ObjectivesBack to TopThis course project will help you utilize.docx

Objectives
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This course project will help you utilize the concepts in this
class, by doing a thorough analytical and in depth review and
comparison of “change” in two companies. You will accomplish
this project through 5 deliverables in the course:
1. Proposing and having approved your project topic. (2
references) (Week 1)
2. Researching two publicly traded companies, and comparing
and contrasting their methods of handling a significant change
in their organizations. Analyze and write about images of
change in those organizations. (4 new references) (Week 2)
3. Diagnosing the change in those companies and their barriers
and resistors. (4 new references) (Week 4)
4. Analyzing and creating applications for a change project
communication based on the change in one of your researched
companies. (2 new references) (Week 6)
5. Utilize multiple references using online research, Keller
Graduate School of Management’s live or online libraries,
perhaps your public library for print resources, and any other
primary or secondary research source you feel would be
appropriate for this project. You will complete an annotated
bibliography at the end of the term of strong references to
support your findings. At least 12 total references used in the
project. (All term – bibliography due Week 7).
Important Note!
Note! Keller Librarians are a wealth of information – and will
help you find sources. Using the chat feature you can talk to
them about what you need to find, and they will teach you how
to use the library!
Do not use Wikipedia as a reference source. If you find useful
information from Wikipedia, triangulate your research and find
other, more credible source(s) which provide the same (or
better) information, and then utilize the information from that

more credible source in your paper and reference
page/bibliography.
Your project will have five separate parts, due throughout the
term. It will incorporate the learning of the course as we go
through – and hopefully will cement the process for you. At the
end of the term, your final exam will contain 4 randomly
selected Change Management questions based on YOUR Course
Project companies and research findings as related to the course
content, as well as other questions (multiple choice and essay)
which are not specifically related to your project (but are
related to Change Management course content!).
Thus, the initial “topic selection” where you pick the companies
you will research throughout the term is critical for you to
ensure you are interested enough in the material that it will keep
you engaged throughout the term.
Here are some examples:
Example: Both Ford and GM experienced serious issues during
the pre, during and post TARP period causing them to
restructure and change how they do business. Each of them
reacted to these pressures differently. A paper comparing and
contrasting the way both companies reacted to this pressure
would be very interesting and easy to set up in an organized
fashion. Further, utilizing the images grid, you can discuss how
they did handle these pressures (using which image) and how a
different style of leader (image) might have handled it
differently.
Example: Both HP and Home Depot have had issues with
selecting a new CEO for their company. Reviewing the last 10
years of CEO history, a paper comparing and contrasting the
pressures involved, and how they impacted the overall
productivity of the companies would be sustainable throughout
the term.
Example: Review any two companies in the airline industry,
their entrance into (and possibly their completion of)
bankruptcy, and how they handled the changes through
management as a result. (i.e. United Airlines and American

Airlines)
Example: Review any two companies who have recently been
through some part of Merger and Acquisition change and how
they handled the culture changes.
Example: Review any two companies who have had industry
changes and how they have reacted either successfully, or
unsuccessfully and how their reactions perhaps resulted in their
success or failure. (i.e. Yahoo vs. IBM)
These are simply illustrative – you can do research and find any
of many companies and topics of change which could work for
this paper – and you are encouraged to do so. If you have
questions or need more ideas, please ask your Professor for
help!
Part 1: Topic Selection (Due Week 1)
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Pick out your two companies and their change. In 1 double
spaced page, please submit your company selections, with a
brief write-up on the changes you will be comparing in the two
companies. Pick two companies which have undergone some
type of fairly substantial change in the recent past. Find the
company and the change information online, using EBSCO, or
using a company’s case described somewhere in our textbook.
(See page 388 of the textbook index for page numbers and
names of each of the cases described in the textbook.) Other
ways to find information: utilize Google or Yahoo Finance, or
Reuters, and look up Annual Reports of companies which
interest you. Often reading the first sections of these reports
(i.e. letters from CEO’s) will give you ideas about changes they
have gone through in the past year(s).
Be sure that:
a. Your companies are publicly traded so that their information
will be easy to research and find
b. Your change in the two companies are comparable (i.e. don’t
compare a new CEO to a change in HRIS – DO compare two
changes in CIO) and
c. The changes happened in the recent past so that you will find

plenty of online information about how they were handled, but
not so recent that the information about the change “results” is
still up in the air.
Your topic will be graded/approved and returned to you so that
you know your topic will work for the course. You must get
approval to move forward with your project. This section will
be worth 25 points and must have at least two references.
How this will be graded:
Item
Total points
Topic includes two companies which have undergone a
somewhat similar type of change over the past 10 years (or
longer if you have plenty of information about it)
5
Write up sufficiently tells the instructor the names of the
companies, the information you have found about the changes,
and why you find this project topic interesting
15
Includes at least two references to articles or items about the
companies and the change
5
Total
25
Part 2: The Change Analysis - Images of Change (Due Week 2)
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The “Images” section focuses on the six different images of
managing change and how each “approach” to change effects all
that follows in its implementation and continued support.
Download the “Week 2 Project Images Grid” from doc-sharing.
Pick three of the “images of change” explained in the Week 2
lecture from the grid, and analyze how those particular
“images” would affect the ensuing diagnosis and
implementation in your two selected companies on their change
plans.
Here’s what to do:

1. Working with the information that you provided in your topic
proposal, and any feedback you have received from your
Professor, flesh out the facts and information from your original
proposal.
2. Review the changes in each company and describe them
thoroughly in a word document. Explain how the change
impacted the companies, and who it impacted. Compare some of
the similarities and differences between the change in the two
companies.
3. Look at your grid and pick three images of change from your
grid. Fill out the empty blocks on the grid for those three
images using outlines, bullet points, and rough ideas for both
company’s change.
4. Now, in a Word document, analyze, compare and contrast the
three images and explain how the behaviors of those images
would be different or the same during your companies’ changes,
and how those differences could (or did) impact the success (or
failure) of the change, comparing and contrasting the results at
both companies.
5. Explain which image (or combination of images) you feel
would have best facilitated the described change and why.
6. Based on the information you actually read about the results
of this change, state which image you think the leader of the
change actually resembled the most. You may speculate here on
which image you feel best represents the “change agent” at
either or both of the companies. This will depend on how much
information you found about the internal workings of the
company during the change.
This paper should focus on evidence that demonstrates how the
management of the organization integrated one or more of the
six images of managing change (Chapters 2 and 3) how
effective the change was and what management could have done
differently to increase the probability of successfully
implementing the strategic change initiative. Again, this is a
compare and contrast paper – so include information about both
companies in your report.

Grading rubric for paper #2 – Change Images
Item
Total points
Properly filled out and submitted change grid showing your
initial analysis and notes.
10
Two companies selected, “briefed”, and referenced.
20
Thorough description of the change explained
20
Comparison of the two companies, similarities/differences of
the changes and the results
25
Image analysis
25
At least 4 new references, properly cited.
10
Total Points
110
This paper could be as short as 3 pages or as long as 7. Use
APA formatting (double spaced, decent font.) Include your
references on the final page. You should have at least 4
additional/new outside references, excluding the textbook.
References should be scholarly.
Part 3: Diagnosing the Change (Due Week 4)
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Select a Diagnostic Model (see Chapter Five) that you utilize to
review aspects of change activities and actions that have been
taken by the companies chosen. Here we are looking at the
“parts” of the companies as well as their strategies, as surmised
by your research in Part 1. It is acknowledged that this
information will not be complete, as you are looking at these
companies as an outsider; but a thoroughly researched paper
will give enough data to allow some (well-defended)
assumptions on your part.
Here’s what to do:

1. Choose one Diagnostic Model (i.e. 6-box, 7S, congruence, or
etc.) to apply to the two chosen companies. Choose the model
which you feel best identifies and measures the relevant aspects
of the organization’s performance and therefore the diagnostic
choices made will affect your findings.
2. Apply the data obtained in your research through an analysis
of the appropriate chosen model. This will allow you to create a
diagnosis of where each company is today (as per the criteria of
the model).
3. Create a SWOT Analysis for each of the two chosen
companies change plans/programs, utilizing information
obtained in the diagnosis. (Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, Threats.)
4. Compare the two company analyses to each other and offer
your perspective (value judgment) of the effectiveness of the
changes made to date in each case.
5. Identify potential areas of resistance that may occur and at
least one strategy to respond to each. (This will most likely
come from your Weaknesses/Threats section of your SWOT. If
not, take another look at your SWOT.)
6. Write your paper including each of the above sections, and
analyses
Grading rubric for paper #3 – Diagnosing the Change:
Item
Total points
A comprehensive review of the Change Diagnostic model
chosen that details the components included as well as some
background about the model itself through research from the
author(s).
20
Your rationale defending why you chose that particular model.
You can utilize a review of internal/external pressures that have
affected the companies chosen.
20
A SWOT analysis that you created based on the above.
20

Potential areas of resistance that were encountered or that you
anticipate may be encountered and possible actions to minimize
the negative effects of such resistance.
20
Recommendations for further actions within the organizations
and the rationale chosen for these recommendations.
20
Use of 4 new references, properly cited.
10
Total Points
110
Part 4: Communicating the Change (Due Week 6)
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An important part of any change project is how the change is
communicated to the organization, to the change agents, to the
line workers, to the customers, and to the public. Along with
media relations issues, communicating change (especially in a
publicly traded company) can involve multiple legal and
regulatory aspects, as well as personnel and management
concerns. Perhaps the single most difficult piece of handling
Kotter’s “establish a sense of urgency” is that too many
inexperienced or immature change agents read this to mean
“panic the troops.” Never do this.
This project piece will have 3 parts:
A. The main part of your project this week will ask you to pick
ONE of the company’s change plan, and develop a
communication plan for the company. This plan should be
submitted by using an excel spreadsheet, setting out the
Stakeholders, the timeline of the communication plan, the
method of communication, the rationale for why you chose this
method of communication, the purpose of the communication
and identifying “who” will do the communicating. The grid for
this project can be found in doc-sharing, entitled “Grid for
Week 6 – Communication Plan.”
B. Pick ONE of the communication pieces which you would

have used which is listed in your communication plan, and write
the communication in a Word document (either the text or the
script, if the communication would have been oral.) Be sure to
review the Week 6 lecture and the examples of communication
plans and types there for more assistance on this piece of the
project. If you use any form of communication from templates
you find online or in a textbook, be sure to cite your source.
Your instructor will grade this based on how well it relates to
the audience/stakeholder group to which it is intended.
C. The “real world” aspect of this project is that you will write
a 1-2 page analysis of one of the media pieces about one of the
company’s changes written (or provided via oral media) by the
company. For this section of the project, please analyze any
media, news, or other communications which explained the
change going on in the organization. Explain in your paper how
the company handled communicating the change to its
stakeholders.
Grading rubric for Part 4 – Communicating the Change
Item
Content item
Content points available
Excel spreadsheet grid
ID of stakeholders
8
Timeline of communication
8
Type of communication
8
Rationale
20
ID correct communicator
8

At least 4 Communication pieces listed on spreadsheet
(no more than 6)
8
Your analysis of the actual communication plan as seen from
the “public eye.”
20
Your sample communication piece.
20
Your reference page (at least 2 new references)
10
Total
110
More details about grading your excel spreadsheet:
A. You have properly identified the appropriate stakeholders
B. The timeline of your communication shows understanding of
reality and attempt to be honest while ensuring no panic and
production/service not interrupted.
C. The type of communications described show that you have a
good grasp of proper, business communications
D. The rationale behind the communication makes sense
E. You have properly identified the “right” communicator for
the communication
Part 5 – Annotated Bibliography (Due Week 7)
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List of all of your references you used in the project to date
(you should have at least 12 at this point) and create an
annotated bibliography. Basically, for this assignment, you will
use your reference list, in alphabetical order, and provide a 2-4
sentence summary (brief!!) of what that reference said. This is a
summary style document! Your grade will be based on your
ability to BRIEFLY summarize the important points in the
document as well as the strength of your reference materials.
(i.e. if you used mainly low-level reference documents like

encyclopedias, online dictionaries, anonymous articles, etc. this
will negatively impact your grade.)
A. Use of at least 12 references, properly annotated: 24 points
(roughly 2 points each)
B. Strength of references overall: 6 points (roughly .5 points
each.)
C. Use of one of the 5 Keller-approved citation methods
Grading Rubric
Points per item:
Total points possible:
Use of 12 references (at least)
1
12
Brief summary (2-4 sentences tops!)
1
12
Strength of references
.5
6
Proper use of one of the 5 Keller-approved citation methods
Not applicable
5
Total Points
35

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