Topic: Creating an engaging place to work
So far Daniel Chinn is really enjoying interacting with the “new idea people” as he refers to his new management hires. However, he worries that their newness will not be an asset to the people of VMI who have been there for many years. The recent scare with the production workers has made a mark on Chinn. He realizes that the workers are questioning whether they want to stay at VMI. They were promised that the company would retain its “Southern Identity” and somehow that promise is not being met but why? This southern identity seemed to create loyalty among the employees and committed them to stay with the company. How can all the new ideas compete and get them engaged? To this end Chinn wants his new idea people to examine in detail the company profile and history to analyze the values, ideas, and environment that seemed to generate loyalty for VMI employees before the takeover. He then wants the new idea people to come up with a plan together that will use these facts to transition the new ideas into the old “identity”. This plan should come up with the following:
Directions:
1. By FRIDAY, complete the following:
- The plan should be presented in a short three-minute video, like the one done for your elevator pitch, accompanied by an email post with a summary of the plan focusing on the items below.
- Identification and analysis of what was meant by a “Southern Identity” and how it created engaged employees prior to the takeover.
- Identification and explanation as to the two major methods managers use to create engagement in employees and within an organization.
- Evaluation of whether a new “Southern Identity” should be created as opposed to a new “VMI” identity. Be sure to consider the cultural diversity that is now part of the company.
- Create a group consensus as to which culture path should be taken.
- Application and explanation as to how a manager can use the two methods of engagement defined earlier at VMI to create the “new culture” chosen by the group. The application should detail the actual steps to be taken to implement the methods.
- You must use course material to support your responses and APA in-text citations with a reference list.
- See the instructions in Week 5 for the video.
2. THROUGHOUT the week, complete the following:
- Respond to your classmates three or more days throughout the week. Remember you are trying to develop the best answers to the questions as possible. Your classmates are doing the same so read the posts carefully looking for the best ideas being presented. The goal is that by the end of the week the class will come to some consensus as to the best answers giving you the chance to submit the best ideas in the final post.
- You must use course material to support your responses but you do not need to use APA in the brainstorming discussion with the exception of Friday’s initial first impression post.
- Participation is worth 2.5 points each week (20% of the final grade). Participation must be reflected in the final post so grades will be affected by the content portion of the post if participation is not shown. Therefore, it is important to get in the class often and with the idea of improving your initial post with the discussion so that the final grade will be the best you can deliver.
3. FINAL POST, complete the following:
- Attach your final post in the classroom by Monday at 11:59 p.m. ET.
- The final post must reflect the brainstorming activities and should be different than your Friday initial post.
- The final post must include a variety of sources from the class material as well as the use of scenario or case study facts where appropriate.
- It must USE APA in-text citations and reference list.
