Ashridge Masters in Organisation Consulting

Ashridge Masters in Organisation Consulting (AMOC)

The Ashridge Masters in Organisation Consulting (AMOC) is a two-year part-time MSc programme developed by practising consultants to specifically address the unique challenges faced by consulting practitioners in increasingly complex and uncertain environments.

Now in its 14th year, AMOC provides a reputable qualification that enables consultants, change agents and facilitators the opportunity to learn new ways of consulting. Accessing the latest research in the field, combined with the experience of faculty and participants, AMOC synthesises practical approaches with theoretical insight.

AMOC is designed to develop your consulting practice through a combination of grounded practical inquiry and capability development, theoretical rigour and active experimentation. The programme attracts a diverstiy of European and global participants who wish to develop their practice in a peer learning community, interacting with each other and faculty in processes designed to engage the full range of learning styles. Our experiential approach builds on existing skills, provokes self-reflection and integrates new learning into your practice from the start.

The programme design favours experienced consulting practitioners, likely to be working in an organisation intervention role such as change agent, facilitator, internal HR, OD or L&D consultant, external organisation/management, or independent consultants. Participants typically have between 10 and 20 years' experience.

The Magic of AMOC

Kathleen King, Programme Director, has summarised what it is about the Ashridge Masters in Organisation Consulting that makes it unique - specifically surrounding the learning experience of participants. What do the AMOC alumni appreciate about the programme?

• The unusual experience of being together (forming an organisation) over a period of time, with other experienced practitioners who are seeking to learn at a deep level. The level of engagement in the large group, and the challenge that entails.
• The opportunity to meet in a smaller action learning group (CAG) with a facilitator to do even more personal reflective work.

• Quality of faculty members as experienced practitioners, many of whom holding a psychotherapeutic qualification, all of them capable of challenging and supporting individuals at a deep level.
• The ability of faculty to operate as a member of the group and as a facilitator/observer.
• The way faculty engage with participants, coming alongside them on a learning journey, rather than as aloof, remote specialists. “Debate and dialogue, rather than teaching and telling”.
• The blend of learning activities and materials.
• The philosophical nature of the programme (rather than a pragmatic tool-kit type approach) which challenges participants to explore their implicit and explicit assumptions about the nature of reality, knowing and organising, and the implications of those assumptions for their practice.
• The content of the programme, experienced as immediately applicable. This helps to make the material very practical and relevant.
• The discipline of reflective writing instilled through the assignment regime.
• The dissertation process, which offers an opportunity for an extended inquiry with the support of tutor and peers (in the supervision group).
• The environment: from the beauty of Ashridge and its environment, to the attention paid to the room, sitting in a circle, having music in the background on occasions.