Case Study: Riverbend
Write a 5-7 page analysis describing how a case study reveals the five disciplines and systems archetypes, as well as the relationship between cultural context and the organizational change inquiry processes.
Collaborating in Action Research
Action research can be a collaborative approach to inquiry that provides a means of systematic action required to resolve problems of practice. Effective leaders use these questions to ensure ongoing systematic and collaborative inquiry:
How do organizations use research to gather and record data in ways that extend organizational learning and communication?
How do organizations employ interpretive processes to understand data and analyze the way the data reveals organizational features and patterns?
How do learning organizations use research to plan and implement practical solutions to problems?
Case in Practice
Understanding the importance of case studies is vital when applying instructional theories in a real-world context. Case studies provide the opportunity to ask questions and think through scenarios while being supported in research. Skills such as problem-solving, applying analytical methods, and data gathering can be gained by conducting case studies, which result in practical solutions to organizational problems.
This assessment provides an opportunity for you to gain insight into organizational learning and communication using the River bend Case Study. Through your analysis of the events and stakeholders in the case you will be able to advance your understanding of key course concepts as they appear in authentic organizational contexts.
Your analysis of the case will enable you to better frame problems of practice common in organizational settings. In addition, the case will prompt you to interpret events from different stakeholders’ perspectives and identify crucial decision points in the case.
Finally, your case analyses will enable you to develop your own prospective solutions for managing change and fostering improvement in the organization.
Preparation
Before beginning work on this assessment, complete the Riverbend City: Planning Organizational Change Using the Four-Step Change Process media activity.
The following may support your work on your assessment:
Laudon, K. C., & Laudon, J. P. (n.d.). How to analyze a case study. https://wps.prenhall.com/bp_laudon_essmis_6/21/5555/1422312.cw/content/index.html
THE SITUATION
Ongoing communication problems between the Hmong community and Riverbend City Medical Center (RCMC) were punctuated painfully during a train derailment—especially through an altercation with the Vang family. An embarrassing article about the altercation in the Free Press prompts hospital CEO Eugene Pittman to investigate a successful Merced, California, program. In Merced, the medical community has been teaching principles of Western medicine to Hmong shamans (traditional spiritual healers). The shamans act as a bridge between medical professionals and the Hmong community. When consulting with Hmong patients, the shamans instruct the patients in Western medicine and perform traditional rituals.
CONSIDERATIONS
It is important for leaders to recognize the cultural norms and needs of the people they serve, including ideas that may seem unorthodox. As you read about the strategies being considered by RCMC leadership, consider the degree to which you feel the program will be effective. What steps should the hospital take to maximize the effectiveness of this program?
Instructions
Write an analysis of the Riverbend case study, Planning Organizational Change Using the Four-Step Change Process. Include the following components as section headings and address the instructions provided.
Synopsis of the Case Study
Introduce the case.
Provide a synopsis of the case study, focusing on how communication problems and cultural misunderstandings created conflict in the organization.
The Four Learning Organization Disciplines
Apply the four learning organization disciplines to the case.
Using the lens of one or more of the four core disciplines (personal mastery, mental models, team learning, shared vision), analyze the extent to which each discipline reveals organizational dynamics and contributes to organizational learning or to the organization’s problems. How could the four disciplines be fostered to have a more beneficial impact on the organization?
A Systems Lens
Apply a systems lens to the case.
Analyze the organizational disabilities and systems archetypes present in the case.
Explain and map at least one example of a systems archetype that can be seen in the case. Include at least one systems map as part of your explanation.
Change Management Strategies
Recommend change management strategies for the organization based on the case.
Prior to suggesting change management strategies, use critical thinking tools to identify assumptions the stakeholders in the case may have made, and develop a set of questions you would ask to help the stakeholders uncover their assumptions and clarify the steps needed for future progress.
The Application of Four-Stage Change Process
Explain how the four-stage change process could be applied to the case.
What could River bend leadership do to improve the strategic planning processes that enhance cultural understanding among stakeholders and the community?
Practical Recommendations
Provide a set of specific practical recommendations about how the CEO should proceed in a way that furthers the goals of supporting increased cultural understanding among stakeholders and the community.
Explain how an action research inquiry cycle that incorporates the recommendations could be planned, implemented, and evaluated for the next phase of organizational improvement.
Additional Requirements
Written communication: Communicate clearly, supporting a central idea in appropriate format with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Visit Writing Support for resources and guidance.
APA format: Follow current APA style and format.
Refer to Academic Writer or Evidence and APA in the Capella Writing Center.
Length: 5–7 pages.
References: As needed to support your analysis.
Competencies Measured
The assessment instructions correspond to the grading criteria in the Case Study: Riverbend scoring guide. You may also want to review the performance-level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed. The alignment below demonstrates how the grading criteria are aligned to the competencies of the course.
Competency 1: Apply systems thinking principles and tools to problems and organizations.
Analyze organizational disabilities and systems archetypes present in the case, including at least one systems map.
Provide a set of specific practical recommendations as to how the CEO should proceed in a way that furthers the goals of supporting increased cultural understanding among stakeholders and the community.
Competency 2: Use disciplines of learning organizations to analyze problems of practice.
Apply the lens of one or more of the four core disciplines (personal mastery, mental models, team learning, shared vision), and analyze the extent to which each discipline reveals organizational dynamics and contributes to organizational learning or to addressing the organization’s problems.
Competency 3: Apply critical thinking to evaluate ideas and in interactions with others.
Identify a set of questions to uncover stakeholder assumptions and clarify steps needed for future progress.
Competency 4: Apply a change model to a problem of practice.
Explain how the four-stage change process could be applied to the case.
Explain how an action research inquiry cycle that incorporates the recommendations could be planned, implemented, and evaluated for the next phase of organizational improvement.
Competency 5: Communicate clearly, supporting a central idea in an appropriate format with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Provide a synopsis of the River bend case study, including a description of how communication problems and cultural misunderstandings created organizational conflict.
Communicate clearly, supporting a central idea in appropriate format with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.
