Below are some of the OD concepts and theories we have discussed so far:

• Planned change theories
• OD diagnostic processes
• OD interventions
• Change management
• Internal and external consultants

Your Task:

Choose an organizational development concept or theory from our readings and discussions.  In a five to seven page paper, build out the theory by applying it to an organization of your choice.

• Be thorough as you apply the concept or theory to your organization.
• Be sure to clearly identify the organization problem or issue and work through the chosen theory as you apply it to the organization.
• You are expected to incorporate at least one of the following course objectives in your short paper:

  Evaluate definitions, theories, and models of corporate culture
  Identify the roles and relationships corporate culture has in organizational performance
  Use a systems perspective in analyzing organizational conditions
  Evaluate theories and models for managing change in organizations
  Identify common barriers to effective change management
  Prescribe appropriate OD strategies and techniques in applied settings

Your paper should be five to seven pages long, excluding cover and reference pages.  Please follow APA guidelines for citations, quotations, and references, and use at least five scholarly resources that are dated within the last five years.  You are strongly encouraged to use the required and reserved readings in this course, as well as peer-reviewed journal articles found through the UMUC library.  Research methodology and problem analysis will be emphasized in the grading of this assignment.

See the attached grading criteria for specifics on how your papers will be graded.

Submit your paper electronically via the Assignment folder.

Criteria for Grading Midterm Exam

A B C F
Points
Earned

Quality of
Content
(55 pts)

Student demonstrated
exceptional knowledge

of relevant concepts
and theories; all

statements and
opinions were
supported by

appropriate citations
from the literature.

55 – 50 points

Student demonstrated
satisfactory knowledge

of relevant concepts
and theories; most

statements and
opinions were
supported by
appropriate citations
from the literature.

49 – 44 points

Student demonstrated
less than satisfactory
knowledge of relevant
concepts and theories;
some statements and

opinions were not
supported by

appropriate citations
from the literature.

43 – 39 points

Student demonstrated
unsatisfactory

knowledge of relevant
concepts and theories;
many statements and

opinions were not
supported by
appropriate citations
from the literature.

38 – 0 points

Comments

Quality of
Research

(20 pts)

Student did an
exceptional job of
integrating course

readings with additional
research. Student cited
more than the required
number of references.
Sources listed were all

scholarly or practitioner
journals from the last

ten years.

20 – 18 points

Student did a
satisfactory job of
integrating course

readings with additional
research. Student cited
the required number of
references. Sources
listed were primarily

scholarly or practitioner
journals from the last
ten years.

17 – 16 points

Student did a less than
satisfactory job of
integrating course

readings with additional
research. Student may

not have cited the
required number of
references. Some

sources listed may not
have been scholarly or

practitioner journals
from the last ten years.

15 – 14 points

Student did an
inadequate job of
integrating course

readings with additional
research. Student did
not cite the required

number of references.
Many of the sources

listed were not
scholarly or practitioner
journals from the last

ten years.

13 – 0 points

Comments

Organization
and Mechanics

(20 pts)

Student presented
information in a logical

sequence that was very
easy to follow. Essay
had no major spelling

and/or grammar errors.
The page length

requirement was met.

20 – 18 points

Student presented
information in a mostly
logical sequence that
was fairly easy follow.
Essay had a few minor

spelling and/or
grammar errors. The

page length
requirement was met or
may have been slightly

exceeded.

17 – 16 points

Student presented
information in a

confusing sequence
that was not easy to
follow. Essay had

several major spelling
and/or grammar errors.

The page length
requirement may not

have been met.

15 – 14 points

Student presented
information in an

illogical sequence that
was difficult to follow.

Essay had many
spelling and/or

grammar errors. The
page length

requirement was not
met.

13 – 0 points

2

Comments

APA
formatting

(5 pts)

All citations, quotations,
and references were
formatted correctly or
contained only one or

two minor

errors.

5.0 – 4.5

Most citations,
quotations, and
references were

formatted correctly or
contained a few minor

errors.

4.4 – 4.0 points

Several citations,
quotations, and

references were not
formatted correctly or

contained major errors.

3.9 – 3.5 points

Many citations,
quotations, and

references were not
formatted correctly or

contained many errors.

3.4 – 0 points

Comments

Total Points Earned

(100 points max)

Overall Comments