7LD01 Organisational Design and Development

Introduction

Your knowledge and understanding of the material covered in this specialist unit will be assessed through your answers to four questions.

You will write four answers of approximately 1000 words to the questions posed and submit them together in a single document. This constitutes your assessment for this unit. The total word count for the assessment will therefore be 4000 words, plus or minus 10%. The bibliography, list of references and essential appendixes (if applicable) are not included in the total word count – but the latter must be kept to a minimum.

You must demonstrate within the submitted evidence (through headings and sub-headings) which learning outcomes and assessment criteria have been cited. We are unable to moderate your work if this is not included.

As this is an Advanced Diploma, it is important that you are able to demonstrate not only good knowledge and understanding of the material associated with each learning outcome, but also the ability to develop an original argument and justify it persuasively with reference to wider reading. Examples of approaches taken in a range of organisations are also an effective means by which to justify your arguments.

The six main criteria that CIPD requires centres to use when marking your assessment are outlined below, but it may be that not all these criteria are present in every question.

1. focus
2. depth and breadth of understanding
3. strategic application and professional advice
4. research and wider reading
5. persuasiveness and originality
6. presentation and language

Watch the supporting video for this unit: Link to follow.

Case study

Evergreen Pantry is a food manufacturing and distribution organisation employing approximately 3,750 people. The organisation has five production sites as well as a central corporate office and has grown rather rapidly over the last decade through a combination of natural growth and mergers/acquisitions. It has significantly expanded its range of products and its customer base across both retail and hospitality markets and by all accounts has been very successful thus far.

Despite the success of the organisation, the Senior Management Team recognise that its current organisational design has not kept pace with its growth, or the increasing complexity of the environment in which it operates. The organisation retains a largely hierarchical, functional-based structure, with decision-making concentrated at senior levels and limited integration between its manufacturing, supply chain, commercial and people management teams. As a result of this, there are often complaints: processes are slow; accountability is unclear; and collaboration between sites and between teams is inconsistent.

Externally, the organisation is facing mounting pressures. Customer expectations around price, speed and quality continue to rise, while labour shortages, skills gaps in technical and managerial roles, and volatility in supply chains are creating disruptions. At the same time, advances in automation and digital technologies are changing how work is organised, both within factories and across the various back-office functions. Senior leaders within the organisation believe Evergreen Pantry needs to become substantially more agile and responsive to these changes if it is to remain competitive.

A recent employee survey and information gleaned from exit interviews suggests that employee engagement is declining across Evergreen Pantry, with much frustration with decision-making processes. As a result of this there has been greater resistance to change initiatives. Previous attempts to change the organisation were perceived as top-down and poorly communicated.

Middle managers frequently report feeling ill-equipped to lead change, while frontline employees have consistently expressed significant concerns about job security, workload and the impact of further restructuring on their work.

Senior leaders have agreed that a more integrated approach to organisational design and development is required, rather than a series of isolated restructures and change initiatives. They want to explore alternative organisational forms, ways of strengthening collaboration and accountability, and approaches to organisational development that embed continuous improvement and support performance over the long term.

You have recently joined Evergreen Pantry as a senior organisation design and development practitioner. The people management director has asked you to analyse the current situation and provide recommendations to inform future organisational design and development decisions. The overriding message is that the people management function wants to help leaders engage employees more positively in change.

Questions

Question 1 (AC 1.1)

With reference to theory, critically evaluate the organisational design and development challenges currently facing Evergreen Pantry as it seeks to improve its agility, integration and performance.

Question 2 (AC 2.1)

Explain the factors that will determine how organisational design decisions are made at Evergreen Pantry.

Question 3 (AC 3.4)

Critically assess how Evergreen Pantry can use evidence and data to support their organisational development decisions.

Question 4 (AC 4.4)

Discuss the key skills and behaviours that you would need as an organisation design and development partitioner to implement any future organisational design and development interventions at Evergreen Pantry.

Marking Grid

Learners will receive a Pass, Merit, Distinction or Refer/Fail result at unit level.

Assessors must provide a mark from 1 to 4 for each Learning Outcome in the unit. Assessors should use the generic grade descriptor grid as guidance so they can provide comprehensive feedback that is developmental for learners. Please be aware that not all of the generic grade descriptors will be present in every learning outcome for all the assignments, so assessors must use their discretion in making grading decisions.

To pass the unit assessment learners must achieve a 2 (Pass) or above for each of the learning outcomes.

The overall mark achieved will dictate the Grade the learner receives for the Unit, provided NONE of the learning outcomes have been failed or referred.

Learners’ result should be recorded in a marking grid similar to the example below.

Marking grid:

EXAMPLE Marking grid and feedback for learner – 7LD01

Note to Assessor – Please enter a mark for each LO. You need only provide feedback where you have awarded a mark of 1. This feedback should be developmental.