Posted: July 27th, 2015

How Google Sold Its Engineers on Manage

How Google Sold Its Engineers on Manage

This assignment represents 60% of your final grade.

Knowledge and Understanding Outcomes
K1. Understand a range of social science theories that apply to individuals, groups and organisations themselves.
K2.  Understand the nature of leadership and  management
K3. Understand the main features of organisational structure and design
K4. Understand different facets of organisational communication and barriers to effective  communication
K5. Understand strategies for achieving organisational change and overcoming resistance to change
Ability Outcomes
A2. Apply appropriate theories to improve levels of performance in organisations or
resolveproblems associated with performance issues.
A3. Design a programme of change for a chosen organisation and produce a plan for overcoming resistance to change to include an assessment of the culture of the organisation and consideration of the structure.
Task: 1,500 word essay
Use the case studyJones Homes (JH) and your knowledge of Organisational Behaviour theory to analyse and evaluate the problems and recommend solutions, at JH
1. Beth and Sandeep have different opinions about the best way to promote the
‘Kings Court’ development. Analyse why a telephone call between Beth and Sandeep was not likely to resolve these differences.
2. Recommend to Beth how she could use the proposed meeting to persuade Sandeep to adopt her ideas for promoting the King’s Court development. Use the case study to justify your answer.
3.  Use your analysis and evaluation of the situation to produce a change management programme for Mohammed.

JONES HOMES
One of Jones Homes (JH) recent developments is ‘Kings Court’. The development offers spacious housing that is suitable for ‘young professionals’. Sandeep Gupta has recently joined Jones Homes and has taken over as the JH manager for promoting West Yorkshire developments. From his experience, he knows that this type of accommodationis  best sold to ‘buy-to-let’ investors. These investors buy the accommodation and then rent them out to individuals. Buy-to-let investors are interested in the location and size of properties and are not persuaded by ‘glossy’ brochures.
Beth Hardcastle received a telephone call from Sandeep, in which he complained about a recent ‘photo shoot’. Beth had employed a business to take photographs, with professional models, to use in the promotional brochure. Sandeep complained that the photographs were ‘trendy’ and would look better in a glossy magazine. He said that they were not suitable for a brochure aimed at buy-to-let investors.
Beth explained to Sandeep that, at the initial meeting, the previous JH manager had stated that there was growing demand from first-time buyers in West Yorkshire and that it would be better to target first-time buyers than buy-to-let investors. Beth told Sandeep that first-time buyers were persuaded by glossy brochures and that trendy photographs were appropriate.
During the telephone call, as Sandeep was still very unhappy about using thephotographs, Beth emailed Sandeep some examples of alternative advertising materials.
These materials had been used successfully for a similar development in the North West. In this development, a ‘facebook’ advertising campaign had been used in place of a traditional website page. The campaign also made use of a ‘twitter’ account and alternative media for printed advertising, eg poster advertising at a nearby railway station.
Sandeep replied that Beth had ‘lost the plot’ and that he would talk to Mohammed Akhtar, the Senior JH manager.
Beth has to persuade Sandeep that new forms of promotion are required. She has arranged a meeting with Sandeep in seven days’ time at the Kings Court site. She will use one of the site buildings to hold the meeting. The room has audio-visual equipment and she can invite other people to help to persuade Sandeep. She definitely knows that a standard PowerPoint presentation will not, by itself, convince Sandeep.
Meanwhile Sandeep is feeling uncomfortable – he is not used to having his decisions challenged.  He asks Mohammed Akhtarto attend the meeting.

Guide to Assessment:
1,500 words
You must demonstrate an understanding of the following topics:
?    Individuals within organisations
?    Groups and Teams
?    Leadership, management and the nature of management
?    Communication
?    Organisational Change

To show this clearly you must APPLY and fully reference Organisational Behaviour models and theories, to the case study. Your answers must be in your own wording.  Do not simply select details from the case study and comment on them, use text books, journals and lecture notes, to support your findings. To gain additional marks you should be able to analyse communications and the change management process.  To achieve the highest grades you must also justify the suggested approaches for both Beth and Mohammed.