Reference no: EM133724664

Project Assessment

Assessment Task: Skills Test

Skills Test:

This assessment requires the student to complete a set of activities given in this assessment task based on the information given in the case study. These activities will provide an opportunity for the student to lead a strategic business transformation for the organisation given in the case study. This includes:

Preparing to provide strategic leadership during a business change process
Reviewing strategic outcomes and incorporating feedback into leadership style.

Your role and responsibilities
You are working as Operations Manager in ‘Online Media Solutions'. You report to the General Manager
of the organisation.

The General Manager wants you to lead the strategic business transformation. As part of your job role, you have the following responsibilities:

Identify personal responsibilities in the strategic transformation process and develop a strategic change strategy in collaboration with the departmental managers

Brief internal and external stakeholders of strategic change processes and intended outcomes and establish communication channels for organisational personnel to contact management

Analyse and confirm the capacity and competence of relevant individuals to contribute to change processes and plans
Identify and resolve risks in the change management process and develop learning and communication processes for addressing problems and risks arising during organisational change

Make changes to change management process according to risks and inform stakeholders of updates
Review strategic outcomes and incorporate feedback into leadership style.

Skills Test:
This assessment task requires you to demonstrate skills to lead a strategic business transformation for
‘Online Media Solutions'.
In the course of the above, you must:
Prepare to provide strategic leadership during a business change process
Review strategic outcomes and incorporate feedback into leadership style.
To do so, you must complete the following activities:
Activity 1: Prepare to undertake strategic change
Activity 2: Lead strategic change
Activity 3: Review strategic outcomes and incorporate feedback into the leadership style
The roles and their responsibilities: Relationships with stakeholders such as staff members and General manager

The assessment task requires you to communicate with a number of organisational stakeholders. The main roles applicable to the assessment task includes:
Role number 1: General Manager: The General Manager is the individual who supervises or is in charge of the organisation. They belong to a higher rank or status. Their job role and responsibilities are:
Assign a team to you to complete the project
Assist you in understanding the task requirements
Provide you information about job roles and responsibilities
Supervise you completing the assessment task and requirements
Role number 2: Departmental Managers: The departmental managers (IT Manager, Marketing Manager and Sales Manager) are the student's co-worker or workfellow. They are associates that the candidate works with. Their job role and responsibilities are:
Assist you in completing the project on time
Collaborate with you to develop a strategic change strategy
Participate in a healthy and open discussion
Note:
The trainer/assessor will take on the role of General Manager.
The trainer/assessor will assign the roles of team members for each activity.
Each student will be assessed individually for all assessment activities.

Timeframe to complete the project:
Two weeks (You have two weeks to complete the project)
Task requirements
You will be assessed on your technical knowledge and skills to complete this project
You will be assessed on working in a team environment and meeting your job role and responsibilities
You must follow the instructions provided by the General Manager.
All individuals must complete their role and assigned responsibilities and meet the specified deadlines
The task must be completed in the specified timeframe

Activity 1: Prepare to undertake strategic change
Description of the activity
This activity requires you to prepare to provide strategic leadership during a business change process. To do so, you are required to complete the following three (3) parts:
Part A: Identify personal responsibilities in the strategic transformation process
Part B: Develop a strategic change strategy
Part C: Brief internal and external stakeholders of strategic change processes and intended outcomes

Part A: Identify personal responsibilities in the strategic transformation process
You are the Operations Manager at Online Media Solutions. You are responsible for managing the strategic transformation process.
Considering your role as an Operations Manager, discuss your personal responsibilities in the strategic transformation process.

Personal responsibilities in the strategic transformation process (100-150 words)

Part B: Develop a strategic change strategy
This part of the activity requires you to collaborate with the following stakeholders and develop a strategic change strategy.
IT manager
Marketing Manager
The trainer/assessor will allocate the role of IT Manager and Marketing Manager to the staff members. The trainer/assessor must brief the staff members regarding the case study information and strategic change requirements.
The trainer/assessor will observe the student performing this part of the activity.
You must use Template 2 provided to develop a strategic change strategy. Word-limit to complete the strategic change strategy is 1200-1500 words.
In collaboration with the stakeholders, you are required to:
Prepare an introduction to the change management. Discuss the background, link to strategic goals and other changes.
Discuss your responsibilities as Operations Manager in the strategic change process (As defined in part A of this activity)
Discuss and document the change objectives and principles, including the following:
What will the change process achieve?
Principles that underpin the change plan.
Discuss and establish change plan elements, including the following:
Positions and roles during the change process.
Change management process to be followed.
Develop a rationale for the change.
Drivers and constraints for change.
Risks for the change process.
Conduct a stakeholder analysis.
Identify the key stakeholders in the change process.
Complete a stakeholder mapping/matrix.
Establish communication channels for organisational personnel to contact management:
Identify the preferred media for communicating or consulting with the key stakeholders identified about the change.
Consult the stakeholders and develop a change plan
Develop a change plan for next three (3) months, including performance measures [how will you know the change plan is effective?. Ensure the plan is adequately resourced.
Discuss and establish evaluation criteria:
How will the change be evaluated in relation to the achievement of the planned objectives?
How will the change management processes be evaluated - consider summative as well as final evaluations, how can you assess your change management strategies as you implement them?
How will the evaluation outcomes be circulated and promoted to stakeholders?

During the collaboration, you must use the Script provided to gather information regarding the key elements of the strategic change strategy.

Script:
The Operations Manager will first discuss the following questions with the stakeholders:
What will be my primary responsibilities in the change management process?
What are the potential barriers to change management?
What are the potential risks of the change process?
How will we manage resistance during the change?
What KPIs can be used to assess the achievement of change objectives?

Activity 2: Lead strategic change
Description of the activity:
This activity is a continuation of Activity 1.
This activity requires you to lead strategic change. To do so, you are required to complete the following four (4) parts:
Part A: Analyse and confirm the capacity and competence of relevant individuals to contribute to change processes and plans
Part B: Identify and resolve risks in the change management process
Part C: Develop learning and communication processes for addressing problems and risks arising during organisational change

Part D: Make changes to change management process according to risks and inform stakeholders of updates

Part A: Analyse and confirm the capacity and competence of relevant individuals to contribute to change processes and plans
Context:
Before implementing the change, the management wants the Operations Manager to analyse and assess the line managers' capacity and competence to contribute to change processes and plans established so that gaps in capacity and competence can be addressed by providing the line managers' required training.
Description:
This part of the activity requires you to analyse and confirm the capacity and competence of the IT Manager and Marketing Manager to contribute to the change processes and plans (Prepared in Activity 1 - Part A).
To do so, you are required to arrange a one-on-one meeting with the following line managers:
Meeting 1: IT Manager
Meeting 2: Marketing Manager
The trainer/assessor will assign the role of the IT Manager and Marketing Manager to the staff members. The trainer/assessor must observe the student conducting the meeting.
The trainer assessor must further brief the student and the staff members of their roles and responsibilities and script to be followed before the meeting.
The roles and responsibilities are as below:

Roles and responsibilities (Operations Manager/Student)
Conveys information about the organisation's change processes and plans (developed in Activity 1) using language, format and style appropriate to the audience
Uses listening and questioning to confirm and clarify understanding.
Discuss the competency requirements to implement the change processes and plans based on the Script provided.

Analyse, assess, and confirm the IT Manager and Marketing Manager's capacity and competence to implement the change processes and plans.
Identify any training requirements to achieve the required competency in consultation with the relevant manager.
Answer the questions asked by the IT Manager and Marketing Manager.
Roles and responsibilities (IT Manager/Staff member 1)
Understand and clarify information regarding the organisation's change processes and plans discussed by the Operations Manager.
Answer the questions asked by the Operations Manager based on the ‘Script' provided.

Script: Meeting 1 (IT Manager)
The Operations Manager will first discuss the change management processes developed in Activity 1.
After discussing key features of the change management processes, the Operations Manager will ask the following questions to confirm their understanding or gather feedback:
What are your thoughts about the change management processes developed?
Ask the following questions to analyse and confirm the capacity and competence of the IT Manager to contribute to change processes and plans
How will you communicate about change to the team members?
How will you advocate for the change?
How will you support employees through the process of change?
How will you manage resistance during the change?
Do you need any training to meet the desired competency to implement the change?

Script for IT Manager:

Note: The IT Manager will provide the following responses to the questions asked by the Operations Manager:
The change management processes developed looks detailed and will surely reap benefits for the business.
I will ensure that the change management team are provided with pertinent information about the change and ensure they are clear about the processes to be followed to implement and manage the change.
I will demonstrate support in an active and observable way. I will further ensure that I am on board with the change and support employees during the change.
I will ensure that the employees are provided with the required coaching and support during the change management process and change management operations.
I am not so sure how to manage resistance during the change.
I would like to have training or coaching on managing resistance during the change.

Script: Meeting 2 (Marketing Manager)
The Operations Manager will first discuss the change management processes developed in Activity 1.
After discussing key features of the change management processes, the Operations Manager will ask the following questions to confirm their understanding or gather feedback:
Ask the following questions to analyse and confirm the capacity and competence of the Marketing Manager to contribute to change processes and plans
How will you communicate about change to the team members?
How will you advocate for the change?
How will you support employees through the process of change?
How will you manage resistance during the change?
Do you need any training to meet the desired competency to implement the change?

Script for
Marketing Manager:

Note: The Marketing Manager will provide the following responses to the questions asked by the Operations Manager:
The change management team will be provided with the required details regarding the change to be implemented and will be requested for feedback to ensure that they feel part of the change.
Not sure how to advocate for change.
I will ensure that the employees are provided with the required coaching and support during the change management process and change management operations.
To manage resistance, I will ensure that the team members are taken into confidence, and their feedback is valued, and their concerns are addressed in the change management process.
I can use the ADKAR Model to hone in on which element of the change process is driving resistance and address it accordingly.
I would like to have training or coaching on advocating for change.

Part D: Make changes to change management process according to risks and inform stakeholders of updates
This part of the activity is a continuation of Part A - Part C of this activity. This part of the activity requires you to:
Analyse the risks identified and mitigation strategies (Refer to outcomes of Part B)

Analyse the learning and communication process (Refer to outcomes of Part C)

Update the strategic change strategy/change management process developed in Activity 1 - Part B.
E-mail the updated strategic change strategy/change management process to the following stakeholders:
IT Manager

Marketing Manager

General Manager (Trainer/assessor)

Note: The trainer/assessor will provide the details regarding the college e-mail addresses of the stakeholders.

Guidelines for writing the e-mail:

Ensure the text written in the e-mail is grammatically correct and free of errors.

Use business style writing.

Write an appropriate subject line.

The text must provide a summary of the attachment.

Attach updated strategic change strategy/change management process to the e-mail.

Activity 3: Review strategic outcomes and incorporate feedback into the leadership style

This activity requires you to review strategic outcomes and incorporate feedback into your leadership style.
To do so, you are required to complete the following three (3) parts:

Part A: Self-evaluation

Part B: Feedback from the staff members

Part C: Incorporate feedback into the leadership style

Part A: Self-evaluation

This part of the activity requires you to self-evaluate your personal leadership style and analyse the impacts on the change management process.

You must complete Template 5: Self-evaluation. To do so, you are required to:
Identify your leadership style and document using Template 5.

Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your leadership style, considering their impact on the change management process. Document your analysis using Template 5.
Identify two (2) areas of improvement considering the weaknesses identified and document using Template 5.

Part B: Feedback from the staff members

This part of the activity requires you to seek feedback on leadership during the change management process from the following staff members:
IT Manager

Marketing Manager

Sales Manager

Note: The above-given staff members will be the same participants who participated in previous activities.
To seek feedback from the staff members, you are required to conduct an individual feedback session with each staff member.
During each feedback session, you are required to:

Discuss the following:

How effective is your leadership style?

Do I serve as a positive role model?

What are the key areas that I can improve in my personal leadership style?

Part C: Incorporate feedback into the leadership style

This part of the activity is a continuation of Part B of this activity.

This part of the activity requires you to incorporate feedback into your personal leadership style. To do so, you are required to:
Identify any three (3) areas of improvement considering the feedback received in Part B of this activity.
Discuss how would you incorporate or address each area of improvement in your leadership style.