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Last updated 12/12/16

AGSM MBA Programs 2017

MNGT5272 ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR Session 1, 2017

COURSE OUTLINE

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COURSE OUTLINE CONTENTS Part A: Course-specific information 1

Staff contact details 1 Course Details 1 Units of credit 1 Summary of course 1 Course aims and relationship to other courses 2 Course learning outcomes 2 Learning and teaching activities 5

Assessment 6 Formal requirements 6 Assessment details 6 Weekly in-class quiz 7 Organisational analysis (team report) 7 Peer feedback and self-evaluation 9 Team skills reflection and action planning 9 Live case study analysis 10 Assignment preparation and submission 10

Course resources 13

Course evaluation and development 14

Course schedule 15

PART B: Key policies, student responsibilities and support 16

Student resources and support 18 Administrative support 19

Appendices 21

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Course overview 1

Staff contact details Course Coordinator & Facilitator: Dr Rose Trevelyan

Email: [email protected]

Consultation Times: by appointment by email

Course Details

Teaching times and locations Classes start in Week 1 and conclude in Week 12.

Updated information about class times and locations can be found on the AGSM website and by logging in to the Google Calendar.

Units of credit The course is worth six (6) units of credit.

Summary of course MNGT5272 provides you with an introduction to organisational behaviour (OB). Each Unit in this course covers a topic that contributes to your understanding of effective management, leadership and organisation design. Topics covered include: managing for high performance, leading individuals and groups for change and strategy implementation, organisational politics and effective organisational design.

Part A: Course-specific information

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mailto:[email protected]

2 Organisational Behaviour

Course aims and relationship to other courses The course aims to develop your skills in identifying the broad range of drivers of, and constraints to, organisational performance. We will consider both individual and organisational factors that influence performance – for example, the impact that individual motivation has on performance, the way people work together, leadership styles and organisational systems and routines. Through the study of organisational behaviour, you will be able to identify performance issues and make recommendations to improve performance. Through this study you will also get a greater sense of your own skills and development areas as a member of organisations.

This course provides background knowledge that is relevant to several OB-related elective courses within the full-time MBA program, including MNGT5370 (Leadership Concepts and Skills), MNGT5374 (Managerial Decision Making), and MNGT5388 (Negotiations and Strategy).

Course learning outcomes After you have completed this course, you should be able to:

1. identify and evaluate organisational behaviour challenges faced by managers

2. analyse workplace behaviours from one or more theoretical perspectives/frames

3. diagnose organisational performance by identifying key performance drivers

4. make recommendations for key OB-related challenges and assess their impact

5. identify your own skills and weaknesses as a member of organisations.

The Course Learning Outcomes are what you should be able to do by the end of this course if you participate fully in learning activities and successfully complete the assessment items.

The Learning Outcomes in this course also help you to achieve some of the overall Program Learning Goals and Outcomes for all postgraduate coursework students in the UNSW Business School. Program Learning Goals are what we want you to be or have by the time you successfully complete your degree (e.g. ‘be an effective team player’). You demonstrate this by achieving specific Program Learning Outcomes - what you are able to do by the end of your degree (e.g. ‘participate collaboratively and responsibly in teams’).

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Course overview 3

MBA Program Learning Goals and Outcomes Learning Goal 1: Business Management Knowledge Students should be able to identify and apply current knowledge of disciplinary and interdisciplinary theory and professional practice to general management and business within diverse situations

Learning Goal 2: Critical Thinking Students should understand and be able to identify, research and analyse complex issues and problems in business and develop appropriate solutions

Learning Goal 3: Communication Students should be able to produce written documents and oral presentations that communicate effectively complex disciplinary ideas and information for the intended audience and purpose

Learning Goal 4: Teamwork Students should be able to participate collaboratively and responsibly in teams and to reflect upon their own contribution to the team and on the necessary processes and knowledge within the team to achieve specified outcomes

Learning Goal 5: Responsible Business Students should be able to appraise ethical, environmental and sustainability considerations in decision making and in practice in business

Students should be able to consider the social and cultural implications of management practices and of business activities

Learning Goal 6: Leadership Students should be able to reflect upon their own personal leadership style and the leadership needs of business and of teams

Learning Goal 7: International Perspective Students should understand the needs of undertaking business within a global context

Students should be able to apply business management knowledge to business situations within global markets with due recognition for differences in cultural, legal, commercial and other issues

Learning Goal 8: Risk Management Students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the limits in precision and the risks associated with business models

Students should be able to appraise risk and to develop risk mitigation strategies applicable to business undertaken within uncertain and volatile environments

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The following table shows how your Course Learning Outcomes relate to the overall Program Learning Goals and Outcomes, and indicates where these are assessed (they may also be practised in tutorials and other activities):

Program Learning Goals and Outcomes Course Learning Outcomes Course Assessment Item

This course helps you to achieve the following MBA Program Learning Goals

This program learning goal is addressed through these course learning outcomes

This learning outcome will be assessed in the following items:

1 Business Management Knowledge 1, 2, 3 Organisational analysis and final live

case-study analysis

2 Critical Thinking 1, 2, 3, 4 Organisational analysis and final live case-study analysis

3 Communication 4, 5 Organisational analysis and final individual live case-study analysis

4 Teamwork 4, 5 Peer feedback

5 Responsible Business Not specifically addressed in this course

Not specifically assessed in this course

6 Leadership 4, 5 Individual action planning assignment

7 International Perspective Not specifically addressed in this course


8 Risk Management Not specifically addressed in this course


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Course overview 5

Learning and teaching activities

Approach to learning and teaching in the Course This course will utilise a blend of instructional methods and media to encourage both an intellectual understanding and a personal sense of the subject matter. These will include readings, discussions, experiential activities, business simulations, case studies, guest speakers and mini lectures. The goal will be to use class time to maximum effect to discuss and experience organisational issues. It is assumed that you have read assigned notes and articles; these will not be covered in detail in each class. This will allow you to actively contribute to each session.

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Formal requirements In order to pass this course, you must:

• achieve a composite mark of at least 50; and • make a satisfactory attempt at all assessment tasks (see below).

Assessment details Assessment

Task Weighting Length Due Date*

Weekly in-class quiz 20%

10 multiple-choice questions each week

Ongoing

Organisational analysis (team report)

35% 10 pages Week 7, Monday 27 March

Peer feedback Pass/Fail Online survey Week 8, Monday 3 April

Team skills reflection and action planning (individual submission)

20% 2 pages Week 9, Monday 10 April

Live case study analysis (individual submission)

25% 5 x ½ page answers Week 13, Friday 12 May

Total 100%

* Assignments should be submitted on the due date by 9.30am Sydney time.

Quality Assurance

The UNSW Business School is actively monitoring student learning and quality of the student experience in all its programs. A random selection of completed assessment tasks may be used for quality assurance, such as to determine the extent to which program learning goals are being achieved. The information is required for accreditation purposes, and aggregated findings will be used to inform changes aimed at improving the quality of UNSW Business School programs. All material used for such processes will be treated as confidential and will not be related to course grades.

Assessment

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Course overview 7

Weekly in-class quiz Weight: 20% (in total) Each week there will be a short quiz completed online, in class. Students will answer 10 multiple-choice questions covering the assigned readings and articles, and topics covered in class. Students will need to have thoroughly read, digested and considered assigned readings, and been actively involved in class to successfully complete the quiz. The quizzes are open book and must be completed within 10 minutes.

Where a student is absent from class for good reason, the questions will relate to pre-assigned readings only and extra questions will be set.

Organisational analysis (team report) Weight: 35%

Due: Week 7, Monday 27 March 2017 by 9.30am Sydney time

Length: 10 pages

Note: All pages, including appendices (but not the bibliography), are counted in the page limit. If the report goes over the 10-page limit, the remaining pages will not be marked.

This major assessment task asks student teams to conduct an analysis of an organisation or a business unit or team within an organisation, by applying course concepts. Teams will make recommendations in order to improve performance. The criteria for this assignment are in Appendix 1.

Working in syndicate teams, you are required to gain access to an organisation and conduct an audit of the internal dynamics of either the whole organisation, or a business unit or team. You may choose which unit of analysis you study, and this may depend on how big the whole organisation is. You may choose any organisation/BU/team that is larger than 10 employees. If you are unsure about which unit of analysis to choose, please talk to the Course Coordinator.

The ideas and concepts up to Unit 6 in OB should be used to audit and analyse the organisation. The analysis should identify how the organisation can improve its management strategies and organisational arrangements to better meet performance objectives.

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The report should cover the following.

1. Identify the organisation/BU/team and clearly state what unit of analysis you are using.

2. Performance objectives: briefly describe what high performance looks like. If these things are not clear within the organisation itself, you may describe what you think they ought to be.

3. A diagnosis of the current situation: an assessment of current arrangements and the consequences of any strategies, initiatives or management behaviours for performance. This diagnosis should lead to the identification (with justification) of organisational arrangements that most need to change.

4. A set of recommendations: arising from the diagnosis, craft a solution, or set of recommendations, which will address the conclusions from your diagnosis – i.e. they will fix the issues identified. The downside(s) of recommendations need to be considered, with suggestions for managing these. A discussion of alternative solutions for the organisation is an effective way of justifying recommendations. Once the various options have been considered, a recommendation (with justification) that moves the organisation towards better alignment or fit should be given. This recommendation should be clearly linked to the performance objectives of the organisation.

You should draw on relevant data in order to justify your diagnosis and recommendation. This data could be from public records, any company documents you have access to, observations of the organisation, and/or interviews with managers. Appendix 2 gives some guidelines and suggestions for what data you might collect and analyse.

The paper can report on some or all of the concepts introduced in the course so far. Grades will not be given for using lots of different ideas, but for presenting a tight, well-argued analysis.

A concern about this assignment that is often expressed is confidentiality. If the subject organisation is concerned about privacy, the report can protect confidentiality by hiding the identity of the firm (e.g. Company X) and managers within.

Individual grades will be the same for the whole team, unless a written complaint is lodged with the Course Coordinator, investigated and found to warrant allotment of individual grades.

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Course overview 9

Peer feedback and self-evaluation Weight: Pass/Fail

Due: Week 8, Monday 3 April 2017 by 9.30am Sydney time

Format: Online survey

All team members must submit feedback on the contributions of each group member and themselves. Feedback should cover all group activities throughout the session, including the team’s organisational analysis and in-class activities. Team competencies that you will give and receive feedback on are included in Appendix 3.

The feedback will be completed via an online survey. Login instructions will be provided prior to the submission date.

This assignment is Pass/Fail only. All students who give a satisfactory quantity and quality of feedback will pass.

Team skills reflection and action planning Weight: 20%

Due: Week 9, Monday 10 April 2017 by 9.30am Sydney time

Length: 2 pages

Note: All pages, including appendices (but not the bibliography), are counted in the page limit. If the paper goes over the 2-page limit, the remaining pages will not be marked.

This assessment task asks you to reflect on the peer feedback you have received, as well as your own evaluation of your team working, and develop action plans for developing team skills. This paper is an individual submission. The criteria for this assignment are in Appendix 4.

This paper requires you to:

1. Identify insights from your recent peer feedback, your self-evaluation, and experiences of working in your team in OB to date.

2. Establish two or three specific goals and an action plan that you will apply in the upcoming three to 12 months. These goals can be anything relevant to effective team working, and you may draw on ideas about effective teams from Foundations of Management, or this course, in formulating your goals.

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3. In articulating your goals, consider the following questions: a. What is the goal I want to achieve? b. Why is this important to me? c. What specific actions will I undertake to achieve this goal? d. What obstacle(s) might I encounter? e. How can I overcome these obstacles? f. What support can I use to help me achieve this goal? g. What measures of success can I use to evaluate progress towards this goal?

Live case study analysis Weight: 25%

Due: Week 13, Friday 12 May 2017 by 9.30am Sydney time

Length: 5 x half-page answers to 5 questions

This assessment task asks you to consider the challenges presented to you by a business executive. You will hear about current issues in a real organisation and be asked to analyse the issues using concepts from across the whole course. Questions will be set and distributed immediately after the briefing on the live case study. The criteria for this assignment are in Appendix 5.

Assignment preparation and submission Unless otherwise stipulated in the specific details for each of your assignments, please prepare and submit your assignments in accordance with the following.

Assignment format For consistency across all assignments, students are required to supply assignments in a standard format, which is detailed below. Assignments should always be submitted in Word format.

Headings Body text Page setup

• Font: Arial • Font size: 12 points • Line spacing: 1.5 • Text style: Bold

• Font: Arial • Font size: 12 point • Line spacing: 1.5 • Text style: Normal

• Top: 2.54 cm • Bottom: 2.54 cm • Left: 2.54 cm • Right: 2.54 cm • Header: 1.25 cm • Footer: 1.25 cm

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Course overview 11

Paragraph breaks First line indent: 1.27cm

Diagrams and tables Students are encouraged to include diagrams and tables in their assessments, but must ensure they do not take up more than 20% of the assignment. Diagrams and tables must: • be formatted with single line spacing • be formatted with a minimum font size of 8 points

Assignment file name Please use the following naming convention for each assignment.

z9999999_surname_[XXXX1111]_17s1_Ass1

where:

• z9999999 is your student ID – please insert your surname • XXXX1111 is the course code • 17s1 is the session name (2017, Session 1) • Ass1 is the Assignment number (Ass2 for Assignment 2)

Assignment submission 1. You must submit your assignment through your online classroom as per the

instructions in your LMS User Manual.

2. Assignment submission in your LMS is performed via Turnitin, the similarity detection software used by UNSW students and teaching staff to prevent plagiarism by ensuring referencing is correct and that work has not been inadvertently copied from elsewhere. You can access Turnitin under the ‘Assessments’ section in your Moodle course site.

3. You are able to submit a draft version of your assignment prior to the due date. This enables you to view the Turnitin similarity report on your work and decide whether it complies with the guidelines regarding referencing and plagiarism, before you submit your final version for marking. More information about plagiarism can be found here: https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism

4. Please note that draft assignments submitted in this way will be regarded as the final version at the due date if you have not uploaded a subsequent, finalised version (each file uploaded overwrites the previous version).

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https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism


5. Late submissions are possible but will be marked as such and will be subject to late penalties of 5% of the assignment weighting for each day late. If for any reason you are unable to submit a late submission via Turnitin please contact your Facilitator or AGSM Student Experience.

6. Extensions to assignment deadlines will be granted only in exceptional circumstances, and where adequate supporting documentation can be provided. Please note that work commitments do not constitute grounds for an extension. Requests must be made through the special consideration process. For details about this process, see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/special-consideration

7. You will be advised of your mark by your Facilitator within 14 days of assignment submission date.

8. Please keep a copy of your assignment.

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https://student.unsw.edu.au/special-consideration

Course overview 13

Course materials will be provided in Moodle. To access Moodle, go to:

https://moodle.telt.unsw.edu.au/login/index.php

Login with your student zID (username) and zPass (password).

Other resources BusinessThink is UNSW’s free, online business publication. It is a platform for business research, analysis and opinion. If you would like to subscribe to BusinessThink, and receive the free monthly e-newsletter with the latest in research, opinion and business, go to http://www.businessthink.unsw.edu.au.

Course resources

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http://www.businessthink.unsw.edu.au/


Mid- and end-of-session feedback is sought from students about the courses offered in the AGSM MBA Program, and continual improvements are made based on this feedback. Significant changes to courses and programs within the Program based on end-of-session feedback are communicated to subsequent cohorts of students.

Course evaluation and development

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Course overview 15

Classes start in Week 1 and finish in Week 12.

Week Topic Assessment due (quiz each week)

1 The management challenge

2 Motivation and performance

3 Teams and creativity

4 Decision making

5 Influence and networks

6 Change leadership

7 Organisational transformation Management simulation

Organisational analysis (team reports)

8 Organisational design: Management systems Peer feedback

9 No class – Easter weekend No weekly quiz Team skill reflection and action planning

10 Organisational design: Corporate culture

11 Organisational alignment Management simulation

12 OB review and live case study briefing No weekly quiz

13

Live case study analysis

Course schedule

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Academic honesty and plagiarism The University regards plagiarism as a form of academic misconduct, and has very strict rules regarding plagiarism. For UNSW policies, penalties, and information to help you avoid plagiarism see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism as well as the guidelines in the online ELISE and ELISE Plus tutorials for all new UNSW students: http://subjectguides.library.unsw.edu.au/elise

To see if you understand plagiarism, do this short quiz: https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism-quiz

For information on how to acknowledge your sources and reference correctly, see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/referencing

For the UNSW Business School Harvard Referencing Guide, see: https://www.business.unsw.edu.au/Students-Site/Documents/Harvardreferencingguide.pdf

Student responsibilities and conduct Students are expected to be familiar with and adhere to university policies in relation to class attendance and general conduct and behaviour, including maintaining a safe, respectful environment; and to understand their obligations in relation to workload, assessment and keeping informed.

AGSM MBA Programs and UNSW policies In general, UNSW policies apply to staff and students of AGSM MBA Programs. Where there are additional points or procedures which apply specifically to AGSM MBA Programs they are set out on the AGSM website: https://www.business.unsw.edu.au/agsm/students/resources/students-rights-responsibilities

If students are in doubt about the policy or procedure relating to a particular matter they should seek advice from the Student Experience.

Information and policies on these topics can be found in the ‘A-Z Student Guide’: https://student.unsw.edu.au/guide

See, especially, information on ‘Attendance and Absence’, ‘Assessment Information’, ‘Examinations’, ‘Workload’ and policies such as ‘Occupational Health and Safety’.

PART B: Key policies, student responsibilities and support

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https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism

http://subjectguides.library.unsw.edu.au/elise

https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism-quiz

https://student.unsw.edu.au/referencing

https://www.business.unsw.edu.au/Students-Site/Documents/Harvardreferencingguide.pdf

https://www.business.unsw.edu.au/Students-Site/Documents/Harvardreferencingguide.pdf

https://www.business.unsw.edu.au/agsm/students/resources/students-rights-responsibilities

https://www.business.unsw.edu.au/agsm/students/resources/students-rights-responsibilities

https://student.unsw.edu.au/guide

Course overview 17

Workload It is expected that you will spend at least 10 hours per week studying this course. This time should be made up of reading, research, working on exercises and problems, and attending classes. In periods where you need to complete assignments or prepare for examinations, the workload may be greater.

Over-commitment has been a cause of failure for many students. You should take the required workload into account when planning how to balance study with employment and other activities.

Attendance Your regular and punctual attendance at classes and seminars is expected in this course. University regulations indicate that if students attend less than 80% of scheduled classes they may be refused final assessment.

https://www.business.unsw.edu.au/agsm/students/student-enrolment-information#attendance-participation

General conduct and behaviour You are expected to conduct yourself with consideration and respect for the needs of your fellow students and teaching staff. Conduct which unduly disrupts or interferes with a class, such as ringing or talking on mobile phones, is not acceptable and students may be asked to leave the class. More information on student conduct is available at: https://student.unsw.edu.au/guide

Occupational health and safety UNSW Policy requires each person to work safely and responsibly, in order to avoid personal injury and to protect the safety of others. For more information, see http://safety.unsw.edu.au/

Keeping informed You should take note of all announcements made in classes, tutorials or on the course website. From time to time, the University will send important announcements to your university email address without providing you with a paper copy. You will be deemed to have received this information. It is also your responsibility to keep the University informed of all changes to your contact details.

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http://safety.unsw.edu.au/


Student resources and support eLearning To access Moodle, go to: https://moodle.telt.unsw.edu.au/login/index.php

Login with your student zID (username) and zPass (password).

Moodle eLearning support Should you have any difficulties accessing your course online, please contact the eLearning support below:

For login issues:

UNSW IT Service Centre Hours: Monday to Friday: 8am – 8pm

Saturday and Sunday: 11am – 2.00pm Email: [email protected] Phone: Internal: x51333

External: 02 9385 1333 International: +61 2 9385 1333

For assistance in using Moodle, including how to upload assignments:

The AGSM eLearning Coordinator

Hours: Monday to Friday: 9am – 5pm Email: [email protected] Phone: Internal: x19541


For help with technical issues and problems: External TELT Support

Hours: Monday to Friday: 7.30am – 9.30pm Saturdays and Sundays: 8.30am – 4.30pm

Email: [email protected] Phone: Internal: x53331


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Course overview 19

Administrative support Student Experience If you have any administrative queries, they should be addressed to Student Experience. Student Experience AGSM MBA Programs UNSW Business School SYDNEY NSW 2052 Tel: +61 2 9931 9400 Email: [email protected]

Additional student resources and support The University and the UNSW Business School provide a wide range of support services for students, including:

• AGSM – Digital Resources and Tutorials https://www.business.unsw.edu.au/agsm/students/supporting-study/digital-learning-support/digital-resources-and-tutorials

• Business School Education Development Unit (EDU) https://www.business.unsw.edu.au/students/resources/learning-support The EDU provides academic writing, study skills and maths support specifically for Business students. Services include workshops, online resources, and individual consultations. EDU Office: Level 1, Room 1033, Quadrangle Building. Phone: +61 2 9385 5584; Email: [email protected]

• UNSW Learning Centre http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au Provides academic skills support services, including workshops and resources, for all UNSW students. See website for details.

• Library training and search support services http://info.library.unsw.edu.au/web/services/services.html

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https://www.business.unsw.edu.au/agsm/students/supporting-study/digital-learning-support/digital-resources-and-tutorials

https://www.business.unsw.edu.au/agsm/students/supporting-study/digital-learning-support/digital-resources-and-tutorials

https://www.business.unsw.edu.au/students/resources/learning-support


http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/

http://info.library.unsw.edu.au/web/services/services.html


• UNSW Counselling and Psychological Services https://student.unsw.edu.au/wellbeing Provides support and services if you need help with your personal life, getting your academic life back on track or just want to know how to stay safe, including free, confidential counselling. Office: Level 2, East Wing, Quadrangle Building; Phone: +61 2 9385 5418.

• Student Equity & Disabilities Unit http://www.studentequity.unsw.edu.au

Provides advice regarding equity and diversity issues, and support for students who have a disability or disadvantage that interferes with their learning. Office: Ground Floor, John Goodsell Building; Phone: +61 2 9385 4734; Email: [email protected]

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https://student.unsw.edu.au/wellbeing

http://www.studentequity.unsw.edu.au/


Course overview 21

Appendix 1 Organisational analysis marking criteria

Appendix 2 Data collection methods for organizational analysis

Appendix 3 Team competencies peer feedback

Appendix 4 Team skills reflection paper marking criteria

Appendix 5 Live case study analysis marking criteria

Appendices

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COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Copyright Regulations 1969

WARNING

This material has been reproduced and communicated to you by or on behalf of the University of New South Wales pursuant to Part VB of the Copyright Act 1968 (the Act). The material in this communication may be subject to copyright under the Act. Any further reproduction or communication of this material by you may be the subject of copyright protection under the Act.

Do not remove this notice.

Appendix 1

Organisational analysis marking criteria

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O

rgan

isatio

nal a

naly

sis m

arki

ng cr

iteria

HI

GH D

ISTI

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ON

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IL

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is

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al iss

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Good

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or

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al iss

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Appr

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te a

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poo

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limite

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any

conc

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en.

Inap

prop

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ion o

r int

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f the

conc

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No co

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an

alysis

.

20%

Di

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sues

are

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are

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elatin

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h or

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ies h

ave

stron

gest

impa

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es.

Perfo

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ce is

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are

cle

arly

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d an

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caus

es a

re lin

ked

to th

ese

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s.

A ra

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nal

prob

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re id

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ed w

ith

som

e co

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ratio

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the

cons

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nces

for

orga

nisat

ional

perfo

rman

ce.

Key o

rgan

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nal e

lemen

ts ar

e de

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ed.

No id

entifi

catio

n of

ke

y org

anisa

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l ele

men

ts or

their

im

pact

on

perfo

rman

ce.

20%

Ap

prop

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ness

of

reco

mm

enda

tions

Reco

mm

enda

tions

wou

ld cle

arly

deliv

er h

igher

per

form

ance

and

are

or

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l. Con

sider

ation

mad

e of

the

down

sides

of t

he re

com

men

datio

ns,

and

strat

egies

to o

verc

ome

down

sides

ar

e ide

ntifie

d.

Reco

mm

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wou

ld cle

arly

deliv

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and

are

fe

asibl

e an

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c. Fe

asibi

lity o

f re

com

men

datio

ns a

re

outlin

ed.

Requ

irem

ents

are

ident

ified

and

are

feas

ible

and

reali

stic.

Gene

ric re

com

men

datio

ns

that

could

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mad

e fo

r any

or

ganis

ation

. Re

com

men

datio

ns a

re

feas

ible

but u

nrea

listic

give

n re

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ce co

nstra

ints.

Reco

mm

enda

tion

inapp

ropr

iate

and

/ or

com

plete

ly un

reali

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25%

Qu

ality

of a

rgum

ents:

log

ic an

d int

egra

tion

Stro

ng lo

gical

argu

men

ts wi

th e

xcell

ent

evide

nce

that

supp

ort a

cons

isten

t, co

here

nt o

vera

ll ana

lysis.

Alte

rnat

ive

reco

mm

enda

tions

effe

ctive

ly co

mpa

red.

Cohe

rent

logic

al ar

gum

ents

which

are

stro

ngly

justifi

ed

by e

viden

ce.

Logic

al ar

gum

ent w

ith so

me

evide

nce

(dat

a, th

eory

, be

nchm

arkin

g or

com

paris

on

to a

ltern

ative

s) g

iven

to ju

stify

the

argu

men

t.

Argu

men

ts ar

e log

ical b

ut

evide

nce

to su

ppor

t ar

gum

ents

is we

ak

Argu

men

ts ar

en’t

logica

l, jus

tified

or

integ

rate

d.

15%

Or

ganis

ation

, clar

ity o

f ex

pres

sion

Show

s a p

olish

ed a

nd im

agina

tive

appr

oach

to th

e re

port

with

com

pellin

g cla

rity o

f exp

ress

ion.

Care

fully

and

logic

ally

orga

nised

and

writ

ten

clear

ly. G

ood

inter

nal fl

ow.

Good

org

anisa

tion

and

cohe

renc

e an

d m

ostly

writ

ten

clear

ly.

Som

e at

tem

pt to

org

anise

in a

log

ical m

anne

r, or

lack

ing

clarit

y of e

xpre

ssion

. Sec

tions

dis

joint

ed o

r con

tradic

tory

.

Diso

rgan

ised/

In

cohe

rent

.

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WARNING



Appendix 2

Data collection methods for organizational analysis

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Appendix 2: Data collection methods 1

Here, we’d like to give you an overview of different data collection methods that you may consider for your Organisational Analysis report.

Observation If you are an external consultant, diagnosis can begin from the moment you make contact with the organisation. From the moment you arrive at the front door or front gate of an organisation, relevant information can be available. The building’s size, design and outfitting can provide information about its culture and operations. How you are greeted and treated while you are there, the physical work environment, how meetings are run, how people are addressed and relate to each other, what people say and do not say, all provide clues to organisational health.

Observation is a very open form of data collection, in the sense that it can throw up unexpected issues that we did not initially include in framing the problem. By taking a step back and not controlling the data collection process, we find out things we didn’t think we needed to know and weren’t looking for. For example, in a meeting you may notice tension between two managers that no one admits to openly. This might explain significant blockages in communication processes within the organisation.

Diagnostic interviews Interviews are probably the most common method of data collection.

The number and design of the interviews will depend on many factors such as the organisation’s size and your diagnostic brief. If there appears to be consensus in an organisation about the main problems, this may indicate that not many interviews will be needed, or it might indicate that a more intensive interview program is needed to test whether the consensus is groupthink.

If the main problems are not obvious, you may need to conduct not only many interviews, but also multiple iterations of the entire interview process. The advantage of data gathering by interview is that during an interview you can explore answers in detail by asking the interviewee to elaborate on them and by testing ideas. The interviewee’s answers can be related to each other, with answers confirming, correcting or contradicting previous replies. Group interviews are sometimes used to observe interactions between members, however one danger is that you come away with a misleading impression of consensus because some group members were unwilling to express dissenting opinions. Like observation, a flexible and adaptable interview process is an open form of data collection, and can throw light on unexpected relationships, influences and constraints.

Data collection methods for organizational analysis

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Surveys Surveys are an efficient way of collecting data. The most common survey example is the employee attitude questionnaire designed to ‘take the temperature’ of the organisation or reveal areas of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. A consultant might use such a survey to detect attitudes that could make or break the change program’s success. Designing an effective survey often requires specialist assistance. Questions need to be clear – neither misleading nor confusing – and easy to answer. The questionnaire’s length is probably the most important determinant of whether respondents complete it. Keeping the response time to less than 20 minutes is a good rule of thumb. The advantage of this form of data collection is the power of the results. Having large numbers of respondents increases the reliability of the findings. Of course, the trade off is the loss of qualitative data.

‘Survey feedback’ is a particular intervention method where the results are ‘fed back’ to all those who participated in the survey. When the results of a morale or attitude survey are shared with all survey respondents, it can stimulate awareness of the need for change and help develop consensus about priority areas for change.

Analysis of organisational records While observation, interviews and surveys all provide valuable information, the data they provide are all to some extent subjective. An analysis of an organisation’s archival records can provide important objective data regarding such issues as staff turnover, absenteeism, health and safety, grievances, waste, quality, productivity and error rates, sales, profitability and costs.

The ‘shadow side’ of organisations Egan (1994) argues that when diagnosing organisations we should look beyond the formal and overt. He describes the shadow side of organisations, that is, the things that go on behind the scenes. These off-stage activities are covert, undiscussed and sometimes undiscussable. In diagnosing an organisation and its need and readiness for change, we should consider the shadow side to make a fuller and more accurate diagnosis. As an external consultant or a recently joined employee, surface activities quickly become clear – who reports to whom, which business units do what, how customer relationships are managed etc. But it takes time to get beneath the surface and discover some of the other things that go on which you don’t find on the organisation chart or in company manuals. The unwritten rules are as important as the written ones and if we ignore the shadow side it is possible that we will misdiagnose the organisation.

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Appendix 2: Data collection methods 3

The shadow side of business has three dimensions:

1. The shadow side refers to significant activities and arrangements that remain unidentified or, for whatever reasons, undiscussed in some decision-making setting of the company or institution.

2. Since shadow side factors are not formally discussed, they fall outside the reach of ordinary managerial intervention.

3. Shadow side activities and arrangements often substantially affect both productivity and the quality of work life in the company or institution (Egan 1994).

Picking up on the last point, shadow side activities can be both costly and can improve the bottom line. Here’s an example of the dark side of a shadow activity. A salesperson’s kickback deals with customers are hidden and therefore remain undiscussed in formal company settings, fall outside the reach of ordinary managerial control and affect company productivity. Here there is a direct effect of the shadow side on the bottom line since the salesperson is using company funds to pay the customer for their business. An indirect effect is that other salespeople may miss out on bonuses and therefore may be less motivated, because the ‘dirty’ salesperson sells more and gets a bigger share of the bonus pie.

Another example of dark side shadow activity is when the CEO’s relative works in the organisation and gets away with poor performance because nobody is prepared to challenge him or her.

So the costs identified in these examples are monetary costs, low motivation and poor performance. Other costs of dark side shadow activity may be ruined reputations, stifled careers or dysfunctional teams.

Figure 1 The light and shadow in organisations

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On the other hand, shadow side activities can be productive. Consider this example. John’s boss, Barry, had little time for him. Barry undermined John and gave him few opportunities to demonstrate his abilities. On a small project, John had to work with another manager, Steve, who recognised his talents and became his informal mentor. Steve is aware of Barry’s attitude towards John so he finds tactful and covert ways to promote John’s abilities with others and give him important tasks to do. The covert relationship between Steve and John is in the shadows but positively contributes to John’s performance.

Other examples of productive shadow side activities are a culture of loyalty and commitment, cutting through red tape, turning expertise gained on the job into research papers or proposals for action, and collaboration through friendships.

Shadow side activities are found in all aspects of organisational life – in the culture, in personal styles and behaviours, in social systems, and in politics. So how do we find and diagnose them?

Egan suggests that to uncover the shadow side without encouraging tattling, informing and squealing requires you to listen well and engage in open communication. Here are some tips:

• Be alert and inquisitive – spot clues that indicate something is going on in the shadows, explore situations that don’t feel right.

• Look for root causes of problems that haven’t previously been identified. • Find probes that get at underlying norms – for example, ask questions such as

‘what stops us achieving this goal?’; ‘what is really going on between these two departments?’

• Name the unwritten rules – for example, ‘it is alright to come late to meetings’; ‘don’t question the boss’s decisions’.

• Welcome new perspectives – don’t rely on what one person tells you, and don’t assume that what happens in one situation will happen in another.

• Think about ways that you might be ‘in the dark’. • Explore ways you have been surprised by behaviour or events over the past

year. • Don’t avoid issues that might be uncomfortable to know about. • Search for different strategies to discuss issues – for example, use email, meet

for coffee outside the building, use group meetings to raise concerns. • Role-model openness by sharing some shadow side activities that you are aware

of. • Identify situations in which it is easier to say nothing to avoid embarrassment and

disruption and find a way to discuss the situation that isn’t embarrassing or disruptive.

• Challenge excuse-making and probe into what is really happening.

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WARNING



Appendix 3

Team competencies peer feedback

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Te

am co

mpe

tenc

ies p

eer f

eedb

ack

1 =

HAR

DLY

ANY

SKIL

L 2 =

SOM

E SK

ILL

3 = A

DEQU

ATE

SKIL

L 4 =

GOO

D SK

ILL

5 = C

OMPL

ETE

SKIL

L

1.

Tim

eline

ss

Rare

ly m

et d

eadli

nes.

Unab

le to

m

ake

and

imple

men

t plan

s.

Som

e de

adlin

es m

et, b

ut

ofte

n de

spite

lack

of

plann

ing.

Mos

tly m

et d

eadli

nes b

ut

som

ewha

t diso

rgan

ised

in pla

nning

own

wor

k.

Usua

lly m

et d

eadli

nes.

Good

man

agem

ent o

f tim

e an

d pla

nning

of o

wn w

ork.

Cons

isten

tly m

et d

eadli

nes.

Man

aged

his

/ her

time

extre

mely

well

.

2.

Goal

settin

g an

d W

ork p

lannin

g

No co

ntrib

ution

to g

oal s

ettin

g an

d wo

rk p

lannin

g. H

e / S

he w

as o

ften

conf

used

abo

ut w

hat t

hey w

ere

trying

to a

ccom

plish

, or w

as

resis

tant

to co

nting

ency

plan

ning.

Som

e co

ntrib

ution

to w

ork

plann

ing, b

ut ta

sks s

et w

ere

not s

uffic

iently

spec

ific o

r lin

ked

to o

ne a

noth

er.

Cont

ribut

ion to

wor

k pla

nning

, but

no

cont

ribut

ion to

co

nting

ency

plan

ning.

Good

cont

ribut

ion to

wor

k pla

nning

and

goa

l set

ting,

so

me

sugg

estio

ns fo

r co

nting

ency

plan

ning.

Sign

ifican

t con

tribu

tion

to

work

plan

ning,

inclu

ding

prior

itising

task

s and

mak

ing

cont

ingen

cy p

lans.

3.

Mon

itorin

g pr

ogre

ss

towa

rds g

oals

Eith

er "m

onito

red

ever

ything

" or

hard

ly an

ything

at a

ll. No

co

mpa

rison

of p

rogr

ess w

ith

goals

.

Som

e m

onito

ring

of

prog

ress

usin

g re

levan

t inf

orm

ation

, but

com

paris

on

of p

rogr

ess w

ith g

oals

wasn

’t clea

r.

Asse

ssed

team

pr

ogre

ss, b

ut d

idn’t

discu

ss co

ncer

ns

effe

ctive

ly.

Mad

e go

od a

sses

smen

ts of

team

pro

gres

s and

ge

nera

ted

discu

ssion

of

prog

ress

with

team

.

Activ

ely m

onito

red

prog

ress

to

ward

team

goa

ls us

ing d

ata

and

benc

hmar

ks. R

egula

rly

com

mun

icate

d pr

ogre

ss to

te

am.

4.

Supp

ort f

or o

ther

te

am m

embe

rs

Was

not

awa

re o

f oth

ers'

actio

ns

and

prov

ided

little

feed

back

. Of

fere

d fe

edba

ck w

hen

nece

ssar

y, bu

t didn

’t ap

pear

to ta

ke th

is ro

le se

rious

ly.

Offe

red

feed

back

to

othe

rs o

ccas

ionall

y, th

ough

usu

ally o

nly w

hen

aske

d.

Obse

rved

oth

ers’

actio

ns

and

offe

red

feed

back

and

ta

sk re

lated

supp

ort.

Mad

e so

me

atte

mpt

to h

elp

othe

rs w

here

app

ropr

iate.

Proa

ctive

ly ob

serv

ed o

ther

s’ ac

tions

and

offe

red

feed

back

an

d ta

sk re

lated

supp

ort;

took

a

stron

g co

achin

g ro

le wi

th

team

mem

bers

.

5.

Coor

dinat

ion

activ

ities

Man

y coo

rdina

tion

brea

kdow

ns.

Could

not

effe

ctive

ly co

mbin

e th

eir co

ntrib

ution

into

the

team

.

A fe

w br

eakd

owns

in

coor

dinat

ion, b

ut th

ese

did

not le

ad to

majo

r tea

m

prob

lems.

Insu

fficien

t or t

oo

muc

h co

ntac

t with

oth

ers t

o es

tabli

sh co

ordin

ation

.

Som

e co

ordin

ation

with

ot

hers

, but

little

lea

ders

hip o

f gro

up

coor

dinat

ion.

Coor

dinat

ed a

ctivit

ies w

ell,

cont

act w

ith o

ther

s was

ap

prop

riate

.

Clea

rly u

nder

stood

roles

and

re

spon

sibilit

ies th

en o

rgan

ised

activ

ities a

ppro

priat

ely.

Amou

nt o

f con

tact

with

oth

ers

was a

ppro

priat

e giv

en th

e ta

sks.

6.

Conf

lict

man

agem

ent

Insti

gate

d co

nflic

t in th

e te

am

which

was

not

pro

ducti

ve. T

ask-

base

d dis

agre

emen

ts de

terio

rate

d an

d be

gan

to g

et p

erso

nal.

Disc

usse

d te

amwo

rk is

sues

wi

th re

lative

ly litt

le ill

feeli

ngs d

evelo

ping.

Sou

ght

cons

ensu

s tha

t did

not

unde

rmine

the

team

effo

rts.

Som

etim

es ta

sk-b

ased

dis

agre

emen

ts tu

rned

into

int

erpe

rson

al co

nflic

t.

Could

neg

otiat

e an

d ha

ndle

conf

lict s

o th

at

the

task

was

not

hin

dere

d.

Wor

ked

thro

ugh

cogn

itive

and

inter

pers

onal

conf

lict

suffic

iently

so th

e te

am

task

was

not

hind

ered

and

th

ere

was n

o ill-

feeli

ng.

Open

ly dis

cuss

ed te

amwo

rk

issue

s, an

ticipa

ted

and

prev

ente

d po

tent

ial

inter

pers

onal

conf

lict.

If an

y int

erpe

rson

al co

nflic

t de

velop

ed, d

ealt w

ith it

quick

ly an

d ef

fecti

vely.

Alw

ays

kept

conf

lict t

ask-

base

d.

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Appendix 4

Team skills reflection paper marking criteria

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Appendix 4: Team skills reflection paper marking criteria 1

35% Use of conceptual tools and frameworks

Reflections and goals are developed using theories and frameworks from OB and / or FOM. Goals are developed using goal setting theory, i.e. are specific, measureable, feasible and obstacles are identified.

25% Analytical self-reflection Insights regarding personal strengths and weaknesses based on an honest evaluation of team skills. Consideration of the impact or consequences of your team skills on you and others.

25% Logic, evidence and integration

Integration of evidence from multiple sources to form and justify reflections. Goals address insights from self-reflection.

15% Organisation, clarity of expression

Carefully and logically organised, written and presented clearly

Team skills reflection paper marking criteria

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Appendix 5

Live case study analysis marking criteria

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Appendix 5: Live case study analysis marking criteria 1

35% Use of conceptual tools and frameworks to support analysis

Clear conclusions that apply concepts in an insightful and compelling way. Good choice of concepts for the organisational issues.

30% Diagnosis & any recommendations

Organisational issues are clearly articulated, root causes are linked to outcomes, with strong argument relating to which organisational strategies have strongest impact on issues.

20% Evidence and illustration Excellent evidence that is clear, relevant and appropriately cited. Any recommendations are specific and feasible.

15% Organisation, clarity of expression

Shows a polished approach with strong clarity of expression.

Live case study analysis marking criteria

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