consulting case study and action plan report

PSY 616 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric
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:
x Diagnose the various causes that can prevent an organization from meeting employee needs and achieving organizational goals
x Develop strategies to address organizational problems that integrate psychological theories and proven consulting methods
x Predict the possible effects of implementing a consulting strategy on the psychological well-being of others
x 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 will be graded pass/fail based on
submission, as the focus of this assignment is on instructor approval and feedback on your topic selection.
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). 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). 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.
Deliverables
Milestone Deliverables Module Due Grading
1 Organization Selection One Instructor Approval; Graded pass/fail
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 Project Rubric
Final Project Rubric
Guidelines for 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.
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 evidencebased 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 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 researchbased 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
Total 100%