Essay MGT 423 Module 1 Complete TUI

Essay MGT 423 Module 1 Complete TUI

MGT 423 Module 1 Complete TUI

MGT 423 Module 1 Discussion

Discussion: Action Research and Organizational Development Videos

Discussion Topic

There are a huge number of individuals and firms who are out there selling their organizational development services. Take a look at videos and/or webpages of OD consultants and find a company or individual that really stands out in a good or bad way. Share the link to the video or webpage, and explain what made this particular consultant or consulting firm stand out to you. Also, discuss whether or not the material presented in the video or webpage seems to be consistent with what you read about in the background readings. For example, does this consultant seem to practice a form of action research or do they do something entirely different?

One consultant whose videos or webpage you may want to check out is Dr. Jeremy Lurey, as he is the author of one of your readings for this module and the CEO of Plus Delta Consulting. Take a look at one of his videos if you find one that looks interesting, and let your classmates know how the video is similar or different to his reading in the background materials.

MGT 423 Module 1 Case

Case Assignment

Action research is the process of inquiry that is used to assist an individual or organization in solving a problem or improving a situation. For each scenario below, think about the reasons why things did not work out well for the company and more specifically, think about action research in terms of developing a plan for action.

Your task for this assignment is to explain what steps the organization should take by reviewing the standard action research and organizational development steps covered in the background materials. Try to assess which key step is missing in the scenario below.

Then write a 4- to 5-page paper using three scholarly sources from the required and optional readings list addressing the following for the scenario below:

The Perils of XYZ Widget Company

Sales have gone down at the XYZ Widget Company and nobody in the organization, including the CEO, seems to know why. They decide to hire you, an organizational development consultant, to do some action research. You and the CEO spend a lot of time discussing how to proceed and create a contract. The contract specifies that you will limit the scope to finding factors that led to the decrease in sales, come up with a plan of action within one month, and answer the following questions using the background data from the scenario below.

Scenario:

XYZ Widget Company has lost 20% of its market share over the past two years resulting in a sales loss of 1.5 million in 2017 and 2 million in 2018 for a total of $3.5 million. Each widget costs the consumer $29.99 to purchase, and the average customer will purchase three widgets annually. Each XYZ widget is produced for $8 dollars and is of higher quality than the competition.

One competitor (Jim’s Widgets) in the widget industry with a similar product has increased market share by 12% due to a lower production cost of $4 per unit and price to the consumer of $9.99.

The CEO of XYZ Widget Company is reluctant to lower prices and has had to eliminate commissions and bonuses of sales employees who exceed goals. In addition, seven of the 21-member sales team were laid off for non-performance of sales goals.

Develop an Action Research Strategy Plan covering the following Action Research Phases in a report to the CEO.

• Data gathering and Diagnosis
• Feedback
• Planning Change
• Intervention
• Evaluation

1. What are the reasons behind the decrease in sales?
2. What actions or strategy (data/sales/changes) should be taken to turn sales around and regain market share?
3. What strategy should be taken to increase employee morale?
4. How long should this strategy take to complete?

MGT 423 Module 1 SLP

For the Session Long Project in this class, you will be applying the principles of organizational development to an organization you currently work for or have worked for in the past. For this first SLP, think carefully about the background readings and how they might apply to a specific organizational situation or problem that you have experienced firsthand. Then write a 2- to 3-page paper answering the following questions:

1. What do you think the biggest problem your current organization or one of the previous organizations you worked for faces? Why do you think management has had difficulty with this problem?
2. Do you think this problem could be mitigated by hiring an organizational development consultant based on what you’ve read in the background materials? Why or why not? Make sure to cite some of the readings in your answer.
3. Of the action research and organizational development steps listed in the required readings, which ones do you think would be the more challenging steps that an organizational development consultant would face coming into your organization? Explain your reasoning and cite at least one of the required background readings.