01 Feb Your Learning Experience

GB560 Designing, Improving, and Implementing Processes

Unit 1 Journal

Journal: Reflecting on Reactions to Change

In this Journal, you have an opportunity to apply some of the knowledge you gained from your Reading and Assignments. Select an organization or industry that is facing significant change. For example, taxi companies are under enormous pressure because Uber and Lyft have disrupted the industry. Please take a reflective perspective and consider the following:

To get the most from this Journal, put yourself in the role of the CEO, and ponder the mindset of the leadership team.

Respond in a Journal posting. You will not have to respond to other students, but your response must be original. Only your first posting will be graded.

Checklist:

(a) Why were the leaders of your chosen company or industry unable to adapt to the changing environment?

(b) Was the competition threat ignored?

(b) Was the leadership team afraid of change?

(c) Did fear of failure cause inaction?

Requirements

Your Journal should consist of a minimum of 300 words, and no more than 350 words. The Journal must be concise, well-written, and consistent with the requirements. Please make sure to reflect on what you learned. It is important to consider the intangible variables affecting the implementation of change within the organization.

GB560 Designing, Improving, and Implementing Processes

Unit 2 Journal

Overcoming Obstacles to Process Change

In this Journal you will reflect upon the challenges faced when implementing a business process change in an organization. You should consult your text regarding possible responses to the checklist questions below.

Respond in a Journal posting. You will not have to respond to other students, but your response must be original. Only your first posting will be graded.

Checklist:

What obstacles might be encountered?

What strategies can the leadership team use to overcome them?

Requirements

Your Journal should consist of a minimum of 300 words, and no more than 350 words. The Journal must be concise, well-written, and consistent with the requirements. It is important to consider the intangible variables affecting the implementation of change within the organization.

GB560 Designing, Improving, and Implementing Processes

Unit 3 Journal

Launching a New Project

The Journal exercise provides you with the opportunity to apply what you learned from the Reading and assignments. In this Journal, you will reflect on the challenges encountered by project managers when launching a new project. Read the scenario and then address the Journal question.

Respond in a Journal posting. You will not have to respond to other students, but your response must be original. Only your first posting will be graded.

Scenario: Your global management consulting firm has suffered in the last year from a reputation as being slightly outdated and conservative according to a marketing research firm. You want to change this image to bring in more clients and motivate employees to see the firm as “cutting edge” or up-to-date. The Board of Directors initially agreed with the need to update the image and processes of the firm. As the first part of your updating strategy you have decided that you need to convince the Board of Directors that robots might have a place in the headquarters offices to address visitor needs in the executive lobby.

What process will you use to persuade them this would benefit your global management consulting firm?

Requirements

Your Journal should consist of a minimum of 300 words, and no more than 350 words. The Journal must be concise, well-written, and consistent with the requirements. Please make sure to reflect on what you learned. It is important to consider the intangible variables affecting the implementation of change within the organization.

GB560 Designing, Improving, and Implementing Processes

Unit 4 Journal

Negotiating for Resources

Negotiation is an important skill for any business manager. Ideally the goal is for each side in the negotiation to obtain something they need or want while each side also possibly relinquishing something on both sides. In this Journal, you have the opportunity to examine how you would negotiate for resources.

Respond in a Journal posting. You will not have to respond to other students, but your response must be original. Only your first posting will be graded.

Checklist:

Explain how you would handle the situation where the resources you were promised for a project are no longer available.

If the functional manager (i.e., departmental manager) claims individuals originally assigned to your project must focus on their operational activities, and not on project work, how would you negotiate with the functional manager?

Requirements

Your Journal should consist of a minimum of 300 words, and no more than 350 words. The Journal must be concise, well-written, and consistent with the requirements. Please make sure to reflect on what you learned. It is important to consider the intangible variables affecting the implementation of change within the organization.

GB560 Designing, Improving, and Implementing Processes

Unit 5 Journal

Applying Creativity to Solve Problems

It is important to consider the intangible variables affecting the implementation of change within the organization. The Journal exercise provides you the opportunity to discuss how what you have learned has impacted you.

Explain how you can apply your creative and imaginative skills to solve problems in a process-oriented organization.

Respond in a Journal posting. You will not have to respond to other students, but your response must be original. Only your first posting will be graded.

Requirements:

Your Journal should consist of a minimum of 300 words, and no more than 350 words. In addition, the Journal must be concise, well-written, and address the question posed in a substantive manner.

GB560 Designing, Improving, and Implementing Processes

Unit 6 Journal

Your Learning Experience

Respond in a Journal posting. You will not have to respond to other students, but your response must be original. Only your first posting will be graded.

In your Journal, reflect on the value of your learning experience in this class, and how taking this class can make you a more effective leader.

Requirements

Your Journal should consist of a minimum of 300 words, and no more than 500 words. The Journal must be concise, well-written, and consistent with the requirements. Please make sure to reflect on what you learned. The Journal exercise provides you the opportunity to discuss how what you have learned has impacted you.