MBA673/Organizational Change

Overview

In this exam, you will demonstrate your ability to apply organizational change concepts to real-world situations in an organization or organizations with which you are familiar.

-You will choose four (4) topics from the selection offered in the attached table.

-Each of these topics represents an “intervention”—or planned organizational change process.

-Review Chapter 9: Designing Interventions before determining your choice of topics. This chapter familiarizes you with the types of interventions that leaders implement.

-Also review Chapter 11: Evaluating and Institutionalizing Organization Development Interventions. This chapter will help you determine how to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.

-References to concepts from these chapters are expected.

Guidelines

-Title page – Follow standard format for the MBA program. Go to Doc Sharing and locate the document: “Title page for student papers.”

-Format – per APA manual

Double-spaced

Font: Times New Roman, 12 point

Margins: per APA

Page numbers: upper right corner

-Length – Your analyses should be a minimum of eight (6) pages in length; this equates to approximately two (2) pages per each of four (4) topics.

-Terminology and Concepts – Demonstrate mastery of course objectives by:

Using and defining organizational change terminology.

Making frequent references to and explaining course concepts.

-Examples – Support generalizations with specific examples from the organizational situation you are addressing. Present “pictures” of organizational behavior; include what actions were taken/are to be taken, by whom, where, and when.

-Other Sources – Library research is required for the following topics: Coaching, Workforce Diversity, and Employee Wellness/Stress. Students are encouraged to conduct brief research on other topics. You may also want to reference textbooks from, for example, Contemporary Management, Organizational Behavior, and/or other Leadership Concentration courses. Include a Reference page and cite your sources per APA.

-Citation- Please cite and use references per APA 6th Edition. Use the Student Resources Link to obtain helpful materials. Use the Writing Center and GROWS. A minimum of 10 peer-reviewed references from the online library are required.

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Topics

Choose four (4) of the topics indicated in the “Topic” column of the following table.

-The headings and subheadings in the “Content of your Analysis” column of the table generally reflect the contents of material in the indicated chapter in your text.

-For most interventions, the textbook includes an introduction on the intervention’s importance, discussion of “Application Stages,” and a section on results.

-To ensure full credit for what you write, include the boldface headings and underlined subheadings that are located in the “Content of your Analysis” column.

-Avoid identifying organizations/employees by name. Use pseudonyms.

Note: If you do not have adequate organizational experience to respond to four of the indicated topics, imagine yourself in a troubled organization. Describe possible needs for improvement and design interventions to address these needs. Feel free to contact your professor for coaching on this alternative.

SEE TOPIC TABLE ON THE FOLLOWING PAGE.

TopicOverviewContent of your Analysis

Include the following in your analysis:

Coaching

(Chapters 12 & 18)

*Identify a leader who could benefit from coaching—or focus on your own needs for coaching.

*Assuming the role of the coach of this individual, justify and develop an intervention plan. Include concepts from your textbook and brief, library research.

*Conduct library research on executive/

leadership coaching. Rely on a minimum of three high-quality sources such as academic journal articles.*Importance

Explain the importance of this intervention. In this section of your analysis, identify some of the issues that make this individual a candidate for improvement.

*Application Stages

Assessment

How would you conduct an assessment of this individual? For example, you use personality assessments and/or 360-degree feedback? Justify your decisions.

Activity Planning

Based on your knowledge of this individual and your reading and research, what types of activities might be included in your action plan?

Coaching Process

What type of coaching process would you use—e.g.: How often would you meet with the person you are coaching? What would you accomplish in your meetings?

*Results

How would you evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention? What results would you expect?

*Other Content (optional)

What else have you learned about coaching that could be applied?

Training and Development

(Chapters 12 & 18)

*Identify an individual or group that needs development—or focus on your own needs for training and development.

* Justify and develop an intervention plan.

*Importance

Explain the importance of this intervention. Include an overview of factors that suggest a need for training and development.

*Application Stages

Needs Assessment

How would you conduct an assessment of this group or individual?

Design and Delivery

Based on your knowledge of this situation and your knowledge of training and development, comment on the design and delivery of the training. Include contents of the training/development program.

*Results

How would you evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention? What results would you expect?

*Other Content (optional)

What else have you learned about training and development that could be applied?

Teambuilding/

Group Process

(Chapter 12)*Identify a department/

group/team that benefit from teambuilding and/or group process intervention.

*Justify and develop an intervention plan.

*Importance

Explain the importance of this intervention.

* Evaluation

Evaluate team effectiveness according to the factors identified and explained on pages 222-223, e.g., communications, roles, problem solving and decision-making, group norms, and use of leadership and authority. If you are evaluating a team on which you participate, include results from the Team-Building Checklist on page 233.

*Team-building Activities

See “Team-Building Activities,” beginning on page 232, and “A Classification of Team-Building Activity” on page 235. Which activities would you include? Justify your decisions.

*Results

How would you evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention? What results would you expect?

*Other Content (optional)

What else have you learned about group process/team effectiveness that could be applied?

Employee Involvement (EI)

(Chapter 15)*Identify a workgroup, department, or entire organization that should be more participative.

*Justify and develop an intervention plan to make the organization a higher-involvement organization. *Importance

Explain the importance of this intervention. Notice discussion in the chapter on “How Employee Involvement Affects Productivity.”

*Evaluation

Consider the “Features of High-Involvement Organizations” on pages 315-317. Use these features as the basis for an analysis of current conditions.

*Intervention Design

For each of the features considered, make specific, actionable recommendations for increasing EI.

*Results

How would you evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention? What results would you expect?

*Other Content (optional)

What else have you learned about EI that could be applied?

Total Quality Management (TQM)

(Chapter 15)*Describe, evaluate, and make recommendations for improving the Total Quality Management program in an organization with which you are familiar. [As an alternative to this assignment, suggest how you would develop a TQM program in an organization with which you are familiar.]

*Importance

Explain the importance of this intervention.

*Application Stages

Senior Management Commitment

Describe and evaluate the current state. Make recommendations for improvement.

Train Members in Quality Methods

Describe and evaluate the current state. Make recommendations for improvement.

Start Quality Improvement Projects

Describe and evaluate the current state. Make recommendations for improvement.

Measure Progress

Describe and evaluate the current state. Make recommendations for improvement.

Rewarding Accomplishment

Describe and evaluate the current state. Make recommendations for improvement.

*Results

What results would you expect?

*Other Content (optional)

What else have you learned about TQM that could be applied?

Work Design – Individual Job

(Chapter 16)*Consider your job or the job of one of your subordinates.

*Develop an intervention plan to make the job design more motivating. See “The Motivational Approach.”*Importance

Explain the importance of this intervention.

*Core Dimensions

Skill Variety

Describe and evaluate the current state of this core job dimension. Include an evaluation of the “Critical Psychological State” associated with the dimension. Also include your assessment of “Personal and Work Outcomes.” Finally, make recommendations for specific actions that could be taken to increase satisfaction and motivation related to this dimension. Notice that the section on “Application Stages” includes some ideas for recommendations, e.g.: combining tasks, establishing client relationships, etc.

Task Identity

Same content as skill variety, but for this dimension.

Task Significance

Same content as skill variety, but for this dimension.

Autonomy

Same content as skill variety, but for this dimension.

Feedback

Same content as skill variety, but for this dimension.

*Barriers to Job Enrichment

Identify any barriers that apply to the job—e.g., the technical system, the personnel system, etc.

*Results

How would you evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention? What results would you expect?

*Other Content (optional)

What else have you learned about work design that could be applied?

Career Planning and Development

(Chapter 18)*Consider your career or the careers of one of your subordinates.

*Justify and develop an intervention plan.

*Importance

Explain the importance of this intervention. Include an overview of factors that suggest a need for career planning and development.

*Career Stages

Identify and describe the relevant career stage and/or transition from one stage to another.

*Career Planning

Identify and explain relevant career planning issues. Respond to some/all of the questions listed in the “Career Stages and Career Planning Issues” table in your textbook.

*Career Development Interventions

Identify and describe a minimum of five interventions. For possible interventions, see: 1) the table on page 404; 2) “Role and Structure Interventions”—e.g., job rotation and challenging assignments and consultative roles; 3) “Individual Employee Development Interventions”—e.g., mentoring and developmental training; 4) “Performance Feedback and Coaching Interventions”; and “Work-Life Balance Interventions.”

*Results

How would you evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention? What results would you expect?

*Other Content (optional)

What else have you learned about career planning and development that could be applied?

Workforce Diversity

(Chapter 19)*Describe, evaluate, and make recommendations for improving diversity interventions in an organization with which you are familiar. *Justify and develop an intervention plan. Include concepts from your textbook and brief, library research.

*Conduct library research on workforce diversity. Rely on a minimum of three high-quality sources such as academic journal articles

*Importance

Explain the importance of embracing diversity.

*Evaluation

Notice “Workforce Diversity Dimensions and Interventions” on page 412. Trends, implications and needs, and interventions are indicated. Select one of the following “Workforce Differences:” age, gender, race/ethnicity, disability, culture and values, and/or sexual orientation. Discuss trends and needs and evaluate the current state of organizational inclusiveness and accommodation/responsiveness to needs.

*Interventions

Identify and describe three (3) actions/interventions that would improve inclusiveness and/or accommodation/responsiveness to needs.

*Results

How would you evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention? What results would you expect?

*Other Content (optional)

What else have you learned about diversity that could be applied?

Employee Stress and Wellness

(Chapter 19)*Describe workplace stressors, evaluate current initiatives, and make recommendations for reducing general employee [or your own job-related] stress/ increasing wellness. *Justify and develop an intervention plan. Include concepts from your textbook and brief, library research.

*Conduct library research on employee stress and wellness. Rely on a minimum of three high-quality sources such as academic journal articles.

*Importance

Explain the importance of this intervention.

*Stressors and Current State

Notice “Stress Management: Diagnosis and Intervention.” Which of the indicated stressors is relevant to the job or workgroup that you are addressing? Describe the current situation and evaluate any stress reduction/wellness initiatives that are in place.

*Interventions

Identify and describe in detail actions/interventions that would decrease stressors and/or ensure employee wellness. Your textbook includes role clarification, supportive relationships, stress inoculation training, and health facilities. Library research will support identification and comprehension of additional interventions.

*Results

How would you evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention? What results would you expect?

*Other Content (optional)

What else have you learned about employee stress/wellness programs that could be applied?