CASE STUDY
This case study provides you with background information on an imaginary context. However the issues faced by the company reflect challenges experienced by many organizations. In the examination you will be asked to take on the role of an external Organization Development consultant and asked a series of questions that will enable you to demonstrate your knowledge of OD theory and practice in response to a request for advice by the HR Director and the Chief Executive.
Servis Ltd. and Npok & Co.
Servis Ltd was a long established (est. 1920) manufacturer of expensive boots for a wealthy clientele. They had a history of very carefully hand crafted products produced by people who have worked with them for many years. Their longest serving employee had been with them for 50 years. The Director of the company trained with them as a young man and was appointed to his role 20 years ago. The company slogan was ‘Tradition is Best – if our traditional methods produce good boots then we will not change’. Servis Factory was based in the UK just south of Manchester. They employed 150 staff and had a small loyal management team. Business had been steady with plenty of orders from their regular network of independent shoe shops. They recognised however that the market dynamics were changing with new competitors and the need to become much more efficient.
Before they could make any of the necessary changes the Director (who was also the majority shareholder) was approached by the CEO of Npok & Co. with an offer to buy the company which he accepted. Npok & Co. are a much younger company with a very trendy set of products focussed on young people and those interested in keeping-fit. They pride themselves on their very trendy designs and social media presence which helps them work closely with their customers directly rather than going through the usual supply channels of, what they see as, old fashioned shoe shops. They tend to sell most of their shoes on-line. Their factory is based north of Manchester and they also have about 150 staff although they have invested a great deal in modern production equipment.
Npok & Co. bought Servis because they wanted to benefit from the skills of the staff and also the high reputation of the name Servis has in the market. They plan to invest in new equipment for the Servis factory and in staff training. They want to merge the staff so that they can work flexibly across all the product lines and on both sites. To maintain some stability the old Director of Servis (John Right) has been retained in the new management structure working alongside the Head of the Npok & Co factory (Jane Left). The CEO (Alison Trendy) retains her role supported by an HR director and Head of Finance.
Whilst this approach seemed at the time of the takeover to make a lot of sense to Alison, things have not worked out at all well. The integration plan has not been fully implemented because of resentment between John Right and Jane Left who strongly believe that the integration plans do not fully take into account the very considerable differences in values and beliefs held by both themselves and their colleagues. There have been lengthy arguments both at board meetings and between managers and workers in the two factories who regularly disagree about what customers really need and how products should be developed and produced. Staff from both factories say they do not feel respected or properly understood by staff in the other factory.
Management team meetings have also become very difficult with constant arguments about what exactly the vision is for the business with John and Jane arguing for the approach they took before the merger. Alison is concerned that John is having a difficult time letting go of his old identity as boss of Servis and Jane, who was recently promoted from her old supervisor role with Npok, is having difficulty understanding what it means to be a senior manager. She does not seem to have the inter-personal and strategic business skills needed for the new role. Her poor performance is causing worry.
A recent review of production quality has identified another set of problems with old, inefficient work practices continuing at Servis’ factory meaning delays in completing orders. At the Npok factory customer complaints about shoe quality and customer services are growing rapidly. There is evidence that staff are being rude to customers via messaging on Facebook. Alison as CEO is communicating her concerns to all staff directly through a monthly company newsletter but this does not seem to be having any impact on performance at all. Indeed there are signs that key staff are planning on leaving and that staff morale is low. Alison still thinks that the merger was the right and the business future will be good if the problems she and the team are experiencing at the present time can be overcome. Change is needed and quickly. There are signs that profits are falling and the reputation of the two different parts of the company is not as good in the eyes of customers and shoe shops.
To help solve the problems Alison asks her HR Director to find an external consultant who can advise her on the action needed.
You are an external OD consultant and the Director of HR sends you the following email:
‘I am pleased to confirm your appointment as consultant to Npok & Co. Alison Trendy, our CEO has confirmed that she wishes you to advise on the following issues/questions (in no order of priority or importance):
· How can the management team become focussed and unified?
· What needs to be done to improve working relationships and staff morale across both factory sites?
· How can staff be engaged in improving customer service?
· How can changes to staff attitudes and behaviours be encouraged and supported?
· What needs to be done to make the whole business more efficient and services more cost effective? How do we get staff ideas and creativity to make sensible changes to business processes?
· Does the current organisational structure work for the best of the company or are there changes that need to be made?
· How can the performance of John and Jane be improved?
· What can be done immediately and what needs to happen in the longer term?
· How can each member of the top team be supported to improve their individual and collective performance?
We recognise that this is not a complete list and we sure that you will identify other issues and questions as you undertake your work. We understand that Organisation Development approaches can offer us some ways in which we can improve performance, commitment and involvement as well as supporting behaviour change amongst staff. It will be useful if you can ensure that you provide us with some of the relevant theory to support your recommendations.
Kind regards etc.’
QUESTIONS
1. (a) Using the case study as source material state what, in your opinion, are the top five organisational challenges facing the company?
(b) What specific OD interventions (including five factors framework) do you think will be most effective in addressing the challenges you have identified? Explain briefly the reasons for your choice.
2. (a) Assume that the CEO has specifically asked you to take a Dialogic approach to your OD work with the company. What types of activities and interventions do you think will be relevant if you take this approach?
(b) What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of a Dialogic approach in this context?
3. (a) What competencies of an OD practitioner will you need to use in the context of the case study?
(b) How would you recommend someone who wishes to become an OD practitioner develop and maintain OD competencies?
Central themes
- Emphasis on general manager, not HR specialist
- HR as source of strategic advantage
- “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts”
- People are an investment
- Incentives underpin managerial behaviour
The five factors
- External environment: social, political, legal, and economic
- Workforce: demographics, skill
- Organization’s culture
- Organization’s strategy
- Technology of production and organization of work
Legal environment
- Pay
- Hiring
- Employee voice
- Firing
- International differences: US vs. Europe vs. rest of world
Economic environment
- Globalization
- Increased competition
- Workers more educated
- Rising pay differences by skill
- Narrowing gender gap
- No apparent change in mobility
Workforce: more women
Year | Participation rate | % of labour force |
1950 | 34 | 29 |
1960 | 36 | 33 |
1970 | 45 | 38 |
1980 | 65 | 42 |
1990 | 74 | 45 |
Top 10 Sources of Immigrants
1905 1991
- Austria-Hungary
- Italy
- Russia
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- Sweden
- Norway
- Japan
- France
- Portugal
- Mexico
- Philippines
- Former USSR
- Haiti
- El Salvador
- India
- Dominican Republic
- Jamaica
- China
- South Korea
Culture
- Creativity vs. conformity
- Flat vs. hierarchy
- Co-operation vs. competition
- Family vs. contract labour
Strategy
- Source of competitive advantage
– Quality and service
– Cost
– Innovation
- Ability to maintain advantage
- Size objective
Changes in jobs
- Greater use of computers
- More work in R&D settings
- More teams
- TQM
- Smart skills for what used to be manual jobs
Key technological factors
- Training
- Effort-results correlation
- Interdependence of workers
- Distribution of outcomes: Stars, Guardians and Foot-soldiers
Anatomy of an HR system
- Recruiting
- Selection
- Promotion
- Training
- Job design
- Performance evaluation
- Temporary help
- Job security
- Base pay: level and adjustments
- Incentive pay
- Benefits
- Grievances
- Info sharing
- Union
MANG6245
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
*
Please use the dd month yyyy format for the date for example 11 January 2008. The main title can be one or two lines long.
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Qualitative data
- Qualitative research uses a naturalistic approach that seeks to understand phenomena in context-specific settings, such as “real world setting [where] the researcher does not attempt to manipulate the phenomenon of interest” (Patton, 2001, p. 39)
- Comes in different shapes and forms
- Can be narrative (i.e. from interviews) or observational (observation notes)
- Non-standardised data – the aim is to make sense of that data
- Analysis can be inductive or deductive
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Methods for qualitative research
- No method is inherently qualitative or quantitative
- Interviews
- Focus Groups
- Observations
- Interviews most common form
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Why Interviews ?
- Approach to diagnosis:
- Exploring issues
- Ability to probe issues in depth
- Personal contact:
- May enhance ability to collect data
- Allows for exploring “softer” issues such as meanings
- Nature of questions:
- Open-ended rather than “closed”
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Types of Interviews
- Structured:
- All questions, and most responses, are pre-determined. In essence, researcher is administering a questionnaire.
- Semi-structured:
- Interviewer has a list of themes and issues to explore
- Pre-determined list of questions may be used, but not stuck to rigorously
- Unstructured:
- Interviewer has no pre-determined list of questions, though probably has an idea of issues to be explored
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Advantages and Disadvantages of Interviews
Advantages
- Richness of data
- Insights
- Personal views and perceptions
- Sense of involvement
Disadvantages
- Interviewer bias
- Interviewee bias
- Inaccuracy of recall
- Generalisability
- Lack of standardisation
- Difficult to analyse
*
Overcoming Problems with Interviews
Critical Incident Interviews
Flanagan, 1954
Chell, 2002
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
*
Critical Incident Interviews
“A set of procedures for collecting direct observations of human behavior in such a way as
to facilitate their potential usefulness in solving practical problems and developing broad
psychological principles. The critical incident technique outlines procedures for collecting
observed incidents having special significance and meeting systematically defined criteria.”
(Flanagan 1954, p. 327).
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Critical Incident Interviews – Format
- Establish example to examine (related to purpose of study)
- Obtain contextual data
- Explore Incident
– Who
– When
– What
– Where
- Explore the interviewee’s actions and behaviours
- What were the reactions of others
- What were the outcomes
- Probe throughout
An interview may well entail using a couple of examples
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Focus Groups
- Definition: Focus groups are a small group of a selected population that are asked open-ended questions in a discussion type atmosphere to generate data. They should:
- Involve a carefully planned discussion
- Attempt to obtain perceptions of a defined interest area
- Be carried out in a permissive, non-threatening environment
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Traditional formats
- 8-12 people
- Recorded and supplemented by notes
- Formal setting
- Usually 60 – 180 minutes
- Representative people affected by the issue/problem/initiative
- Use of different facilitator techniques
- Brainstorming
- Delphi
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Advantages and Disadvantages of Focus Groups
Advantages
- Provides concentrated amounts of rich data, in participants’ own words, on precisely the topic of interest
- Interaction of participants adds richness to the data that may be missed in individual interviews
- Provides critical information in development of hypotheses or interpretation of quantitative data
Disadvantages
- Small number of participants
- Limited generalizability
- Group dynamics can be a challenge – Particularly if moderator is inexperienced
- Interpretation
- Time-consuming
- Requires experienced analysts
Observation is useful when…
- You want direct information
- You are trying to understand an ongoing behaviour, process, unfolding situation, or event
- There is physical evidence, products, or outcomes that can be readily seen
- Written or other data collection methods seem inappropriate
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
*
Unit 5: Collecting data
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Advantages and Disadvantages of Observation
Advantages
- Most direct measure of behaviour
- Provides direct information
- Could be easy to complete, saves time
- Can be used in natural or experimental settings
Disadvantages
- May require training
- Observer’s presence may create artificial situation
- Potential for bias
- Potential to overlook meaningful aspects
- Potential for misinterpretation
- Difficult to analyse
MANG6245
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
*
Please use the dd month yyyy format for the date for example 11 January 2008. The main title can be one or two lines long.
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Collecting data – a process
Identify the objectives
- What problems are you trying to address?
- What information have you already got?
- What information/data do you need?
Defining key indicators
- What are measurable (and sensible) variables?
- What are the broader parameters; i.e. what org level are we investigating?
Decide on data gathering methods
- One or more methods (not limited to type/nature of method)
- Clarity on the nature of the problem will help to decide
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Methods for assessment & diagnosis
- (Self-)Audits
- E.g. SWOT
- Documentary/Secondary data
- Sociograms
- Qualitative methods
- Focus groups
- Interviews
- Observations
- Quantitative methods
Surveys
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Secondary
Primary
Why would you want to use a Questionnaire Survey?
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Purpose of surveys
- To obtain information from, or about, a defined set of people
- To obtain information that cannot be easily observed
- To obtain information that is not readily available in written or computer held forms
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Purpose of surveys
- Test an Hypothesis
- Explore an Issue/Problem
- Identify a Group for Further Research ( Qualify)
- Obtain Reactions to an Idea
- Monitor Changes
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Advantages and Disadvantages of Surveys
Advantages
- Cover large numbers
- Time
- Cost
- Simple
- Face validity with leaders
Disadvantages
- Response bias
- Limited data
- Misinterpretation
- Influenced by context
Reflections and Questions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Dialogic OD is rooted in Social Constructionist thinking
Broadly assumes that:
Meaning and understanding are central to human activity
Ways of meaning making are embedded in social-cultural processes and are specific to particular times and places
People define themselves—assumes people are self-defining and socially constructed participants in their shared lives
Contd…
- It is appropriate to adopt a critical perspective to what is assumed to be reality. The social constructionist is often concerned with revealing the ‘operations of the social world’ (2010:8) . He/she will be concerned with patterns of relating, rituals, established and assumed rules
- There is a desire to inquire into understanding human nature – what is happening between us all.
(Lock and Strong 2010)
Key thinkers that influence social constructionism
- Giambattista Vico
- Edmund Husser
- Alfred Schutz
- Maurice Merleau-Ponty
- Karl Marx
- Mikhail Bakhtin
- Erving Goffman and Anthony Giddens
Contd…
Relevant to Dialogic OD specifically:
Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann (The Social Construction of Reality 1966)
Ken and Mary Gergen
John Shotter
Organisational Discourse—a related construct by Grant and Marshak
‘a set of interrelated texts that, along with the related practices of text production, dissemination, and consumption, brings an object or idea into being’ (2011:208)
- Discourses are both integral to and constructive of organizational dynamics and change.
- Discourses are created and supported via socially constructive processes that involve the negotiation of meaning among different organizational stakeholders with different views and interests.
contd…
- Demonstrating the role of power in establishing or challenging prevailing discourses is important to understanding organizational change.
- Discourses are embodied in texts, which come in a wide variety of genres, including written documents, speech acts, pictures, and symbols.
- Discourses do not exist or have meaning independent of context, even as they also create context.
- Organizational discourses and their related practices of consumption, production, and distribution comprise of sets of interrelated texts that can react to draw in and transform other discourses.
Keys Concepts in Organizational Discourse
- Text – words, symbols, pictures etc, that conveys meaning
- Context – historical and social settings in which texts are embedded
- Narrative – Written or verbal accounts with a focus on themes
- Conversation
*
Conversational Consulting (a related form of Dialogic OD)
- A contracted, helping relationship through which people skilled and knowledgeable in conversation as a change process work with clients to create conversations that make a positive difference to businesses/organisations.
Or
- A contracted inquiry relationship, through which client and consultant learn, how to enable the social construction of new organisational and system realities through dialogic processes.
Defining Conversation
An experience between two or more people who, through the expression of thoughts and feelings, creation of new ideas, perspectives and understandings.
- The experience of conversation will include:
- A sense of being listened to, and of listening to others.
- An atmosphere of trust and openness.
- A liberty in expressing thoughts and feelings
- A sense, for at least one person, that what is going on has some importance and value.
Contd…
Affirmation of your self-value and the value of others.
An awareness of new perspectives and ideas.
Knowing that, as a result of conversation, something is different.
The development of shared meanings and understandings.
A sense of equality between people.
*
Contd…
The experience of conversation may include:
- A profound, even life-changing, insight or “aha” moment.
- A release of emotion.
- The sense of being taken to a better place.
- A close sense of unity between participants.
- A decision to make change happen.
- Sense making at the deepest levels. (Cantore 2004:11)
Contd…
Wheatley (2009) offers a somewhat simpler definition of conversation:
“….. where we each have a chance to speak, we each feel heard and we each listen well.”(2009:3)
Turning to one another: Simple conversations to restore hope to the future.
Key Premises of Dialogic OD Mind-set (1)
- Reality and relationships are socially constructed
- Organisations are meaning-making systems
- Language, broadly defined, matters
- Creating change requires changing conversation
- Transformational change is more emergent than planned
- Consultants are a part of the process, not apart from the process
*
Applications of Social Constructionism in Dialogic OD
- Appreciative Inquiry
- Search conferences and Future search
- Open Space
- Circle Conversations
- Engaging Emergence
35+ other techniques and methods
The main focus of Dialogic OD ‘involves changing narratives that underpin social reality’ (Bushe 2013:11)
References
- BAKHTIN, M., 1984 Problems of Dostoevsky’s Poetics . Minneapolis :University of Michigan Press
- CHEUNG-JUDGE, M. and HOLBECHE, L., 2011. Organisation Development-A practitioners guide for OD and HR. 1st edn. London: Kogan Page.
- LOCK, A. AND STRONG,T., 2010 Social Constructionism . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- BUSHE,G., 2013 (2013) Dialogic OD :a Theory of Practice. OD Practitioner Vol 45 (1) pp 11-13
- CANTORE,S. and HICK, W.,2013. Dialogic OD in Practice-Conversational approaches to change in a UK Primary School OD Practitioner Vol 45 (1) pp 5-10
- GRANT, D. and MARSHAK, R.J. (2011) ‘Toward a discourse-centered understanding of organizational change’. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 47(2), 204-235.
- BUSHE, G.R. and MARSHAK, R.J. (2009) ‘Revisioning organization development’. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 45(3), 348-368.
- OSWICK, C.(2016) Discourse, Social Contructivism, Organizing and OD Lecture to PG Cert Organisational Change June 2016 London.
*
Readings (Full details in Course Handbook)
- BUSHE, G. and MARSHAK, R. Eds. (2015) Introduction + Chapters 1 & 2
- Advances in Dialogic OD OD Practitioner Vol 45 (1)
- LEWIS, S., PASSMORE, J., & CANTORE, S. (2016). Chapter 1,3,4
Thank You
*
Discovery Interview (Activity)
Working in pairs, tell the story of a specific experience of when you felt you led or contributed to a change process that worked well.
- Be as specific as you can
- Get into the detail
- Using listening skills to uncover what really happened
- Take notes if it helps
*
Organisation Development
MANG 6254 Dialogic OD
A new OD Approach
*
Session Learning Outcomes
- Distinguish between Diagnostic and Dialogic theoretical assumptions
- Locate dialogic approaches in the history of OD
- Connect Dialogic OD theory and practice with the idea of changing Organisational Discourse
- Recognise the application of theory in Dialogic OD interventions
- Identify ways in which theory can be applied to practice
Assumptions of Diagnostic OD
- The original formulation of OD has strong positivistic orientation
- The classical OD approach to action research as a data-based change method – no action without research and no research without action
- Early OD theorists believed that one of the core tasks of a change agent is the creation of valid data
- Organization exists as an entity that need examination prior to prescribing remedies
- Diagnosis refer to gather data to compare a given organization against a model or desired future state
The OD Diagnostic Consultancy Cycle
*
Summary of Meta-Framings of Change
Traditional Discourse of Change | Emerging Discourse of Change | |
Dominant Root Metaphors | Change as a journey Organization as sick/ill | Change as a conversation Organization as mystery |
Key Stakeholders | Consultants (as doctors and navigators) & client system representatives (as patients and co-travellers) | Local managers & employees (as change agents and mutual participants in a dialogue) |
Nature of the Change Process | Discrete change orientation (destination-oriented journey) | Continuous change orientation (ongoing conversation) |
Environmental Imperatives | Relatively stable and predictable world | Hyper-turbulent and rapidly changing world |
Focus of Change | Emphasis on problems (negative framing) | Emphasis on improvement (positive framing) |
Targets of Change | Tangible objects and artefacts (e.g. rules and procedures, the design of work, aspects of organizational structure) | Intangible phenomena (e.g. norms, morale, commitment, identity, power relationships) |
Old (Diagnostic) OD Approaches
Change Source |
Mechanical Sciences (1900s to Present) |
Biological Sciences (1960s to Present) |
Interpretive Sciences (1980s to Present) |
Complexity Sciences (1990s to Present) |
Perspective of Organizations | Determinate, closed systems | Contingent, open systems | Generative, meaning making systems | Complex adaptive systems |
Intervention Focus |
Efficiency, plans, structure, IT, productivity |
Alignment, congruence, strategic plans |
Discourse, meaning making, culture, norms | Chaos, self- organization, emergent design |
Change Emphasis |
Fix & Re-engineer | Adapt & Re-position | Reframe & Rename | Flux & Emergent Facilitation |
New (Dialogic) OD Approaches
Change Source |
Mechanical Sciences (1900s to Present) |
Biological Sciences (1960s to Present) |
Interpretive Sciences (1980s to Present) |
Complexity Sciences (1990s to Present) |
Perspective of Organizations | Determinate, closed systems | Contingent, open systems | Generative, meaning making systems | Complex adaptive systems |
Intervention Focus |
Efficiency, plans, structure, IT, productivity |
Alignment, congruence, strategic plans |
Discourse, meaning making, culture, norms | Chaos, self- organization, emergent design |
Change Emphasis |
Fix & Re-engineer | Adapt & Re-position | Reframe & Rename | Flux & Emergent Facilitation |
Bushe and Marshak’s ‘paradigm’ of Dialogic OD (2009)
- The change process emphasizes changing the conversations that normally take place in the system
- The purpose of inquiry is to surface, legitimate, and/or learn from the variety of perspectives, cultures, and/or narratives in the system
- The change process results in new images, narratives, texts, and socially constructed realities that affect how people think and act
- The change process is consistent with traditional organization development values of collaboration, free and informed choice, and capacity building in the client system
References
- BAKHTIN, M., 1984 Problems of Dostoevsky’s Poetics . Minneapolis :University of Michigan Press
- CHEUNG-JUDGE, M. and HOLBECHE, L., 2011. Organisation Development-A practitioners guide for OD and HR. 1st edn. London: Kogan Page.
- LOCK, A. AND STRONG,T., 2010 Social Constructionism . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- BUSHE,G., 2013 (2013) Dialogic OD :a Theory of Practice. OD Practitioner Vol 45 (1) pp 11-13
- CANTORE,S. and HICK, W.,2013. Dialogic OD in Practice-Conversational approaches to change in a UK Primary School OD Practitioner Vol 45 (1) pp 5-10
- GRANT, D. and MARSHAK, R.J. (2011) ‘Toward a discourse-centered understanding of organizational change’. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 47(2), 204-235.
- BUSHE, G.R. and MARSHAK, R.J. (2009) ‘Revisioning organization development’. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 45(3), 348-368.
- OSWICK, C.(2016) Discourse, Social Contructivism, Organizing and OD Lecture to PG Cert Organisational Change June 2016 London.
*
MANG6254
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
*
Please use the dd month yyyy format for the date for example 11 January 2008. The main title can be one or two lines long.
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Scope of Session
- Role and Value of Diagnosis
- Process of Diagnosis
- Approaches to Gathering Data and Diagnosis
- “Classic OD Interventions”
- Diagnosis as a Change Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
*
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
The OD consultancy cycle
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Diagnosis
Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
*
What is the Role of Organisational Assessment and Diagnosis in OD and Change?
Why is it Important?
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Diagnosis
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
*
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
The process of reviewing the development, work environment, personnel and operation of a business or another type of association. Performing a periodic detailed organizational analysis of a company can be a useful way for management to identify problems or inefficiencies that have arisen, but have not yet been addressed, and then develop strategies for dealing with them
What is Organisational Diagnosis?
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
*
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Role of Diagnosis
- Where you are
- Where you need to be
- Building an evidence base
- Identifying what needs to change
- Identifying barriers to change
- Identifying levers for change
Aldelfer, 2011
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
The purpose of organizational diagnosis is to establish the widely shared
understanding of a system and, based on that understanding, to determine
whether change is desirable. By stating and then maintaining that the
initial work in the client system is diagnosis, consultants provide clients
with bases against which they can be held accountable.
Organizational
diagnosis is considered as a recursive process. The topics considered include entry, data collection, and feedback.
Role of Diagnosis
Aldelfer, 2011
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
*
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Structures
Patterns
Events
Ability To learn
Ability To Influence
Too often we are fire fighting and working on the quick fixes….
Mental Models
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
*
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Structure Drives Behaviour
*
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
*
MANG6245
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
*
Please use the dd month yyyy format for the date for example 11 January 2008. The main title can be one or two lines long.
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
“Classic” OD Interventions
The OD consultancy cycle
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Diagnosis
Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
*
Planning an Intervention
- What are the change goals/aims?
- What parts of the organisation are most receptive?
- What are the key leverage points
– departments
– groups
– individuals?
- What are the most pressing business issues?
- What resources (time, financial, energy etc) are available?
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Types of Intervention
- With Whom:
– Individuals
– Teams/Groups
– Between Groups
– Organisation-wide
- Focus:
– Tasks (what is done)
– Processes (How it is done)
- Mechanisms
– Feedback
– Changing Cultural Norms
– Communication
– Education and Training
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Interpersonal
Technological
Structural
- Work Relationships
- Process
Re-engineering
- Job Design
- Spans of Control
- Reporting Relationships
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Types of Intervention
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Planning Interventions
- What is the Change required?
- Who is Involved?
- Who is Impacted?
- How quickly do we need to change?
- How large is the change?
- What level of Participation is necessary to succeed in making the change?
- Are we changing Behaviours?
- What capability do we have to implement the change?
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Individual Level Interventions
- Feedback
- Coaching
- Mentoring
- Goal Setting
- Appraisal
- Development Planning
- Job/Role Redesign
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Group Level Interventions
- Feedback
- Team Development for established teams
- Change Project Teams
- Special Projects
- Intergroup Interventions
- Departmental meetings/workshops
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Organisational Level Interventions
- Whole Company briefing
- Feedback
- Organisation Redesign
- Process Re-engineering
- Engagement Events
*
The perspectives of different stakeholders involved in implementing an institutional e-learning strategy.
Rich Pictures
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Diagnosis as a Change Intervention
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
The way in which we approach assessment and diagnosis can be a change intervention in itself
Diagnosis as Intervention
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Head of Change at Hewlitt Packard
“My role is to create mirrors that show the whole what the parts are doing”
Diagnosis as Intervention
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Diagnosis is an on-going Process During change
Diagnose
Plan
Implement
Review
Change Required
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
2
3
4
5
6
27
Failure to comply Operational costs Orders, sales Customer complaints Failure to innovate
Change initiatives driven by a mismatch expectations-performance..
…a ‘perceived performance gap’ (Boddy, 2011)
28
Change management: Lewin’s ‘3 step model’
Unfreezing
Moving
Refreezing
Define objective
Allocate responsibility
Fix deadlines/milestones
Set budgets
5. Monitor/control
(Source: Boddy, 2011)
9
10
Is ‘resistance’ to change inevitable?
Think of a time when you made a change in your life that went well? How did it happen?
What were the factors that made it such a good experience?
Are there times when you have resisted change? Why?
11
Harvard Business Review
Forming a guiding coalition (75%)
Communicating the vision
Creating short term wins
Institutionalization
Role of communication…
…beyond demands or
exhortation…
…. such that the need for change is elaborated in terms which have the potential to forge a coalition ..
…that the process engages with the views, concerns and fears of those working in the organization.
33
References
BECKHARD, R., 1969. Organization development: Strategies and models. ERIC.
CHEUNG-JUDGE, M. and HOLBECHE, L., 2015. Organisation Development-A practitioners guide for OD and HR. 2nd edn. London: Kogan Page.
KUBR, M., 2002. Management consulting: A guide to the profession. International
Labour Organization.
LEWIN, K., 1951. Field theory in social change. New York.
MCKINSEY & COMPANY, 2013-last update, About Us. Available:
http://www.mckinsey.com/about_us
[Jan 2nd, 2013].
GALLOS, J. 2006 Organisation Development: A Jossey Bass Reader. New York: Jossey Bass
BODDY, D. 2011 Management: An Introduction. London: Pearson
Further references
Burke, W. Warner, and George H. Litwin. “A causal model of organizational performance and change.” Journal of management 18.3 (1992): 523-545.
Burnes, Martins, N. and Coetzee, M., 2009. Applying the Burke-Litwin model as a diagnostic framework for assessing organisational effectiveness. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 7(1), pp.1-13.
Burnes, B., & Cooke, B. (2012). The past, present and future of organization development: Taking the long view. Human Relations, 65(11), 1395-1429.
D’Amato, A. and Zijlstra, F.R., 2008. Psychological climate and individual factors as antecedents of work outcomes. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 17(1), pp.33-54.
35
Thanks for your attention!
3 Models for analysing organisations
2
Burke and Litwin
The 7S framework
Weisbord’s 6 box model
3
4
5
6
7
8
Discussion
In 3’s
What do you think these models have in common?
How do they differ?
10
MANG6254
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
*
Please use the dd month yyyy format for the date for example 11 January 2008. The main title can be one or two lines long.
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Mental Models
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
*
Descriptive models
With descriptive models, the role of the OD practitioner is to illuminate “what is” for the client, and “what could be”.
Within descriptive models, contingency theorists
argue that the OD practitioner facilitates change only, not focus. The client determines the direction of change and the OD practitioner helps the client get there.
Most diagnostic models fit under the “descriptive” category. Examples include:
McKinsey: 7-S Model
Nadler and Tushman: Congruence Model
Types of Assessment and Diagnosis
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Skills
Style
Shared values
Strategy
Staff
Structure
Systems
Source: Peters and Waterman (1982)
The skills and experience that the org needs and possesses
How the organisation plans to win; the logic of how it competes
The unshakeable beliefs of the organisation
The people in the org –satisfaction, motivation, retention, productivity, number, age, gender,…
The systems in the organisation.
The style of senior management , “The way we do things around here”
Hierarchy levels; the way people, tasks, responsibilities and accountabilities are organised.
Descriptive Models
e.g. McKinsey 7S Model – assessing organizational effectiveness
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
*
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Normative Models
With normative models, the practitioner recommends specific directions for change, prior to the diagnosis – the “one best way of managing.”
Examples include:
Blake and Mouton’s Grid [Concern for People/Concern for Productivity 9, 9].
Yet other diagnostic approaches include a psychoanalytic approach to the client system.
Types of Assessment and Diagnosis
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Diagnosis: Establishing Reality of Stretch – Exploring Options
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Action Plan
Change Vision
Current Reality
Tension
Resolution
Fritz Model
Scope of Diagnosis
- What are the factors that influence the way in which organisations work and how people behave?
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Factors Impacting on Performance and Behaviour at Work
Individual Performance and Behaviour
Management
Style
Management
Processes
Values
Selection
Development
Promotion
Resourcing
Organisation
Reward
Appraisal
Careers
Culture
Strategy
Communication
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
External Context
External Context
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
*
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Levels of Assessment and Diagnosis
- Organisation
- Group
- Individual
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
What is (considered) data?
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Methods for Diagnosis
What is (considered) data?
- Signs
- Signals
- Clues
- Facts
- Statistics
- Opinions
- Assumptions
- Or an aggregation thereof!?
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Types of Data
- Hard and Soft (Even Harder!!!) Data
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Critical issues when deciding on methods for diagnosis
- Keep it simple!
- Participation and involvement
- Sense of urgency
- Measure what needs measuring
- Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.
Albert Einstein, Physicist - “We tend to overvalue the things we can measure and undervalue the things we cannot.” – John Hayes
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
Critical issues when deciding on methods for diagnosis
BUT
- “What gets measured gets managed” – Peter Drucker
NEVERTHELESS
- We should use “…statistics as a drunken man uses lamp posts – for support rather than for illumination” – A Lang
and
- “If you don’t know how to ask the right question you discover nothing” – W E Deming
Organisational Diagnosis and Interventions
SEMESTER 2 2021/22
COURSEWORK BRIEF:
Module Code: |
MANG6254 |
Assessment: |
Individual Coursework |
Weighting: |
100% |
Module Title: |
Organisation Development SEMESTER 2 2021/22 |
||||
Module Leader: |
Dr Tahir Nisar |
||||
Submission Due Date: @ 16:00 |
Friday 20th May 2022 |
Word Count: |
3000 |
Method of Submission: |
Electronic via Blackboard Turnitin ONLY (Please ensure that your name does not appear on any part of your work) |
Any submitted after 16:00 on the deadline date will be subject to the standard University late penalties (see below), unless an extension has been granted, in writing by the Senior Tutor, in advance of the deadline.
|
This assessment relates to the following module learning outcomes:
3 |
Coursework Brief: Read the case study, and then please answer to the questions below. Illustrate your paper with examples of theory and practice identified as a result of your independent research. Maximum word count for this essay is 3000 (+/- 10%) words (References are not included in the word count). CASE STUDY This case study provides you with background information on an imaginary context. However the issues faced by the company reflect challenges experienced by many organisations. In the examination you will be asked to take on the role of an external Organisation Development consultant and asked a series of questions that will enable you to demonstrate your knowledge of OD theory and practice in response to a request for advice by the HR Director and the Chief Executive. Servis Ltd. and Npok & Co. Servis Ltd was a long established (est. 1920) manufacturer of expensive boots for a wealthy clientele. They had a history of very carefully hand crafted products produced by people who have worked with them for many years. Their longest serving employee had been with them for 50 years. The Director of the company trained with them as a young man and was appointed to his role 20 years ago. The company slogan was ‘Tradition is Best – if our traditional methods produce good boots then we will not change’. Servis Factory was based in the UK just south of Manchester. They employed 150 staff and had a small loyal management team. Business had been steady with plenty of orders from their regular network of independent shoe shops. They recognised however that the market dynamics were changing with new competitors and the need to become much more efficient. Before they could make any of the necessary changes the Director (who was also the majority shareholder) was approached by the CEO of Npok & Co. with an offer to buy the company which he accepted. Npok & Co. are a much younger company with a very trendy set of products focussed on young people and those interested in keeping-fit. They pride themselves on their very trendy designs and social media presence which helps them work closely with their customers directly rather than going through the usual supply channels of, what they see as, old fashioned shoe shops. They tend to sell most of their shoes on-line. Their factory is based north of Manchester and they also have about 150 staff although they have invested a great deal in modern production equipment. Npok & Co. bought Servis because they wanted to benefit from the skills of the staff and also the high reputation of the name Servis has in the market. They plan to invest in new equipment for the Servis factory and in staff training. They want to merge the staff so that they can work flexibly across all the product lines and on both sites. To maintain some stability the old Director of Servis (John Right) has been retained in the new management structure working alongside the Head of the Npok & Co factory (Jane Left). The CEO (Alison Trendy) retains her role supported by an HR director and Head of Finance. Whilst this approach seemed at the time of the takeover to make a lot of sense to Alison, things have not worked out at all well. The integration plan has not been fully implemented because of resentment between John Right and Jane Left who strongly believe that the integration plans do not fully take into account the very considerable differences in values and beliefs held by both themselves and their colleagues. There have been lengthy arguments both at board meetings and between managers and workers in the two factories who regularly disagree about what customers really need and how products should be developed and produced. Staff from both factories say they do not feel respected or properly understood by staff in the other factory. Management team meetings have also become very difficult with constant arguments about what exactly the vision is for the business with John and Jane arguing for the approach they took before the merger. Alison is concerned that John is having a difficult time letting go of his old identity as boss of Servis and Jane, who was recently promoted from her old supervisor role with Npok, is having difficulty understanding what it means to be a senior manager. She does not seem to have the inter-personal and strategic business skills needed for the new role. Her poor performance is causing worry. A recent review of production quality has identified another set of problems with old, inefficient work practices continuing at Servis’ factory meaning delays in completing orders. At the Npok factory customer complaints about shoe quality and customer services are growing rapidly. There is evidence that staff are being rude to customers via messaging on Facebook. Alison as CEO is communicating her concerns to all staff directly through a monthly company newsletter but this does not seem to be having any impact on performance at all. Indeed there are signs that key staff are planning on leaving and that staff morale is low. Alison still thinks that the merger was the right and the business future will be good if the problems she and the team are experiencing at the present time can be overcome. Change is needed and quickly. There are signs that profits are falling and the reputation of the two different parts of the company is not as good in the eyes of customers and shoe shops. To help solve the problems Alison asks her HR Director to find an external consultant who can advise her on the action needed. You are an external OD consultant and the Director of HR sends you the following email: ‘I am pleased to confirm your appointment as consultant to Npok & Co. Alison Trendy, our CEO has confirmed that she wishes you to advise on the following issues/questions (in no order of priority or importance): · How can the management team become focussed and unified? · What needs to be done to improve working relationships and staff morale across both factory sites? · How can staff be engaged in improving customer service? · How can changes to staff attitudes and behaviours be encouraged and supported? · What needs to be done to make the whole business more efficient and services more cost effective? How do we get staff ideas and creativity to make sensible changes to business processes? · Does the current organisational structure work for the best of the company or are there changes that need to be made? · How can the performance of John and Jane be improved? · What can be done immediately and what needs to happen in the longer term? · How can each member of the top team be supported to improve their individual and collective performance? We recognise that this is not a complete list and we sure that you will identify other issues and questions as you undertake your work. We understand that Organisation Development approaches can offer us some ways in which we can improve performance, commitment and involvement as well as supporting behaviour change amongst staff. It will be useful if you can ensure that you provide us with some of the relevant theory to support your recommendations. Kind regards etc.’ QUESTIONS 1. (a) Using the case study as source material state what, in your opinion, are the top five organisational challenges facing the company? (b) What specific OD interventions (including five factors framework) do you think will be most effective in addressing the challenges you have identified? Explain briefly the reasons for your choice. 2. (a) Assume that the CEO has specifically asked you to take a Dialogic approach to your OD work with the company. What types of activities and interventions do you think will be relevant if you take this approach? (b) What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of a Dialogic approach in this context? 3. (a) What competencies of an OD practitioner will you need to use in the context of the case study? (b) How would you recommend someone who wishes to become an OD practitioner develop and maintain OD competencies? |
Nature of Assessment: This is a SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT. See ‘Weighting’ section above for the percentage that this assignment counts towards your final module mark. Word Limit: +/-10% either side of the word count (see above) is deemed to be acceptable. Any text that exceeds an additional 10% will not attract any marks. The relevant word count includes items such as cover page, executive summary, title page, table of contents, tables, figures, in-text citations and section headings, if used. The relevant word count excludes your list of references and any appendices at the end of your coursework submission. You should always include the word count (from Microsoft Word, not Turnitin), at the end of your coursework submission, before your list of references. Title/Cover Page: You must include a title/ cover page that includes: your Student ID, Module Code, Assignment Title, Word Count. This assignment will be marked anonymously, please ensure that your name does not appear on any part of your assignment. References: You should use the Harvard style to reference your assignment. The library provide guidance on how to reference in the Harvard style and this is available from: http://library.soton.ac.uk/sash/referencing Submission Deadline: Please note that the submission deadline for Southampton Business School is 16.00 for ALL assessments. Turnitin Submission: The assignment MUST be submitted electronically via Turnitin, which is accessed via the individual module on Blackboard. Further guidance on submitting assignments is available on the Blackboard support pages. It is important that you allow enough time prior to the submission deadline to ensure your submission is processed on time as all late submissions are subject to a late penalty. We would recommend you allow 30 minutes to upload your work and check the submission has been processed and is correct. Please make sure you submit to the correct assignment link. You will know that your submission has completed successfully when you see a message stating ‘Congratulations – your submission is complete…’. It is vital that you make a note of your Submission ID (Digital Receipt Number). This is a unique receipt number for your submission, and is proof of successful submission. You may be required to provide this number at a later date. We recommend that you take a screenshot of this page, or note the number down on a piece of paper. You should also receive an email receipt containing this number, and the number can be found after submitting by following this guide. This method of checking your submission is particularly useful in the event that you don’t receive an email receipt.
Important: If you have any problems during the submission process you should contact ServiceLine immediately by email at [email protected] or by phone on +44 (0)23 8059 5656. Late Penalties: Further information on penalties for work submitted after the deadline can be found here. Special Considerations: If you believe that illness or other circumstances have adversely affected your academic performance, information regarding the regulations governing Special Considerations can be accessed via the Calendar: http://www.calendar.soton.ac.uk/sectionIV/special-considerations.html Extension Requests: : Extension requests along with supporting evidence should be submitted to the Student Office as soon as possible before the submission date. Information regarding the regulations governing extension requests can be accessed via the Calendar: http://www.calendar.soton.ac.uk/sectionIV/special-considerations.html Academic Integrity Policy: Please note that you can access Academic Integrity Guidance for Students via the Quality Handbook: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/quality/assessment/academic_integrity.page?. Please note any suspected cases of Academic Integrity will be notified to the Academic Integrity Officer for investigation. Feedback: Southampton Business School is committed to providing feedback within 4 weeks (University working days). Once the marks are released and you have received your feedback, you can meet with your Module Leader / Module Lecturer / Personal Academic Tutor to discuss the feedback within 4 weeks from the release of marks date. Any additional arrangements for feedback are listed in the Module Profile. Student Support: Study skills and language support for Southampton Business School students is available at: http://www.sbsaob.soton.ac.uk/study-skills-and-language-support/. |
External Examiner: |
|
External Examiner Comments: |
|
Final Approval by External Examiner Date: |
|
Module Leader Response to External Examiner: (Please note these comments are REQUIRED and will be sent to the External Examiner) |
|
Question
Given that OD is concerned with promoting ‘organisational effectiveness’ How would you define this concept based on your experiences of organisations which you perceive to be effective?
Some OD perspectives on organisation effectiveness
The total organisation and individuals in it manage their work
against goals and plans
Form follows function-the task defines how human resources are organised
Decisions are made nearby the sources of information
The reward system is such that managers are rewarded for productivity, people development and creating a viable working environment (e.g., groups, structures, etc.)
Communication laterally and vertically is relatively undistorted
Some OD perspectives on organisation effectiveness
Minimal internal rivalry between groups
Conflict exists about ideas rather than inter-personal issues
People see themselves as part of the organisation and the wider environment
Members of an organisation act in an Action Research way developing feedback loops so
learning can take place.
(Gallos et al 2006)
Gallos, J. V. (2006). Reframing complexity: A four dimensional approach to organizational diagnosis, development, and change. Organization development. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Some OD perspectives on organisation effectiveness
John Gardner (in Gallos 2006)
Effective programme for recruitment and development of
talent
Provide an hospitable environment for an individual
Built in capacity for self-criticism
Fluidity in the internal structure
A means by which people can escape from becoming prisoners of organisational procedures
Some OD perspectives on organisation effectiveness
The ability of an organisation to effectively adapt and cope with changes in the environment- the ‘adaptive coping cycle’
Edgar Schein (1965)
OD as a value driven practice
OD has traditionally held a very humanistic set as values as the basis for it’s theory making and practice including:
Democracy and participation
Openness to lifelong learning
Equity and fairness
Valid information and informed choice
Respect for the human side of enterprise
(Cheung-Judge and Holbeche 2012)
Postgraduate Grade Descriptor for [MANG6254, Organisational Development]
Percentage |
0-34 |
35–49 |
50–59 |
60–69 |
70-79 |
80 – 100 |
|||
Degree Class |
Fail |
Compensatable fail* |
Pass |
Merit |
Distinction |
Distinction |
|||
Cognitive/ |
Thinking: |
Inadequate |
Inconsistent |
Level of critical |
Good level of critical |
Critical |
Critical |
||
Shows |
|
|
an |
evidence of critical |
evidence of critical |
understanding is |
understanding |
understanding is |
understanding is |
understanding |
of |
understanding as |
understanding. |
reasonable. |
evident. |
applied in a |
applied in a very |
||
theory |
and |
concepts, |
required at this |
Argument is just |
Some confusion may |
Competent in |
comprehensive and |
comprehensive and |
|
|
|
|
adequate but may be |
be evident but most |
producing argument |
concise manner. |
concise manner. |
||
and |
an |
ability |
to |
level. Lacks ability |
|||||
|
|
|
|
poorly structured. |
argument is relevant |
that is well |
Analysis is |
Analysis is very |
|
critically assess them. |
to develop an |
||||||||
and adequate. |
sustained, structured |
appropriate and |
comprehensive. |
||||||
Weighting 20% |
effective argument |
||||||||
and legitimate. |
precise. |
Very high degree of |
|||||||
as required for |
|||||||||
High degree of |
competence to |
||||||||
level 7. |
|||||||||
competence to |
produce innovative |
||||||||
produce innovative, |
and original |
||||||||
original argument |
argument |
||||||||
Subject Specific: Supports |
No evidence. |
Limited evidence. |
Some relevant ideas/ |
Good relevant |
Very good relevant |
Excellent relevant |
|||
arguments with clear, |
arguments evident. |
examples are |
examples are |
examples are |
|||||
effective examples/ |
Reasonable |
evident, clearly |
evident, very clearly |
evident, |
|||||
evidence. |
articulation. |
articulated. |
articulated. |
exceptionally clearly |
|||||
Weighting 20% |
articulated and |
||||||||
evidenced to the |
|||||||||
topic. |
|||||||||
Subject Specific: Scope of |
No evidence. |
Limited evidence |
Reasonable coverage |
Good coverage and |
Very good coverage |
Excellent coverage |
|||
relevant literature |
with numerous |
and referencing but |
referencing with |
and referencing with |
and referencing. |
||||
including Harvard style |
omissions. |
incomplete or |
minimal omissions. |
minimal errors. |
|||||
reference list. |
numerous omissions. |
||||||||
Weighting 20% |
|||||||||
Transferable Skills: Well- |
No/inadequate |
Poor structure with |
Adequate structure |
Good structure with |
Very good structure |
Excellent structure |
|||
structured with |
structure. |
limited introduction |
with reasonable |
competent |
with concise, |
with exceptionally |
|||
appropriate introduction |
and conclusions. |
introduction and |
introduction and |
comprehensive |
clear introduction |
||||
and conclusions. |
conclusions. |
conclusions. |
introduction and |
and conclusions. |
|||||
Weighting 20% |
conclusions. |
Southampton Business School: Postgraduate Module Grade Descriptor
2
Percentage |
0-34 |
35–49 |
50–59 |
60–69 |
70-79 |
80 – 100 |
Degree Class |
Fail |
Compensatable fail* |
Pass |
Merit |
Distinction |
Distinction |
Transferable Skills: |
Very poor and |
Significant |
Adequately |
Well expressed. |
Very well expressed. |
Exceptionally |
Correct and fluent English |
often/mostly |
deficiencies in |
expressed but some |
Clear and |
Confident and very |
competent and |
language. |
inarticulate. Mostly |
expression. |
inconsistencies |
appropriate use of |
good use of |
fluent use of |
Weighting 20% |
incomprehensible. |
Inconsistent and |
apparent. Adequate |
language. |
language. |
expression. |
poor use of |
use of language. |
Confident and |
||||
language. |
excellent use of |
|||||
language. |
*Compensatable fail is only possible for compulsory or optional modules. ** For group submissions only
Recent Comments