MGMT 317 Organizational Behavior

Research Paper

For your Final Research Paper, you will select a well-known company in the aviation community to examine its organizational environment and behavior. Each week you will apply what you have learned in the Module of study to the company you selected in Module 5 and discuss how the company has accomplished the concept. The final paper will be an ongoing process until you finalize your paper to submit during Module 9.

The paper will include an introduction of the company and discuss the company's leadership, communication networks, decision making, negotiations process, organizational change, power, politics, organizational culture and innovation, goals and structure, strategy, technology, and organizational design.The Research Paper Rubric will be used to evaluate your submission

· Describe your company's collaborative work environment, specifically discussing collaboration techniques, interaction between leaders and followers, and supportive communication.

· Research your selected company's business environment, using the company’s website or periodicals such as Fortune magazine or The Wall Street Journal.

· Explain the company's decision environment, risk management, and how the organization resolves conflict through the strategic negotiation process.

· Ensure you include this discussion in your final paper. In Modules 6 through 8, you will be assigned a topic to research on your selected company.

The requirements for the Research Paper are the same as the other writing assignments, specifically:

· The body of the paper will consist of approximately 10-12 pages

· double-spaced

· Times New Roman, 12-point font,

· APA format.

Use the following outline for your paper:

· Title Page

· Abstract

· Table of Contents

· Introduction or Background of Company

· Brief Discussion on the Contents of the Paper

· Body of the Paper Discussing Each Week's Topic

· Summary / Conclusion

· References

For Module 6:

· Examine your selected company's approach to accomplish team-building and drive innovation.

· Does your company have training programs for teams and a process to improve team communication and decision making? Why or Why not?

· Ensure you include this discussion in your final paper.

Kurt Lewin is recognized as the "founder of social psychology" and immediately points to his interest in the human aspect of change (Change-Management-Coach.com, n.d.). He recommended the use of three phases for planned change. In order for the change to be successful, the organization had to plan and manage the change. The three phases are:

· Unfreezing is the most important phase of change. The organization must recognize the need to change to remain competitive, be willing to totally leave its comfort zone of the status quo, and immerse itself into the new change. The leaders of the organization have to shake up the environment and shift attitudes and behaviors, so employees will embrace the change (Lewin, 1997).

· Changing involves taking action to change things, such as the people, tasks, structure, or technology of the organization. Lewin believes that many change agents bypass the unfreezing stage and start changing things prematurely without a plan or direction (Lewin, 1997).

· Refreezing maintains the momentum of a change and eventually institutionalizes it as part of the normal routine. Refreezing secures the full benefits of long-lasting change (Lewin, 1997).

For Module 7:

· Identify something you believe should be changed about the way your selected company operates.

· Analyze how this change could be managed using the three phase model of planned change.

· Discuss the viability of using force coercion, rational persuasion, or shared power to achieve the planned change in the company.

· Identify potential sources of resistance and ways to overcome the resistance for the planned change in your company.

· Ensure you include your work in your final research paper.

· Analyze the selected company’s observable culture, shared values, and common cultural assumptions.

· Identify the company's process of innovation.

· How do the leaders of the company reinforce and support a strong culture that promotes innovation?

· Ensure you include your work in your final paper.

Side note: Suggest you look at the website http://www.change-management-coach.com. It is free and it has some interesting information that you may apply to your personal and professional lives.

Change-Management-Coach.com. (n. d.)Unfreeze, change, freeze. Retrieved on April 10, 2010 from http://www.change-management-coach.com/kurt_lewin.html

Lewin, K. (1997).Resolving social conflicts: field theory in social science. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

For Module 8:

· Examine your selected company's mission statement, code of ethics, and organizational chart.

· Describe the institution’s strategic objectives in light of the mission statement. Identify the company's structure and focus on why the company is organized as it is.

· What does it accomplish through this organization form?

· Also give attention to how this structure reflects the institution’s strategy.

· Is it a mechanistic structure, an organic structure, or a hybrid structure?

· What particular characteristics of the organization did they consider in arriving at their analytical conclusions?

· What controls are used in the company?

· Ensure you include your work in your final paper.

For Module 9:

· For your selected company, examine the organization's environment.

· Identify the company's strategy and its influences on the organization's design.

· Does the company embrace technological innovations? Provide support for this opinion.

· How does the company's organization design keep the company on the competitive edge?

· Describe one aspect that you felt was the most important for a company to grow and be successful regardless of the economic environment. Explain why?

· Answer these questions and finalize your paper. Due end of this week.