Week 3

Discussions

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The Farm Bank
Read The Farm Bank case study at the end of chapter seven. What advice would you give Valerie Wyatt? What OD intervention strategy or strategies
would you advise her to use and why? Make a substantive response to at least two of your classmates’ postings.

Communication Processes
Think about the manager that you have in your current job or one that you have had in the past. Identify and explain the communication processes
that the manager uses or used in a work group. What could the manager have done to more effectively apply the communication process? How would you have communicated differently if you were the manager of the work group? Make a substantive response to at least two of your classmates’ postings.

Assignments

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Real World Application of OD Principles

You are the owner of a 100 employee retail dry goods store. You are located in a town where the major employer is an automotive support industry who has just announced that they are relocating their facility to Mexico. Analyze the challenges facing your company using OD principle. How would you apply OD principles in order to ensure the continued operation of your business?
Submit your answer in a two to three (2-3) page formatted to proper APA specification.  Include three to four scholarly references to support your paper.

week 4

 Discussions

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1. Goal Setting Model

Goal setting is invariably a part of OD programs. Discuss the goal setting model and how it can help an organization to increase its effectiveness and productivity. How are goals set in the organization for which you work? Are the goals in your organization formal or informal? Does your organization have measurable and accomplishable goals? How could goal setting be done more effectively in your job? Make a substantive response to at least two of your classmates’ postings.

1. Self-Managed Work Teams

Many organizations use self-managed work teams in order to accomplish a greater degree of effectiveness. What are the characteristics of self-managed work teams? Discuss some of the issues an organization might have in developing self-managed work teams. What are some of the changes a manager must make when working with self-managed work teams? Make a substantive response to at least two of your classmates’ postings.

Week 5

Discussions

To participate in the following Discussion Forums, go to this week’s Discussion link in the left navigation:

1. Lafarge

Lafarge is the world’s biggest cement producer, with over $15 billion in revenues from 133 cement plants in 46 countries. An important element at Lafarge is training. Managers are required to monitor the development of employees. The company practices intensive communication to make sure that its worldwide businesses understand its operations. “Our aim is to become a learning organization,” says the training manager of the cement division. How can a culture persist in an organization for over 170 years across different owners? Review the Lafarge website to read and critique the “Lafarge way” and other company practices and philosophies. Based on your research, take a position on whether or not Lafarge is a learning organization. Make a substantive response to at least two of your classmates’ postings.

1. Future Trends

Discuss the future trends in Organizational Development. Take a position on the following question and defend it: “Is OD an emerging discipline or only a passing fad?” Make a substantive response to at least two of your classmates’ postings.

Final Paper

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During this course, you have studied the principles of organizational development. You have engaged in discussion and learning about the organizational development process, developing high performance teams and excellence in people, as well as how to develop highly successful organizations.

Describe specific ways you will apply three of the following course outcomes in order to achieve your personal and professional goals. Explain how particular theory and insights gained from this course will help you succeed. Include explanation and examples from previous experience as well as implications for future application.

Course Outcomes:

1. Develop diagnostic skills to identify OD issues, problems, and opportunities;
2. Provide practice in identifying appropriate actions and selection of best alternative OD actions in actual work situations;
3. Develop the ability to apply OD knowledge to organizational situations.
4. Identify organizational situations that require professional assistance.
5. Diagnose the systems issues and select the appropriate intervention.
6. Integrate OD frameworks with broader HR frames and competency models.
7. Describe and explain the steps involved to effectively manage organizational change in a variety of contexts and settings.

Guidelines for Writing the Final Paper

• Paper must be eight to ten (8-10) double-spaced pages in length, exclusive of Appendix, References, Exhibits, etc.
• Formatted according to APA style as outlined in the approved APA style guide (including title page and reference list).
• Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
• Must include an introductory paragraph with a succinct thesis statement.
• Must conclude with a restatement of the thesis and a conclusion paragraph.
• Must use a minimum of six scholarly references.