Assignment 4: Review and Begin Course Term Project

By Sunday, November 4, 2012, begin preparation of a 12–15 page applied research paper, not including a cover page, reference pages and, if needed, any appendices, on the broad theme of “organizations and leadership.” Within this broad theme, the project should explore, in some depth, a topic related to the course objectives that is significant to you or your organization. Research shows that people learn effectively when working on real problems grounded in their own work experience. To this end, the project is designed to incorporate your professional work experience into the learning process in this course.

In developing the project, select a specific organization of interest to you. Think of yourself as an organizational consultant and assume that a senior manager has requested a thorough analysis and a recommended course of action to resolve an actual leadership and organizational behavior(LOB) problem that will make a difference to the future performance of the organization. If there appears to be more than one problem, you need to decide if they are separate or related issues. Keep the problem statement short and concise. Specify whose point of view you are taking to identify the problem (For example, you could interview a couple managers, describe their take on the key problem, and compare them with yours).

Focus your study on one specific LOB topic area. Your project may focus on any of the following topics:

• Organizational culture

• Trust

• Motivation

• Stress

• Organizational structure

• Communication

• Managing change

• Leadership

• Group and team dynamics

• Managing conflict

• Individual performance issues

• Diversity

• Job satisfaction

• Job design

 

The Course Term Project should be developed within the following timeline:

MODULE	ACTIONS REQUIRED
1	Written overview of Course Term Project.
4	Course Term Project: Proposal. Proposal of a topic related to organizational behavior to be completed for the remainder of the term: Set the context for your paper. Provide a brief overview of the organization and your role in it. Provide a pragmatic description of the organizational problem that you observe. The objective of this step is to arrive at a starting point for a more in-depth problem exploration and preliminary solution strategy.
5	Instructor to provide approval, suggestions, and direction.
6	Course Term Project: Define concrete Problem Statement, Introduction and Reference Review: Continue development of research paper on chosen topic of organizational behavior for final submission. Continue work on class project; seek instructor help as required.
8	Course Project: Final Project Submission (To be submitted no later than the second day of Module 8). Submit a 12–15 page report on the chosen topic of organizational behavior developed with thesis, identification of problem(s), suggested recommendations, and a conclusion.

Overall Format

Submissions of all papers should be double-spaced. The paper should be no more than 12–15 pages not including a cover page, reference pages and, if needed, any appendices. APA formatting is required, including the proper title-page, headings, references and appendices. Submit the paper in Times New Roman or New Courier 12 pt font to the M1: Assignment 4 Dropbox.

Course Term Project Rubric

Grammar, syntax errors and failure to properly use citations or failure to cite resources will result in point deductions from the total points earned.
Grammar and syntax error deductions as follows:

Frequency: Few = 0–15 points
Moderate = 16–30 points
Excessive = 31–45 points

By Saturday, November 3, 2012 once you have chosen the organization and determined your leadership and organizational behavioral problem, post your information along with and explanation as to the background and context of the problem as you currently perceive it. Outline also your plan of action to frame the problem and points of discussion you will address.

All written assignments and responses should follow APA rules for attributing sources.

Grading Criteria	Maximum Points
Provided a title for the research paper, researcher’s name, course number and title, instructor, and date	8
Stated a background to set the context, provided a brief overview of the organization and his or her role in it, and determined the essential issues, events, or actions to help frame the problem and subsequent discussion points	12
Submitted on time and in the correct format	4
Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources, displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.	4
Total	28

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