Systems Thinking and Organizational Performance Evaluation

IV0003 Practicing Systems Thinking There is two parts, a pre-assessment and a post-assessment Pre-Assessments are your opportunity to practice applying module content before final submission of your Competency Assessment. To complete this Pre-Assessment, do the following: Review the Assessment Instructions and the rubric to ensure you understand the requirements for the Assessment. Download the IV003_Assessment_Template_Part1 (Word document). Using the IV003_Assessment_Template_Part1, prepare an outline, including a draft References section, of your evaluation of an organizational performance problem within an organization. Ensure that your outline includes both major and minor points. For information on outlining strategies please visit the following site from the Writing Center: . Please note that you are not required to complete anything for your executive summary presentation for this Pre-Assessment. Before submitting your Pre-Assessment, be sure to use the rubric to ensure that you have met all requirements and are satisfied with your submission. Use your submission and any feedback you may garner to improve and refine your final Assessment. Note that you do not need to resubmit your Pre-Assessment to address any feedback given. The post assessment is: Assessment Submission Length: A business report of approximately 710 pages and 1- to 2-slide executive summary Instructions To complete this Assessment, do the following: In the IV003_Assessment_Template_Part1 file, complete your work on your business report, using your Pre-Assessment submission as a starting point and incorporating any feedback, as appropriate. Download the IV003_Assessment_Template_Part2 (PowerPoint presentation), which you will use to develop your executive summary slide deck. Be sure to adhere to the indicated assignment length. Before submitting your Assessment, carefully review the rubric. This is the same rubric the assessor will use to evaluate your submission and it provides detailed criteria describing how to achieve or master the Competency. Many students find that understanding the requirements of the Assessment and the rubric criteria help them direct their focus and use their time most productively. Important Information on Interpreting the Assessment Rubric (click to expand) Achievement vs. Mastery of the Competency Mastery of this Competency means that 80% or more of the rows have been assessed as Exceeds Expectations and no rows have been assessed as Does Not Meet Expectations. Achievement of this Competency means that all rows are assessed at Meets Expectations or above (but lower than the 80% threshold required for Mastery). Assessment of Individual Rubric Rows In order to achieve Meets Expectations for a particular row of the rubric, you must have adequately completed all criteria in that row. This means that you have addressed all required elements to the required level of quantity and/or quality. In order to achieve Exceeds Expectations for a particular row of the rubric, you must have adequately completed all criteria in the row, and in addition, your response must reflect a depth and breadth of knowledge and expertise. Examples of this includebut are not limited tothe following: You provide additional, specific, and/or particularly relevant examples to illustrate points made. You seamlessly incorporate your original thoughts and diverse, credible, and relevant academic sources, when applicable, to express your viewpoint or develop a persuasive argument. You demonstrate a deeper understanding of the subject that draws from discipline-specific knowledge and theory and incorporates the viewpoints of a diverse set of business and management thought leaders. You draw additional connections between multiple, complex topics to support your explanations. You are able to apply your knowledge in unique, creative, and/or innovative ways. You thoroughly break down concepts into simpler parts and use your understanding of business to make connections. Your analysis is insightful and original. You design processes, products, and/or solutions that are creative, high-quality, and innovative. You consider diverse perspectives and relevant social, ethical, and business-related issues when proposing new ideas or formulating judgments. All submissions must follow the conventions of scholarly writing. Properly formatted APA citations and references must be provided where appropriate. Submissions that do not meet these expectations will be returned without scoring. This Assessment requires submission of a 7- to 10-page business report plus a 1- to 2-slide PowerPoint presentation. Save these files as IV003_firstinitial_lastname, one for each file type (for example, IV003_J_Smith.docx and IV003_J_Smith.pptx). You may submit a draft of your assignment to the Turnitin Draft Check area to check for authenticity. When you are ready to upload your completed Assessment, use the Assessment tab on the top navigation menu. Systems Thinking for Good Important Note: This Assessment features one of the Business Skills for Good that you will develop throughout your MBA program. The Business Skill for Good for this Competency is personal mastery. Peter Senge in his book The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization (2006), offers the following definition of personal mastery at the individual level: Personal mastery is the discipline of continually clarifying and deepening our personal vision, of focusing our energies, of developing patience, and of seeing reality objectively (p. 7). He proceeds to describe the organization that supports personal mastery as being able to provide that environment by continuingly encouraging personal vision, commitment to the truth, and a willingness to face honestly the gaps between the two (p. 162). For this Assessment, you will be tasked with evaluating a performance problem for an organization. You should have a good understanding of the organization and how it operates. The organization can be (but is not limited to) where you currently work or an organization where you have worked in the past. After selecting an organization that you are personally familiar with, you are to present your evaluation and recommendations in a detailed business report. Additionally, you will prepare an executive summary of your findings to be presented as a PowerPoint slide deck to the organizations upper management team. Your report should address the following three sections, including specific examples from the organization, as well as relevant citations from the Learning Activities, the Walden Library, and/or other appropriate academic sources to support your evaluation. Click each of the items below for more information on this Assessment. Section 1: Business Improvements (45 pages) Your first task is to evaluate the constraints faced in your selected organization and to provide recommendations for improvement utilizing the methodologies of the Theory of Constraints, Six Sigma, and Lean. You should address the following: Analyze some of the basic details about the organization. At a minimum, the basic details should include: the industry and products/services the organization offers, the overall operational and financial health of the organization, and a qualitative or systems diagram summary of how the organization operates to fulfill its commitments to customers. Analyze what you believe to be the fundamental physical, policy, or market constraints that are preventing your organization from moving to the next level of performance. Be sure to clearly identify each primary constraint and provide a detailed argument and evidence for why you think each is a primary constraint to organizational performance. Be sure to support your response with appropriate concepts from performance management and/or systems thinking. For each of the fundamental physical, policy, or market constraints that you identified as preventing your organization from moving to the next level of performance, justify a specific recommendation for how to elevate, support, and potentially eliminate the constraint. Using the concepts of throughput accounting and Theory of Constraints accounting measurements for each of your recommendations, evaluate how the primary metrics of T, I, and OE would be affected and why the recommendations would make sense from a performance measurement perspective. Section 2: Social Responsibility and Ethical Considerations (23 pages) Your second task is to evaluate the organization in terms of social responsibility and ethical considerations. You should address the following: Identify the major stakeholders of the organization. Illustrate how the organizations actions do or do not effect positive social change for these stakeholders (explain in detail). Through a systems thinking lens, apply improvements to the organization to positively effect social change. From a systems perspective, evaluate the organizations performance in terms of diversity and inclusion. Assess whether there is a relationship between ethics and inclusion (explain and substantiate your position). Recommend what improvements can be implemented to positively impact both. Section 3: Personal Mastery (12 pages) Based on Senges definition of personal mastery, the information shared in the Learning Activities, and your own research, address the following: Defend recommendations you would make to the upper management team to support personal mastery at both the individual level and the organizational level, being sure to include your rationale. (Consider all major stakeholders: employees, customers, and the community.) Provide specific examples to support your position. Compose your personal vision. (Note that this personal vision goes far beyond traditional goals and objectives and should focus on purpose). In what ways does your personal vision relate to your ability to lead positive social change within your organization, your community, or more broadly? Executive Summary Presentation (12 slides) Develop an executive summary of your overall evaluation to be presented to the upper management team. This should consist of a 1- to 2-slide PowerPoint deck.