Final Paper

Think of an organization you have worked for or one with which you are very familiar.  Diagnose the need for change and present a plan to transform the organization, utilizing Kotter’s 8-Step Approach. You will need to research the Kotter 8 Step Change Model extensively. You are encouraged to first review the Kotter’s Eight Step Leading Change Model (Links to an external site.) article. You may select any organization or department where you work or where you have previously worked; however, you are strongly encouraged to diagnose one problem area in the company. Attempting to diagnose an entire company is not feasible, and you will become bogged down.

If you choose a company similar to Walmart to analyze, select just one area that you think needs improvement. For example, Walmart is now very strong in online shopping, yet there are still glitches in the system. Delivery times are often late, the packaging method has problems, and some products come from unknown vendors that Walmart does not guarantee. We may know this from personal experience, but that is not enough. Statements, opinions, and experiences must be supported with valid sources. There are many articles online that you can review easily and quickly.

Your sources for this paper must include research for the company you choose, a valid source for the Kotter model, and your textbook. You are encouraged to read as many articles as you can find and contact the Ashford librarians for guidance. There is bias, missing or incorrect information, and contradictory material in most Internet material. The amount of material can be confusing, but wade through it and question everything.

Include the following sections headings and additional sections as needed:

1. Introduction

2. Company Overview

3. Diagnosis

4. Kotter’s 8-Step Approach

5. Conclusion

The Final Paper for the course must be submitted to the instructor by 11:59 p.m. of the time zone in which you reside on the last day of the class.

Writing the Final Paper

The Final Paper

· Must be seven double-spaced pages in length (not counting the title page and references) and formatted according to APA Style (Links to an external site.) resource.

· Must include a title page with the following:

o Title of paper

o Student’s name

o Course name and number

o Instructor’s name

o Date submitted

· For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Word 2013 (Links to an external site.).

· Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.

o For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) as well as Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.), refer to the Ashford Writing Center resources.

· Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.

· Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.

· Must use at least five scholarly sources in addition to the course text.

o The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.

· Must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) guide.

· Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. See the APA: Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Ashford Writing Center for specifications.

Required Resources

Text

Weiss, J. W. (2016). Organizational change (2nd ed.). Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

· Chapter 5: Adapt & Rejuvenate: Agile and Learning Organization

Multimedia

Her Campus Media. (2011, July 10). Malcom Gladwell on innovation (Links to an external site.) [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg0Zg8-2_Jo

· This video will assist you in your Partnerships discussion forum this week. This video has closed captioning and a transcript.
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Recommended Resource

Article

Tanner, R. (2018, May 20). Kotter’s eight step leading change model (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from https://managementisajourney.com/summary-of-kotters-eight-step-leadin

· This article may assist you in your Final Paper assignment this week.
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