HEHD+803+Final+Exam


 * HEHD 803: Creative and Ethical Leadership **
 * Assignment: ** Final Exam - Organizational Case Study and Analysis


 * Due Date: ** December 14, 2011 by 5:00pm


 * Value: ** 25 points

This project is designed to have you case study an existing youth development organization, diagnose an organizational problem that the organization faces, analyze the problem using the “Four Frames” approach by Bolman & Deal (2008), prescribe a solution or set of solutions to the problem, and come up with an organizational prognosis – how you see the effects of your proposed solution on organizational effectiveness. You should use the sources that we have read in class to this point – principally Bolman & Deal, Kouzes & Posner, and our various outside readings. You should also go outside of the course readings to frame your analysis. For those who are interested in another perspective relating to “framing” organizational analysis, check out Morgan’s (1997) //Images of Organization.// While I don’t page count as a component of the final exam, a good rule of thumb for paper length would be approximately **8-10 double-spaced, typed pages**.
 * __ Description: __**


 * __ Paper Details: __**


 * 1. ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT. ** Describe the youth development organization. Your organizational description should focus on the various questions we’ve been discussing in class each week, including an analysis of organizational leadership, strategic planning, organizational environment, organizational structure, human resource processes, culture and politics, financing, etc. This organization could be one that you’ve worked for, one that you know intimately, or one that you know enough about to complete the final exam. Some students might choose to write about a fictional organization. However, real organizations – especially those that you are intimately familiar with – provide an opportunity for you to be less arbitrary and more realistic about the context that you are dealing with.


 * 2. PERCEIVED PROBLEM. ** Identify a perceived problem (“challenge”) that is ultimately affecting organizational efficiency (getting things done with less cost) or organizational effectiveness (getting the right things done). Remember – focus on organizational problems, not just specific facts. It might be a fact that participation rates are down 10%. Why is this a problem? Why are stakeholders interested in this in the first place? Is this a problem that is significant enough that the organization must take action to solve? (In some cases, drops in participation rates can be considered a good thing, especially if an organization is running at excess capacity). Be sure to justify why this particular problem is considered as such.


 * 3. PROBLEM ANALYSIS. ** Analyze the problem in terms of organizational constructs and theories from the class. Is this a leadership issue? Poor planning or a lack of planning? Poor alignment with the organization’s environment? Is this a structural problem? Human resources? Political? Cultural? Some combination? Provide analysis of the specific organizational problem using references from your readings and from our discussions in class.


 * 4. SOLUTION & PROGNOSIS. ** Propose a solution based on the readings, class discussion, theories, and constructs. Why will the solution help? How will this solution serve to make the organization more efficient and/or effective in its operation? The more realistic (not simple) the solution, the better! Think about the ramifications of such a solution and its effects on the organization and its stakeholders (you might need to consider challenges or impediments to creating the kind of desired change that you are seeking).

Good luck! “A” papers will be ones that provide **rich organizational context**, present a c**omplex problem**, draw upon **readings and administrative/organizational behavior and theory** to help analyze the problem and propose a solution, and do an effective job explaining how the proposed solution positively **impacts organizational efficiency and effectiveness.**