Leadership and Change Management

Overview:

The purpose of this group project is to provide students with an opportunity to apply their course knowledge of leadership and change management in practice. The students will research and analyze a change management intervention in a ‘real’ organization and analyze the outcome. Students will also make recommendations to the organization based on their understanding of course material and independent research.  

Directions:

1. Each group will select an organization that has implemented a change management initiative. Base your research mainly on publicly available secondary sources, but feel free to conduct primary research if feasible.

1. Analyze the change initiative and prepare your report. While preparing your report, ensure that you are answering the following questions, and provide the analysis from answering these questions. 

1. Introduce your organization. Provide relevant facts, and explain, in your own words, your understanding of the situation. Conduct a SWOT analysis.
2. Explain the triggers for the change initiative – what role was played by the organization’s strategy, vision, and mission?
3. Describe the change initiative – what type of change was it?
4. Review the change initiative through the ADKAR Model.
5. How was the ‘preparing-for-change’ phase managed? Analyze by applying one of the following diagnostic change models – Nadler and Kushman, McKinsey’s 7s or Kotter’s 8.
6. Evaluate the organization’s adaptation to the change process.
7. Was the change initiative sustainable? Why or why not?
8. Critically analyze the communication strategy adopted in the change initiative.
9. Who was the main change leader? Analyze how they performed in fulfilling their change leadership responsibilities.

1. Prepare your report in paragraph form. It is recommended to use the question topics as subheadings to help organize your report.

Based on your analysis, provide recommendations on how the organization could have handled the change initiative more effectively. Support the recommendations by using course material or from your research.

Presentation Instructions (10% of final grade – Individual Grade):

• The goal of your presentation is to inform about your organization, their change management initiative and the outcome. Duration of presentation: 12-15 minutes.

Develop a PowerPoint presentation and present in class.