Question: This assignment is worth 24% of your final grade and addresses Course Objectives 4 and 5. It gives you an opportunity to evaluate theories and models and identify barriers to change. You must complete this assignment individually, without contacting other students, and you may not use a paper or any part of a paper from a previous class or from another person. If you have questions about this assignment, please post them in the Ask the Professor discussion forum so that everyone can benefit from the answers.

Below are some of the OD concepts and theories we have discussed so far:

• Planned change theories

• OD diagnostic processes

• OD interventions

• Change management

• Internal and external consultants

Your Task: Choose an organizational development concept or theory from our readings and discussions. In a five to seven page paper, build out the theory by applying it to an organization of your choice.

• Be thorough as you apply the concept or theory to your organization.

• Be sure to clearly identify the organization problem or issue and work through the chosen theory as you apply it to the organization.

• You are expected to incorporate at least one of the following course objectives in your short paper:

1. Evaluate definitions, theories, and models of corporate culture

2. Identify the roles and relationships corporate culture has in organizational performance

3. Use a systems perspective in analyzing organizational conditions

4. Evaluate theories and models for managing change in organizations

5. Identify common barriers to effective change management

6. Prescribe appropriate OD strategies and techniques in applied settings

Your paper should be five to seven pages long, excluding cover and reference pages. Please follow APA guidelines for citations, quotations, and references, and use at least five scholarly resources that are dated within the last five years. You are strongly encouraged to use the required and reserved readings in this course, as well as peer-reviewed journal articles found through the UMUC library. Research methodology and problem analysis will be emphasized in the grading of this assignment.

See the attached grading criteria for specifics on how your papers will be graded.

Submit your paper electronically via the Assignment folder.