Organizational Analysis Project Rubric

These instructions outline the steps you should undertake in conducting your organizational analysis. Before you embark on this project, read this document and think about the analytical process, so you can plan accordingly. This is a time-consuming assignment. Be sure to get started early and give yourself plenty of time for completion. I hope that you will find it intriguing and worthwhile as a learning tool. Each of the response papers have been leading up to this analysis paper. This is your chance to become a communication consultant and apply the ideas you have learned this semester.

Project Instructions
The steps for conducting your organizational analysis are outlined below:

1. Identify an organization in which you will conduct your analysis. I assume you will want to look at your own organization being that you are already there and can do it while you are at work, but you are free to investigate another organization if you would like to do so.

2. Be careful and disclose information. Yes, this is your analysis, but in order to do a true study, you will need to talk to others about their experiences. Just be aware that some information shared with you is for research purposes and should not be shared with others. Also, be honest about your assignment.

3. Brainstorm central questions about the organization you want to discover. Some
of these questions might include (but are not limited to):
a) what is the management philosophy most apparent in the organization
(classical, human relations, human resources, situational, etc.)?
b) what Deal and Kennedy organizational culture does this organization seem to
have? how else can we describe this organization’s culture?
c) how does systems theory relate to this organization?
d) how does mentoring work at this organization?
e) what nonverbals do we notice? body language? environment? clothing?
f) how are meetings handled here? how could they be improved?
g) how is conflict handled--formally and informally?
h) what informal and formal networks are in place?
i) how diverse is the organization? (race, ethnic backgrounds, sex, religion,
sexual orientation, etc.) does the organization have any diversity initiatives or
policies?

4. Collect a variety of appropriate data. In order to learn in depth about the organization, you will need to obtain data using a variety of methods:

a) One-on-one, in-person interviews
Be prepared with your list of question before the interview. You may ask follow-up questions as you feel the need. Ask all different types of questions: open-ended, yes-no, rate on a scale, etc. Be sure to start each interview by going over the above document with each interviewee. Start interviews with simple questions and lead up to more personal ones. Set up your interviews very early as they may need to cancel and re-schedule several times. Be flexible--
remember THEY are doing YOU the favor of their time. Take no more than 30 minutes of their time--unless they keep you there talking longer. Be on time or early to your interviews.

b) Questionnaires and surveys
Surveys make it possible to get responses from a larger number of people quickly and provide quantitative data. Questionnaires can use open-ended questions or closed-ended (providing respondent with fixed list of choices) or a mix of both. Try to get a response rate of at least 50%. Do NOT do more than one survey at your organization. Ensure that all responses will be confidential. Include a brief statement of purpose at the beginning. You may need to send the survey more than once to those who are not responding.

c) Direct observation
Hang out in the lobby or cafeteria (with permission) and see what you can observe. Ask to “shadow” someone for half a day. Attend a social function of the organization. Attend an orientation day for new employees or a speech given by a leader. Observe how people have decorated their offices or cubicles. Ask to sit in and observe a meeting.

d) Archival data
This includes the following: organizational charts; financial performance records and annual reports; statistics on employee turnover or absenteeism; human resources materials; memos and emails; rules, policies and procedures in employee handbooks; mission statements, charters and ethical codes; employee newsletters; advertising brochures or materials; newspapers articles or any press about the organization.

e) Personal experience.
Your personal reactions can provide important information on the climate of the organization. Does it feel tense, relaxed, cheerful, depressed, guarded, open, optimistic or in crisis? Do the people in the organization return your phone calls and emails? What might this tell you? Is it easy or difficult to get organizational members to participate in this project? Are they disclosing or vague and guarded in their responses in interviews and surveys? Why do you think so?


5. Analyze your data with respect to the questions you brainstormed and outlined. As an individual, look at your data and answer those questions.

6. Your project analysis report might include the following sections:

a) Introduction:
This should clearly set up your study, the organization and the organization of the paper.
b) Description of your methodologies
How did you do your study?
c) Analysis (answers to your questions) might include tables and charts here too
d) Recommendations (how could the organization improve--specifically its
communication)
e) Your personal feelings about the organization
f) What you learned from doing this project
g) Appendix that includes all raw data

7. The final product should be a 5-7 page paper. The paper needs to be typed, double spaced, 12 font, and well written.


Ethical Issues
You will be entering a real organization where many people have jobs, careers, products and ideas at stake. You may be probing issues that are politically sensitive. It is essential that you honor any promises of confidentiality throughout your data collection and analysis. You may find that most candid and provocative quotes are the ones that bring your final report alive. However, these are also comments that could get some people into serious trouble, costing them promotions or even their jobs.

You must promise each person you interview that you will not reveal anything they tell you to anyone else in the organization. You should assure them that the only person to see the final report will be your team members and your instructor. You may offer to not use their names in the final report, but to only identify them by their title or department. If they prefer this, you should honor it.

Be careful of some well-meaning manager asking, “So, what did my marketing people say about the new initiative?” Even though you may be eager to provide feedback to this person, who might be very nice and helpful, be careful not to let an offhand remark slip. You will need to be very discreet about what people tell you. Simply respond, “I am not free to discuss my interviews with anyone else within the organization.”

If the organization shares information with you, but tells you not to duplicate or share it, please honor this agreement. The information can help inform your overall impressions without you having to disclose the specific details (even to me). If you have any uncertainty about which corporate data was meant to be confidential, check back with your company contact person who gave you the material or information.

I trust that none of you will deliberately violate the standards of confidentiality. I also strongly caution you against doing so accidentally. Please be very mindful how you transport and store your data (notes, quotes, tape recordings, etc.) was well as where you discuss the data with your group.