The Action Research Case Study assignment in Week 3 had you select a case study, identify the change challenge of the case, and design an action research process for the change process. During Week 4, the Intervention Selection and Application assignment had you select an intervention method that best suited the change challenge within the organization. You are now ready to complete the final paper based on the case study selected in the Action Research Case Study assignment from the Week 3 – Assignment. Be sure to incorporate all instructor feedback from prior weeks’ assignments in your final paper.
Consider that you have been hired as a consultant to help the organization with the change challenge. In your paper, you will introduce the overall purpose of the project as related to organizational development and change challenges.
Section 1
For Section 1 of your paper, you will
- Summarize the Action Research Case Study assignment in Week 3.
- Justify why it is a problem and the type of problem.
- Example: is it turnover, diversity, ethical, job satisfaction, downsizing, restructure, or other?
- Define the selected action research process based on the Week 3 Action Research Case Study assignment paper.
- Identify the intervention type selected in the Week 4 Intervention Selection and Application assignment.
- Describe the intervention process.
Section 2
For Section 2 of your paper, you will
- Describe the role of the consultant during the intervention.
- Categorize the competencies and ethical behaviors needed for the intervention.
- Define the recommended research methods that will be utilized during the intervention.
- Describe recommended data collection and evaluation methods during the intervention.
- Define a timeline for the intervention process.
- Identify anticipated resistance to the change and the process for reconciliation.
Section 3
For Section 3 of your paper, you will
- Hypothesize the projected outcomes for the OD change project.
- Validate your reasoning for the projected outcome.
Conclusion
Conclude your paper with a comprehensive summation of the project.
The Creating an Organizational Development Proposal final paper
- Must be eight to 10 double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA Style (Links to an external site.) as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA Formatting for Microsoft Word (Links to an external site.).
- Must include a separate title page with the following:
- Title of paper
- Student’s name
- Ashford University
- Course name and number
- Instructor’s name
- Date submitted
- Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
- Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
- For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) as well as Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.), refer to the Writing Center resources.
- You may want to review the Writing a Summary (Links to an external site.) webpage from the Ashford Writing Center for assistance in summarizing the Week 3 assignment change problem case study.
- Must use at least six scholarly, peer-reviewed, or credible sources in addition to the course text.
- The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
- To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, view this Ashford University Library Quick ‘n’ Dirty (Links to an external site.) tutorial, which introduces the Ashford University Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.
- Must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.).
- Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center. See the APA: Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Writing Center for specifications.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
In this assignment, we will discuss the final paper for the Creating an Organizational Development Proposal. The purpose of the project is to address organizational development and change challenges within an organization. The assignment requires students to complete three sections, incorporating all instructor feedback from prior weeks’ assignments. Section 1 requires a summary of the Action Research Case Study assignment, an identification of the change challenge of the case, and justification for the problem type. Section 2 requires a discussion on the consultant’s role during the intervention, the competencies and ethical behaviors needed for the intervention, and recommended research methods, data collection and evaluation methods, timeline, and anticipated resistance to the change. Section 3 requires a hypothesized projected outcome for the OD change project and a validation of the reasoning for the projected outcome.
Section 1:
In Week 3, the Action Research Case Study assignment required students to select a case study, identify the change challenge of the case, and design an action research process for the change process. For this assignment, we selected a case study that addressed high employee turnover rates in a hospital. The problem type is related to turnover and job satisfaction, which can negatively affect the hospital’s overall performance and quality of care. The selected action research process for this study is the Lewin’s Change Model, which involves three stages: unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. The intervention type selected in Week 4 was training and development, which involves providing employees with relevant training to increase job satisfaction and retention. The intervention process includes assessing employee needs for training, developing training materials, conducting training sessions, and evaluating the training’s effectiveness.
Section 2:
As a consultant, the role during the intervention is to plan, execute, and monitor the training and development program’s effectiveness. Competencies needed for the intervention include good communication skills, problem-solving skills, change management skills, training and development knowledge, and leadership skills. Ethical behavior is also crucial during the intervention, which includes respecting confidentiality, honoring agreements, and avoiding discrimination. The recommended research methods for this intervention include surveys, focus groups, and interviews. The data collection and evaluation methods during the intervention involve tracking employee turnover rates, job satisfaction scores, and training effectiveness. A timeline for the intervention process would include the following stages: needs assessment, developing training materials, conducting training sessions, and evaluating the training’s effectiveness. Anticipated resistance to the change may come from employees who resist change and the implementation of the training and development program. The process for reconciliation involves open communication and addressing employee concerns.
Section 3:
The hypothesized projected outcome for the OD change project would be a decrease in employee turnover rates and an increase in job satisfaction scores. The reasoning for the projected outcome is based on research that shows that training and development programs can increase employee retention rates and job satisfaction. By providing employees with relevant training opportunities, they will be more committed to the hospital and its mission, leading to an increase in quality of care.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the Creating an Organizational Development Proposal final paper requires a comprehensive approach to addressing change challenges within an organization. The three sections outlined in the assignment provide a framework for analyzing the problem, designing an intervention process, and hypothesizing a projected outcome. By implementing the recommended intervention process, we can expect positive changes in employee turnover rates, job satisfaction scores, and overall organizational performance.
