You are now at the midway point of the final course in the HR concentration of your MBA. In previous courses, you explored how to attract and retain top talent (JWI 521) and what it takes for HR leaders to earn a seat at the table (JWI 522).

Assignment 2: Group Project, Leading Change in HR Teams

Due: Monday, 9:00 am (eastern), Week 7  (25% of total course grade) 

 Background

You are now at the midway point of the final course in the HR concentration of your MBA. In previous courses, you explored how to attract and retain top talent (JWI 521) and what it takes for HR leaders to earn a seat at the table (JWI 522). Throughout your JWMI journey, you have had opportunities to learn practices that are critical to building a winning organization. You’re probably bursting with great ideas that you are anxious to put to work. Hopefully, you have been doing that already in keeping with our “learn it today, apply it tomorrow” focus.

As you are seeing in this course, large-scale change initiatives take time. They need to be well thought out, and they need concrete plans – like Kotter’s 8-Step Model – to provide structure and accountability in order to make the change successful. The group project for this assignment will help you gain insight into how this applies to leading change in HR teams.

 

Project Overview

•        Your instructor will assign you to a group by the beginning of Week 2.

 

•        There is a Team Workspace in Canvas for each group to exchange materials and post to the group discussions. The link is located in the main course menu on the left-hand side. You will find instructions for accessing this in the assignment in the course.

 

•        You will first read the Change Initiatives in HR Leadership and Talent Development document on your own and choose a change Initiative you find to be the most interesting/compelling. Then: o              Discuss this idea with your team and colleagues at work to gauge their reactions o              Post your completed Change Initiatives in HR Leadership and Talent Development Template in the Group Workspace by Monday, 9:00 am (eastern) of Week 4

 

•        Your group will then discuss the templates submitted by each member, decide on a team focus area for the project, and submit a Team Charter identifying your focus areas and agreed-upon work process by the end of Week 4

 

•        During Weeks 5 and 6, your team will draft, review, discuss, and edit the components of the project.

 

•        The final submission is a PowerPoint Presentation created by the group applying Kotter’s change model to the selected change initiative. This is due by Monday, 9:00 am (eastern) of Week 7, and will be assigned a single grade for all group members.

 

Detailed Instructions

 

1.      Prior to your discussions with your group, review the “Change Initiatives in HR Leadership and Talent Development” document posted in the assignment module in Canvas. These ideas and initiatives are taken from current and previous course readings, so they should all be familiar to you. However, you may want to go back to the sources to remind yourself of the context and rationale presented by the authors.

 

2.      Select your favorite change initiative based on the following criteria:

a.      The idea genuinely excites you.

b.      It would have a significant positive impact within your team and within your organization, if it could be implemented.

c.      There is a realistic opportunity for your team to lead the way in getting this practice off the ground.

 

3.      Each member will gather data to validate their selection using the “Change Initiatives in HR

Leadership and Talent Development Template” posted in the assignment module in Canvas.

a.      Get feedback from your own team at work or another group of professional associates.

b.      Using the template, summarize the feedback as well as industry and economic factors that could impact the change initiative.

c.      Each member will post their completed “Change Initiatives in HR Leadership and Talent Development Template” in the Group Workspace by Monday, 9:00 am (eastern) of Week 4.

 

4.      Over the next week, discuss your selected change initiative with your group.

a.      It’s up to your group to decide how to coordinate communication. You may:

i.        Use a virtual meeting tool such as WebEx, Zoom, GoToMeeting, Google Hangout, etc.

ii.       Share documents and/or videos via email or through the Team Workspace set up in Canvas.

iii.      Schedule conference calls.

b.      In the group discussions, explain how your chosen change initiative would have a positive impact on your organization and industry. Address the evidence you gathered in #3 supporting your position. Present your professional assessment of why this practice is worth pursuing.

c.      Respond to your teammates’ positions by addressing where you have consensus and where you don’t. Debate, explore, learn from each other, and have fun.

d.      As your team engages in discussion, make sure you consider how the insights and models about the psychology of change covered in the course and used in your first assignment should be leveraged to support a positive outcome.

 

 

5.      As a group, and leveraging the team feedback and data you have shared, narrow the field of initiatives down to one focus area for the Group Project. Take note of the following:

a.      It may be based on a single idea or a combination of several ideas that work together as one initiative.

b.      It must be non-trivial. In other words, it must be significant enough to warrant the effort to make the change, and it must have the potential to drive larger enterprise-wide change.

c.      The focus must be chosen by group consensus.

d.      You must describe a change that can be driven within your immediate teams.

 

6.      Carefully read the instructions for Applying Kotter’s Model to HR Change (below).

a.      Discuss these with your group to make sure that everyone is clear on what is required.

b.      If additional guidance is needed on any items, reach out to your instructor immediately.

c.      Decide, as a group, how the workflow will be organized.

i.        Which members will own which components?

ii.       How and when will drafts be submitted for group review?

iii.      What process will be used to finalize edits and prepare the final deliverable for submission?

iv.     Remember, everyone must contribute to the assignment, and the grade that is earned will be applied to all members of the group.

 

7.      Select one member of your group to post your TEAM CHARTER by Monday, 9:00 am (eastern), Week 5. The Team Charter template can be downloaded from the Assignment Module in Canvas. In the template:

a.      Identify the Change Initiative your group selected.

b.      Complete the fields on workflow and ownership for the group project.

 

8.      Over the next two weeks, work with your group to complete the assignment. Your submission of the POWERPOINT DECK is due by Monday, 9:00 am (eastern) of Week 7. You will select one group member to submit on behalf of the group.

 

 

 

 

 

              

Applying Kotter’s Model to HR Change

Working as a group, and leveraging what you have learned about leading change, create an Executive Level Overview using PowerPoint of your chosen HR Change Initiative leveraging the first six steps of Kotter’s model as your guide. Your submission must address the following:

1.      Establishing a Sense of Urgency

a.      What is the current level of urgency around this issue in the team and at your various workplaces?

b.      What is driving the urgency or complacency? Is it a lack of insight into market conditions, bureaucracy, makeup of the workforce, or something else?

c.      What can be done to elevate the sense of urgency? Why do you believe this will be effective?

 

2.      Creating a Guiding Coalition

a.      What groups/roles should be involved? There is no need for specific names of individuals; just focus on groups, their place in the hierarchy, and what functional areas they impact.

b.      Why did your team select these groups/roles? What influence do these people have?

 

3.      Developing a Vision and Strategy

a.      Create a vision statement for the change initiative.

b.      Explain the future state.

c.      Outline the strategy for how this change would be rolled out.

d.      What happens if your teams don’t make the change?

 

4.      Communicating the Change Vision

a.      What specific tools will work best in your organization(s) to ensure effective communication?

b.      Why did you identify these?

c.      How will communication within your team be different than communication beyond your team as you roll out your change initiative?

 

5.      Empowering Employees for Broad-Based Action

a.      Identify a minimum of three specific actions that will empower your team members to take action.

b.      How will these be initiated and supported?

 

6.      Generating Short-Term Wins

a.      What short-term wins are needed to demonstrate your change initiative is working?

b.      When will these happen, and how will they be measured?

c.      What rewards and celebrations should be part of recognizing these wins?

 

 

              

Professional Formatting and Submission Requirements:

 

•        Leverage the benefits of the medium to include colors, graphics, charts, and diagrams to create an engaging presentation. Don’t just fill the slides with text. Make sure the deck is complete and can stand on its own to address all the required components of the assignment.

 

•        References must be included and provide appropriate information that enables the reader to locate the original source. Application and analysis of course materials and resources is expected, and additional research is welcome.

 

•        Include all data and supporting documents from each group member for step #3.

 

•        Include a cover slide containing the title of the assignment, the group members’ names, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date.

 

•        The suggested length is 10 slides, excluding a cover slide. You may exceed 10 slides, but be sure that what you include adds value to your submission and is not redundant.

              

Rubric: Assignment 2

 

25% of Total Course Grade		NOTE: Grade Will Be Evaluated Collectively for the Group
Criteria	Honors	High Pass	Pass	Low Pass	Unsatisfactory
1. Supporting evidence was gathered, organized, and clearly presented in the Change Initiative Templates     Weight 15%	All group members delivered exemplary evidence and data and made clear and compelling connections to support main themes and key ideas. Included additional relevant research to add further support.	All group members delivered very good evidence and data and made excellent, logical, and clear connections to support main themes and key ideas.	All group members submitted relevant evidence and data and made good connections to support main themes and key ideas.	All group members submitted basic evidence and data. Rudimentary connections to main themes and key ideas are present but in need of further clarification.	Supporting evidence and data are missing, incomplete, and/or do not provide a clear and compelling connection to main themes and key ideas.
2. Identification of, and rationale for, focus area and focus area selection process in the Team Charter       Weight: 10%	Exemplarily describes the identification and rationale of the change need, the specific focus area, and the process used by the group. Includes additional relevant details on group meetings, discussions, and debates.	Very good description of, and logic for, the identification and rationale of the change focus area and the process used by the group.	Identification of the change focus area is clear and logical. Rationale for selection is well-explained and provides sufficient detail to understand the process and the conclusion.	Identifies the change focus area. Rationale for selection is superficial or unclear. Synopsis of how group arrived at final selection of focus area is satisfactory, but lacks detail.	Does not or unsatisfactorily identifies the change focus area. Rationale for selection is missing or unclear. Missing or unclear synopsis of how group arrived at final selection of focus area.
3. Develops the change initiative according to the first six (6) stages from Kotter’s eightstage framework. Demonstrates understanding of change leadership practices and themes.     Weight: 35%	Meets all criteria of HP, plus includes additional relevant insights and supports to connect the HR team change to a larger divisional or company-wide change.	Thoroughly develops the change initiative in all 6 of the required stages of Kotter’s framework. Demonstrates a deep under- standing of change leadership practices and themes and their application to leading change in HR teams.	Satisfactorily develops the change initiative in at least 5 stages of Kotter’s framework. Demonstrates a good under- standing of change leadership practices and themes but lacks focus on their application to leading change in HR teams.	Partially develops the change initiative in at least 4 stages according to Kotter’s framework. Demonstrates a basic under- standing of change leadership practices and themes.	Does not or unsatisfactorily develops the change initiative according to Kotter’s framework. Demonstrates minimal under- standing of change leadership practices and themes.

                

 

Criteria	Honors	High Pass	Pass	Low Pass	Unsatisfactory
4. Addresses best practices, key actions, and open issues that are critical in keeping a “people first” focus during the change initiative.     Weight 30%	Meets all criteria of HP, plus includes additional relevant research, tools, and insights to elevate the role of HR as a change leader.	Addresses critical actions and issues in all 6 of the required stages of Kotter’s framework. “People first” focus is welldeveloped and with a clear and direct connection to the HR change focus.	Addresses critical actions and issues in at least 5 of Kotter’s stages. “People first” focus is present and connected to the HR change focus.	Addresses critical actions and issues in at least 4 of Kotter’s stages. “People first” focus is present, but unclearly developed or poorly connected to the HR change focus.	Does not or unsatisfactorily addresses critical actions and issues in 3 or more of Kotter’s stages. Does not maintain a “people first” focus.
5. The submitted work PPT is a team effort and is professionally formatted, includes in-text citations, and references, and is free from grammatical errors.       Weight: 10%	Exceptionally well-formatted.    Highly professional in look and easy to quickly locate information. Includes a cover slide, headings, professional font, and layout.     All references are consistently cited in the text and are included in a manner that enables the reader to quickly identify sources.   There are no mechanical or usage errors.	Professionally formatted.   Includes a cover slide and headings and is free from font and layout issues.   All references are consistently cited in text and are included in a manner that enables the reader to quickly identify sources.    There are no mechanical or usage errors.	Satisfactorily formatted.    Includes a cover slide and headings but may have minor font and layout issues.   References may not be consistently cited in text or may not be included in a manner that enables the reader to quickly identify sources.   There may be minor mechanical or usage errors.	Meets minimum formatting requirements.   May not include a cover slide and/or lacks professional layout, font, or spacing.   References are not consistently cited in text or not included in a manner that enables the reader to quickly identify sources.   There are some mechanical or usage errors.	Unsatisfactorily formatted.   May not include cover slide and headings, and/or lacks professional layout, font, or spacing.   References are not consistently cited in text, and/or not included in a manner that enables the reader to quickly identify sources.   There are several mechanical and/or usage errors.