Management 425 – Applied Organizational Science
Christy H. Weer
Formal Writing Assignment
Team Current Readings Analyses: Learning is optimized when connections are made between theory
and practice. To make this connection, you will be asked to analyze/critique two articles about the
realities of the workplace. The articles should address organizational behavior related concepts and
theories that reflect individual, group or organizational level phenomena. For example:
Individual level phenomena include (1) how we perceive and learn, (2) how we develop attitudes,
(3) how groups communicate and make decisions, (4) how we are motivated, and (5) how we handle
stress.
Group level phenomena include (1) how groups are formed, (2) how their structure and norms
evolve, (3) how groups communicate and make decisions, and (4) how group leaders emerge.
Organizational level phenomena include (1) how organizations change or are changed, and (2)
how organizations are structured and the strategies they use.
Articles may be selected from CURRENT (no older than January, 2009) issues of academic, professional,
and popular periodicals (see below for examples).
Analyses: Write-ups merely summarizing the article will not be given full credit. Write-ups earning the
highest grades will briefly summarize the article as well as describe your teams reaction to its content.
Your reactions should incorporate two or more of the following learning elements:
(a) Knowledge: Compare and contrast your past and current understanding of (or beliefs about)
the issues addressed in the article. What excited you, what infuriated you, confused you, or confirmed
some of your previous understanding of the reading material? (Please include page numbers of specific
ideas in the articles to which you are referring.)
(b) Skills: How are you using the reading material in your daily life? Specifically, what skills
are you using specifically? Which ones are you choosing not to use or are not able to use? Why? When
you practice the skills, what, specifically, are you doing and what results are you getting? What might
you do differently to achieve better results?
(c) Attitude: How have your opinions of, or feelings about, the issues discussed in the article
changed? Do you have a different outlook on or reaction to (favorable or unfavorable) these issues? Did
the article challenge any of your values? Discuss your reactions.
Attach a copy of the article or paper to the critique. See the course outline for specific submission
dates. Finally, you may be called upon to discuss your critique in class.