Your goal is to assess the current state of an organization, identify key challenges or dysfunctions, and analyze these issues using OD theories and models. This assignment will demonstrate your ability to critically evaluate an organization’s performance and diagnose areas in need of improvement. Key concepts and theories covered include:
- Planned change theories
- OD diagnostic processes
- Barriers to change
- Internal and external impacts
Task
Prepare a formal Organizational Diagnosis report that applies an organizational development concept or theory to analyze a real-world organization you are currently working for, have worked for, or are familiar with. Your focus is on identifying and analyzing the issue—not proposing solutions (which will be the focus of a later assignment).
Assignment Criteria
Your presentation should include the following sections:
- Executive Summary
- Summarize the purpose of the report, the organization being analyzed, and the key findings of your diagnosis.
- Keep this section concise (approximately 1 page).
- Organizational Overview
- Provide background information on the organization, including its mission, structure, culture, and primary operations.
- Identify the key roles or groups involved in the issue you are diagnosing.
- Describe the organization’s current environment, culture, or climate, and any external factors that may be influencing its performance
- Diagnosis of the Issue
- Clearly identify the organizational problem or issue.
- Explain how this issue impacts organizational performance, relationships, or outcomes.
- Discuss the significance of the issue to the organization’s goals or effectiveness.
- In your diagnosis, distinguish between observable symptoms and underlying systemic causes. Go beyond the surface in your diagnosis. Reports that primarily describe surface-level issues without identifying root causes do not contribute to the actual OD work.
- Application of Theory or Model
- Choose one OD concept or theory from the course readings or discussions (e.g., systems theory, cultural models, or planned change theories).
- Apply the theory or model to analyze the identified issue and to identify patterns, root causes, and contributing factors to the problem.
- Data Collection Needs
- Describe the types of data you would need to gather to confirm and deepen your diagnosis.
- Specify the level of analysis (organization-wide, group-level, or individual job level) and why this level is appropriate for the situation.
- Barriers to Change
- Identify internal and external forces that may be perpetuating the issue or creating barriers to change.
- Explain how these barriers are connected to organizational culture, structure, or leadership.
- Integration of Course Objectives
- Incorporate at least one of the following course objectives into your report:
- Evaluate definitions, theories, and models of corporate culture.
- Identify the roles and relationships corporate culture has in organizational performance.
- Use a systems perspective in analyzing organizational conditions.
- Evaluate theories and models for managing change in organizations.
- Identify common barriers to effective change management.
- Evaluate the role and impact of organizational structure, leadership, mentorship, and coaching on organizational effectiveness.
- Incorporate at least one of the following course objectives into your report:
Formatiting and References
- Your report should be 5 to 7 pages long, excluding the cover page, executive summary, and reference pages.
- Use double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and 1-inch margins.
- Follow APA guidelines for citations, quotations, and references.
- Use at least five scholarly resources dated within the last five years. You are encouraged to use course readings, peer-reviewed journal articles, and resources from the UMGC library.
Grading Focus
Your report will be evaluated on the following:
- Depth and clarity of diagnosis.
- Application of theory or model to the organizational issue.
- Identification of barriers to change.
- Integration of course objectives.
- Use of scholarly sources and adherence to appropriate writing style and formatting.
- Research methodology and problem analysis.