BUS503 Module 1 Case & Slp latest 2018 September

Module 1 - Case

ORGANIZATIONAL RESISTANCE TO CHANGE (AND WHY GOOD COMPANIES FAIL)

Assignment Overview

In the Module 1 Case Assignment, you will write a 5- to 6-page paper in which you analyze in-depth the reasons that good companies fail due to their reluctance to respond to changes in the internal company and the external environment.

Case Assignment

To begin the Module 1 Case assignment, read the following article:

Butt, J., & Ivanov, S. (2017). Study of a large office supply retail organization: How good companies slowly go out of business. International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 9(4), 100-116. Retrieved from EBSCO – Business Source Complete.

After you read the foregoing article, visit the library, and consult IBISWorld (download the IBISWorld Academic Overview). Search for “Office Supply Stores in the U.S.” Scan through the various pages associated with the large office supply retail industry, noting key areas of opportunity, key areas required for success, and key threats. Then, in a well-written 5- to 6-page paper (not including Cover and References pages), respond to the following:

Based on your research, what are the key drivers for success in the large office supply store industry? This section should be at least 2 pages in length.

What were the reasons for the failure of the Fortune 500 office supply company as discussed in the Butt and Ivanov (2017) journal article? Are these reasons consistent with the reasons for organizational failure as identified by Sheth & Sisodia (2005)? What other reasons, if any, have you identified? Are there any practical difficulties that served as barriers to needed organizational change? (This section should be at least 2 pages in length).

What recommendations would you have given the leadership of the foregoing Fortune 500 company relative to how the company may have avoided organizational failure? (This section should also be at least 2 pages in length).

Conclude your paper by identifying the key lessons you have learned from Module 1 (as taken from both the Background materials and the Module 1 Case assignment) concerning the need for ongoing adaptation on the part of the organization and the need to avoid organizational inertia and resistance to change. This section should be at least 1 page in length.

Assignment Expectations

Minimum length requirements for the Module 1 Case assignment are 5–6 pages (not including Cover and Reference pages).

Be sure to cite your sources using APA Style.

Upload your paper to the Case 1 Dropbox before the assignment due date.

Module 1 - SLP

ORGANIZATIONAL RESISTANCE TO CHANGE (AND WHY GOOD COMPANIES FAIL)

For the Module 1 SLP, we will continue our research into why good organizations resist change. To this extent, please visit the library, and find the following text:

Managing Change by Brown

Brown, B. B. (2002). Easy step by step guide to managing change. Havant: Crimson eBooks. Retrieved from EBSCO eBook Collection.

Read the chapter entitled “Organization barriers to change.” In this chapter, you will note several key barriers that cause organizations to resist needed change. Namely, these are:

Unclear objectives;

Inappropriate structures; and

Poor communications.

It is important to note the author’s emphasis that any one of these factors create organization-wide resistance to change because they have become part of the organization’s status quo.

After reading the chapter “Organization barriers to change,” respond to the following in a well-written, 3-4-page paper:

Part One: Description

Think of an experience you have had with an organization that failed to change when change was needed. Describe the change and explain why the organizational change you identify was needed. Describe what negative consequences (or outcomes) resulted from the organization’s failure to enact the needed change. What were the costs to the organization (e.g., poor employee morale, loss of customers, poor company image, financial losses, etc.)?

Part Two: Application and Analysis

Apply Brown’s (2002) perspective to demonstrate how unclear objectives, inappropriate structures, or poor communications contributed to the resistance to change in this organization. In other words, explain how Brown helps us understand why the barrier you have selected caused organization-wide resistance to needed change (keep in mind that we are focused on organization-wide – and not on individual – resistance to change).

Part Three: Solution and Recommendations

Finally, as a leader, what could you have done to avoid or minimize this resistance to change? Be specific, and be sure that your recommended actions target the barrier you identified in Part Two (e.g. unclear objectives, inappropriate structures, or poor communications). Be sure that you “connect the dots” by making a clear argument regarding how these specific recommendations would have helped the organization implement the needed change without resistance. If the resistance to change is ongoing, what suggestions do you have for resolving this problem going forward?

SLP Assignment Expectations

Minimum length requirements for the Module 1 SLP assignment are 3–4 pages (not including Cover and Reference pages).

Be sure to cite your sources using APA Style.

Upload your paper to the SLP 1 Dropbox before the assignment due date.