Objective: Apply course content to real organizational situations.

Instructions: After reading the case, as a team, submit a 1-page, single-spaced brief addressing the following questions:

1. In your own words, summarize the case. 
   • This section should be extremely brief (1 very short paragraph) and should cover the main plot points. Move on from this section quickly; spend majority of your space on the next two questions.
2. What is the underlying problem in this case? Choose ONE problem and then use case evidence to support your analysis. 
   • Begin with a new paragraph and a topic sentence that states "The underlying problem is . . . " This is your diagnosis statement. Then, use the remaining sentences to provide evidence (i.e., facts in the case) to support your diagnosis. 
   • Do NOT list out all of the obvious problems in the case; instead, look for a single, non-obvious thread that ties them all together. 
     • Avoid the temptation to pick 2 ore more underlying problems. This will only detract from your argument and leave less space for evidence to support each of your claims. Remember, you must use facts in the case to argue WHY you diagnosed that particular underlying problem. This is the heart of your reasoned analysis. 
   • Often the underlying problem is not something explicitly stated in the case but can be inferred through careful analysis. 
3. What actions do you think an organization development practitioner should take to address the problem you identified in #2? 
   • The key here is to take the perspective of an OD practitioner trying to be helpful going forward. 
   • Do NOT state what the case protagonist should have done differently or what the manager should do now. 
   • Imagine you are called in as an external OD practitioner and you walk into the current situation. What actions will you take to help? 
   • Be sure to demonstrate understanding of OD here. Remember, your job is not to solve the problem per se but to facilitate a client-owned change process. How will you gain stakeholder support and involve the client(s) in the next steps?