Application Assignment

COMM 310 – Intro to Organizational Communication

Description: For this assignment, you will analyze an organizational change that you helped bring about or participated in some way (maybe the change was something you were forced to participate in or something done to you). Analyze this change using concepts from the class, especially focusing on these slides and the lecture from that day. 

To do this, you will: 

• Pick an organization that you are or were a part of in some way. 

• This does not have to be a workplace, but it can be. For example, you could choose a club at the University of Arizona, or alternatively an organization where you have a full or part time job. 

• Describe the change that occurred.

• Describe what happened in detail. 

• This should be a planned change to most effectively answer the next questions.

• Answer the following questions about the change: 

1. Who were the stakeholders and how were they included? What level of involvement did stakeholders have? Were any important stakeholders involved at a lower level than they should have been?

1. Identify at least two stakeholders, their type, and answer the questions above.

2. What evidence did you see to support your assessment? 

2. Who were the change agents and how did they communicate the change to stakeholders?

1. Identify at least one change agent and explain which type of change agent they were. 

2. Identify and explain at least one managerial strategy for communicating about change prior to implementation.

3. Identify and explain at least one communication strategy during implementation.

4. What evidence did you see to support your assessment? 

3. What was the reaction to the change by the stakeholders? Was there resistance, support, or ambivalence? What evidence did you see to support your assessment? 

4. How effective was the change? Was it routinized, reinvented, or rejected? Were there any problems? What evidence did you see to support your assessment? 

Paper Sections (in order, and labeled): 

• Introduction (briefly describe the organization; provide a link to their website; preview the paper)

• Description of the Change

• Analysis of the Change

• Stakeholders

• Change Agents Communication

• Reaction to the Change

• Change Effectiveness

• Conclusion (provide your overall assessment of the organizational change based on your analysis, and provide a summary / conclusion)

• Appendix (optional, if needed)

Requirements: 

• Maximum 4 double-spaced pages (12 point font, 1 inch margins). 

• Each page over (even hanging) will result in a 5 point deduction, so be concise and clear in your language. Get to the needed points and avoid filler language.

• Use a bold typeface when you use terms/phrases/concepts from class.

• Complete all parts of the paper thoughtfully and thoroughly.

• Please submit as a Word Document.

Note: Include evidence. This evidence does not have to be supported with citations, but rather explanation/analysis of your experience with enough detail so that the person reading can understand how you came to the conclusions you did.