MGN437 Designing Future Ready Work
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | MGN437 |
|---|---|
| Prerequisite(s): | MGN436 (or concurrent enrolment) |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
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Unit Outline: Semester 1 2027, Gardens Point, Internal
| Unit code: | MGN437 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Pre-requisite: | MGN436 (or concurrent enrolment) |
Overview
This unit explores how organisations can design and redesign work to thrive in technology enabled, dynamic, and human centred environments. You will examine how digitalisation, automation, and changing workforce expectations transform work systems and organisational design. The unit develops your ability to analyse current and emerging work trends and to create innovative, inclusive, and sustainable work structures that balance performance, wellbeing, and ethics.
You will develop the capability to diagnose and design future ready work systems that integrate people, technology, and purpose. Through applied analysis and design activities, you will evaluate emerging work trends and create innovative, evidence based, and ethical design solutions. By completing this unit, you will build the skills to apply human centred and technology enabled approaches to work design that enhance agility, employee experience, and organisational adaptability.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Analyse future work trends, technological change, and labour-market developments using advanced discipline knowledge and research methods, and evaluate their implications for strategic and ethical work design. [KS 1.1, HO 2.1, SE 5.1]
- Design and justify an evidence-based future-ready work system or work design solution that integrates technology, human factors, and organisational objectives. [KS 1.2, HO 2.2, SE 5.2]
- Evaluate work design scenarios and defend recommendations using professional judgement and collaborative problem-solving approaches. [HO 2.2, PC 3.1, TS 4.2]
Content
This unit includes coverage of the following topics:
- Evolution of work design and organisational forms
- Theories and frameworks of work design
- Human centred design and digital transformation
- Digital technologies, automation, and analytics in work systems
- Hybrid and flexible work models
- Employee experience, engagement, and wellbeing
- Diversity, inclusion, and ethics in work design
- Resilient organisational design
QUT Business Capabilities (Postgraduate)
The content and assessment in this unit are aligned to a selection of the following set of QUT Business Capabilities, also known as Assurance of Learning Goals (AoLs). Developing these capabilities will assist you in meeting the desired graduate outcomes set at QUT and equip you with the knowledge and skills to succeed in your chosen career.
Knowledge & Technical Skills (KS)
1.1 Demonstrate and apply advanced, integrated discipline and professional practice knowledge, including relevant research principles and methods, to address complex and evolving business challenges.
1.2 Leverage digital technologies, data-driven tools, technical and research skills to organise and interpret discipline and professional practice knowledge to investigate digitally enhanced business environments.
Higher Order Thinking Skills (HO)
2.1 Critically investigate complex, real-world business problems by analysing, evaluating, and synthesising discipline and professional practice knowledge.
2.2 Exercise creativity and intellectual independence and make evidence-based decisions and judgements in planning, designing, and executing strategic responses to address real-world business challenges.
Professional Communication (PC)
3.1 Use information and digital literacy skills to communicate effectively and professionally in written forms, using appropriate technologies and media for diverse purposes, audiences, and business contexts.
3.2 Use information and digital literacy skills to communicate effectively and professionally in oral forms, using appropriate technologies and media for diverse purposes, audiences, and business contexts.
Teamwork & Self (TS)
4.1 Exercise self-reflection and accountability in applying knowledge and skills to support continuous learning, adaptability and effective professional growth.
4.2 Apply collaborative capabilities to work effectively in diverse teams and across complex, interdisciplinary business environments.
Social, Ethical & Global Understanding (SE)
5.1 Demonstrate ethical reasoning and apply legal and governance principles to critically evaluate and respond to complex business decisions and practices.
5.2 Apply socially responsible and sustainability-focused thinking to analyse business issues and reflect on the broader impact of organisations in national and global contexts.
Learning Approaches
The teaching and learning strategies in this unit are designed to maximise engagement and enable you to apply conceptual knowledge to real world organisational contexts. Learning approaches include interactive design sessions, simulations, and reflective discussions that build analytical, creative, and strategic capabilities for designing future ready work systems.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Students will receive feedback in various forms throughout the semester, which may include:
- Informal: worked examples, such as verbal feedback in class, personal consultation
- Formal: in writing, such as checklists (e.g. criteria sheets), written commentary
- Direct: to individual students, either in written form or in consultation
- Indirect: to the whole class
Assessment
Overview
The assessment design in this unit enables you to develop and demonstrate analytical, ethical, and design capabilities required for leading workforce transformation. You will investigate future work trends and apply design frameworks to propose and justify innovative, evidence based solutions for contemporary organisations.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Future Work Design Trends Report
You will research and analyse major trends influencing the design of future work, including automation, hybrid models and sustainability. Your report will provide critical insights and recommendations supported by evidence and theory. The report must include a proposed future-ready work design model or structure supported by evidence, design frameworks, and ethical considerations.
The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details in Canvas for specific guidelines.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Formative and Summative: Formative and Summative
Business Capabilities (AoL goals): KS (1.1), HO (2.1), SE (5.1, 5.2)
Assessment: Invigilated Exam
You will demonstrate your understanding of work design frameworks, ethical reasoning, and future focused organisational strategies under exam conditions. The exam will include scenarios that focus interdisciplinary team and work design implementation contexts requiring you to evaluate and justify collaboration, governance, and team capability strategies.
The use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is prohibited during this assessment.
This invigilated examination requires attendance on campus or at an assessment centre, regardless of your attendance mode for the unit.
This assessment item is a Verified Identity Assessment. Requirements are provided on the Unit Canvas site.
Formative and Summative: Summative
Business Capabilities (AoL goals): KS (1.1), HO (2.1, 2.2), TS, (4.2), SE (5.2)
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
Resources will be provided on the unit Canvas site.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with learning and teaching activities in this unit.
Standards/Competencies
This unit is designed to support your development of the following standards\competencies.
QUT Business Capabilities (Postgraduate) 2027
HO (2.1): Critical Analysis
Relates to: ULO1, Future Work Design Trends Report, Invigilated Exam
HO (2.2): Independent Judgement and Decision-Making
Relates to: ULO2, ULO3, Invigilated Exam
KS (1.1): Discipline Knowledge
Relates to: ULO1, Future Work Design Trends Report, Invigilated Exam
KS (1.2): Technical and Technological Skills
Relates to: ULO2
PC (3.1): Professional Communication (Written)
Relates to: ULO3
SE (5.1): Ethical and Legal Understanding
Relates to: ULO1, Future Work Design Trends Report, Invigilated Exam
SE (5.2): Global Social Responsibility
Relates to: ULO2, Future Work Design Trends Report
TS (4.2): Teamwork Knowledge and Skills
Relates to: ULO3, Invigilated Exam
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.BS12 Master of Business
- Demonstrate and apply advanced, integrated discipline and professional practice knowledge, including relevant research principles and methods, to address complex and evolving business challenges.
Relates to: ULO1, Future Work Design Trends Report, Invigilated Exam - Leverage digital technologies, data-driven tools, technical and research skills to organise, interpret and extend discipline and professional practice knowledge in digitally enhanced business environments.
Relates to: ULO2 - Critically investigate complex, real-world business problems by analysing, evaluating, and synthesising discipline and professional practice knowledge.
Relates to: ULO1, Future Work Design Trends Report, Invigilated Exam - Exercise creativity and intellectual independence and make evidence-based decisions and judgements in planning, designing, and executing strategic responses to address real world business challenges.
Relates to: ULO2, ULO3, Invigilated Exam - Use information and digital literacy skills to communicate effectively and professionally in written forms, using appropriate technologies and media for diverse purposes, audiences, and business contexts
Relates to: ULO3 - Apply collaborative capabilities to work effectively in diverse teams and across complex, interdisciplinary business environments.
Relates to: ULO3, Invigilated Exam - Demonstrate ethical reasoning and apply legal and governance principles to critically evaluate and respond to complex business decisions and practices.
Relates to: ULO1, Future Work Design Trends Report, Invigilated Exam - Apply socially responsible and sustainability-focused thinking to analyse business issues and reflect on the broader impact of organisations in national and global contexts.
Relates to: ULO2, Future Work Design Trends Report
BS68 Graduate Diploma in Business
- Apply advanced interdisciplinary knowledge, including relevant research principles and methods to understand and respond to professional challenges.
Relates to: ULO1, Future Work Design Trends Report, Invigilated Exam - Apply technical, digital, and research skills to organise, interpret, and evaluate discipline knowledge and practice to investigate business issues in digitally enhanced environments.
Relates to: ULO2 - Critically investigate real-world business issues and challenges using analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of interdisciplinary knowledge, including theory and practice.
Relates to: ULO1, Future Work Design Trends Report, Invigilated Exam - Exercise innovative thinking and intellectual independence to make informed decisions and judgements in planning evidence-based responses to complex and evolving business contexts.
Relates to: ULO2, ULO3, Invigilated Exam - Use information literacy skills to communicate effectively in written forms and through appropriate digital media, tailored to diverse professional and organisational audiences.
Relates to: ULO3 - Demonstrate and apply knowledge of ethical and legal principles and practices of business in responding to complex business issues.
Relates to: ULO1, Future Work Design Trends Report, Invigilated Exam - Apply socially responsible and sustainability-focused thinking to analyse business issues and reflect on the broader impact of organisations in national and global contexts.
Relates to: ULO2, Future Work Design Trends Report