Leading and Managing the Human Capital at Apple
Leading and Managing the Human Capital at Apple
- Read “Creating Innovation: Leading and Managing the Human Capital at Apple” on page 14 in Chapter 1 and respond to the following:Human creativity is needed in any sort of enterprise; yet, at Apple, it is the chief source of their competitive advantage. Their competitors may try to copy their products, but what must they emulate to match or surpass this “creative king”? Support your opinions by referencing sources such as the textbook or internet research.
Assignment ‘s
Final Project – Topic Selection
The final project revolves around you diagnosing a process/structure/environment in an organization that you’re familiar with and that needs improvement and designing an organizational development (OD) intervention to achieve positive change. Organizations such as your place of employment, community groups, volunteer groups, school committees, and even city/state/Federal governments are areas to consider.
- Using APA formatting requirements (12 point Times New Roman font, double-spacing, 1″ margins, title and reference pages), write a 250-350 word paperintroducing your chosen organization and the associated process/structure/environment that needs improvement.
- Additionally, your paper should discuss the following:
- why you have chosen your organization;
- a diagnosis of why the change is needed;
- proposed organizational behavior concepts from the text that might apply as you work towards an intervention
Assignment 2
All in a Day’s Work Case Study
Review the All in a Day’s Work Case Study (pp. 33-34) and answer the three discussion questions. Responses to each question should range from 100-200 words. Your paper should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards (12 point Times New Roman font, double-spacing, 1″ margins, title and reference pages). Be sure to use the text and/or other sources to support your responses and properly cite the use of such.
- Describe the people-related problems or issues Ann Wood faced during the day. Did she handle these effectively? If not, what do you believe she should have done?
- Is Ann Wood a high-involvement manager? If so, provide evidence. If not, how well do you think she’ll perform in her new job as head of marketing?
- Assume that Ann Wood wants her managers and associates to be the foundation for her department’s competitive advantages. Use the framework summarized in Exhibit 1.2 to assess the degree to which Ann’s people are a source of competitive advantage at this point in time.
Week 2 Dicussion
Diversity Roadblock – Stereotyping
Please respond to the following question along with at least 2 substantive peer replies (for a minimum of 3 posts):
- Sheryl Sandburg is one of the best known women in business today. Her accomplishments have illustrated the capacity of women to manage complex organizations in a manner that is equal to that of a man. What has her success revealed in regard to stereotyping and diversity?
Assignment week2
Whole Foods Case Study Questions (Chapters 1, 2, and 3)
Review the Whole Foods Case Study (pp. 1-6) and answer the questions connected to Chapters 1, 2, and 3 as listed below. Responses to each question should range from 100-200 words. Your paper should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards (12 point Times New Roman font, double-spacing, 1″ margins, title and reference pages). Be sure to use the text and/or other sources to support your responses and properly cite the use of such.
- Describe how Whole Foods uses human capital as a course of competitive advantage. (Ch 1)
- Identify the aspects of high-involvement management contained in Whole Foods’ approach to managing its associates. (Ch 1)
- How could Whole Foods’ democratic model of selection interfere with the development or continuance of a diverse workforce? What should it do to prevent such difficulties? (Ch 2)
- How do you think globalization will affect Whole Foods over time? Please explain several ways it could affect the company’s operations. (Ch 3)
Week 3 Discussion
Perception Factors
Please respond to the following questions along with at least 2 substantive peer replies (for a minimum of 3 posts):
- What factors influence the way we perceive people? How might these factors influence the judgments an interviewer makes about a job applicant?
- Your initial post should be a minimum of 150 words and specifically reference the applicable elements of this week’s reading.
Assignment Week3
Final Project – References
Benjamin Franklin once quoted, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” This week’s written assignment is designed to ensure you stay on track with your final project and have adequately researched your organization of choice and planned intervention. For this week, provide a set of references you have read in preparation for your final project.
Each reference should include the following:
- APA formatted citation of the source as it will appear on your References page
- A brief description of the source
- A short summary of its primary points or arguments
- A brief explanation of how the source is relevant to your project
A minimum of 5 references is required for this assignment.
Assignment 2 week 3
It’s Just a Matter of Timing Case Study
Review the It’s Just a Matter of Timing Case Study (pp. 133-134) and answer the three discussion questions. Responses to each question should range from 100-200 words. Your paper should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards (12 point Times New Roman font, double-spacing, 1″ margins, title and reference pages). Be sure to use the text and/or other sources to support your responses and properly cite the use of such.
- What did Teresa learn?
- Other than quitting, what can Teresa do to resolve the problem? What learning and perception factors should she consider as she analyzes the situation?
- If you were an outside consultant to the firm, could you recommend solutions that might not occur to Teresa or Vegas? What would they be?
Week 4 Discussion
Managing Stress
Please respond to the following questions along with at least 2 substantive peer replies (for a minimum of 3 posts):
- What can organizations do to prevent and manage workplace stress? How can individuals manage their own stress? What specific changes can they make?
Your initial post should be a minimum of 150 words and specifically reference the applicable elements of this week’s reading.
Assgnment Week 4
Whole Foods Case Study Questions
Review the Whole Foods Case Study (pp. 1-6) and answer the questions connected to Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7 as listed below. Responses to each question should range from 100-200 words. Your paper should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards (12 point Times New Roman font, double-spacing, 1″ margins, title and reference pages). Be sure to use the text and/or other sources to support your responses and properly cite the use of such.
- To what extent do you think training and associate learning would be more important for Whole Foods compared to other grocery stores? (Ch 4)
- Given the nature of Whole Foods’ jobs and the way in which associates are selected, what type of personality traits would be important for Whole Foods associates to possess? (Ch 5)
- Which of the motivational practices are emphasized by Whole Foods in its management system? Tying rewards to performance? Designing enriched jobs? Providing feedback? Clarifying expectations and goals? All of these? (Ch 6)
- Based on the demand-control and effort-reward models of stress, are Whole Foods team members like to experience a great deal of stress? Executives? (Ch 7)
Discussion Week 5
Leadership – Colin Powell
Colin Powell is a retired four star general and was Commander of the United States Army Forces Command. He also served as Secretary of State under George W. Bush and was his National Security Advisor. Listen to Powell talk about Leadership in the video entitled: “Colin Powell Speaks about Leadership.” [You can find the video by going to YouTube and using the search terms, “Colin Powell Speaks about Leadership at Colgate”.] This was an address given to business students at Colgate University.
Please respond to the following questions along with at least 2 substantive peer replies (for a minimum of 3 posts):
- In the many leadership roles Powell occupied, what according to Powell is the role of a leader?
- How does the individual who is serving as a leader go about seeing that the needs of the organization are met?
- What advice does Powell have for the business students he is speaking to with regard to leadership?
Your initial post should be a minimum of 150 words and specifically reference the applicable elements of this week’s reading.
Assignment Week 5
Final Project – Title Page, Outline, & References Page
Develop the format and framework for your final project. Your submission should be a single document which includes:
- APA formatted Title Page
- Outline summarizing the main topics and sub-topics of the final project (be sure to refer to the lecture from Week 1)
- APA formatted References page
Your paper should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards. Please include citations within your outline to support your ideas.
Discussion Week 6
Team Processes
Please respond to the following questions along with at least 2 substantive peer replies (for a minimum of 3 posts):
- Which team processes can have a positive influence on team performance?
- Which processes can have negative effects? Provide an example of each (process with positive influence AND process with negative) that you’ve personally experienced in your life.
Your initial post should be a minimum of 150 words and specifically reference the applicable elements of this week’s reading.
Assignment Week 6
Whole Foods Case Study Questions
Review the Whole Foods Case Study (pp. 1-6) and answer the questions connected to Chapters 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 as listed below. Responses to each question should range from 100-200 words. Your paper should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards (12 point Times New Roman font, double-spacing, 1″ margins, title and reference pages). Be sure to use the text and/or other sources to support your responses and properly cite the use of such.
- Is John Mackey a transformational leader? Why or why not? (Ch 8)
- Whole Foods’ open-book policy allows all associates to have full access to all information about the company and its executives. (a) Would this degree of open communication work as well in other companies? Why or why not? (b) What impact do you think this degree of transparency has on the attitudes and behaviors of Whole Foods associates? (Ch 9)
- What group decision-making pitfalls appear most likely within Whole Foods teams and which decision-making techniques would you recommend to counter those pitfalls? (Ch 10)
- What policies and procedures does Whole Foods enact that allows it to develop successful associate teams? (Ch 11)
- Whole Foods has been opposed to unionization of it associates. However, associates in a Madison, Wisconsin store recently voted to become unionized. What type of conflicts or power struggles may have led this to occur? (Ch 12)
Discussion Week 7
Implementing Change
Please respond to the following questions along with at least 2 substantive peer replies (for a minimum of 3 posts):
- What are the factors to consider in deciding whether a fast or slow approach to change is best?
- What are the factors to consider in deciding whether a top-down or participatory approach to change is best?
- Describe a situation where you were either a change recipient or a change leader and a poor choice was made for at least one of these two decisions (use an example from an organization in which you currently work or formerly worked, or use a volunteer organization, a church, a sports team, a fraternity/sorority, etc).
Your initial post should be a minimum of 150 words and specifically reference the applicable elements of this week’s reading.
Assignment Week 7
Whole Foods Case Study Questions
Review the Whole Foods Case Study (pp. 1-6) and answer the questions connected to Chapters 13 and 14 as listed below. Responses to each question should range from 100-200 words. Your paper should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards (12 point Times New Roman font, double-spacing, 1″ margins, title and reference pages). Be sure to use the text and/or other sources to support your responses and properly cite the use of such.
- Analyze effects of the democratic approach to store operation and hiring new associates on store performance. (Ch 13)
- Whole Foods now faces a significant amount of competition. How should it respond to the changes in the competitive landscape of its industry? What future challenges do you envision for Whole Foods market? (Ch 14)
Assignment Week 8 Final Project
Final Project
- Using APA formatting requirements (12 point Times New Roman font, double-spacing, 1″ margins, title and reference pages), write a 1,500-2,500 word paper in which you diagnose a process/structure/environment in an organization that you’re familiar with (and that you chose in week 1 and have been researching during the term) and that needs improvement and design an organizational development (OD) intervention to achieve positive change.
- In addition to your standard APA formatting requirements, your paper should include an Executive Summary which succinctly describes your recommended change(s), highlights of what will be required during the change process, and a projected timeline for implementation. For a detailed sample structure for your paper, please review the lecture from Week 1.
