisions are made.
• Include examples of when poor leadership deepened resistance and when effective leadership overcame barriers.
• Critically analyze tensions between urgency, ethics, and inclusion in leadership decision-making.

Submission Format:

• Briefing paper format (clearly structured and executive-focused)
• Use bullet points, numbered sections, visuals if required (e.g. force field diagram)
• Use professional tone and avoid informal language.

Note: Do check some examples of Briefing papers from the following link, this task is strictly briefing paper format.

https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/law-research-expertise/doc/briefing-papers

Task 3

Task 3: Recommending Leadership Approaches for Future Change

Task Title: Change Leadership Models and Strategic Recommendations

Word Count Guidance: 1500-1800 words.

Task Description:

Produce a set of strategic recommendations report for the leadership at M&S. These should:

• Recommend appropriate leadership approaches for supporting M&S's ongoing and future change initiatives.
• Evaluate the benefits and limitations of a range of change models including Kotter's Eight Steps, Lewin's Change Model, McKinsey 7-S, Balogun and Hope Hailey, and ADKAR.
• Justify your recommendations based on the change context at M&S and support them with academic and industry evidence.

Guidance:

• Match the change context at M&S (e.g. imposed vs initiated, large-scale vs small-scale) to appropriate leadership approaches (e.g. transformational, situational, psychodynamic).
• Justify why certain models suit particular aspects of change: for instance, use Kotter for stepwise transformation and ADKAR for building employee support.
• Critically evaluate advantages and limitations of each model in terms of scope, speed, stakeholder engagement, and sustainability.
• Ground recommendations in empirical evidence, case studies, and change management theory.

Submission Format:

• Strategic recommendation report (professional format)
• Use subheadings and structured layout.
• Include tables or decision matrices if useful.
• Professional tone; avoid informal or narrative writing.

Important Notes

• All three tasks must be compiled into one professionally formatted .pdf file and submitted over the Totara.
• Each task should begin on a new page with a clearly labelled heading (e.g. "Task 1:").
• Ensure consistent formatting, professional tone, and logical structure throughout.
• Include a title page, table of contents, reference list, and AI prompts (if used).
• Appendices should be clearly labelled (e.g. Appendix A: Force Field Diagram) and referred to in the relevant task.

Sources to support you with this Assignment

Recommended resources.

Textbooks

1. Cameron, E., and Green, M. (2024) Making Sense of Change Management. 4th Ed. London: Kogan Page.
2. Dawson, P. and Andriopoulos, C. (2021) Managing Change, Creativity, and Innovation. 4th Ed. London: Sage Publishing.
3. Lewis, L.K. (2019) Organizational Change: Creating Change Through Strategic Communication. 2nd Ed. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
4. Northouse, P.G. (2021) Leadership: Theory and Practice. 9th Ed. London: Sage Publishing.
5. Pendleton, D., Furnham, A. and Cowell, J. (2021) Leadership: No More Heroes. 3rd Ed. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Websites

• www.businesstrainingworks.com
• www.managementtoday.com
• www.mindtools.com
• www.strategy-business.com

Links

This unit links to the following related units:

Unit 4: Leadership and Management

Unit 20: Organizational Behavior Management

Unit 46: Developing Individuals, Teams, and Organizations

Unit 47: Human Resources – Value and Contribution to Organizational Success

• You are expected to use relevant academic textbooks, peer-reviewed journal articles, and other credible sources to support your analysis throughout. Please ensure you are familiar with the use of in-text citations and the Harvard referencing style, and apply these consistently across the entire assignment.