Problem Solving

The purpose of the project is to give you an opportunity to apply what has been learned in the course (through videos, cases, readings and discussions) to problems in an organization of your choice. This assignment requires you to apply one topic from the course in attempt to solve a specific problem that exists in an organization with which you are familiar. That problem should center on either a job performance issue or an organizational commitment issue. The paper should be 1000 words in length (all inclusive). More details are provided below.

Gather information from people in an organization through direct contact. You may supplement this information with data from the media, the organization's literature, and other secondary sources. You should identify a relatively recent problem to analyze (i.e. this should not be an historical account of a problem and the company's solution). You should focus your analysis by applying the concepts from the course. While it is acceptable to incorporate several concepts from the course, please aim for depth regarding the use of course concepts. Your goal is to diagnose the mechanisms that are causing the problem or issue of concern in the organization. Initially, you may notice many symptoms (for instance, high turnover, seemingly low morale, low commitment, motivation etc.), but your task is to get to the underlying reason for these symptoms. And beware, sometimes the initial symptoms we think we see are not what they appear to be.

There are three broad goals for this assignment:

1. One goal of this assignment is obviously to take the initiative to make a positive contribution to an organization.

2. Another major goal is to provide an opportunity for you to learn more about organizational behavior first hand and to use your critical thinking and reflection skills to link your experience with this organization to your learning in relation to organizational behavior theory.

3. The final goal is to provide you with the opportunity to use your skills as a team member and leader, and to reflect on the learning gained from this team experience. Each team will make a presentation to the class and write a paper that describes what you did for the organization, what you learned about organizational behavior, and what you learned about working on a team.

To meet these broad goals, your team should answer the following questions in the assignments detailed below.

a) What are the issues or problems facing the organization?

b) What course concepts can be applied to understand why this problem is occurring?

c) What recommendations can you offer to help improve organizational functioning?

The Report

a) Company or organization's background (including Mission/Vision Statement)

b) What are the issues or problems facing the organization?

c) What course concepts can be applied to understand why this problem is occurring?

d) What recommendations, based on these course concepts, can you offer to help improve organizational functioning and address the problem you identified?