4.3 Literature Review

Running Head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL TEMPLATE

Research Proposal Title

[Your Name]

Trevecca Nazarene University

MOL 5800: Special Topics in Organizational Leadership

[Instructor Name]

[Date]

RESEARCH PROPOSAL TEMPLATE

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Introduction

The introduction should be a one paragraph narrative that concisely explains the purpose of the study that you are proposing. It should address: What is the organization and problem being studied; What is the specific "sticking point" to be studied; How you will research the problem (literature review and interviews); and Why the research is important to your organization.

Note: The entire paper (not counting Title Page or References Page) should be 12-15 pages in length.

Background and Significance

In this section of your proposal you will expand upon the introduction. You should not assume that anyone reading the report will have knowledge of the generational issues involved in the study. You will want to give some background of the organization that you are studying and the reason that you have chosen this specific "sticking point" for your study. Explain the goals of your study and why it is relevant and worth doing. Discuss the major problem to be studied and what barriers (or opposition) exist to conducting the study. Establish the "scope" of your study in order to ensure that the proposal remain focused. Explain how you plan on conducting the research and interviews for the proposal.

Literature Review

The literature review starts here. This section of the proposal comprises the major part of your paper and should be 5-7 pages in length. This section will provide the background for your study and will identify the major topics involved regarding the inter-generational issues related to your “sticking point.” You will identify the prior scholarly studies related to your topic through a review of scholarly peer-reviewed journal articles accessed through the Waggoner Library online databases. (Note: Harvard Business Review DOES NOT count as a scholarly source). To accomplish this task, it will be necessary for you to consider the findings and questions raised in these studies. When reviewing the studies, think critically. What have they missed or failed to take into account in their article? How does their article relate to what you are studying? The literature review should NOT BE a continuous listing of one research article after the other with no overall organization or structure. The reviews should be organized into logical themes that group similar studies together (see sub-headings below that provide for this structure. Also see example literature review in the weekly resources). Keep in mind the “five C’s” of the literature review:

1. Cite – Keep the focus upon the literature related to your topic (the sticking point). 2. Compare – the arguments, theories, methodologies, and findings – what do they agree

upon?

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3. Contrast – the arguments, theories, methodologies, and findings – what they disagree upon?

4. Critique – Which arguments are most persuasive and why? 5. Connect – how does your research (interviews) on the “sticking point” relate to the

research articles you located on the topic? Where do they agree or disagree?

Literature Review Sub-heading 1

There should be a minimum of three subheadings under which you will review the significant literature related to your topic.

Literature Review Sub-heading 2

There should be a minimum of three subheadings under which you will review the

significant literature related to your topic.

Literature Review Sub-heading 3

There should be a minimum of three subheadings under which you will review the significant literature related to your topic.

Preliminary Interview Findings

Interview at least one individual from each generation in your organization (Traditionalists, Boomers, Gen-Xers, Millennialists)and summarize those interviews in this section.

1. Ask each individual their perception of what (if any) differences they see in how the four generations approach their work.

2. In the interview, you should have the individual discuss with you their view of the specific “sticking point” chosen for your study as it relates to the organization you are studying.

3. Provide the individual with a listing of the 12 “sticking points” and ask the interviewee to rank the three (3) that create the most challenge and the three (3) that do not create any problems.

4. Subsequent to the interviews, provide a reflection on your findings indicating how they were either consistent or inconsistent with Shaw’s description of the generational “sticking points.”

Five Point Action Plan

Discuss how you would use the “5 Action Points” plan proposed by Haydn Shaw to address this particular “sticking point” in your organization.

1. Acknowledge 2. Appreciate 3. Flex 4. Leverage 5. Resolve

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Proposed Research Design and Methods

How would you propose that the research on your topic be designed and conducted. This section should be a DETAILED description on the methods that you would use (quantitative, qualitative, or both) to conduct the research on your topic and why. This section should be approximately 1-2 pages in length.

Preliminary Suppositions and Implications

Based on your readings and interviews, this section is your initial reflection upon what you discovered and how they related to your interviews with the four generational representatives. In this section, you should answer these questions in a NARRATIVE format: What conclusions have you reached? What do these conclusions mean for your organization? What implications does this research have for future generations or other organizations? How could your organization utilize this research? What recommendations do you have for future research on this topic?

References

APA formatted references to all works cited in your paper.

Running Head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL TEMPLATE