Read the Case Study for HealthCo, beginning on page 492 of your Cummings and Worley (2008) textbook. This case will form the basis of your final written assignment.
About nine months ago, the consulting group Biggs and Schott were hired by HealthCo to assist with diagnosing issues associated with employee benefits, but their efforts quickly failed. The Executive Team was suspicious that the initial analysis conducted by Biggs and Schott had been superficial, and managers and employees resented the fact that they had not been involved in either identifying the problems or developing solutions.
The CEO, Dr. Palmer, has turned to Second Chance Consulting, a well-respected organization development firm, to assist in diagnosing the organizational issues associated with employee benefits at HealthCo and in preparing the organization to initiate change based on sound diagnosis. You are a senior organization development practitioner with Second Chance Consulting. As Project Lead, you plan first to develop a work scope, outlining what services you and your team will provide and how the team will engage managers and employees, and you plan to take a systems approach to diagnosing the organization and preparing HealthCo for change.
In a paper of at least 10 pages in APA format, outline the scope of work you propose to provide, making sure to use a systems-based approach. Demonstrate your understanding of organization, group and (as appropriate) individual job diagnosis by:
• identifying the diagnostic methodologies you and your team plan to implement;
• explaining why each methodology is appropriate under the circumstances; and
• describing conceptually what you expect to learn from each diagnostic tool or process.
In your consultation plan, include the following:
• at least one set of interviews;
• at least one set of focus groups;
• an organizational survey; and
• any other diagnostic approaches appropriate to understanding the organizational issues associated with employee benefits at HealthCo.
Because managers and employees are unhappy with the work done by Biggs and Schott, incorporate measures into your team's diagnostic work plan to overcome potential resistance, alleviate concerns on the part of managers and employees, and assure leaders at HealthCo that the approach proposed by Second Chance Consulting is thoughtful and thorough. Include a description of your role as Project Lead in facilitating the diagnosis and working with managers and employees to prepare them and the organization for future change.