MBA699 SNHU Milestone 1
KeithSLong
MilestoneOneGuidelinesandRubric.html.zipMilestone One Guidelines and Rubric.html
MBA 699 Milestone One Guidelines and Rubric
Scenario
You are a business development manager reporting to the vice president (VP) of business development at one of the largest life sciences organizations in the Midwest. Their latest venture is producing a new cancer drug. The recent clinical trials of the organization’s flagship product have shown great success and the owners are considering their options for the future. While the organization has shown constant growth and profitability since its inception in 1999, the owners have decided that it is time to sell. Given the current uncertainty in global markets, the board of directors is not convinced that this is the right approach.
While work is underway to find a potential buyer, the VP has called on you to join the strategic planning team to assess the organization's exit strategy and make recommendations to its board of directors. As part of the strategic planning team, you have been asked to make some initial analyses and help plan for the sale of your organization.
Your first task is to build a guiding coalition; that is, identify the people in the organization who can shape, guide, and sustain the change effort of selling the organization. You will send your recommendations and rationale to the VP.
Identifying people who can effectively lead the change initiative is an important first step. These individuals have the leadership and social skills to ensure that the change effort is communicated throughout the organization; as well, they will report back to the team what employees are saying about the change.
Prompt
Use the organizational chart and the employee personas provided to guide your selection of the guiding coalition for the organization in the scenario. (A text-only version of the organizational chart is available: Text-Only Organizational Chart.)
Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:
- Recommendation: Use the organizational chart and the personas to identify people who should be part of the guiding coalition. Review the personas to identify the individuals who have the influence and commitment to make a positive impact while providing guidance for the change initiative.
- Rationale: Justify your choice of guiding coalition team members. Your responses should address the following for each individual you recommend for the coalition:
- What is the person’s title and how many people do they manage?
- How long has each person been with the organization?
- What area(s) of the organization does this person influence?
- What is your rationale for choosing the person? Consider the person’s characteristics for your rationale.
- What role will each person fulfill as a member of the guiding coalition?
- Team-building strategies: Describe activities and strategies you will introduce to build a well-functioning team. Your response should address the following:
- What strategies will help the members align with the change initiative of the organization in the scenario?
- What steps or actions will you take to establish a sense of urgency within the team?
- How do these activities and strategies help build trust?
What to Submit
Submit a 3- to 4-page Word document, using double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Sources should be cited according to APA style. Consult the Shapiro Library APA Style Guide for more information on citations.
Milestone One Rubric
| Criteria | Proficient (100%) | Needs Improvement (70%) | Not Evident (0%) | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recommendation | Identifies individuals who should be part of the guiding coalition; identifies the individuals who have the influence and commitment to make a positive impact while providing guidance for the change initiative | Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include identifying individuals who will have the most influence and commitment to make a positive impact while providing guidance for the change initiative | Does not attempt criterion | 25 |
| Rationale | Justifies choice of guiding coalition team members using details about each individual in the guiding coalition including their title, experience in the organization, their area of influence, the rationale for choosing them, and the role the person will perform in the guiding coalition | Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include providing details about each chosen individual, such as their persona details, a logical and well-thought-out rationale for choosing them, and the roles and responsibilities they will perform in the guiding coalition | Does not attempt criterion | 30 |
| Team-Building Strategies | Describes activities and strategies that help build a well-functioning team, including strategies to help members align with the change initiative of the organization in the scenario and steps or actions to establish a sense of urgency within the team; explains how these activities and strategies will help build trust in the team | Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include describing appropriate strategies to ensure alignment of the team to the change initiative, describing how to establish a sense of urgency, and explaining how these strategies can build trust in the team selected for the guiding coalition | Does not attempt criterion | 25 |
| Articulation of Response | Clearly conveys meaning with correct grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, demonstrating an understanding of audience and purpose | Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors in grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, negatively impacting readability | Submission has critical errors in grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, preventing understanding of ideas | 10 |
| Citations and Attributions | Uses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with consistent minor errors | Uses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with major errors | Does not use citations for ideas requiring attribution | 10 |
| Total: | 100% |
Course Documents/MBA 699 Organizational Chart.pdf
Organization chart
Mirjam Nilsson President
Augusta Bergqvist VP Business Development
Omar Mattsson Manufacturing Director
Flora Berggren VP Worldwide Sales
Elaine Hartwick Acting Director
John Martensson Research Director
Stan Raffety Human Resources Manager
Patrick Heaton Research Lab Manager
Mei Zheng Research Lab Manager
Joanne Lawrence Research Lab Manager
April Hansson Marketing Manager
You! Business Development
Manager
Juanita Gonzalez Business Development
Manager
Angelica Astrom Supply Chain Strategies
Nidal Eidwat Middle Eastern Operations
Ian Smith North American Operations
Chris Botting Sales Executive
Ian Hansson VP Human Resources
Leslie Krupp Sales Rep
MBA 699
Life Sciences Organization
- MBA 699�Life Sciences Organization
Course Documents/MBA 699 Employee Personas.pdf
MBA 699 Employee Personas
The first step in putting together the kind of team that can direct a change effort is to find the right members. Characteristics of effective guiding coalition members are:
• A combination of management and leadership skills to develop both plans and vision • Position power • Expertise (discipline, work experience, decision-making ability) • Credibility (good reputation with the firm, in the industry, or both)
The VP of the life sciences organization you are working for has identified the following employees (in the table below) who might be suitable for inclusion in the guiding coalition. However, you have the flexibility to create additional personas to serve as members of the guiding coalition. These fictional personas should be plausible and should align with the organization’s structure and needs. Strategic thinking is crucial, as the success of the change initiative depends on a coalition that is not only representative but also empowered to drive transformation.
Name Job Role Characterization Past Experience With M&A
Span of Control Time at the Organization
(Years)
Job Satisfaction
(1=low, 4=high)
Years Since Last
Promotion
Juanita Business Development Manager (your counterpart)
Extremely intelligent, motivated, and productive, she has been struggling lately with managing her time and commitments since returning from maternity leave.
Juanita has never been involved in a merger or an acquisition, but she worked at a firm during its complete reorganization.
Individual contributor (niece of one of the firm’s owners)
2 2 n/a
Name Job Role Characterization Past Experience With M&A
Span of Control Time at the Organization
(Years)
Job Satisfaction
(1=low, 4=high)
Years Since Last
Promotion
Stan Human Resources Manager
Often characterized as “a complacent member of human resources,” Stan is usually the point of contact who is assigned to company- wide committees.
Formerly involved in a workforce deployment change initiative, he has familiarity with what works (and doesn’t work) in a guiding coalition.
Individual contributor
8 1 7
Omar Manufacturing Director
Highly successful director, responsible for opening up the company’s supply chain in the Middle East. Although he sometimes “rubs people the wrong way,” he has proven effective.
Omar came to the firm through an acquisition and has been pleased with how the integration has gone so far.
Manages 12 manufacturing plants comprising 580 hourly workers
3 4 n/a
John Research Director John is responsible for the scientific research behind the company’s flagship oncology drug, and “doesn’t stop until the job is done.”
A member of the firm’s founding team, he has seen more mergers fail than succeed.
Oversees the company’s research labs in three countries, including more than 100 scientists
22 4 15
Leslie Sales Rep During her tenure with the firm, Leslie has consistently met her sales targets, exceeding her quotas every quarter.
Leslie has been through more change in her career than most sales reps.
Individual contributor
14 2 8
Elaine Acting Director Although she has a reputation for being difficult to work with, Elaine is known for appreciating complementary strengths in others and is often called “a true visionary.”
Elaine is a strong leader when it comes to adapting to changing situations.
Manages 18 senior managers (direct reports)
10 3 2
Name Job Role Characterization Past Experience With M&A
Span of Control Time at the Organization
(Years)
Job Satisfaction
(1=low, 4=high)
Years Since Last
Promotion
Chris Sales Executive Known for “micromanaging,” Chris has a realistic sense of his weaknesses and limitations.
Chris led the integration of two prior acquisitions while at another company.
Oversees more than 150 sales reps around the world
10 2 4
Course Documents/MBA 699 Text-Only Organizational Chart.pdf
MBA 699 Text-Only Organizational Chart
Mirjam Nilsson (President) has the following direct reports:
• Augusta Bergqvist (VP Business Development), who has the following direct reports:
o You (Business Development Manager)
o Juanita Gonzalez (Business Development Manager)
• Omar Mattsson (Manufacturing Director), who has the following direct reports:
o Angelica Astrom (Supply Chain Strategies)
o Nidal Eidwat (Middle Eastern Operations)
o Ian Smith (North American Operations)
• Flora Berggren (VP Worldwide Sales), who has the following direct reports:
o Chris Botting (Sales Executive)
o Leslie Krupp (Sales Rep)
• Elaine Hartwick (Acting Director), who has the following direct reports:
o April Hansson (Marketing Manager)
• John Martensson (Research Director), who has the following direct reports:
o Patrick Heaton (Research Lab Manager)
o Mei Zheng (Research Lab Manager)
o Joanne Lawrence (Research Lab Manager)
• Ian Hansson (VP Human Resources), who has the following direct reports:
o Stan Raffety (Human Resources Manager)
