29 Jul HOW CAN THE PERFORMANCE OF THESE JOBS BE MEASURED?
They’ve
finally decided that they want to use the Nadler-Tushman Congruence
Model to analyze the overall congruence in the company – they like the
Input and Output analysis that this model provides.
First, the
company’s executives are interested in the Inputs, including the
strategy. They are interested in getting an objective opinion of what
their critical inputs are and how they align with their strategy. So I
suggest that you very quickly brush up more on the Congruence model,
particularly for this assignment on inputs.
Second, we need to
analyze how Whole Foods Market has been doing in terms of its
performance and how it stacks up against its goals. We will do this at
three levels: the overall organizational level, the group level, and
the individual level. The Congruence Model explains this well. You
should be up to speed on this model.
The executives also want to
know how congruent the outputs are across the three levels. Given your
analysis of performance at each of the three levels, are the
interactions of these outputs congruent – highly, somewhat, or very
little? Make this determination and support it with a logical argument
using the information that you obtain about Whole Foods Market’s goals
and performance.
REQUIRED READING:
Nadler, D. A. & Tushman, M. L. (1980). A Model for Diagnosing Organizational Behavior. Organizational Dynamics, 9 (2), 35-51. Retrieved on November 7, 2012 from EBSCO.
Case Assignment
Using
the Nadler-Tushman Congruence Model, conduct an analysis of Whole
Foods Market’s inputs and how they align with the strategy, as well as
its outputs.
For the analysis, I suggest that you start with
strategy, since you have already done some work on this aspect in your
first report. Review Whole Foods Market’s strategy and then determine
which one of Porter’s competitive strategies fits with this strategy.
Then review the company’s inputs and determine one or two specific
critical inputs from each input category: environment, resources, and
history.
Ultimately, I want you to determine how aligned the
critical inputs are with the strategy. Is there high congruence
(alignment), some congruence, or little to no congruence? I expect you
to support your claim with a good, logical argument using the
information you have collected.
In order to make this case, you
first need to review the strategy and then classify it as one of
Porter’s competitive strategies. Then identify the Key Input factors in
the first three categories. Explain why these are the critical input
factors. Then determine how congruent the three input factors are with
the strategy.
Then use the Nadler-Tushman Congruence Module to
analyze Whole Foods Market’s outputs. Start with the Organizational
Level. Identify the Outputs – what does it produce and sell? What are
its goals? How has it been performing? Then go the group level. What are
some groups that Whole Foods Market identifies, and the goals and
performance of these groups. Finally, discuss the Individual level. Here
you will find it difficult to get much detailed information, so
identify five to seven key jobs and their outputs. How can the
performance of these jobs be measured? Finally determine the congruence
of the outputs and make a strong argument for your case.
Be sure to include references. Turn in the 6- to 8-page paper by the end of the module.
KEYS TO THE ASSIGNMENT:
Discuss the organization’s strategy and classify it according to Porter’s three generic competitive strategies.
Identify
the most critical inputs in each of the first three categories and
justify why they are critical. Also explain what effect the inputs from
one category have on inputs from the other categories. How well does
the strategy fit with the environmental, resource and historical inputs
you identified?
Make a Case for your proposition as to how
the Key Inputs support (are congruent with) the Strategy. Specifically
make a claim: “The inputs at Whole Foods Market consisting of
Organizational Environment factors, Internal Resource factors, and
Historical Tradition factors are [highly, partially, or minimally]
congruent with the company’s strategy.”
In order to make
your case you need to identify the outputs of the organization at each
of three levels. Also identify the goals that it has set and its
current performance. Include the following:
Outputs at
the organizational level are the products and/or services that it
provides to its customers. What are these and how does the company
categorize them? How does it measure its organizational performance
(e.g., sales, net profit, return on sales, return on assets, market
share, customer satisfaction, etc.). Provide some specific performance
data.
What are some ways the company identifies groups? For
example, are there geographic groups (or divisions), functional
groups, etc. What are the outputs of these groups? How does it (or how
might it) measure performance of these groups?
What are
some of the key individual functions, and what are their outputs? How
do these outputs contribute to the group outputs? How do they measure
individual performance?
Evaluate how the outputs at the
different levels interact with each other. Determine if you think the
congruence of the outputs is high, medium, or low. Then make a strong case.
It is very important that you support your position with evidence and
information that you have discussed earlier in the report.
Support
your analysis with objective evidence. Sources of information for the
entire project may include interviews, organizational documents and
reports, articles in newspapers, and trade publications. Be sure to
cite your sources and provide a list of references.
Write up your report in a 6- to 8-page paper and submit it by the end of the module.
Assignment Expectations
Your paper will be evaluated on the following seven points:
Precision – Does the paper address the question(s) or task(s)?
Breadth – Is the full breadth of the subject, that is, the Keys to the Assignment, addressed?
Depth
– Does the paper address the topic in sufficient depth and include the
background readings and other background resources as references?
Critical thinking – Is the subject thought about critically, that is, accurately, logically, relevantly, and precisely?
Clarity
– Is the writing clear and are the concepts articulated properly? Are
paraphrasing and synthesis of concepts the primary means of responding
to the questions or are points conveyed through excessive use of
quotations?
Organization – Is the paper well written? Are
the grammar, spelling, and vocabulary appropriate for graduate-level
work? Are headings included in all papers longer than two pages?
Referencing
(citations and references) – Does the paper include citations and
quotation marks where appropriate? Are the references from the
background readings and assignment present and properly cited? Are all
the references listed in the bibliography present and referred to via
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