13 Jan Change communication

Mini Change Observation Paper

Instructions

Mini Change Observation Paper (20 percent)

Due Sunday, March 26, by midnight

Purpose:

To recognize and better understand significant organizational change by examining challenges, stakeholder support and participation, communication processes, and reinforcement and stabilization relevant to, and involved in, the change.

Course Outcome:

To identify and diagnose organizational problems and opportunities in order to improve performance

Deliverable:

Three to four-page paper, plus title page and bibliography.

Introduction to Assignment

For this assignment you will identify an organization that you are familiar with, and that has undergone a significant organizational change. You will describe the organization, its purpose, size, history, and other pertinent contextual information. Applying critical thinking skills, you will answer key OD questions about the change you observed, challenges associated with that change, changes in leadership, support and followership, the change in communication process, and how the change was reinforced and stabilized.

Read and follow all the Instructions carefully. The paper must clearly demonstrate your ability to apply what you have learned about organization change in this course to date. Strive to be original along with applying data, information, and ideas from the required reading and your outside research.

Instructions

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

2) Identify an organization that you are familiar with that has undergone a significant organizational change.

3) Briefly describe the organization. Use an outline format (see template in Instruction 8). Include the organization’s name, industry category (e.g., financial, health, manufacturing, technology, government), location (include physical and online/website locations), purpose (e.g. mission and vision), size, history (abbreviated timeline with significant benchmarks bulleted), organizational structure (e.g., flat, hierarchical, team-oriented, virtual, formal or informal).

4) Analyze the points below demonstrating critical thinking and reasoning; for example, explain “why” and “how” as well as describe “what” and “who.”

The observed organizational change.

The challenges associated with the change.

Major organization stakeholders involved in the change as leaders, champions, and followers.

Communicating the change to the organization.

Reinforcing and stabilizing the change in the organization.

5) Identify and integrate at least five OD concepts, methods, strategies, or practices in your analysis. Use bold font to highlight the concepts, methods, strategies, or practices. Demonstrate through context and/or endnotes your understanding of the terms definitions.

6) Use data, information, and ideas from at least three of the Weeks 1 and 2 course resource materials and from at least two credible, authoritative, relevant outside sources for a total of at least five references. Your references should show a mix of scholarly and applied/practical sources. Use UMUC’s Information Library System (ILS). Cite the weekly 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.

7) 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.

8) Create a title page with your name, the course name, assignment title, name of the organization, date, and instructor’s name. Use the headings and subheadings template below to organize your paper’s content. Add other headings as your findings, ideas, and assertions dictate.

A. Organization Selected: [name]

Location: [geographic and online]

Purpose:

Size:

History [bulleted timeline of significant benchmarks]

Organization structure:

B. Organization change analysis

Change observed

Challenges associated with the change

Major stakeholders involved in the change

Change communication [See resource added to Week 2 readings]

Change reinforcement and stabilization

C. Significant learning

D. References

9) Use Microsoft Word for your text documents. Use the following title: _ [your last name] _Change Observation_465. Try to be concise and keep your paper at three to four pages in length (plus cover page and references), but rest assured that substance is more important than length. Again, APA reference format is required.

10) Submit your paper in your assignment folder by the due date.