Organizational Diagnosis Objectives

Organizational Psychology, Spring Semester, 2019 Final Project – Organizational Diagnosis Objectives: 1. Experiencing a central aspect of the work of an organizational consultant 2. Implementation of the theories and concepts learned in the course on organization and from a real-life case from the field Background In the field, psychologists and organizational consultants work to help organizations solve existing problems, and improve performance, using methods and relations in the organization. Usually, a senior manager or the human resources department that is responsible for these problems, will invite an outside consultant when they experience an issue. They feel something is not going well but cannot say exactly what the problem is, and how it should be resolved. The psychologist/consultant who arrives at the organization will begin the process of collecting information through various means (interviews, questionnaires, observations, reading documents, administering exercises, etc.) In this exercise, you will be in the shoes of an organizational psychologist and diagnose the organization of your choice. Although the organization did not invite you to identify a problem, it is usually possible to see the strengths and weaknesses of organizations and help them to continuously improve. Often times the organization has more strengths and less weaknesses, and we can learn a lot from that. Analyze the strengths (what causes them?) and how can other organizations learn and implement these strengths? Guidelines: 1. For the assignment, first contact an organization, unrelated to your family. This could be a business in your neighbourhood, or someone you know who works in one. It is important that you select an organization that will allow you access to the employees and to the information you need. The anonymity of the organization is important and should be mentioned upon approaching them; you will not reveal the name of the organization, nor the employees you interview. It is important to choose an organization with which you have no family ties in order to maintain professional ethics, so that people will not share significant issues with you when they know that you have a certain closeness to the CEO or one of the employees in the organization. 2. Select two topics from the learning material that are of interest to you. You can focus your questions in these two areas specifically, or, ask general questions and see what issues and problems arise from the data you have collected. 3. You are required to perform four interviews with employees (or managers) in the organization, and two observations (they may all be employees, or employees and managers depending on who you can speak to). Each student will perform two interviews and one observation. You can additionally use questionnaires to gather data, but it is not required. If you choose to use questionnaires, please use existing questionnaires that are up to date by the literature. 4. With the information that you have learned from the organization, and by incorporating the relevant theories and concepts from the course material, you will be asked to prepare a diagnostic report in accordance with the guidelines listed below. 5. The final project will be done in the same pairs as your case study assignment. In the course’s calendar, you can find the dates that will explain the project in class and the dates of the meetings with the course staff. Your presence in these meetings is required and is intended to provide you assistance throughout the project. Failure to attend the meeting will result in an automatic reduction of 5 points from the final grade of the student who was absent. Submission of the final report: A. Part 1: A brief description of the organization – The type of organization (does it deal with food? Retail? Etc.), the size of the organization, and the structure of the organization. It is important to be anonymous and confidential, and to not mention the names of employees interviewed and of the organization. B. Part 2: Findings – A description of the main themes (issues) that arose from the collection of information on the organization. At least two topics must be included (one related to each subject chosen from the course program). You can specify more if you would like (maximum of three). The explanation of the theories should include: a. The name of the problem b. A description of the main symptoms that led you to this problem – what evidence can you provide to show this problem exists in the organization? What did the interviewees have to say about it? Please enter relevant quotes in the description of the findings and interviews. What expressions of these findings have you seen in the observations of the organization? What supports the findings (or theme) in the organization? c. A connection to a theory from the course – how does what you found connect to the theories we have learned? How can we see the different principles in the field? C. Part 3: Recommendations – Suggestions for improvement for each of the problems you have raised based on the theories and the empirical findings we have learned. How can the organization work differently? What actions can the organization take to improve the situation? You do not need to describe and explain theories here, but to use concepts and ideas to explain the solutions you offer. D. Part 4: Personal reflection – Each student is asked to write about his or her personal experience while doing this project. Reflect and write insights about yourself. What did you learn from the process? How did you work with your partner? This reflection shall not exceed half a page, font size 12, Times New Roman, double space, 2.5 cm margins on all sides (up, down, left, right),