SPRING 2011- ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE (MBA B/E 636)
REVISED January 12, 2011
Instructor: Dr. E. A. Ensher
Office: Hilton 351
Office phone: (310) 338-3037
Email:eensher@lmu.edu
Office Hours:
Mondays: 5-7 p.m.
Course Description
This course will focus on an investigation of the field of Organization Development (OD),
including its major theories, basic concepts and primary interventions and change strategies.
This course will focus on assessing the overall effectiveness of various organizations and their
approaches to change.
This course will develop four major views of organizations (frames) that includes much of the
existing theory and research on organizations. These frames include:
1) A structural frame, which emphasizes goals, roles, formal relationships and the rational side of
organizations.
2) A human resource frame, which focuses on human needs, attitudes, and skills, and emphasizes
the human side of organizations.
3) A political frame, which examines power, conflict, and coalitions among those who have
vested interests to protect and who want to advance within a context of scarce resources.
4) A symbolic frame, which explores how organizations create meaning and belief through
symbols, including myths, rituals, and ceremonies.
Objectives
Upon completion of this course the student will be able to:
1) Understand and explain four distinct and inter-related approaches to facilitating organization
development, including the areas of organizational structure, human resource development,
politics, and culture.
2) Apply OD model to design a change strategy that will promote organizational effectiveness.
3) Develop a better understanding of how principles of OD impact each individual’s personal
work and career life.
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Required Readings
 Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership by L. Bolman and T. Deal.
(2008), 4th edition. Jossey-Bass Publishers.
 Organization Development and Change by T. G. Cummings and C. G. Worley. (2009).
9th edition. SouthWestern College Publishing.
 Organization Development Readings prepared by Mozena Multimedia publishing
(www.etext.net) (Available for purchase in class)
Requirements
1) You are expected to be fully present and engaged in this class. Specifically, this is a
technology and device free zone. Texting, face-booking, twittering or other forms of real-time or
electronic distraction are not acceptable during class. I would prefer NO laptops.
2) Readings are required for most classes. Required readings are listed in the syllabus and are to
be prepared for the class on the date listed.
3) You will at times be expected to come to class with written answers to questions pertaining to
assigned cases, as listed on the syllabus. Quality of your responses will be factored into your
class participation grade.
4) Class participation in discussions and activities is critical. Most activities will be held during
regular class times, although groups may find a need for additional out-of-class meetings to
coordinate their class presentations. Story telling is encouraged, particularly when we discuss the
various frames. Consider, relate, and share your personal work experiences as they pertain to
class discussions and assignments.
5) Satisfactory attendance (if you must miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out what was
missed from a fellow class member- please inform me how this will be handled)
6) Timely completion of course assignments. Late course assignments will be penalized 1/2
grade for every day they are late.
7) This syllabus reflects my expectations of course assignments and standards. From time-to-time
however there may be minor changes which will be communicated to you in a timely manner.
Grading
1) Personal case study
2) First exam
3) Second exam
4) Chez LMU Team Action case
5) Team OD proposal
6) Group presentation
7) Class participation
TOTAL possible
100 points possible
200 points possible
200 points possible
50 points possible
200 points possible
100 points possible
50 points possible
900 points
Description of Assignments
1) Individual case study - Provide a 5-6-page description of an incident from your experience,
involving a work-related situation (personal case paper guidelines will be provided). If you do
not have a work-related situation, please see me for alternatives.
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2) Exam I- A set of questions will be provided to you in-class asking you to apply the structural
and human resource frames to your personal case study along with discussing the OD process
overall. The examination will be distributed in class and you will have the entire class time to
complete it. This exam is open book and open notes.
3) Exam II- A set of questions will be provided to you asking you to apply the political and
cultural frames to your personal case study as well as questions pertaining to change management
and OD as a career. The examination will be distributed in class and you will have the entire
class time to complete it. This exam is open book and open notes.
4) Chez LMU Team Action Case- Your team will conduct a brief analysis of an LMU
department such as campus food service using the action research OD model. Additional
instructions will be provided to you in class. You will be asked to provide a brief 3-4 page
synopsis in class.
5) Team OD proposal- The purpose of this 15-20 page paper is to integrate and apply the OD
action research model and four frames of organizations to an actual organization that group
members have access to, care about, and has evidenced some dysfunctional behavior or has a
compelling reason to change or improve.
6) Group presentation- The purpose of this 45-minute presentation is to provide an overview to
key learning's from the OD proposal project, provide a demonstration of the frame(s) which were
most helpful, and involve class members in an integrative and dynamic group experience. The
focus is on interaction and involvement.
7) Class participation - Each class member is expected to come to class having read the assigned
material, and be prepared to ask questions, engage in discussion, and participate in simulations
and group exercises.
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TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS
Date
Topic
Reading Due
January 10
Read OD, Chapter 1, Chapter 3
Reader – What’s a Consultant?;
January 17
January 24
Course Expectations &
Introduction to
Organization Development
MLK Day- No Class
Overview to OD model
January 31
Application of OD model
OD, Chapter 4; Reader- Flawless
Consulting; The Consultants Toolkit
-Teams select organization
to study for OD proposal
February 7
Overview to Reframing
-Chez LMU Team Action
Case write-up due
February 14
Structure frame
February 21
Human Resources frame
Read Reframing, Chapters 1-2;
-Read RFK case (provided in-class
prior week)
Read Reframing, Ch. 3-4; OD, chapter
14;
Reader: The Seven Day Weekend;
How Starbucks Changed my life;
Latest Starbucks Buzzword
(Suggested: OD Ch. 9)
Read Reframing, Ch. 6-7; OD 451463.
Reader: Power Mentoring; Why Work
Sucks
February 281
March 7
March 14
No Class
Exam I
Symbols/Culture Frame
March 21
Political Frame
March 28
Future of OD
April 4
OD and career crossroads
April 11
April 18
April 25
Exam II
Team Presentations
Team Presentations/Wrapup/Evaluation/
Summary
May 2
Team OD proposal due in
lieu of final exam
1
Assignment Due
Read OD, Chapters 2
Reader –How to fix capitalism;
Making a do-gooder’ business model
work; First Break All the Rules
Read Reframing, Ch. 12-13
Reader: Corporate Cults; Zappos
culture book, Zappos application;
Reframing,Ch. 9-10
Reader: Extraordinary Circumstances;
Watch Smartest Guys in the Room on
DVD
- Personal case study due
-Section 1 of Team OD
proposal due
Bring completed section 3
of action plan for Team
proposal to class
OD chapter 25; Additional readings
may be provided 3/21
Additional readings may be provided
on 3-28
Team OD Proposal Due
Spring Break Feb. 28-March 4
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PERSONAL CASE STUDY
The purpose of this assignment is for you to write a case study from your own experience, which
you can use as a basis of analysis all semester long. This case study should be fairly meaty and
relate a critical incident or series of critical incidents at work which was personally painful,
meaningful, or resonated with you in some way. Be sure that this is an organization and incident
that you are very familiar with as you will be asked to consider the organization and its players
using different conceptual frames. For example, later on in the semester you will be asked to
think about the organization structure (how work is organized, who reports to whom), the
culture, power and politics, and Human Resource practices.
A) To begin, pick a "critical incident or process" that happened to you at work in which you were
puzzled or confused or angry or shocked or hurt or extremely happy or proud etc. The key is to
choose something that you remember vividly. Write out as much of the detail as you can
remember about the critical incident. Include as many of the senses as you can remember
including sights, smells, tastes, and textures (if applicable), emotions, conversations etc.
B) Next, think of the other key players. Step back and put yourself in their place. Try to describe
the critical incident from their perspective. Write out how they might have experience it using
vivid description.
C) Write the history that led to the event and the history after the event. Then, edit your history
to eliminate all but the most important points. The important points should help the class
understand "the critical incident" from yours and key players perspectives.
D) Decide if you need any exhibits to clarify the case. These might include simplified
organizational charts, a copy of a letter or memo (you can disguise confidential information or
names), and a diagram of the location. You decide what helps illustrate the case.
E) Write an epilogue telling us what actually happened after the critical incident.
There are several different alternatives for how you might weave the elements of this case
together to make it interesting. Here are some ideas for you to consider.
I.
1) You could start off with a conversation where things are heating up.
2) Then, break off to background/history information.
3) Go back to the conversation and finish explaining the critical event.
4) Leave the reader wondering what you will do
5) Write an epilogue telling us what happened.
II. You could write it chronologically with as much vivid information as possible, building up to
the critical incident.
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III. You could write it in a journalistic style and include the following elements: a) who- whose
story is it? Who are the other characters?, b) What happened? Include examples of overt and
covert action, c) Where did this take place? d) Why do we care?
IV. You could write it like a play and include setting, characters, events and let dialogue help
reader to understand unfolding action.
V. Create your own format.
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TEAM OD PROPOSAL ASSIGNMENT
Overall purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to integrate material learned over the course of the semester
and to apply it to an organization that your team cares about. More specifically you will describe
how you would apply the 8-step action research model and a 4-frame analysis to recommend
relevant OD interventions.
Choosing your organization
You will have the option of working closely with a non-profit to make a real difference.
You will develop a 15-20 page proposal to your client. More detail on these agencies will be
provided in class.
Your proposal should consist of the following sections:
Introduction and History
Introduction and brief history to the organization (i.e. several paragraphs)
Section 1
Step 1 in action research model is client identifies a problem. Therefore, provide background to
problem(s). Provide detail including major players, symptoms of the problem(s) (i.e. turnover is
increased, many customer complaints, shooting incident etc.). In this section, you want to briefly
review and convince the client that you understand and can describe their pain. What is
dysfunctional? Not working? Changing? Why does this organization need an OD consultant?
Section 2
Step 2 in action research model is to consult an OD consultant. In this section, provide a brief
biography of each team member (i.e. 1 paragraph description for each member). Discuss your
assumptions and philosophical approach to OD (hint- this would be a good time to discuss
reframing and how it can be helpful).
Section 3
Step 3 in action research model is for OD consultant to gather data and make a preliminary
diagnosis. Here's where the real work begins! You will need to actually collect data from an
organization. Remember, there a number of ways to do this including interviews, surveys,
observations, and archival data (i.e. annual reports, published information from media, books
written about the organization etc.). Be sure to include information as to why you chose the data
collection technique that you did and discuss pros and cons of your choice. Remember, multiple
methods are best! You will need to collect as much data as you feel you need to make a good
preliminary diagnosis regarding what is going on in this organization.
Section 4
Step 4 in the action research model is to provide feedback to the key client or group. This
section of the proposal should include a synopsis of the data that you collected. You may use the
feedback forms provided in class as samples or create your own format.
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Section 5
Step 5 in the action research model is to jointly diagnose problems with the client and step 6 is to
jointly action plan for solutions. Assume that you are working jointly with your client (of course,
if you can actually do so, than so much the better but I certainly do not expect this!). This is the
longest and most challenging part of your proposal. Here is where you need to take the data that
you collected, interpret it using the 4-frame approach, and come up with recommendations (i.e.
OD interventions) for solving problems. This section will probably be approximately 6-10 pages.
I highly recommend that you use sub-headings within this section. For example, you may want
to begin by analyzing the organization using each of the 4 frames as a reference.
Next, you should discuss what OD interventions or recommendations you would suggest for
resolving each of the issues or problems surfaced from your 4-frame analysis (i.e. teambuilding,
reengineering, mentoring, job enrichment). Be sure to clarify how and why you think each
intervention would be useful. Assume that your client is relatively naive about the various
interventions so provide enough explanation that a layperson would understand.
Section 6
Step 7 in the action research model is action and implementation. Therefore, in this section
provide a preliminary action plan which includes information such as time frame, pros and cons
of various interventions, and who would be involved in each intervention.
Section 7
Briefly address how you recommend that the client evaluate the efficacy of your recommended
approach.
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