Instructions: VERY IMPORTANT! If you have not already read the information in the Content Section (the link is located on the left-hand side of the classroom), you should do so without delay. You will find additional information there that will help you be successful in this class.
This paper will have an abstract and three main parts: (Abstract) Identifying the Client and (1) Identifying the Problem, (2) Conducting a Need Assessment (3) Solution Identification. You are to write as a 3rd party hired consultant. Do not make yourself a part of the “story”.
Abstract: Identify the Client: The first step is to identify a client for whom you will act as a consultant. The client can be your own work group or company, a family business you are involved with, a business you worked for previously, a volunteer organization you work for or have worked with, or a public company.
The client you choose should be a small group or organization in which you can influence change in your role as a consultant. Please do not select “the military” or “the U.S. government” or “Giant XYZ Corporation.” However, you may choose a small entity, such as a workgroup, within any of the larger organizations. For example, if you are in the military, focus on your group. If you select a Giant XYZ Corporation, select the department.
Submit an abstract summary describing the client and your relationship with the client. The summary should be no more than a couple of paragraphs. The purpose of submitting a summary is to confirm your client and identified problem that fits the case study criteria.
Part 1: Identify the Problem: In this portion of the paper your goal is to identify a problem or issue that is impacting performance in the organization. With your knowledge of the client, you have identified and the learning you have acquired to this point, identify a management problem you will investigate and for which you will provide recommended solutions. If you are working with a supervisor or manager, you may want to consult with them to complete this step.
Instructions: Read the material at the sites listed in the Week 1 Content Section to help guide you in identifying a management problem in your work environment. Complete 2-3 pages discussing the client and the management problem you will explore during this course.
This will be part 1 of your Week 3 Paper.
Part 2: Conduct a Needs Assessment
Next, read the material at the sites listed in the Week 2 Content Section to help guide you in understanding needs in relation to your management problem. Complete a Needs Assessment by submitting a 2–3-page paper discussing the client’s needs with relation to the management problem you are studying.
Here are some questions you can explore to help you conduct a needs assessment:
What is the problem?
How is the desired performance related to the current performance?
How does the desired performance relate to the mission statement?
Is the problem organization-wide or isolated to one or a few individuals?
Have organizational initiatives created the problem?
Does the problem relate to individual performance issues?
Is training adequate to support the desired outcome?
Is the issue related to job design?
What criteria are used to measure performance?
Is performance criteria appropriate, i.e. attainable and measurable?
This list is not all-inclusive and is a guide to support you when completing a Needs Assessment. They are provided to help you get started and inspire questions to explore. Complete 2-3 pages discussing the needs assessment. This is Part 2 of your paper.
Part 3: Solution Identification
For solution identification read the material at the sites listed in the Week 3 Content Section to help guide you in identifying solutions to the management problem you have identified.
Here are some tips to help you create your solutions:
Solutions should focus on the problem, be accepted by the team and be achievable.
Find opportunities to allow the individuals to meet to work out the differences, respectfully. Focus on strategies that can build trust in the relationship.
Look at the tasks that the individuals are responsible for and explore whether or not they have had adequate training or resources to be successful in performing their tasks (so the solution is to provide additional training and/or mentoring to help your folks be successful).
Evaluate the conditions under which these two works (are they sitting right next to the community coffee pot or the photocopy machine or with poor ventilation or no natural light? Is the environment affecting their behavior?) The solution may be to fix the problem by moving them or making some other change.
Is it financially feasible? Can it be completed in a reasonable time? Can it be done within financial cost structures? What is the return on investment?
This course is designed to provide hands-on experience that utilizes the learning from previous courses. With your knowledge of the client, you have identified and the learning you have acquired to this point, identify a management problem you will investigate and for which you will provide recommended solutions. If you are working with a supervisor or manager, you may want to consult with them to complete this step. Some questions you can explore to help you are:
What are the goals of the company/division/workgroup?
• In considering the goals, where does progress halt?
• Is there data to substantiate this or is it a perception of the manager?
• Who is involved…the manager, the employees, stakeholders?
• How long has this problem existed?
• What and how are expectations and requirements communicated?
• When expectations or key deadlines are missed, what happens?
• What factors contribute to the problem (politics, structure, decision-making factors)?j
• Are technical skills or training contributing to the problem?
• Are there ethical issues relating to the problem?
• If so, how have those issues been handled to date?
These questions do not all need to be answered nor is this list all-inclusive; they are provided to help you get started and inspire your own questions to explore while completing this assignment.As you think about this consider:
When relationships experience roadblocks of any sort we can say there is a problem in the relationship. This is true for both personal and professional relationships. When identifying and analyzing potential problems one would start first with the symptoms of the problem.
This is sometimes a difficult process as it can be easy to confuse symptoms with the problem. For instance, perhaps as a manager, you are dealing with a lack of acceptable productivity with two of the ten people who work in your area of responsibility. Maybe one of those people is cranky and difficult to work with.
In this case, the problem you need to solve as a manager is one of increasing productivity in your area to an acceptable level. Managers respond to this issue in many different ways depending upon their skill, ability, knowledge and maturity.
Some managers may transfer some of the work from the two problem employees to some or all of the eight other employees. This solution will, in turn, produce additional symptoms that now are visible in the behavior and productivity level of the other eight employees in addition to the original two employees.
You can see that this solution will only continue to affect productivity in a negative manner and never really solves the problem. This is why, during the problem identification stage, one ought to be certain they are looking at the problem and rather than trying to reduce or eliminate symptoms.