In Exercise #1, students will write an organization biography detailing the organization's purpose and current context. In addition, the biography will identify the problems each student believes are impeding the organization from successfully achieving its strategy and goals. Lastly, students will conduct a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis. Exercise #1 accounts for 20% of the project's grade. (Students must follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association [6th ed.]. To assist students as they begin integrating the APA style into their writing, Exercise #1 will be corrected and critiqued for textual and logical errors and returned returned to students the following week. In turn, students will be expected to correct for those errors in future written work in light of the critique received.)
In Exercise #2, students will formulate an organization change plan. In this plan, students will use theory to evaluate and, as necessary, to refine the organization biography presented in Exercise #1, as students develop the "cognitive complexity" (Jacobs, n.d.) needed to identify the issue at the heart of the problems currently impeding the organization's success. Using at least three theories to deal with this issue, the organization change plan will provide a step-by-step path that offers promise of ameliorating the leadership issue by engaging employees in purposive behaviors through which they will learn to solve their problems. Exercise #2 accounts for 50% of the course project's grade.
In Exercise #3, students will formulate a provisional statement of organization leadership. In this statement, students will reflect upon Exercises #1 and #2 to identify what they believe is needed on the part of the organization's leaders if these individuals are to lead their followers in a successful organization change effort. In addition, students will engage in a self-evaluation, identifying what they have learned in the process of completing the course project for MPA 8002. Students will also revise their organization biographies and change plans as necessary. Exercise #3 accounts for 30% of the course project grade.