The assignment is an opportunity to evidence your ability toanalyse and evaluate in the context of the three Learning Outcomes (LOs)stated below:
1. Critically analyse and discuss organisational learning, roles and behaviours.
2. Define the value of information and explain how it contributes to theactivities within an organisation.
3. Compare and contrast the interaction between conflict management andnegotiation within the context of projects.
Requirements
The assignment requires the production of a report of 1,300 words (+ or - 10%) in length. The writing style should be concise (not brief), and anappropriate structure should be adopted. It is recommended that youconsider the effective use of ‘graphic' material to illustrate key points(rather than trying to describe in writing - the emphasis is on analysisand evaluation, not on describing). Images, tables, etc. are considered asbeing 'graphic' material in this context.
This will ‘free-up' some space interms of the maximum word count. The report should have clearly-statedconnections with appropriate literature and these should be consistentlyreferenced (preferably using the Harvard style of referencing).For the purpose of this assignment you should assume the role of an individualoperating at Director level within an organisation currently operatingexclusively in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) marine renewable sector of the energy industry.
The organisation currently operates only ina ‘design and production' capacity (does not deal with transmission, etc.)and is a mature organisation (over 20 years in the sector) with 6 facilitiesin the UKCS region. Feel free to add any additional relevant assumptionsthat assist in the analysis of the company.
In your role, you have been tasked by the Board to produce a report of nomore than 1,300 words that addresses the following requirements (below)related to the suggestion that the company should encourage staffto carry out a diversity of roles, thereby providing efficiencies for thecompany.
The Board is aware of ongoing problems caused by employeesseeing themselves as having a single (primary) role; as a specialist' companywithin a ‘specialist' sector, this is regarded as having been inevitable.However, this is now a behaviour that the Board wishes to addressas they believe the future growth of the company is compromised by theconstraints of ‘functional specialism'.
This is particularly significant in thecontext of proposed future diversification within the marine renewable technology sector, with the diversification possibly including both theadoption of new, innovative technologies (wave energy, etc.) and thecreation of a transmission network linking current and future productionfacilities.
The report is intended to provide the basis for a future company culturedevelopment project that will be implemented prior to the diversificationproject commencing (so as to ‘lock in' appropriate new behaviours).
1. Identify the key information, related to current activities, behaviours andthe approach to learning that should form the basis of future communicationwith staff regarding any development / change of current primaryroles and behaviours.
Such development / change would be in the contextof the proposed diversification. (HINT: what is ‘shared', and what is‘new'?)
2. Identify TWO examples of conflict that could be expected to result fromstaff adopting a strict adherence to only their current perceived primaryroles. One example should evidence negative conflict, while the otherexample should evidence positive conflict.
Each of the examples shouldillustrate how behaviours exhibited by staff evidence the level of conflict.You should also discuss how a learning organisation would ‘capture' suchbehaviours so to prepare for change. (HINT: Know ‘where are we now')
3. For each of the examples, determine the most appropriate leadershipstyle for negotiation with staff when the objective is to resolve the conflictin a manner that leads to behaviour change (adoption of more thana single role). Each example should ‘require' a different leadership approach.(HINT: Always ‘lead by example'?)