Core BC University has been operating for 30 years, offering classes in two modalities, including in-person and online. The University is headquartered in Vancouver, BC. It has ten partner universities across the globe that offer its programs/classes to over 7000 students, with 900 faculty members and over 300 support and administrative employees. Over the last two years, the University has been struggling financially because of multiple factors, such as economic fluctuations, new immigration laws impacting international students, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a dramatic increase in commercial lease rates in downtown Vancouver where the University's main campus is located. The university's president is considering transitioning from in-office into a completely remote (On-Line) business model to reduce costs. This shift represents a significant total organizational change. The president knows that the success of any organizational change, even if well planned and implemented top-down, depends significantly upon gaining employee buy-in and involving them in the decision-making process. 

 

            The president has hired you as an OD consultant to gather data on various aspects and implications of the above large-scale organizational change. Data collection can be a force that sparks interest in change; it can bring corporate members together on a standard definition of the situation that they can then agree to change. 

 

Your task is to:

1. Select at least three employee focus areas (Employees ONLY) to question. (E.G., the IT staff's capabilities to support online education, faculty, support staff, senior administration, or library staff).
2. Choose two data gathering methods for each employee group to acquire helpful insights from employees. Choose employees who will be affected by the change at different levels and will provide valuable input regarding the proposed change. Each data gathering method you select must be relevant to a specific Employee focus area and lead to useful, valid information about the proposed change and its implications. Based on your data, you can confidently inform and guide the president's decision-making about transitioning into the remote work model.
3. Design at least four relevant questions for each data gathering method for the Employee focus areas.  E.G., If you are using an "Online Survey" method, what are four questions that you would ask this group? Ensure they will give you the information that you require to gain information about this group's opinions on going entirely online.
4. Analyze how your questions and data from these groups would best prepare the President to make a viable decision to go fully remote or to stay the same (on-campus and remote lessons).

 

 

            The following information can help you organize your work. (A suggested outline follows).

 

Introductory Paragraph: 

• a paragraph to provide some background information about the central concept for this university and a clear thesis statement regarding the purpose of your essay, followed by a breakdown of the critical sections of your paper.

 

Focus Areas (or the Employee groups to supply data): 

• Describe who needs to be included in the data gathering process. Informed by the nature of the proposed organizational change, identify the critical employee areas for data collection (e.g., the University's IT capabilities to support online education, faculty, support staff, senior administration, library staff, etc.). Be prepared to substantiate your reasons for choosing these groups. Ask yourself what employee groups will provide the best information to provide the best data for the president to make a good decision. Insights you gathered for each employee area should significantly inform and facilitate the president's decision-making by presenting a complete picture of the change at CORE BC University. It is critical that you know precisely the type of information that could help the president; therefore, to correctly identify the data gathering focus areas, dedicate some time to dissect and analyze what it might be like for these employee groups to transition into remote work along with its implications for different stakeholders and departments.

 

• Determine the data gathering methods you want to use based on your learning. Select proper data gathering methods (at least two) for each focus area (e.g., faculty, IT, support staff, etc.). As part of this selection, it is essential to target the correct group of employees regarding the type of information you intend to collect from them. Remember, you are dealing with all ten university portals, so employee numbers will vary depending on their position. The alignment between the specific focus employee area data gathering methods will determine the quality of your work. Please be sure to justify and shed light on this alignment. To properly select the employee focus areas for data collection, conduct research to familiarize yourself with a typical organizational structure of a university (e.g., positions, roles, responsibilities, functions, and departments).

 

• Prepare for data collection: This section provides additional details about the selected data collection methods. You are NOT required to develop the process for each technique fully; however, you should explain the critical action steps you will take to prepare for implementing each strategy.  An article will be supplied on tips for each method (e.g., how to reduce bias); please be sure to review these tips as you work on this section of your paper. Here are some key considerations:

 

• If you select interviews, small focus groups, or surveys, identify WHOM would participate and HOW, and present some sample questions you would ask. Always discuss why these methods are best for the groups chosen.
• If you select observations, describe whom you would observe, for what length of time, in what setting, and why this method is ideal for this group.
• If you choose unobtrusive measures, define what data you wish to collect and how you would do so. Always discuss why these methods are best for the groups selected.
• Justification and Conclusion: In one or two paragraphs (s), explain and conclude how your proposed data collection initiative and its results will facilitate transitioning into the remote work model with maximized stakeholder support and valuable intelligence for the president to plan to implement this significant change successfully. Why should the president listen to your reasoning and believe your data or the results?

 

• Reflection:  What did you learn from this assignment, and how will it affect your learning or knowledge in the future?

 

This paper will be 3000 words with citations and references  

 

SUGGESTED OUTLINE

 

An Introduction Paragraph: A brief history of the problem and purpose.  State a clear thesis statement.

 

Focus Areas: List three employee groups that you have chosen.

 

Data gathering Methods: At least two data-gathering methods were used for each of the three employee groups and supplied 3-4 example questions to ask.

 

Conclusion: Answer How and Why your suggested methods and focus groups will provide the best information for the president to decide whether to go fully remote or not. 

 

Reflection: What did you learn from this assignment?