Coming of the New Organization
MGT 240 Grand Canyon Week 7 Discussion 1
Based upon the assigned readings (Drucker’s “The Coming of the New Organization” and Zahra’s “The Changing Rules of Global Competitiveness in the 21st Century”), identify at least four changes (two from each article) that you think have been the most significant cause of change to the way that your organization operates. In what ways do you think managers’ jobs have changed in your organization?
MGT 240 Grand Canyon Week 7 Discussion 2
For your organization, or one with which you are familiar, identify the factors that operate in its general and specific environments. Why is it important for managers to understand the factors that affect their organization?
MGT 240 Grand Canyon Week 7 Discussion 3
Using an organization with which you are familiar, identify its core culture and the elements of its observable culture. What do you think needs to be changed to align your culture to the elements in the environment?
MGT 240 Grand Canyon Week 7 Assignment
Interview and Reflection Essay
For this assignment, you will write a reflection on what you learned about management in the course. As part of the assignment, you will conduct an interview with a manager of a local business to get a first-hand perspective on the challenges of management and the techniques others have found successful for effective leadership, motivation, and communication.
Select a manager of a local business to interview and contact the person to set up an appointment. You may conduct your interview in person or via phone.
Prepare a list of at least 5-7 questions for your interview. Your questions should focus on how the manager executes the four functions of management functions as well as the challenges related to motivating and communicating with employees and/or clients in the business environment. In particular, try to discover how the demands of technology-mediated communication, such as communicating via social media channels, impact manager-employee relationships.
Remember that managers have many commitments so try to schedule your interview well in advance of the assignment’s due date. You should present the attached consent letter to the person you intend to interview.
After you complete the interview, write a 1,000-1,250-word reflection on what you learned in the interview and this course. Address the following in your response:
1- What are the most valuable things you learned about the four functions of management, in a practical sense, as well as motivation and communication techniques?
2- Identify some of the significant challenges you believe you might face as a manager.
3- Discuss your own personal strengths and weaknesses as a manager. What do you think you need to work on to improve your own capabilities?
4- How might you apply what you learned in your interview and this course to be a more effective manager?
In an appendix at the end of the essay, provide an interview summary that includes the following information:
1- The name of the person you interviewed and number of years he/she has been a manager
2- The name of the company at which he/she is currently employed
3- How long the person has been a manager at the current company and what their managerial level is
4- Date of the interview and whether it took place in person or via phone or other type of medium
5- Contact information for the person you interviewed
6- The list of your interview questions and responses provided
7- Signed consent letter
Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a grading rubric. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment.
You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin. Refer to the directions in the Student Success Center. Only Word documents can be submitted to Turnitin.
[Insert Date]
Dear [Insert Participant’s Name]:
Thank you for agreeing to participate in an interview. This interview is part of an assignment for an Introduction to Management Course at Grand Canyon University.The assignment asks students to garner first-hand perspective on the challenges of management and reflect on what they have learned in the course.
Information collected during the interview will be used solely to complete the assignment and may be shared with class members and the instructor. Attached you will find sample questions that demonstrate the types of questions you may be asked during the interview. If you have additional questions or concerns, or you would like to withdraw your consent to participate in the interview process, you can contact [insert your instructor’s name and email address].
Again, thank you for taking the time to participate in an interview and contribute to the educational experience of business students at Grand Canyon University.
[Type or sign your name]
Sample Interview Questions
1) What communication strategies have you found most useful for communicating with your employees?
2) What barriers to effective communication have you experienced?What have you done to overcome them?
3) What strategies have you found effective for motivating your employees?
4) What leadership qualities do you think are most important for managers?
5) How do you manage difficult employees or employee conflict?
6) What do you think is most important for promoting and maintaining effective manager-employee relationships?
7) What advice would you offer a novice looking to get into the field of management?
8) What should students of management be doing in college to prepare themselves for the field?