Assignment 1: Task Force Committee Report: Issue and Solutions
Due Week 4, worth 150 points
Leaders address issues and propose solutions. As a leader, you’ll need to stay on top of events that may facilitate or hinder productivity. You must create and implement solutions to address these issues.
This assignment exposes you to complex modern organizational challenges. The solutions you devise should reflect your learning and research of organizational and individual influences in the workplace.
Preparation
1. Select an organization Select an organization in which current events have adversely affected productivity, requiring management to resolve an issue related to: corporate culture, managing diversity, leading teamwork, and developing motivational strategies. The organization should be one with which you are familiar — where you work now or have worked previously (business, nonprofit, government, or military). You may also consider other organizations in the news, such as Macy’s for the retail industry, United for the airline industry, Wells Fargo for the banking industry, etc. The focus is on finding solutions, but you should be somewhat familiar with the organization or industry.
2. Plan your research Use research from the course textbook, company website, business websites (CNBC, Bloomberg, etc.), resources from the Strayer Library, or outside resources to develop solutions to the following questions as they relate to corporate culture, managing diversity, leading teamwork, and developing motivational strategies to achieve the organization’s goals and objectives. Your recommendations must be fully articulated and supported with appropriate detail and sources. Note: Wikipedia and web-based blogs do not qualify as credible resources.
Instructions
Imagine yourself as the task force committee leader at this organization. You have been tasked with analyzing hindrances to organizational efficiency. You must propose strategic solutions.
Create a full report in which you do the following:
1. Describe the Organization and the Issue to Resolve Provide a brief description of the organization you selected. Present the organizational issue that adversely affected productivity and that you, the task force leader, will review and resolve.
2. Analyze Current Corporate Culture How has the current corporate culture facilitated the development of the current issue? Research the organization, dig into the culture, and analyze how it contributed to this issue. Hint: Review the mission and vision statements as well as the corporate website.
3. Identify Areas of Weakness What are the organization’s areas of weakness? Using your research on organizational behavior approaches to corporate culture, diversity, teamwork, and motivational strategies, identify areas.
4. Propose Solutions What organizational practices would you modify? What solutions should your task force recommend to management? As the leader of the task force, identify the suggestions you would present to the organization’s leadership with regard to modifying current organizational practices to resolve the issue.
5. Prepare an Executive Summary Summarize your recommendations and research findings in a one-page executive summary that you will present to the CEO in an upcoming executive meeting. Note: An executive summary is a condensed version of your full report. It should summarize briefly all the main points in concise paragraphs. It should be written clearly and should use language appropriate for the audience.
Follow Strayer Writing Standards
Grading for this assignment will be based on the following criteria and evaluation standards:
| Assignment 1: Task Force Committee Report: Issue and Solutions | Points: 150 | |||
| Exemplary
90-100% A |
Proficient
80-89% B |
Fair
70-79% C |
Unacceptable
Below 70% F |
Criteria |
| Fully describes the organization by providing a relevant and robust but concise overview of the company (e.g. when they were established, what service(s) or products they provide, and other relevant information). Additionally, the author fully describes the issue he/she has identified; what he/she knows about it and how it has impacted the company. | Sufficiently describes the organization and provides details about the company. The issue is identified and the author sufficiently describes what he/she knows about it and its impact on the company. | Partially describes the organization and provides some details about the company, but additional details would improve the description. The issue and its impact on the company are not clearly articulated. | Does not describe the organization or provide details about the company. The issue and its impact on the company are not provided. | 1. Describe the Organization and the Issue to Resolve
Weight: 20% |
| Completely describes the company’s culture by detailing how the company positions itself from internal and external perspectives. Draws strong, logical connections about how the culture did or could have supported/facilitated the challenge. Makes direct connections and supports points with source material. | Satisfactorily describes the company culture by drawing on and synthesizing corporate information about the company. Makes logical and realistic connections that are supported by source material. | Partially describes the company’s culture. Lacks details and/or multiple sources are not utilized to provide a well-rounded perspective. Makes loose connections that were not supported by sources or that were not fully articulated. | The culture is not described or the company is not differentiated completely from others. Poses unsupported connections or connections are not included. | 2. Analyze Current Corporate Culture
Weight: 20% |
| Completely identifies areas of weakness and provides strong details with logical connections and supporting source material. | Satisfactorily identifies areas of weakness and provides valid details supported by source material. | Partially identifies areas of weakness and makes loose connections between the weaknesses and supporting material. | Does not identify areas of weakness or does not provide supporting source material. | 3. Identify Areas of Weakness
Weight: 20% |
| Completely describes modifications to organizational practices and provides solutions with strong connections and supporting source material. Logically details how the solutions will resolve issue. | Satisfactorily describes modifications to organizational practices. Provides solutions that make some connections with supporting source material to indicate how the solutions will resolve the issue. | Partially describes modifications to organizational practices and solutions to resolve the issues. Lacks supporting details and source material. | Does not describe modifications to organizational practices, or does not identify solutions that would resolve the issue. No source material is provided. | 4. Propose Solutions
Weight: 20% |
| Prepares an exemplary executive summary. The issue and problem are clearly stated. All of the main points are summarized.
Paragraphs are short and concise, providing the right amount of detail. Language is ideal for the audience. |
Satisfactorily prepares an executive summary. The issue and problem are stated and most of the main points are summarized.
Paragraphs could be more concise. Language is appropriate for the audience. |
Prepares a partial executive summary. The issue and problem are not clearly stated and the main points are not summarized.
Paragraphs are not short or concise. Language could be more appropriate for the audience. |
Did not prepare a one-page executive summary. | 5. Prepare an Executive Summary
Weight: 10% |
| Writing is excellent. Tone is professional and sophisticated. Shows logic, clarity, and consistent formatting. Contains no spelling, mechanical, or grammatical errors. Is free of formatting and citation errors.
Exceeds number of required references; all references are high-quality choices. |
Writing could be improved, but meets acceptable standards. Tone is professional. Shows logic, clarity, and consistent formatting. May contain few or no spelling, mechanical, and/or grammatical errors. There may be minor formatting or citation errors.
Meets the number of required references; all references are high-quality choices. |
Writing is satisfactory. Professional tone is developing. Shows moderate logic, clarity, and/or consistent formatting. May contain more than a few spelling, grammar, mechanical, formatting, or citation errors.
Does not meet the required number of references; some or all references are of poor quality. |
Writing does not meet minimum standards. Tone is not professional. Communication is wholly lacking in logic, clarity, and/or consistent formatting. Contains many spelling, mechanical, formatting, citation, and/or grammatical errors.
References are not provided. |
6. Write Professionally Using Quality Resources
Weight: 10% |
