Assignment:
Situational Analysis
Purpose:
• To recognize and better understand significant organizational change encountered by existing, real-world companies and in so doing reinforce OD concepts, strategies, and interventions presented in the course.
Course Outcome:
• To apply management principles to support organizational transformation and change.
Deliverable:
Approximately six-page paper, plus title page and bibliography.
Introduction to Assignment
For this assignment, you will draw from OD data, information, and knowledge presented and discussed throughout the term to examine a real-world organization that has undergone significant system wide organizational change and/or transformation. You will choose among the organizations listed below. Your research on, and subsequent analysis of, the organization's change and/or transformation will lead to the identification, and clearer understanding, of significant management challenges encountered by the company.
Read and follow all the Instructions carefully. Bear in mind the paper must clearly demonstrate your ability to apply what you have learned about organization change in this course to date. Demonstrate critical thinking, as described under higher thinking levels in Bloom's Taxonomy (search via Google). Strive to be original along with applying data, information, and ideas from the required reading and your outside research. Use American Psychological Association (APA) format for in-text citations and the bibliography.
Instructions
1) Review the assignment purpose above and the Research and Writing Grading Rubric at the end of these instructions and under Course Content before proceeding.
2) Select for analysis one of the organizations identified below that has undergone-or is undergoing-significant system wide organizational change and/or transformation.
• Toyota
• General Motors
• Denny's
• Wal-Mart
• Apple
• FEMA
3) Research and analyze the organizational change or transformation you identified in the company you selected. Pay particular attention to management challenges that you think the company encountered as a result of the change. Specific questions that should be addressed are:
a. Why do you consider this a transformational change?
b. What data/information did or should the organization have collected?
c. What interventions did or should the organization implement?
d. How did or should they measure the success of the intervention?
e. As a manager in the organization, what could you have done to enhance the success of the transformation?
f. What environmental factors did and should they consider (e.g., external laws and regulations, pool of applicants, needs of the community, and so forth)?
Also, read Instruction 7 to ensure you collect correct and sufficient information to meet all requirements.
4) Integrate and present in bold font at least sixOD-related concepts, principles, strategies, methods, and/or practices in your analysis. Demonstrate through context and/or endnotes your understanding of the terms' meaning and application. You are encouraged to identify (use proper citation) and/or create graphics and illustrations (e.g., concept maps, charts, tables) to support your claims.
5) Seek and draw from data, information, and ideas from the course text and at least five credible, authoritative, relevant outside sources the company's change or transformation for a total of at least six references. Peruse the Endnotes of the text's relevant chapters, and the sources listed in the classroom Reserved Readings and Webliography to get started. Your references should show a mix of scholarly and applied/practical sources, largely drawn from UMUC's Information Library System (ILS), and including respected media sources such as the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Business Week, or New York Times. Cite the textbook and outside research sources within the paper's body using APA in-text formatting. Include a bibliography with complete source information at the end of the paper. You are expected to paraphrase, using quotes only when the source's verbatim statements uniquely enhance meaning and understanding. Deductions will be taken when quotes are overused and found to be unnecessary.
See examples below, and in Formatting and Citation Samples under Course Content:
In-text citation:
(Casey, 2002, p.50).
Reference citation:
Casey, C. (2002). Critical Analysis of Organizations: Theory, practice, revitalization. London: Sage.
6) Determine what significant learning and understanding you gained from your research and analysis. Identify and evaluate at least three valuable take-aways you learned from your organization change analysis, and how you envision applying them to your job or career.
7) Use the template below for headings and subheadings. Copy and paste the relevant parts, adding other headings as your findings, ideas, and assertions dictate. Use examples and cite support sources as outlined above. Review instructions above to ensure all requirements for each section are met.
I. Title page [your name, the course name, the name of the organization, the date, and instructor's name]
II. Organization selected for analysis: [name]
III. Summary of organization's change and/or transformation
IV. Change and transformation analysis findings
a. Brief description of transformational change
b. Rationale for considering this a transformational change
c. Evaluation of data/information collected by the organization
d. Discussion of implemented or recommended interventions
• Which interventions and why?
• Measuring interventions' success
e. Transformational success from a manager's perspective
f. Considering environmental factors
V. Significant learning
VII.Bibliography
7) Use Microsoft Word for your text documents. Use the following title: _[your last name]_Situational Analysis_465. Try to be concise and keep your paper at approximately six pages in length (plus cover page and bibliography), but rest assured that substance is more important than length. Again, APA reference format is required.
8) Post your Situational Analysis paper under Learning Activity, Week 8: Question 1 by noon, Wednesday, [month, day]. Create a New Topic under Learning Activity, Week 8: Question 1-Situational Analysis Critiques using the following title: [your last name]_[name of organization analyzed]_465.
9) Constructively critique at least one other paper posted by a fellow student. Reply to two critiques, and in particular to a critique of your own Analysis, as appropriate. See Week 8, Question 1 for more information.
11) Post all learning activity contributions by the due date of midnight Sunday, [month, day].