OB INTEGRATIVE TEAM PROJECT

WHAT MAKES A COMPANY SUCCESSFUL?

PROJECT GOAL and DESCRIPTION• The goal of this Integrative Project is for you, as a

team of 5 or 6 students, to use the ideas and principles you have learned in this Organizational Behavior course to help you identify and analyze how effective a Chinese or Foreign Company is in managing and leading their company. • Each team will choose a successful Chinese or

Foreign Company to research such as: Alibaba, Apple, TenCent, Coca Cola, China Mobile, Bank of China, or some other company approved by your instructor.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND DETAILS• As a team you will create a 10-15 minute Power Point presentation following the guidelines that are described below.• Your power point should document research of articles,

interviews of company executives and employees. You might want to interview directly employees of the company, if possible, or even make contact with employees of your company that you might know through friends and relatives. Make the research as real as possible. You must document every source where you get information, including interviews (date, time, location, name or person and position in the company)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND DETAILS

•You will want to research on the internet, looking for interviews, articles in a magazine or books written about the company. If you can, personal interviews of employees is highly encouraged and will help you better understand how the employees really feel about working for a large, successful Chinese or Foreign Company

PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND DETAILS

• You should begin reading about and researching your Company as soon as possible. The questions below follow some of the concepts you have learned and will learn in this course. Reflecting on and answering the guiding questions as you progress through the course will reinforce the lessons and keep you progressing with this project. You do not have to answer all the questions. They are to be a guideline or a help to you as you do your research.

PROCESS, PLAN AND DREAM•The teams must agree to share the work and the grade. Each participant contributes his or her strengths to the project’s success.

•Many of the traits you will be examining are the very ones you want to learn and make part of your life as you pursue a future job. Some of these ideas, concepts may be implemented someday – perhaps by you.

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TEAM ROLES

• Team delegated positions are:• Leader• Assistant Leader• Lead Researcher •Media expert • Secretary/Recorder• Lead spokesperson (if you have 6 people on your team)

TEAM ROLES continued• Each person write 1 or 2 sentences what they think their role on the team should be and why. • Each team will vote on a leader. Each person who would like to be the leader will give a brief summary why they should be the team leader. The team leader will then use the description of each students preferred role and delegate the positon or role for the team.• Everyone can express their opinions and add their voice to team discussions

TIMELINE and STEPS TO COMPLETE• First Step: Choose your company• Second Step: Determine your leader and the roles of each person by Monday, October 19.

It is required that each team appoint a team leader who is responsible to make sure that all students on the team are working on and fulfilling their part of the project. The team leader will submit their name to the instructor and it is expected that the team leader report to the instructor at least two times during the remainder of the semester.

TIMELINE

• Third Step: Turn in project guide sheets which are the written answers you are expected to use as you prepare your power point. Each person on the team will be responsible for presenting his or her part of the power point. You must properly document your sources on the power point.• The team leader reports progress on the following

dates: These dates are the weeks of November 16 and December 7.

TIMELINE

•4th and Final Step: Presentations can begin in class on Thursday, Dec. 17 and on Dec 21 (or outside of class). The grade on the project represents 15% of your grade for the course and be part of the final exam which will be the other 25% for your final exam grade.•Each person on the team will be responsible for presenting his or her part of the power point.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

A.Introduction, Background, Overview 1) Who is the CEO (Chief Executive Oficer)? Was

he/she the founder of the company? Give some background information.

2) What are the products and/or services of the company

3) What is the vision of the company or it’s CEO? And how is this communicated to the employees?

4) Do the employees have clear goals for their job?5) Does the company have a Mission Statement? If

so, include it in the power point.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

B. Personality Traits and Work Values1) In hiring or training does the company use any kind of

personality test or assessment? If so, what do they use?2) Does the company have a values statement or code of

ethics?3) What are the company values and ethics that guide

decisions made by the managers and leaders including the CEO

4) Does the CEO have some basic values or convictions that he/she brings to the company and models for employees?

5) How important is social responsibility in the company? 

GUIDING QUESTIONS

C. Attitude, Job Satisfaction and Job Performance

1)How satisfied are people with their jobs?2)Does the company do customer service

surveys?3)How is the company viewed by

customers? By the community? By the people?

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GUIDING QUESTIONS

D. Motivation1. Some sample questions for an interview

a) How do you like your job and those that work with you?b) How does your company communicate with you?c) How is your pay structured?d) Do you feel like you are part of the company?e) How are employees motivated to contribute to the

goals of the company?2. Incentive (Pay) Structure

f) What kind of incentive structure does the Company use?

g) How are managers and employees rewarded? 

GUIDING QUESTIONS

E. Communication: 1)How does communication flow or

move within the company? to middle managers? To employees?

2)Is there direct communication with employees and how is this done? In large or small groups?

3)How is vision and strategy communicated?

 

GUIDING QUESTIONS

F. Leadership and Power1)What kind of leadership structure

does the company have?2)What kind of leadership style does

the CEO have?3)How does the company empower

employees and develop trust?

GUIDING QUESTIONSG. Organizational Culture and Performance

1) What kind of people does the company hire? 2) What kinds of qualities are most valued and sought

after? 3) Does the company make use of teams? 4) How are ethical dilemmas and diversity issues handled?5) Does the company have any training programs? What

kind of training programs? Are they effective?6) What kinds of processes were in place to evaluate and

give feedback to employees up and down the company?

7) What can you show that demonstrates visible and clear results or success? Offer strategies or recommendations for improvement.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

H. Concluding Thoughts1)Is this company successful to you?

In what ways?2)Would you want to work for a

company like this?3)What do you think could make this a

better company?

GRADING GUIDE FOR INTEGRATIVE PROJECT• Author(s):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• COMPANY________________________________CEO_______________________________• The total points A. to H. is 10 points each for a total of 80 points. The

concluding thoughts should have some brief comments from each team member. The presentation is worth 20 points. The total for the entire project is 100 points.

• 10pts ____ A. – Introduction, Background and Overview of the Company

• 10pts ____ B. – Personality Traits and Work Values: Students should use concepts primarily from Chapter 2 of the book or the instructor’s power points used in class and use the questions as a guide. 

• 10pts ____ C. – Attitude, Job Satisfaction and Job Performance: Students should use concepts from Chapter 4 Job Attitudes of the book or instructor’s power points and use questions as a guide 

• 10pts ____ D. - Motivation: Students should provide thoughtful analysis of the leadership style and how effective it was? What do you think about the style. Would you want to work for this CEO or this Company? Use concepts from Chapter 5. Power points and questions as a guide.

 

GRADING GUIDELINE (continued)

• 10pts ____ E. – Communication: Students should use the concepts from Chapter 10, power points and questions. 

• 10pts ____ F. – Leadership and Power : Students should use concepts from Chapters 11 and 12, power points and questions. 

• 10pts____ G. - Organizational Culture and Performance: Students use concepts from Chapters 14-16, power points and questions as guidelines.

• 15pts____ H. – Concluding Thoughts: All team members should have comments regarding your thoughts on the success of the company, it’s successes and failures, strengths and weaknesses. If you have studied SWOT analysis you can include that for extra credit.

• 15pts____ Presentation: Each student will present his part of the power point. Prepare so that you show the best use of English as possible. Some presentations will be made in class and what is not done in class time for the presentation will be worked out with the instructor.

GRADING GUIDELINE (continued)

• Potential Subtractions:• -2pts ____ Distracting mechanics of the power point (spelling,

punctuation, capitalization, footnoting, etc.).• -5pts ____ Weakness in composition, persuasive phraseology, sentence

structure, paragraph structure• -5pts ____ Minus 5: Power point length is too short. Power point should

be a minimum of 16 slides but can be more. Pictures and graphs are not part of the 16 to 20 if a team of 5 people.

• -3pts ____ Inadequacy of Bibliography, Footnoting. • Program, citations should still be made even if the complete

bibliographic information is not available.• 100 pts _______ TOTAL (these points will be appropriately weighted in

the grading formula for the class)•  

ANY QUESTIONS?