attached is assignment instructions
Assignment Theme: An Organizational Behaviour Analysis Inspired by Web 2.0 According to Wikipedia, “the term Web 2.0 was invented by Darcy DiNucci in 1999 and later popularized by Tim O'Reilly and Dale Dougherty at the O'Reilly Media Web 2.0 Conference in late 2004”1. Web 2.0 represented a shift from static webpages users went to just get information to a user centric platform. This transformation was led by organizations that built software for the web and mobile platforms and we saw the rise of web and more recently mobile applications such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Spotify, etc. The culture of these organizations was driven by software developers (“coders”) and has since then influenced other industries to adopt many of their human resource methodologies. In this assignment you will explore a series of cases and evaluate them through the lens of the various concepts and theories we explored in our class. Deliverables: · Part A: Written Case Study Analysis – worth 80% of total assignment (24/30 marks) · Part B: Narrated Presentation – worth 20% of total assignment (6 /30 marks) Total Assignment Mark Breakdown: Both Part A and Part B will follow the same rubric (See Appendix A of this document) for a more detailed description of how your answers will be evaluated: · 60% - Inclusion of Assignment Criteria · 30% - Integration of Knowledge · 5% - Presentation Quality (document and video) · 5% - Grammar Submission Details: · PART A (Word or PDF) · PART B (Narrated Power Point) ASSIGNMENT DETAILS: PART A: Case Study Analysis – 80% of total assignment You will prepare a written report to demonstrate your ability to apply the knowledge you have gained, throughout this course, to 4 different case studies. Each case is worth 6 marks out of the 24 marks in Part A and have their own set of question to answer. Your written report will include the following: · A title page that will include your full name (as shown in Blackboard), your student number and date of submission (April 5, 2021) · 6-8 pages, single spaced (using 12-pt font) to provide your responses to the questions for each of the 4 cases · Split the report into 4 sections, 1 section for each case. · In each section, provide the question asked and then your response. · Your answers must be in full sentences using proper grammar and spelling. · Your answers must reference facts provided within the case · Your answers must reference content from our course textbook and lectures · To expand the depth of your analysis you may reference content from other sources ONLY ONCE you have sufficiently exhausted content from the course textbook. If you do include references to outside material, please ensure to cite your references using the APA Style Guide. · Assignments will be submitted through SafeAssign Plagiarism Checker, please ensure your responses are original to yourself. Any student submitting work that is not their own or caught plagiarizing is considered cheating and will receive a zero on the assignment. For each case try to filter through any unnecessary information. Think about the course content and how it applies to the case and each question. This may mean looking back at previous concepts discussed already and/or looking ahead at future topics in order to fully answer each question. Part A-1: Understanding Agile and The Spotify Engineering Culture Step 1: What is Agile? · Watch “What is Agile?” by Mark Shead (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9QbYZh1YXY) Step 2: Spotify Engineering Culture · Watch “Spotify Engineering Culture” by Henrik Kniberg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GK1NDTWbkY) · Watch “Spotify Engineering Culture Part 2” by Henrik Kniberg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzoyryY2STQ) Step 3: Questions on Agile & Spotify Engineering Culture The following questions are based on the above videos. Answer the following questions referencing only the content from the videos, our course textbook and lectures notes. Be sure to support your answers using the concepts and theories from our text and reference the marking rubric to maximize your mark. 1) How would you describe the type of organizational culture at Spotify? 2) How would you describe the type of leadership needed to enable the organizational culture at Spotify to exist and be successful? 3) What would you suggest are the critical elements a Spotify hiring leader would use to determine personal-organizational fit when evaluating potential new recruits? Part A-2: Spotify’s Agile Organizational Structure: Is It a Good Fit for a Financial Services Firm? As the companies from Silicon Valley, and then other organizations in the business of building software showed significant growth. Other industry verticals took note and looked to better understand how these organizations worked and wondered if Agile would work for them. Step 1: Read the case study “Spotify’s Agile Organizational Structure: Is It a Good Fit for a Financial Services Firm? This case explains how Ivan, the CEO of a leading financial services firm, Financial Corp, evaluated the success of an agile structure in an organization. Ivan’s financial services firm had a workforce of 35,000, and its organizational and management structure was hierarchical in nature. Impressed with Spotify’s success in the music streaming industry, which many industry experts attributed to the company’s agile structure, Ivan wondered whether the same principles could be applied in his firm. Ivan believed that with an increasing customer preference for online banking, an agile structure might be a better fit for the new workflows and personnel needs that would arise in developing online banking solutions. Step 2: Case Study Questions The following questions are based on the above case study. Answer the following questions referencing only the content from the case study, our course textbook and lectures notes. Be sure to support your answers using the concepts and theories from our text and reference the marking rubric to maximize your mark. 1. If you were in Ivan’s position, would you adopt an agile structure? If not, why not? 2. What problems might Ivan’s company encounter if the entire company could not transition to an agile team structure? Consider the possible impacts to communication, decision making and role of power and politics between teams that depended on each other, where one team transitioned to agile while the other remained in a hierarchical model. Part A-3: Netflix HR Policies Step 1: Read the case study “Netflix HR Policies” The case discusses how Netflix revolutionized its employee practices by simply treating employees like grownups and holding them accountable for using their freedom wisely. By focusing on results rather than processes, Netflix gives employees the independence to produce rather than stifling them with processes and procedures. Through the overhauling of its HR practices, Netflix has enjoyed tremendous fiscal results as well as a motivated, driven workforce that is unencumbered by the traditional stressors that employees face. Step 2: Case Study Questions The following questions are based on the above case study. Answer the following questions referencing only the content from the case study, our course textbook and lectures notes. Be sure to support your answers using the concepts and theories from our text and reference the marking rubric to maximize your mark. 1. Discuss the pros and cons of Netflix’s approach to vacation. What considerations should an organization examine before implementing a similar vacation approach? 2. How would you explain Netflix’s “positive results” from its HR Policy overhaul? Part A-4: Netflix – The Firing Machine? Step 1: Read the case study “Netflix – The Firing Machine?” The case discusses continuously evolving human resource management (HRM) practices at Netflix Inc. (Netflix). Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, implemented certain unique HRM practices such as not hiring fresh graduates from college or having any formal leave policy. He paid employees above the market rate salary but when performance and skills went below standard, fired employees. In 2018, he introduced a transparent pay policy and, in 2019, introduced weekly employee surveys. As Netflix internationalized to Asian countries such as Japan, Hastings continued with the same HRM policy of hiring and firing. It was to be seen if such policies would work in international markets and if employees would be motivated by the transparent pay policy of Netflix. Step 2: Case Study Questions The following questions are based on the above case study. Answer the following questions referencing only the content from the case study, our course textbook and lectures notes. Be sure to support your answers using the concepts and theories from our text and reference the marking rubric to maximize your mark. 1. Does pay transparency work? Explain in the context of Netflix using the theories discussed in this course. Would pay transparency work in all organizations? Why or why not? 2. Analyze why Netflix did not implement a live-at-a-distance policy or a telework policy (remember this is pre-pandemic). Part B:
Consulting Company Presentation You are the owner of an HR consulting company making a presentation to a newly appointed executive of a large marketing firm. They have asked to hear your views on various Web 2.0 company HR policies (discussed as part of your case analysis in Part A). Using the concepts and theories learned in this course to support your answer, they want to understand 1. Why some or all the HR policies would be beneficial for their company 2. What might be potential challenges they may face and that they should address before embracing any of the new HR policies. Presentation Expectations: · Students will build a narrated power point presentation (instructions on how to create a narrated power point presentation are available here: https://youtu.be/850R18_QAWY) · Your answers must reference facts provided in the cases from Part A · Your answers must reference content from our course textbook and lectures To expand the depth of your analysis you may reference content from other sources ONLY ONCE you have sufficiently exhausted content from the course textbook. If you do include references to outside material, please ensure to cite your references using the APA Style Guide on the slides · Recordings should use professional Business English but can use personal reflections with the use of “I” · In your analysis, you should refer to specific topics and issues outlined in the textbook chapters from this course. Your special feature must contain an article on each of the broad categories outlined above but may choose to report on any topic within that category either as a few issues in depth or a broader range of issues. APPENDIX A: Assignment Rubric The following Rubric will be applied to assess the quality of your responses to each of the sections that are worth 6 points each out of the 30 total marks. · / 6 - Part A-1: Understanding Agile and The Spotify Engineering Culture · / 6 - Part A-2: Spotify’s Agile Organizational Structure: Is It a Good Fit for a Financial Services Firm? · / 6 - Part A-3: Netflix HR Policies · / 6 - Part A-4: Netflix – The Firing Machine? · / 6 - Part B: Consulting Company Presentation Exceeds Expectations (A to A+) Meets Expectations (B to B+) Approaching Expectations (C to C+) Minimal Understanding (D to D+) No Attempt (F) Inclusion of Assignment Criteria 60% All requirements of the assignment are met. Student provides in-depth discussion and elaboration in