Assignment
Mini Change Observation Paper
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 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, change leadership, support and followership, the change 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. Demonstrate critical thinking, as described under higher thinking levels in Bloom's Taxonomy. Strive to be original along with applying data, information, and ideas from the required reading and your outside research. Use American Psychological Association (APA) format for in-text citations and the bibliography.
Instructions
1) Review the assignment purpose above and the Research and Writing Grading Rubric at the end of these instructions and under Course Content before proceeding.
2) Identify an organization that you are familiar with that has undergone a significant organizational change.
3) Briefly describe, using an outline format (see template in Instruction 8), 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) Answer the following questions evidencing analytical thinking and reasoning (e.g. strive to learn about "why" and "how" as well as "what" and "who," strengthening your description with explanation):
a. What was the organization change you observed?
b. What were the challenges associated with the change?
c. What major organization stakeholders were involved in the change as leaders, champions, and followers?
d. How was the change communicated to the organization?
e. How was the change reinforced and stabilized in the organization?
Your answers must clearly show your ability to apply what you have learned thus far in the course about organization change.
5) Integrate and present in bold font at least five OD concepts, methods, strategies, or practices in your analysis. Demonstrate through context and/or endnotes your understanding of the terms' definition.
6) Seek and draw from data, information, and ideas from the course text and at least two credible, authoritative, relevant outside sources for a total of at least three references. Your references should show a mix of scholarly and applied/practical sources, largely drawn from UMUC's Information Library System (ILS), and including classic writings. Cite the textbook 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 Formatting and Citation Samples under Course Content:
In-text citation:
(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. Identify and evaluate at least threevaluable take-aways you learned from your organization change analysis, and how you envision applying them to your job or career.
8) Use the template below for headings and subheadings. Copy and paste the relevant parts, adding other headings as your findings, ideas, and assertions dictate. Use examples and cite support sources as outlined above. Review instructions above to ensure all requirements for each section are met.
I. Title page [your name, the course name, assignment, the name of the organization, the date, and instructor's name]
II. Organization Selected: [name]
A. Location: [geographic and online]
B. Purpose:
C. Size:
D. History [bulleted timeline of significant benchmarks]
E. Organization structure:
III. Organization change analysis
A. Change observed
B. Challenges associated with the change
C. Major stakeholders involved in the change
D. Change communication
E. Change reinforcement and stabilization
IV. Significant learning
V. Bibliography
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 bibliography), but rest assured that substance is more important than length. Again, APA reference format is required.