Assignment Task:
This essay is an organization development (OD) diagnosis. You will use concepts of organization development and change as presented in this class, rather than how they might sometimes appear online.
First describe a suboptimal process amenable to analysis and possible correction using OD principles, which you have personally witnessed in an organizational setting. In this task, the overarching consideration is that you have first-hand experience with the issue, so you can judge all relevant OD considerations from personal knowledge. Need Assignment Help?
The essay must evidence first-hand experience from your actual organization. Please refrain from substituting a fictional account or discussing a widely publicized organization. Request permission in advance if you must deviate from this specification.
Adhere to a single level of analysis: (a) organization; (b) group or team (e.g., department or unit); or (c) individual (e.g., job design). Note that a process is a value-adding sequence of activities that repeats itself.
Consider issues of product or service quality, process reliability or efficiency, communication effectiveness, recruitment or training of leaders or team members, resource provision, unit-level strategic alignment, or adaptability to environmental fluctuations.
Format: APA style (7th edition), double-spaced, Times New Roman 12pt font, appropriate page formatting.
Review the posted sample APA-styled paper, professional version, with abstract (in the Start Here module).
Structure: title page, abstract, body, and references (see sample paper), separated by page breaks.
To write the abstract, finish the paper first, then copy sectional topic sentences into a paragraph, and post-edit.
Content (body of paper): follow this sequence of main sections, with no page breaks within the body:
Introductory Section [no section header-see the APA-styled sample paper] [~1 page]. Describe the process of interest, and provide background on the organization in which it occurs.
Situate the process in your authentic experience by offering enough detail to show intimate familiarity with the organization, your routine within the organization, the time, and the place.
Strategic Analysis [main section header-centered, bold] [~1½ pages]. Perform three analyses, each in its own subsection: (a) industry key success factors (KSF); (b) industry-relevant environmental factors (political, economic, sociocultural, and technological); and (c) SWOT analysis (based on the KSF and PEST analyses).
Use only complete sentences in paragraph form. Relegate tables to an appendix after the reference section. Refer to the SWOT analysis handout for detail on how to integrate the KSF and PEST analyses properly, and the main pitfalls to avoid.
Organization Diagnosis [main section header-centered, bold] [~3/4 page]. Summarize the overall state of functioning of your organization (or department) using Bolman and Deal's (1984) six structural dilemmas.
See the handout on structural dilemmas. Use only complete sentences in paragraph form (no numerical scoring). Employ the wording on the scale anchor (e.g., differentiation seems to have no effect on integration), or indicate an adequate balance (e.g., the organization appears to be in sufficient balance on differentiation vs. integration).
Issue Diagnosis [main section header-centered, bold] [~3/4 page]. Select either the 6-Box or 7-S framework. Start by identifying which framework component houses the issue of interest (i.e., the locus). Then judge how the component affects, or is subject to effects from, the other components, in terms of the process of interest.
Use only complete sentences in paragraph form. Refer to the slide deck on ontological models for clarity on how to interpret the framework components. Refrain from trying to infer the nature of a framework component by its misleading label.
Discussion [main section header-centered, bold] [~1 page]. Conclude by suggesting a practical strategy for addressing the issue. Justify your decision in terms of feasibility and theoretical validity.
Standards. Minimum length = 1,400 words (body only; see syllabus for length calculation). Cite at least the textbook plus five qualifying sources based on the criteria described in the syllabus (purple section). Trojan Library For Articles
To amend your essay (before the deadline), type "Amended Submission" at the top of the new version.
References:
Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (1984). Modern approaches to understanding and managing organizations. Jossey-Bass.