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Action Research Case Study

[WLOs: 1, 3] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 5]

Prior to beginning work on this assignment, read Chapters 4, 5, and 6 in your course textbook.

Keep in mind, the research and development for this assignment is the foundation for the consulting proposal that you will develop during the Week 5 paper. Review the following case studies and select one to examine and apply the theoretical concepts and methods used during an OD intervention.

Review Case Study 1 and Case Study 2 below using the tabs.

Case Studies

Case Study 1: Blaze Mining Case Study

Organizational Problem:

Blaze Mining is a mid-size, family-owned oil and mining company located in Louisiana. Over the past 10 years, leadership of the company has fractured and become antagonistic. Non-collaborative internal teams have caused great damage to the management and operation of critical functions within the organization. Recently, a new CEO joined the organization and was stunned by the discord within the leadership team and its effect on the bottom line.

Organizational Design:

Blaze Mining is family-owned and managed. There are multiple divisions and departments pertinent to the type of operation occurring: Mining, Oil, Off Shore, Human Resources (HR), Finance, Education, and Safety. Each section is led by a family member and a personally selected team. The CEO is the overseer of the company.

Challenge and Request Criteria:

For the company to survive, the problems within the leadership team must be identified and addressed in a professional manner. The CEO of Blaze Mining is requesting an OD intervention to interact with the leadership group and develop a cohesive team focused on the success of the organization. The intervention is to include

• three workshop sessions, once a month, for three months;
• specialized intervention with each division/department; and a wrap-up session with all stakeholders

Case Study 2: City Center Hospital Case Study

Organizational Problem:

Center City Hospital is a large outpatient surgery center in a mid-size urban area of Kansas. The CEO, Director of Nursing (DON), and the HR manager are concerned with a morale issue amongst the nursing staff of the organization. During the past year, the hospital has been trying to change the culture to become more profit and patient-centered.

Organizational Design:

Full-time staffing of the hospital is operational. This includes the CEO, DON, Human Resources Management (HRM), Finance, Risk Management, and Unit Managers for each section of the surgery center. Nursing staff within the center is outsourced and nurses are hired on as conditional permanent staff. The doctors are independent contractors with the hospital and are on yearly contracts.

Challenge and Request Criteria:

The CEO, DON, and the HRM believe the morale of nurses is at an all-time low and the relationship between doctors, unit managers, and nurses is damaging to the mission of the hospital. The CEO is concerned about losing physicians due to the lack of leadership skills displayed by the unit managers. The unit managers are concerned about the stress level for the nurses and blame the arrogant behavior of the physicians as the cause of stress.

The CEO, DON, and HRM request an OD intervention for all internal managers with the intent of developing a common focus of leading a united team. The leadership team requires that this be addressed in a one-day workshop and that a visible improvement be seen over the next 12 months.

As defined by the leadership team, the intervention

• is to develop stronger leadership skills within the unit manager staffing, and must result with visible improvement over the subsequent 12 months.

The paper must be four to five pages in length, and include level headings to lead the reader through the specific areas of content. Level headings also provide the reader with an outline to ensure all areas of the project are covered. You may refer to the Introduction to APA webpage, and read the information under “Level Headings” for assistance on level headings. The paper must include the course textbook as a reference, as well as four additional scholarly, peer-reviewed, and/or credible sources to support the content of the paper.

The Action Research Case Study paper

• Must be four to five double-spaced in length (not including title and references) and formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA Formatting for Microsoft Word.
• Must include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • University of Arizona Global Campus
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice resource for additional guidance.
• Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
  • For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions as well as Writing a Thesis Statement, refer to the Writing Center resources.
• Must use at least four scholarly, peer-reviewed, or credible sources in addition to the course text.
  • The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
  • To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, view this University of Arizona Global Campus Library Quick ‘n’ Dirty tutorial, which introduces the University Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.
• Must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your Paper.
• Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center. See the APA: Formatting Your References List resource in the Writing Center for specifications.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.