Assignment 2: Group-Level of Analysis – BVS PetGourmand (25% of course grade)
Purpose:
Explore and understand the effect of group behavior, specifically cross-cultural team development and success, on organizational performance and effectiveness, and to learn new or to enhance leading edge presentation skills
Related to the following course objective:
Learn about successful team behavior, how to lead teams, and manage independent teams to accomplish specific goals and objectives
Deliverable:
The Portfolio is comprised of two parts:
Part 1--OB research findings from which the presentation (Part 2) will be created. Part 1 should be a comprehensive outline, with expository content under headings and subheadings containing data and information, analyzed, synthesized, assessed and explained in essay form. The outline will have broader and more intensive content—that is, OB-related data, information, concepts, theories, models, methods, practices—than Part 2 because Part 1 will reflect your research and what you have learned about group-level organizational behavior from required weekly resources, outside research, and the weekly discussions. Think of Part 1 as the report you leave with the client after your presentation.
Part 2--Graphic presentation: the distillation of Part 1 into visual form. Included in Assignment 2’s purpose is learning new skills or enhancing existing skills to create innovative presentations applicable to real-world workplace and other professional environments. You may do this by using Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT) or Prezi (an innovative replacement for PPT). For information, go to https://prezi.com/signup/public. Or feel free to use other options such as video (e.g., YouTube) or other innovative graphical presentation application suitable for illustrating synthesized, key data and information from the comprehensive content generated in Part 1. Consider integrating audio or animated elements or a concept map, SWOT analysis, or narration into the presentation to increase impact, meaningfulness and persuasiveness.
The Introduction and additional instructions below provide detailed steps and directions for creating, packaging, and submitting your Portfolio.
Introduction to Assignment Content
For this group-level analysis assignment, you will wear the hat of a rising-star organizational behavior (OB) consultant. You will create a portfolio that includes a written analytical report (Part 1) designed to convince BVS to adopt your recommendations. To do so, you will create a graphic presentation (PPT, Prezi, etc.) that distills the analysis from your report into the most important points you wish to make. Your presentation (Part 2) should demonstrate your ability to interpret and synthesize information, communicate, and your personal style/approach to business. The written analysis is what you would leave behind for them to review after you’ve gone.
Case Study 2: Going Global: What Does it Take to Make Cross-cultural Teams Successful? will serve as the central organizing influence of your Portfolio. The case describes issues, problems, and challenges related to developing high-performing cross-cultural teams in an organization integrating new employees after an acquisition. This project is designed around the following hypothetical situation:
You recently launched an organizational behavior consulting practice, specializing in cross-cultural group and team dynamics and problems. Having done an environmental scan, you know the competition for clients in your niche is stiff. Since the 2008 recession, a number of top-notch OB professionals have established consulting services targeting organizations challenged by cultural diversity, virtual work environments, communication technology, and issues related to restructuring traditional organizations into flatter systems with team-centered processes. One such company is Bon Vivant Specialties (BVS), run by Daniel Chinn, a CEO you met at an international education and development program for high-potential mid-level professionals. Case Study 2,Going Global: What Does it Take to Make Cross-cultural Teams Successful?, represents what you know from talking with Chinn, professional networking, and business and management news and other media. Chinn has widely expressed his interest in hiring an OB practitioner to identify, document, analyze and assess behavioral issues and problems, and recommend intervention strategies, methods, and tools to successfully restructure the company, enhance team performance and effectiveness, and hence organizational performance. To convince Chinn that you are the OB consultant for the job, your report and presentation must be innovative, original, and fresh to distinguish you from your competitors. It must demonstrate your ability to sift through information about workplace behaviors and find the root cause that bind many of these issues, all through the lense of our OB theories. This will give your recommendations the expert command that enable BVS to reach its cross-cultural team restructuring and organization performance goals.
Instructions
1) Review the Assignment 2 Portfolio Grading Rubric, and the assignment purpose, course objective, and introduction above.
2) Read the case, Going Global: What Does it Take to Make Cross-cultural Teams Successful? Your analysis and assessment must evidence understanding of the case's specific characters, context, incidents and circumstances. Avoid generalizations that might apply to similar cases available on the Internet or in previous courses.
3) Choose a name for your consulting practice, and briefly describe the service you provide (1 or 2 paragraphs).
4) In that description, list and describe at least three OB-relevant knowledge, skills, abilities and learning experiences. Rather than a chronological listing of your experience, this introduction of your hypothetical company should speak of your abilities and past experiences functionally, such as Team Leadership or Team Project Management, and more progressive approaches to professional promotion such as online networking provided by LinkIn.com. Demonstrate your understanding of BVS’s situation and needs by describing your hypothetical background. Describe with verbs such as worked, created, prepared, implemented, conducted, produced, and tell what happened as a result of ‘your’ experience and learning (i.e. explain with verbs such as will use, apply, implement, change, enable, empower). Don’t make it salesy or phony. Be objective, writing in third person voice about your company.
5) In the introduction to the case itself, identify, analyze and prepare to discuss at least three problems and/or issues related to the successful formation, development and operation of cross-cultural teams in the case context
6) Propose and evaluate at least three recommendations, including OB strategies or interventions, that the organization could use to solve problems, address issues, and hence enhance cross-cultural team performance and effectiveness and based on key findings and ideas to maximize ongoing improvements to organizational performance and success. Include self-assessment team tools, training exercises, team development methods, or other similar resources.
7) Draw data, information, and ideas from at least four required resources (at least two from each of Weeks 4 and 5) listed in the Course Content, plus at least four credible, authoritative, relevant outside sources for a total of at least eight references. Your outside references should show a mix of credible OB consultant websites, professional networks and associations (for example, Organizational Behavior Management Network, Society for Human Resource Management, Society for Organizational Behavior), scholarly and applied/practical sources, largely drawn from UMUC’s Information Library System (ILS), and including classic writings. Review APA citation materials and Tips on Research Sources in Course Content. In Part 1 the report, include a Reference list with complete source information at the end of the paper. In Part 2 the Presentation, cite research sources in the notes area. See specific formatting and heading template instructions below in Instruction 9.
You are expected to write your own unique thoughts, 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. Don’t reword passages from your resource. Instead, explain to your reader its meaning and importance. WRITE IN OBJECTIVE THIRD PERSON VOICE.
In-text citation:
(Casey, 2002, p. 50). [Include publication date]
Reference citation:
Casey, C. (2002). Critical Analysis of Organizations: Theory, practice, revitalization. London: Sage.
8) Identify and present in bold font at least six different OB concepts, theories, methods, strategies, interventions, or practices in your group level analysis. Demonstrate through context and/or endnotes your understanding of the terms’ definition and meaningfulness to the meet the assignment's purpose and course objectives.
9) Use the headings and subheadings provided below to organize Part 1 of your Portfolio. This written Portfolio portion will adhere to headings and subheadings labeling analysis and recommendations presented in standard expository form. Bulleted text can be used, as appropriate, however OB group-level analysis, synthesis, and assessment must be presented in composition format under each heading. The objective is to create a comprehensive OB analysis based on research data and information on which your presentation will be based and to which you as the consultant/presenter could refer for additional information as needed. Feel free to create additional subheadings as needed.
Cover page (Your name, course title, assignment, date, and instructor’s name)
- Consulting practice name and services provided, OB-relevant knowledge, skills, abilities and work experiences.
- Analysis of PetGourmand
Critical incident 1
Critical incident 2
Critical incident 3
[and so forth]
III. Recommendations—OB strategies or interventions, tools, and resources
Recommendation 1
Recommendation 2
Recommendation 3
References
10) For Part 1, use the outline template provided to submit your report. WRITE IN OBJECTIVE THIRD PERSON VOICE. The document should be approximately 1000-1200 words in length single spaced (excluding cover page and references), but rest assured that substance is more important than length. Again, APA reference format is required.
11) For Part 2, create a presentation using PPT, Prezi or video (e.g., YouTube) to illustrate synthesized, key information and resources delineated and synthesized in Part 1. It should be organized similar to the report. Begin with a slide capturing the same information given in the written report so you are identified.
12) Submit your Portfolio(two files, Part 1 and Part 2)to your Assignment Folder by the due date. Submit Part 1 to Turnitin set up by your instructor.
