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Final Project Guidelines Consultation Strategy Action Plan
To achieve a successful project experience and outcome for this course, you will create an original consultation strategy and action plan that brings together key concepts and methods to diagnose and address problems or issues identified in a specific case study. To do this, you will first select one of four case studies as the focus of your consultation model. For your Final Project, you incorporate insights from this course in an examination of a case study using as a basis topics related to consulting for organizational change profiled in Weeks 2 through 11. Submit the Final Project in the form of a 10- to 14-page paper. After reading the full case studies, select one to be the focus of your Final Project. After you identify a specific case study for your project focus, your Final Project will include the following sections:
Section 1: Consultation Strategy Identify which case study you selected by number. Then, develop a consultation strategy to address the problems and/or issues identified in the case study. Include in your strategy the following:
A description of your company or individual consulting skills that indicate that you are a good fit for the organization (e.g., practitioner traits and characteristics, areas of expertise, experience)
The strategies you would use to approach the organization in order to present the company and/or individual consulting skills
A sample contract that you develop that will clarify the consultation process based on a needs assessment
Section 2: Intervention Action Plan Include in your plan the following:
A description and rationale of assessment tools you will use to determine/diagnose the issues
The identification of interventions for change that you will implement based on your assessment(s) and why you chose these interventions
A step-by-step implementation action plan that includes milestones and timelines
A description of ethical dilemmas that could arise during the consultation and strategies to address the dilemmas
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The steps you will take to determine the effectiveness of interventions (i.e., evaluate the success of the interventions)
You will support your consultation strategy and action plan with evidence-based research from readings from this course and additional theoretical, empirical, and professional literature.
Case Studies (Select One) Case 1: A Manufacturing Company With Quality Problems in Their Manufacturing Process McDoogle Manufacturing Company is a subsidiary of a large, multinational corporation. It was founded by Nick McDoogle in the early 1980s as a small niche manufacturing company with one client and specific expertise in making electronic components for extrusion molding. Nick had worked for a larger company, but when he realized he could replicate the technology for the marketplace, he borrowed money from the bank and went to work for himself. He was so successful that in 2004 he sold the company to a larger international company that specialized in manufacturing electronic components for various applications, although his company was able to keep its name. Since it was acquired, McDoogle Manufacturing has been having consistent problems meeting the quality standards its customers require. Many clients are complaining about the compatibility of parts with their current systems. After having done a good deal of analysis of the problem, McDoogle has decided that technology is NOT the problem. McDoogle Manufacturing has asked your consulting firm, which specializes in organizational assessment and intervention, to help find a solution to the problem. Case 2: A Large High-Tech Company With Underperforming Sales Functions Molecular Electronics is a large, high-tech company with more than 1,000 employees located in Japan. The company has been in business since 2008. The staff is composed of many educated individuals with a variety of high-tech skill sets. They are seeking a consultant to address an issue that is impacting the success of the organization: an underperforming sales team. The CEO is concerned that with the numbers she is receiving from the sales team, some team members will miss their quota for the year. The consulting firm/practitioner will need to diagnose what is causing the issues with the sales team. Is it a training issue? Motivation/compensation issue? Performance problem? The consulting firm/practitioner will then need to propose an intervention to address the problem(s). Case 3: A Nonprofit Organization with an Overly Controlling Chief Executive Officer
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Services for the Lost is a $15 million nonprofit organization. Their charter is to serve a segment of the community that experiences serious and persistent mental illness. They were founded by a group of parents whose children were diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The parents felt that they had nowhere to go to find services for their children, so they formed a 501(c)(3) and founded Services for the Lost. The organization is funded primarily by medical assistance and county funding. It started with one staff member and three social workers and has grown over the past 20 years to a $15 million budget, with 32 social workers and a support staff of over 90. It serves over 400 clients a year and owns and operates two drop-in centers. It leases over 60 apartments for its clients. It currently employs two full-time psychiatrists and four nurses who offer medical consultation and general health care. When founded, the organization was a collection of people who simply wanted to help. With the amazing growth of their programs, the organization was forced to hire an executive director (ED) who led the organization for over 12 years. After an interim ED was appointed for almost a year, a permanent ED, Julie, was hired approximately 14 months ago. When Julie was hired, things looked optimistic. She had a great deal of experience with administrating government-funded programs and had a resume rich with examples of success and growth experience. She also received “glowing” reviews from her staff. In the past 3 months, however, her behavior has become more and more controlling. Her staff is complaining about being micromanaged, and major decisions are being delayed because she wants to be involved in any “major” decision. Her funding sources are starting to question the organization’s effectiveness because the organization cannot seem to meet the demands of its clients. And the organization is having trouble justifying its costs to their county funders. The consulting firm/practitioner’s assignment will be to develop a process to intervene with the organization at the ED level. The practitioner’s engagement is being funded by the Board of Directors, who feel the situation has moved beyond its ability to intervene. The directors will replace the ED if they have to, but they would like to modify her behavior and keep her on staff. Case 4: A Family Business With an Underqualified Chief Executive Officer Snap-It Plumbing is a small, family-owned business that has been in operation for the last 17 years. They provide plumbing services in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was founded by Frank Howard, who is the CEO of the company. As his business has grown, he has had his two brothers and a daughter join the business. His son does the bookkeeping and his wife schedules appointments. Frank had been very successful up to 2003, when his business received an award from the local community about the great customer service that Snap-It Plumbing provided.
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Since then, Frank has not been successful in running his business. He has had many customer complaints and plumbing jobs that are not getting fixed properly. The expenses that his plumbing company has had to extend are often excessive, which takes money out of the company’s profits. His two brothers often fight with one another, and he has not been successful with working with his wife on how to best schedule everyone’s time. You have been hired to be the consulting firm/practitioner who will work with them to find a solution to the company’s problems. The CEO of the company is underqualified and hasn’t been able to make the organization a continued success due to its growth. The Final Project is due by Day 7 of Week 11.