Now that you have a basic understanding of the organization's "Context Field," that is, what the organization's fundamental purpose and values are (or what you think they should be), and you have made recommendations on how a company might be able to improve in this area, it is time to move to an examination of a more detailed analysis of the culture, skills, competencies, and capabilities (SCC) of the company, because these elements of what Wolfe (2009, pp. 64–67) calls the "Activity Field" and the "Relationship Field" are critical to understanding the current and potential action-abilities of the organization. That is, the best laid plans, strategies, and intentions can't get us anywhere if we don't first know who we are and what we are capable of doing!

This week, you will practice identifying and evaluating the current skills, competencies, and capabilities of an organization, Trader Joe's, using a detailed value chain (handout) to guide your analysis. You will then be asked to apply lessons from the case study, weekly readings, and the MBA Program Capstone Bibliography to help you continue to build your Strategy Playbook for your Capstone organization.

Finally, you will complete an Executive Summary entry for your Blueprint for Professional and Personal Growth, in which you reflect on key insights you've gained during your MBA experience.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

· Evaluate the current skills, competencies, and capabilities of an organization

· Apply insights from internal strategy analysis tools and concepts toward the development of relevant portions of a Strategy Playbook

· Develop appropriate recommendations for how an organization can improve its internal skills, competencies, and capabilities

· Integrate prior learning, experiences, and insights gained throughout the MBA program with personal and professional development goals

Photo Credit: [PeskyMonkey]/[Vetta]/Getty Images

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Document: Week 3 Weekly Briefing (PDF)

The Weekly Briefing provides an essential introduction to the content and concepts that you will be studying during the week. After viewing the weekly introduction, the Weekly Briefing should be your initial reading each week.

Wolfe, N. (2011). The living organization: Transforming business to create extraordinary results. Irvine, CA: Quantum Leaders Publishing.

· Chapter 3, “It’s All About Energy”

· Chapter 4, “The Energy of Business”

· Chapter 5, “Profit: The Good, Bad and Ugly”

· Chapter 6, “The Rainbow Within”

· Chapter 10, “The True Nature of Business”

Ager, D. L., & Roberto, M. A. (2013). Trader Joe's (Harvard Business School Case No. 9-714-419). Retrieved from https://hbsp.harvard.edu/tu/0a598a97

“In 2013, Trader Joe's faced several threats as larger chains such as Wal-Mart and Tesco had begun to open small-format stores that mimicked the Trader Joe's approach. In addition some analysts had begun to question whether Trader's Joe's was losing its authenticity and ‘quirky cool’ as the firm had continued to grow and expand across the country. What should Trader Joe's do ensure continued growth?” (Excerpt from the online Harvard Business School case description)

Magretta, J. (2012). Understanding Michael Porter: The essential guide to competition and strategy. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press. Retrieved from https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/pl/63320505/63406970/e293a84d2550052a0b2d4f534045d4f5

· Chapter 4, “Creating Value: The Core” (pp. 95–120)

Dr. Joan Magretta is a valued colleague and editor of Michael Porter. In this chapter, Magretta discusses two tests any strategy must pass is if it is to be considered viable. These tests help managers answer the following questions: (1) What is the distinctive value proposition offered by the company? And (2) How do you tailor your value chain to meet your distinctive value proposition?

Document: Supplement for Trader Joe's case study: Value chain of activities template (Word Document)

Required Media

HSM Global/Wobi (Producer). (2013c). C. K. Prahalad: Innovation's newest age [Video file]. New York, NY: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 2 minutes.

C. K. Prahalad is a distinguished scholar and professor of corporate strategy. In this video, he discusses how digital technologies, costs, and its ability to connect people will change how companies compete in the future.

Accessible player

HSM Global/Wobi (Producer). (2013f). Herb Kelleher: People are your competitive advantage [Video file]. New York, NY: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 6 minutes.

Herb Kelleher is a renowned businessman and founder of Southwest Airlines. In this video, he discusses what an organization needs to do if it wants to ensure that the people working for it are a reliable competitive advantage.

Accessible player

HSM Global/Wobi (Producer). (2013o). Tamara Erickson: The 4 A's of organizational success [Video file]. New York, NY: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 2 minutes.

Tamara Erickson is a renowned author and thought leader in building intelligent organizations. In this video, she shares the four A's of successfully managing today's diverse and multi-generational workforce.

Accessible player

Discussion 1: Case Analysis With Discussion: What Are the Core Skills, Competencies, and Capabilities of Trader Joe's?

Wolfe (2009, p. 63) calls on leaders at all levels of an organization to “view the organization as a living system, directing the flows of energies [passions and skills] within that body of people and transforming their collective energy [relationships and shared values] and effort into the products and services brought to the marketplace [to meet the organization's Soulful Purpose].”

As such, it is critical to analyze what skills, competencies, and capabilities an organization actually has, and how these energies can best be tapped to ward off external threats, seize on opportunities, and navigate into new “blue oceans” of value creation. Indeed, all strategic (or not strategic!) action, and all value creation by an organization, is done through the application of skills (what individual people can do [think in terms of active verbs]), competencies (what groups of individuals can do[think organization functions]), and capabilities (what supporting plant, machinery, software, and systems/processes, etc.) can do.

Indeed, in the iterative, feedback and feed-forward five-question strategy playbook framework, one of the central questions is, which capabilities must be in place (to win)? (What skills, competencies and capabilities do you need now, and in the future?) It is to this central question that we turn to this week's case study.

To prepare for this Discussion:

· Review all required readings, including the Weekly Briefing, which provides additional guidance on how to complete the Assignment.

· Review this week’s case study. You can, and should, scan it multiple times.

· Retrieve and review the Value chain of activities template.

· Identify and review all relevant readings from the MBA Capstone Program Bibliography.

· Utilize information in the case study, and other basic industry research data you can find in the Walden Library (Hoover's database would be a good place to start, as would Business Source Complete). Remember, you will have to search for information on the most relevant Trader Joe's competitors, as well as Trader Joe's to be able to make an appropriate relative ranking of resources.

By Day 3

Post a polished skills, competencies, and capabilities analysis that responds to each of the prompts below:

1. Use your best judgment, based on the information in the case and your research, and rate Trader Joe's current profile of skills, competencies, and capabilities , as identified in the detailed value chain in the case supplemental document. Fill your rating in the table and explain your rating. Use the following scale to rate and state any assumptions you make:

· If the skill, competency, or capability is “World Class” (clearly best in industry and could be benchmark for other industries), rate the item a 10.

· If the skill, competency, or capability is “Industry Best” (clearly number 1 or 2 in the industry), rate the item an 8.

· If the skill, competency, or capability is “Industry Average,” rate the item a 5.

· If the skill, competency, or capability “Needs Improvement,” rate the item a 3.

· If the skill, competency, or capability is a “Critical Deficiency,” rate the item a 1.

2. What is your average rating (which assumes that all the skills, competencies, and capabilities in the value chain were equally important)? Does this average tell you anything? What?

3. What three skills, competencies, or capabilities, across all categories, do you think are strategically the most important in the industry? Why?

4. Based on your responses above, does Trader Joe's have the capabilities in place to win? To continue to win? Why?

5. What should Trader Joe's do right now to leverage its competitive strengths and mitigate or improve upon competitive weaknesses?

Be sure to integrate concepts and quotes from this week’s readings. To obtain an exemplary assessment, you must also integrate at least one resource from the Walden MBA Program Capstone Bibliography as well.

General Guidance: Your original post, due by Day 3, will contain two elements:

1. Your summary response to questions 2–5 above (4 single-spaced paragraphs) that will be the body of the Discussion text area

2. Your completed version of the Trader Joe's supplemental table, which you should attach to your response (make sure to rename the file and append your last name first initial to the file name)

Refer to the Week 3 Discussion 1 rubric for grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use the rubric to assess your work.

Read a selection of your colleagues' posts.

By Day 5

Respond to two or more of your peers in one or more of the following ways:

· Comment on what you learned from your colleague's analysis that is new to you.

· Offer constructive ideas for how your colleague might extend or improve his or her summary analysis.

· Provide your observations about your peers' comments based on your synthesis of several of the original posts, explaining how those posts better inform what your peer wrote.

Note: For the third response option, exemplary responses should provide a synthesis of multiple peers' insights, findings, and analyses.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Week 3 Discussion 1 Rubric

Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 5

To participate in this Discussion:

Week 3 Discussion 1

Discussion 2: Capstone Forum: Assignment With Peer Review: Core Skills, Competencies, and Capabilities of Your Capstone Organization

Now it is time to apply lessons learned from this week's case analysis and discussion about internal resource assessment, this week's readings, and other resources, to help you think about how you might answer the question, which capabilities must be in place (for my Capstone organization to win)?

To prepare for this Discussion:

· Review all required readings, including the Weekly Briefing, which provides additional guidance on how to complete the Assignment.

· Review this week's case study and peer discussion and reflect and make notes on the following: What insights did you gain, and what did you learn from this week's resources your case analysis and peer discussion that you can apply to your Strategy Playbook for your chosen organization? What conceptual and strategic differences are important between the case example and your organization (focus on the concepts analyzed this week)? What assumptions do you need to make in order to use the strategy concepts appropriately?

· Identify and review all relevant readings from the MBA Capstone Program Bibliography. Given your chosen organization, what concepts, tools, and readings from the Program Capstone Bibliography are most relevant to helping guide how you might recommend improving the company? How and why are they relevant?

· Locate and maintain access to publicly available information about your organization.

By Day 5

Post a polished and synthesized entry into the discussion area, which will also be the basis for an entry into the final draft of your Strategy Playbook for Extraordinary Results. At minimum you should add the following to your discussion post and Strategy Playbook:

· An evidence-based and cohesive set of specific and actionable recommendations for actions (based on application of this week's strategy concepts), that your selected organization can take that will clearly enable your organization to achieve its strategic goals, sustain and grow its business, and remain viable and healthy.

· HINT: You should provide a preliminary argument that defends your recommendations. Consider why your recommendations are SMART-- specific, measurable, achievable (that is realistic and feasible, and timely (relevant and important).

· A related set of metrics that will enable your selected organization to measure the effectiveness of your recommended actions.

· HINT: These metrics could then be used in the comprehensive final draft of your strategy playbook diagram, which is part of your final Strategy Playbook.

General Guidance: Your original discussion post for the Capstone Forum will typically be 1 to 1 ½ single-spaced pages, excluding references. Refer to the Week 3 Discussion 2 rubric for grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use the rubric to assess your work.

Note: After you receive input from your colleagues, in the next few days you should revise your original post to reflect input that you think is helpful and strengthens your position. This final revised version from this week's Capstone Forum will become the second formal entry into your Strategy Playbook appendix. Title this section “Internal Resource Analysis for XYZ [Insert Organization Name],” and be sure to keep a version of your response in your Strategy Playbook template. As a best practice you should plan to review your playbook throughout the course as you continue to build your components. You may find that you have new ideas and items that further improve your work.

Read a selection of your colleagues' posts.

By Day 7

Respond to two or more of your peers in one or more of the following ways:

· Comment on what you learned from your colleagues' analyses that is new to you and that will help you improve your Strategy Playbook and how you use it to do so.

· Offer constructive ideas for how your colleagues might extend or improve his or her summary analysis.

· Provide your observations about your peers' comments based on your synthesis of several of the original posts, explaining how those posts better inform what your peer wrote.

Note: For the third response option, exemplary responses should provide a synthesis of multiple peers' insights, findings, and analyses.

Recommended Best Practice: Read through many of the posts and responses as you will learn more about your own work by seeing a variety of posts and responses to various peers. Please respond to peers who have not received peer comments when possible.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Week 3 Discussion 2 Rubric

Post by Day 5 and Respond by Day 7

To participate in this Discussion:

Week 3 Discussion 2

Assignment: Individual Reflection: Blue Print for Professional and Personal Growth Part One: Executive Summary of MBA Program

As you begin this Assignment, review the broad range of topics that you have examined and what you have learned throughout the MBA program. For Part 1 of this final Individual BPPG Reflection, select concepts or topics that resonated with you the most during your program. What can you do now to integrate the experiences and insights you've had in the MBA program with your personal and professional development goals?

Submit an Executive Summary that spans the entire range of topics within your MBA program and that integrates prior learning, experiences, and insights gained throughout the MBA program, with personal and professional development goals by addressing the following questions:

· Page One: The MBA and Your Goals and Contributions to Social Change

· Which content, conceptual ideas, frameworks, tools, and assignments in your MBA improved your understanding and skills in ways that will enable you to achieve your professional goals?

· What impact has your improved understanding had, or what impact do you anticipate your understanding will have, on the value you will bring to your role within an organization and the world at large, particularly with respect to being an agent for positive change (at the individual, organizational and communities level)? NOTE: This is a very important element of your response, please be deliberative in your response.

· Page Two: The MBA Program’s Content & Your Practice of Business Administration

· How have the content and assignments changed the way you think of your role within the organization and the way you will practice your profession?

· How have the content and assignments shaped your goals now and how do you anticipate they will shape your goals in the future?

· How has your MBA helped you appreciate the role that an individual manager or a business has in facilitating positive social change?

General Guidance on Assignment Length: Part 1 of your BPPG, your MBA program Executive Summary, should be approximately 2 single-spaced page(s).

Refer to the Week 3 Assignment rubric for specific grading elements and criteria.

Blueprint for Professional and Personal Growth (BPPG): A Potential for Self-Plagiarism

When developing your Blueprint for Professional and Personal Growth (BPPG) for this course, you may find that you are utilizing some information that you presented in the discussions or assignments in this course or information that you have presented in previous courses, including previous BPPG submissions. Walden recognizes this situation with the caveat that you may use only small portions of your previously submitted work as background or foundational material for additional development in a subsequent assignment or research project Refer to Section 3 of the Student Handbook, Academic Integrity section in the Code of Conduct: found at http://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=155&navoid=51011 . However, when doing so, you must be careful not to commit a form of academic integrity known as self-plagiarism. If you reuse sections of your previously submitted work without providing the proper citation and reference, you are committing self-plagiarism. This is a violation of Academic Integrity as defined in the Student Code of Conduct.

To ensure that you follow the Academic Integrity standards you must take care to properly cite and reference any reused sections of previously submitted work. For example, if Johana Smithe reuses a section of their BPPG from the previous class, they would cite this section as a quotation: (Smithe, 20xx, p.y) and provide a reference in the Reference page: Smithe, J. (20xx). Blue print for professional growth for WMBA60xx. Unpublished manuscript, Walden University. Please take some time to review the information at the Writing Center concerning self-plagiarism and how to properly cite yourself. Link to the Writing Center on Citing Yourself https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/apa/citations/citingyourself.