13 Jan Measuring interventions’

Situational Analysis

Purpose:

to recognize and better understand significant organizational change encountered by existing, real-world companies

to 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 final assignment, you will draw from OD data, information, and knowledge presented and discussed throughout the term. You will 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 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 in this course about organization change. Demonstrate critical thinking. Strive to be original along with applying data, information, and ideas from the required readings/resources and your outside research. Use American Psychological Association (APA) format for in-text citations and references.

Instructions

1) Review the assignment purpose and the Research and Writing Grading Rubric

2) Select for analysis one of the organizations identified below that has undergone—or is undergoing—significant system wide organizational change and/or transformation.

Volkswagen

Uber

Marriott

Costco

Facebook

Homeland Security

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 points 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 to assess the need for change?

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)?

4) Integrate and present in bold font at least eight OD-related concepts, principles, strategies, methods, and/or practices in your analysis. Demonstrate through context and/or endnotes your understanding of the term meanings 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 data, information, and ideas from at least five weekly course resources and at least three credible, authoritative, relevant outside sources relevant to the company’s change or transformation for a total of at least eight references. 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 course resources and outside research sources within the paper’s body using APA in-text formatting. Include a reference list 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 Content/Course Resources/Using APA:

In-text citation (note inclusion of page number):

(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. To do this, identify and evaluate at least three lessons learned from your organization change analysis. Describe why these lessons learned are valuable, and explain how you envision applying them to your job or career.

7) Use the headings and subheadings below. Under each heading or subheading present the appropriate facts and ideas to describe, make assertions, and explain and support those assertions. This means using expository writing style with full sentences and paragraphs to create the paper’s content under headings. Use examples and cite support sources as outlined above. Review instructions above to ensure all requirements for each section are met.

A. Title page [your name, the course name, the name of the organization, the date, and instructor’s name]

B. Organization selected for analysis: [name]

C. Summary of organization’s change and/or transformation

D. Change and transformation analysis findings:

– Brief description of transformational change

– Rationale for considering this a transformational change

– Evaluation of data/information collected by the organization

– Discussion of implemented or recommended interventions

Which interventions and why?

Measuring interventions’ success

E. Transformational success from a manager’s perspective

F. Environmental factors (see Instruction 3 f. above)

G. Significant learning

H. References

8) 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.

9) Submit your paper in your Assignment Folder by the due date.