This document provides detailed instructions for the two individual written assignments for the class. It also explains what is involved in class participation, for which you get an individual grade.

Since much of the class involves reflection on your own and others actions in the team and at work, many students find it helpful to keep a journal for notes on your own learning, progress on your individual experiment paper (described below), reflections on your teamwork in the class, etc. These journals are private and for your use only but can provide concrete "data" for your team assessment and personal experiment paper and are therefore encouraged.

Written Analysis of Dynacorp Case.

Early in the class you will meet the fictitious corporation, Dynacorp, which faces problems typical of corporations making a transition to new organizational forms. For the class discussion we read "Strategic Design at Dynacorp," pp M-2: 28-32.For the written assignment, you should read "Dynacorp Revisited," pp M-2:85-90.This reading introduces specific players at Dynacorp and their perspectives on the organizational changes.

According to the case (part A and B), there are a host of issues in the change process at Dynacorp. Although the shift to a new structure appeared to be a great idea, the implementation has not succeeded. Some of the problems are evident on the surface; underlying those symptoms are a small number of systemic issues that give rise to these surface-level problems. Your goal in this memo is to identify the one or two systemic issues that you believe are causing the most problems. Using thepolitical lensand the model of political power given in the book, explainwhythese problems have emerged and propose a solution.

Like any executive-level analysis, your success here will be based on three elements: (a) Define and describe the 1-2 key systemic factors in the case, and make a compelling

argument as to why these factors are the most important cause of the problems at

Dynacorp; (b) Show how elements of the political lens (i.e. constructs in the model) are operating, by

linking specific examples - data from the case - to constructs in the political lens. (This is

what we mean by "analysis"); (c) Use the constructs from the model to identify two or three specific actions that you

recommend to begin to solve the underlying systemic factors in the organization.

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MBA 650 - INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS

Individual Experiment Memo

Goals of the Project:

Develop the self-reflection and action research skills that are critical to effective management;

Use the first and second person tool kits from the course to design and carry out a personal experiment to improve some relationship or situation at work or in your life;

Report on the results and describe what you learned about your current organizational skills and reflective practice;

Suggest some concrete steps you might take to continue to develop your reflective practice.

This project begins by identifying some current problem or opportunity you are currently facing in some relationship at work, at home, or in any organization of which you are a part. In short, something concrete about a working relationship or project you would like to improve.

The simplest approach is to think of a recent conversation with a co-worker or other person in your life that didn't turn out as well as you would have liked and begin by writing a two column case in the format of the Tardy Twosome case. However, you can also work on something that is not specifically a conversation, but more of a challenge or personal development goal that you have for yourself, such as "manage distractions better at work" or "learn to facilitate better meetings". You might also consider situations that seems familiar and frustrating (e.g., "why am I always the one who has to organize everything?", "how come I can never speak up in meetings, even when I know the answer or have an important point to make?"). These are often good places to begin.

Ideally, the experiment should involve acurrentsituation that you want to improve somehow. Your goal will be to treat this situation as a personal case in which you will apply course theories to design a new approach that you will implement and then reflect on. Your paper will write up the results of this personal experiment in the application of course theories using the following outline as a guide:

1. Identify a personal case

This should clearly state some gap between an actual and desired outcome you would like to see in a project, on your team, in your department, or in your own individual behavior at work. Illustrate this concretely with a concise example. In short, explain what you want to improve and why?

If you are doing a two-column case, this will be the first part of paper (see the Tardy Twosome case for an example). A two-column case always starts with a 1-2 paragraph description of the problem situation. This is followed with two columns (for a page or

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MBA 650 - INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS

so), with the right column containing a reconstructed dialog from the conversation and the left containing the (usually unexpressed) thoughts and feelings you were having at the time. If you are focused a situation that is not a conversation, this section should describe the situation you will be working on and provide a concrete example illustrating a performance gap or opportunity for improvement.

Analysis

Conduct an analysis of the situation using at least one of the following sets of course tools and skills (Ladder of inference, schemas/mental models, 4 parts of speech; personality theory). Conclude with a concreteplan of action/experimentthat follows from your diagnosis and seems likely to improve the situation somehow. Ideally, these will contain some specific (measureable) indicators of success.

Action and results

Briefly describe the specificactionyou took to improve the situation (in other words, you need to actually do something and report the results); and what the results were. Did the situation improve? If so, how do you know?

Reflections and personal development plan

Conclude with some reflections about the overall success of the experiment, including its design, execution, and any lessons learned or surprises encountered. What will you do to continue developing your organizational practice going forward?

I will be evaluating this option papers on the following criteria:

Clarity of writing and thinking: (Arguments are clear and flow logically; Paper is properly

organized, etc.)

Case description: Description of the situation is short, clear and to the point; case

represents a real interpersonal problem, opportunity for learning, growth, etc.

Analysis: Diagnosis of the causes of the situation/behavior using course theories

appropriately and demonstrating self-reflection;

Prescription/actions taken: Ability to translate analysis into action that seems likely to

improve the situation;

Outcomes and reflection: Outcome clearly described; Clear why the outcome was

successful or unsuccessful; Demonstration of personal learning/reflection /growth

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MBA 650 - INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS

Individual: Participation in Online Discussions and Team

Your class participation will depend on two factors:

Your contributions to 4 class discussions on blackboard (10%)

Your team participation as evaluated by your team members at the end of class

(10%)

Individual responses to four class discussion questions

The primary goal of individual responses is to demonstrate that you have read and comprehended the weekly readings and are able to apply the concepts from the reading to a business case or other application question. I will not be requiring everyone to reply to people, but this is clearly welcomed and encouraged.

The individual responses should be well written, free of major grammatical errors

You will note from the rubric below that ANY response will give you at least 70 points. This is to encourage everyone to at remain engaged with the discussion. Getting a B is fairly easy, but to get an A on these, you need to deep engagement and strong comprehension with an excellent analysis and use of the tool.