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PSY 616: Final Project Guidelines and Grading Guide

Overview The final project for this course will be a detailed consulting case study and action plan report for a real-world organization. You will choose an organization, identify and define at least one organizational problem, create a strategy to address the problem(s), and develop a prediction of possible outcomes. You will engage in the three major components of consulting: measurement, assessment, and application. You will present this information and analyses initially in presentation format (e.g., PowerPoint) as formative milestones supporting the development of the final product. The final product will be a 20- to 30-page written report and will include the three presentations as an appendix. The final product represents an authentic demonstration of competency because it entails application of organizational consulting concepts and tools that a professional organizational consultant would use in a real-world situation. The processes and activities include the organization analysis, problem diagnosis, development of a strategy to address the problem, and a final report prepared in a professional style suitable for presentation to a client organization. The project is supported by four milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules One, Three, Six, and Nine. The final submission is in Module Ten.

Outcomes This assessment will assess your mastery with respect to the following course outcomes:

 Diagnose the various causes that can prevent an organization from meeting employee needs and achieving organizational goals

 Develop strategies to address organizational problems that integrate psychological theories and proven consulting methods

 Predict the possible effects of implementing a consulting strategy on the psychological well-being of others

 Design performance and training initiatives that apply best practices for successful organizational consultation

Prompt For your final project, you will develop a thoroughly researched report that closely mirrors authentic consultation work. In the report, you will apply the theories and concepts from the course. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

1) Diagnosis a) Organization selection: Provide a concise overview of a selected organization. b) Measurements: Identify appropriate organizational consulting measurements. What organizational consulting methods might you use to assess

possible organizational problems? c) Assessments: Interpret the potential results of each consulting measurement with specific examples of data and information. d) Tactics: What is your rationale for your suggested tactics for the organizational consulting diagnosis? e) Problem causes: Detail how to identify internal and/or external causes of the problem based on the data.

2) Strategy Development a) Selection: Develop and detail multiple strategies, as appropriate, to fully address the problem(s) using organizational psychology concepts. b) Theoretical rationale: Support your strategy development or rationale with psychological theory and proven consulting methods. c) Research-based rationale: Support your strategy development approach with organizational psychology research results.

3) Strategy Implications a) Impact: Predict the possible effects of implementing the consulting strategies on the psychological well-being of others. b) Research-based rationale: Integrate organizational psychology research to provide a rationale for the possible implications. c) Modifications: Identify strategy options to positively address the possible implications for the psychological well-being of others.

4) Performance and Training Initiatives a) Performance initiatives: Describe suggested performance initiatives based on best practices for successful organizational consultation. b) Training initiatives: Describe suggested logical training initiatives based on best practices for successful organizational consultation.

Milestones Milestone One: Organization Selection In task 1-3, you will submit a one-page paper. The paper will outline sufficient background information on an organization to establish a context for organizational analysis and the development of an action plan. The format should be a Word document, written in APA style. This milestone is a mandatory, ungraded assignment for instructor topic approval and feedback only. Milestone Two: Problem In task 3-2, you will submit a presentation describing your diagnosis of at least one problem within the selected organization. The format should be a three- to four-slide presentation (PowerPoint, Google Presentation, Prezi, or another presentation format). Note that you will also post your presentation by the end of Module Three to Peer Commentary Discussion 4-2. This milestone will be graded using the Milestone Two Rubric. The feedback provided by the instructor should be applied to your final project. Milestone Three: Strategy In task 6-2, you will submit a presentation describing your strategy (or strategies) to address the problem(s) discussed for your selected organization in Milestone Two. Imagine that your audience is your client, the leader of the organization. The format should be a three- to four-slide presentation (PowerPoint, Google Presentation, Prezi, or another presentation format). Note that you will also post your presentation by the end of Module Six to Peer Commentary Discussion 7-2. This milestone will be graded using the Milestone Three Rubric. The feedback provided by the instructor should be applied to your final project. Milestone Four: Outcomes and Report Outline In task 9-2, you will submit a presentation predicting the effects of implementing the consulting strategy or strategies that were developed in Milestone Three. This must be supported by research, and you must include a response to these effects. The format should be a three- to four-slide presentation (PowerPoint, Google Presentation, Prezi, or another presentation format). This will be graded using the Milestone Four Rubric. The feedback provided by the instructor should be applied to your final project. Note: You will also submit a written outline of your final project (consulting case study and action plan report) for instructor feedback. The outline is not graded but is a required submission. Final Submission: Consulting Case Study and Action Plan Report In task 10-2, you will submit the final consulting case study and action plan report. The completed product should contain all of the critical elements listed above. This will be graded using the Final Product Rubric.

Deliverable Milestones Milestone Deliverables Module Due Grading

1 Organization Selection One Instructor Approval

2 Problem Three Graded Separately; Milestone Two Rubric

3 Strategy Six Graded Separately; Milestone Three Rubric

4 Outcomes and Report Outline Nine Graded Separately; Milestone Four Rubric

Final Submission: Consulting Case Study and Action Plan Report

Ten Graded Separately; Final Product Rubric

Final Product Rubric Requirements of submission: Double-spaced Word document, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, APA format. The consulting case study and action plan report should be 20 to 30 pages in length (not including the title page and references) and should include no fewer than four scholarly resources. The three presentations developed for the formative milestones should be merged and included as an appendix. Instructor Feedback: This activity uses an integrated rubric in Blackboard. Students can view instructor feedback in the Grade Center. For more information, review these instructions.

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (90%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Diagnosis: Organization Selection (1a)

Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides a highly professional perspective using specific and relevant examples

Provides a concise overview of the selected organization, providing context for the organizational consulting analysis and action plan

Does not sufficiently provide an overview of the selected organization, providing some context for the organizational consulting analysis and action plan

Does not provide an overview of the organization selected

5

Diagnosis: Measurements (1b)

Meets “Proficient” criteria and identifies organizational consulting measurements that are best practices to assess the organizational problems

Identifies appropriate organizational consulting measurements to assess the organizational problems

Identifies appropriate organizational consulting measurements to assess the organizational problems, but overlooks relevant factors

Does not identify organizational consulting measurements to assess the organizational problems

5

Diagnosis: Assessments (1c)

Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides an insightful interpretation of each consulting measurement

Interprets the potential results of each consulting measurement with specific examples of data and information

Interprets the potential results of each consulting measurement, but does not use specific examples of data and information

Does not interpret the potential results of each consulting measurement

5

Diagnosis: Tactics (1d)

Meets “Proficient” criteria and supports rationale with clear and relevant research-based examples

Provides a clear and concise rationale for the suggested specific tactics for the organizational consulting diagnosis

Provides a rationale for the suggested specific tactics for the organizational consulting diagnosis, but there are gaps in the logic

Does not provide any rationale for tactics for the organizational consulting diagnosis

5

Diagnosis: Problem Causes (1e)

Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides insightful interpretations of the data substantiated with clear and relevant examples

Details how to identify the internal and/or external causes of the organizational problem from the data

Does not sufficiently detail how to identify the internal and/or external causes of the organizational problem from the data

Does not detail how to identify the internal and/or external causes of the organizational problem from the data

5

Strategy Development: Selection (2a)

Meets “Proficient” criteria and supports rationale with clear and relevant research-based examples

Develops and details multiple strategies that fully address the organization’s problem(s) using specific organizational psychology concepts

Develops appropriate strategies to address the organization’s problem(s), but does not use specific organizational psychology concepts

Does not develop any strategy to address the organization’s problem(s) using organizational psychology concepts

10

Strategy Development: Theoretical Rationale (2b)

Meets “Proficient” criteria and uses best practices for consulting methods

Integrates psychological theory and proven consulting methods into the strategy rationale

Does not sufficiently integrate psychological theory and proven consulting methods into the strategy rationale

Does not integrate psychological theory and consulting methods into the strategy rationale

5

Strategy Development: Research-based Rationale (2c)

Meets “Proficient” criteria using highly relevant evidence from organizational psychology research

Provides a clear rationale for the strategy development approach with evidence from organizational psychology research

Provides a rationale for the strategy development approach, but does not use evidence from organizational psychology research

Does not provide an evidence- based rationale for strategy development

10

Strategy Implications: Impact (3a)

Meets “Proficient” criteria and supports rationale with relevant real-world examples

Predicts possible effects of implementation of the consulting strategies on the psychological well-being of others

Predicts possible effects of implementation of the consulting strategies on the psychological well-being of others, but there are gaps in logic or overlooks relevant factors

Does not describe any the possible effects of implementation of the consulting strategies on the psychological well-being of others

10

Strategy Implications: Research-Based Rationale (3b)

Meets “Proficient” criteria and integrates highly relevant research results from organizational psychology research

Integrates organizational psychology research results to provide a rationale for the possible implications of the strategy

Rationale for the strategy implications is not sufficiently supported by relevant evidence from organizational psychology research

Does not use organizational psychology research results to provide rationale for the possible implications of the strategy

5

Strategy Implications: Modifications (3c)

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and strategy options are supported with specific and relevant research- based examples

Identifies strategy options to positively address the possible implications of the strategy for the psychological well-being of others

Does not sufficiently identify strategy options to address the possible implications of the strategy for the psychological well-being of others

Does not identify strategy options to address the possible implications of the strategy for the psychological well-being of others

10

Performance Initiatives (4a)

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and description of suggested performance initiatives is supported with specific and relevant research-based examples

Describes suggested performance initiatives based on best practices for successful organizational consultation

Does not sufficiently describe suggested performance initiatives for successful organizational consultation

Does not describe performance initiatives

10

Training Initiatives (4b) Meets “Proficient” criteria, and description of suggested training initiatives is supported with specific and relevant research-based examples

Suggests logical training initiatives based on best practices for successful organizational consultation

Does not sufficiently suggest training initiatives for successful organizational consultation

Does not describe training initiatives

10

Articulation of Response Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

5

Earned Total 100%