MIDTERM Gap Analysis

MIDTERM Gap Analysis

 

 

ASSIGNMENT: You are to play the role of an outside consultant hired by your organization. Your job is to create a business report that describes and explains the gaps in the organization. In addition you need to make recommendations to reduce these gaps.

 

A gap analysis is a management tool used to evaluate and improve business performance. The “gap” is the difference between the actual performance (where the organization currently is) and the desired performance (where it needs to be). This gap can be poor customer service, reduced profit, high turnover, low employee satisfaction, etc. Usually, an organization will have many gaps. The gaps identified need to be supported with evidence that they exist (i.e., surveys, performance measurement results, metrics, interviews, etc). You are to “act” like a consultant to your organization and explain the gap in a way that would be accepted by upper management. To close the gap appropriate strategies/recommendations must be developed.

 

Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate to the Instructional Team that you understand and can apply all you have learned in Module 2 so far.

 

Gap Analysis Assignment: Thus far in this module, we have learned about organizational culture, transformational change, vision, framing, empowerment and ethics (Deetz, Tracy & Simpson, Schein, and Kotter). In addition, you have discussed these topics in the TDs and written about them in your Student Exercises. Now it is time for you to apply what you have learned to your organization. Considering all of this material and its application to your organization (company, division, department, office, work unit–select an area that you are most familiar with), compile a report in which you, as an outside consultant and an expert on organizational culture recommend action steps to improve the organization.
To do this you will have to step outside of your organization and view it as an impartial, objective observer. If you are too close to the situation there is a chance that you will be too subjective, instead of objective—so try to step back.

 

For the Gap Analysis you will start with an understanding of how things are today and then figure out how you would like them to be. Your task is to close the gap between the existing situation and the enVISIONed (notice the word “vision”) one. In order to close the gap you must first understand the existing culture and the envisioned one. Remember: the gaps are not the cultural artifacts, assumptions, etc. The gaps are the “evidence of poor performance.” The cultural artifacts, assumptions etc may be the reasons why the gaps exist.

 

To understand the existing culture you need to analyze the basic assumptions (reality, truth, time, space, human nature, human activities and human relationships) and determine what they mean. Once you have determined some of the basic assumptions use Cartwright & Coopers typology (found in Deetz, Tracy & Simpson on page 19) to define the existing and the envisioned culture. Be sure to include a preliminary or initial vision for the envisioned culture. Next, you will have to decide if the change(s) you are recommending requires a transformation of the organization’s culture or if the change can be implemented within the existing culture. Understanding the existing culture and its relationship to change is critical to this assignment.

 

For example, if your organization does not communicate well, or there is no upward communication or employee involvement is not welcomed than a recommendation that we communicate more is useless. If the existing culture does not communicate, merely recommending that we must communicate more will not make it happen. The organization’s culture will seek to maintain the status quo–lack of communication. In this example, communicating better will require a major cultural transformation. Your task will be to tell us how this will happen.

 

 

Gap Analysis Report: The gap analysis should be presented in report format, using headings to separate sections and bullet points were applicable. The body (items 4-9) of the written report should be 8 – 12 typed, double-spaced pages in length. In addition, it should also include a Title page, a Table of Contents, an Executive Summary, and a References page. A header that includes your name, assignment title and page number should appear on each page of the report. Also, number the pages (upper right) starting with the Title page. Remember “quality vs. quantity” is a maxim applied to evaluation of graded assignments. Use APA to cite all references. Email an RTF or WORD file, to your IT and your writing coach at the end of Unit 7.

 

The Mid-term Gap Analysis report will look like this:

 

1) Title Page

2) Table of Contents

3) Executive Summary (a synopsis of the entire report)

4) Introduction/Background (be sure to clearly state the problem you are addressing in this paper/report.

5) Evaluate the organization’s current situation and culture (actual performance)

a) Evaluate performance indicators

b) Conduct a SWOT Analysis

c) Conduct a cultural assessment

i. Artifacts

ii. Espoused Values

iii. Basic Assumptions (what do they mean?)

(1) After conducting the cultural assessment define the organization’s culture based on Cartwright & Cooper’s typology.

d) Analyze and synthesize a), b) & c).

6) Describe the envisioned situation and culture (desired performance)

a) Future (preliminary) vision

b) Desired performance levels

c) Desired behaviors

d) Desired cultural assumptions

i. After describing the desired cultural assumptions define the envisioned culture using Cartwright & Cooper’s typology.

7) Describe the gap between the existing and the envisioned situation/culture

a) Can the gap be closed within the existing culture, or

b) Is a cultural transformation needed?

8) Make recommendations to close the gap using Kotter’s framework

9) Conclusion

10) References page

11) Appendices (if used)

 

 

The links associated with this assignment provide additional, helpful information:

Gap Analysis

People and Culture Change

Forces and Resistance to Organizational Change

 

In addition, the Organizational Culture Assessment tool found in Shared Documents, Unit 3 can help you get a better understanding of your organization’s culture. You can fill out the questionnaire and/or have other employees fill it out or just use it as a tool to interview employees.

 

Reminder: As mentioned at the Orientation Residency, this Gap Analysis Assignment will be for most of you a starting point for your Module 5 Strategic Communication Plan. However, your Strategic Communication Plan will be much more comprehensive and far reaching.

 

 

Helpful Hints:

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you work on this assignment:

 

An Executive Summary or Abstract tells the reader what is in the paper without them having to read it in its entirety. It is the report in miniature and includes a few sentences on the background, problem, causes, methodology, and solutions. It is a summary of everything in the paper, and, therefore, it is the last part of the paper to be written

 

In your Introduction or description of the Current Situation the problem(s) that you are addressing in this paper needs to be clearly stated. It should also be stated in the Executive Summary.

 

Performance indicators are quantitative measurements that measure progress toward organizational goals. They include the financial success of the organization, customer satisfaction, quality of products and services, safety, employee satisfaction, etc. Take a look at this website for more on performance indicators:

http://management.about.com/cs/generalmanagement/a/keyperfindic.htm

 

A SWOT analysis examines the internal strengths and weaknesses (SW) of the organization and the external opportunities and threats (OT). Organizational culture is either an internal strength or weakness or both. Once the SWOT Analysis is completed you need to figure out whether or not your internal SW can help you take advantage of your external opportunities and or overcome your external threats. If not contingency plans need to be made. See Module 1, Unit 5 for more information on SWOT.

http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/swot/

 

The cultural assessment is a more in-depth analysis of the internal Strengths or Weaknesses identified in your SWOT. Here is where you assess the artifacts, espoused beliefs and values, and shared basic assumptions of the organization. Shared assumptions should be very specific and fit into Schein’s categories of – reality, truth, time, space, human nature, human activities, and human relationships. The readings, TDs and Student Exercises of the last five units have aimed at getting you to identify shared assumptions in these terms.

 

Next, analyze and synthesize the performance indicators, SWOT, and cultural assessment. This is where the current organization is analyzed in total to identify the causes of existing problems or issues. Performance indicators tell you that you have a problem. A SWOT Analysis will help you identify internal weaknesses and external threats that may be the cause of those poor performance indicators. For example weak sales may be the caused by a poorly trained sales force (weakness) or competition (threat) with better products. While internal strengths may help you take advantage of external opportunities. Defining and describing espoused values and shared assumptions—reality, truth, time, space, human nature, human activities and human relationships—will help you determine and understand the strength and character of the culture or sub-culture, and from there you can determine which category of Cartwright & Cooper’s typology best describes the culture.

When you synthesize all of this—performance indicators, SWOT analysis, cultural assessment, and Cartwright & Cooper’s typologies—you should get a good picture of the current situation/problem and be able to determine if the current culture is part of the problem or part of the solution, or neither.

 

The envisioned situation (performance/culture) is one that doesn’t have the problems of the exiting situation (performance/culture). When you compare the envisioned situation with the existing situation the difference between them should be very clear—the gap. The gap or problems that you need to overcome. Similarly, when you compare the envisioned culture to the existing culture you should see if there is a cultural gap or not. Next you can ask yourself the following questions. 1) Will the existing culture help me close the performance gap? 2) Is the current culture part of the problem? 3) Does the culture need to be changed?

 

You know a major cultural transformation is necessary if you have decided that the existing culture is part of the problem. For example if the existing role/power culture produces behaviors that negatively impact performance and that a task achievement culture would produce the performance you are looking for. This is a major cultural shift.

 

As has been mentioned over and over in Module 2, Kotter’s “Steps to Achieving a Major Transformation” is a framework that needs to be filled in. Each of the eight steps needs to be thought out in greater detail and specificity. Don’t forget that Step 3 is both creating a shared vision AND developing the strategies to implement that vision. Steps 5, 6, and 7 are where these strategies are implemented. If your recommendations were strategic in nature they belong in step 3. If they were more tactical or operational they belong in steps 5, 6, and 7. Recommendations don’t stand alone—they fit somewhere in Kotter’s eight steps. And, the recommendations need to address the gap (problem) that you uncovered. If the recommendations don’t close the gap then either the recommendations are wrong or the gap is wrong.
PRIMARY Books that should be used:

Organizational Culture and Leadership: Edgar H. Schein

Leading Organizations through Transition: Communication and Cultural Changes by Stanley Deetz, Sarah J. Tracy, Jennifer Lyn Simpson

a few references to the following SECONDARY books would be good as well,

The Leadership Challenge (6th ed.): Barry Z. Kouzes & James. M. Posner

Lincoln on Leadership – Executive Strategies for tough times: Donald T. Phillips

 

 

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