Problem$-$orientated approach

The oral presentation and written report should be organized under the following headings:

I. Symptoms and evaluation of key factors

The symptoms should be stated in point form $($such as$,$employee turnover rate was higher than

industry average$,$ or $$the firm is experiencing lower profits than the industry average$).$ A

symptom is telling us that something is the matter. A symptom is a fact, something that we

observe, etc. It is a direct observation statement in the case; it is evidence suggesting what the

root problem or cause might be$.$

The question to ask is: $$Am I referring to symptoms, or the problem?$$ Be sure that you do not

interpret or make conclusions.

II$.$ Statement of the problem

This should be brief, one sentence statement of the problem in organizational behavior terms. It

must be specific, such as $$The supervisor did not use active listening skills,$$ and not $$the problem

is poor communication.$$ The problem statement needs to be specific enough that you can apply

a specific course of action. You can word the statement as sentence, such as $$The problem is$...$

or you can ask in a question format, such as $$What can the manager do to motivate the

employees to maintain performance standards?$$

The question to ask is $$Have we identified the basic organizational behavior problem?$$

Be careful, sometimes students get caught in not identifying the root cause of the fundamental

issues that are causing the problem. For example, is it really the manager$$s fault? Or is it the

organization$$s fault?

III. Analysis $($or causes of the problem$)$

This section discusses what has led to the problem identified. Only the information pertinent to

the problem is discussed. The major objective in this section is to illustrate clearly your

understanding of organizational behavior concepts $($introduced in the problem statement$)$ to what

is occurring in the case; and to demonstrate that you are applying the course material in an

appropriate fashion. It is important that your analysis is supported by information in the case. If

you make assumptions, be sure that they are stated.

The questions to ask are:

Do the causes I have identified relate to the organizational behavior problems$($s stated in Section

II$?$

$2$

When I draw conclusions and make general statements, do I support these conclusions with

specific evidence from the case?

IV$.$ Determination and evaluation of alternatives

Identify at least three alternative courses of action that could solve the problem identified.

Indicate at least three pros and cons of each alternative.

V$.$ Recommendation$($s$)$

This section will state the alternative you have selected from Section IV$.$ It is your decision on

which alternative would best solve the problem.

The final solution will specifically state what is to be done, by whom, and in what sequence $($who$,$

what, when$).$ This section of your report will also justify your recommendation$($s$).$ Explain why

your solution and implementation will work. A major objective of this section is to show clearly

how you are applying the organizational behavior concepts to arrive at a workable solution to the

problem you have identified.

It is a good idea to present the justification for each recommendation and a plan for

implementation in a sentence or brief paragraph immediately following the recommendation$($s$).$