IOP3705 Assignment 2 (ANSWERS) Semester 1 2025 - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED

Achieve a distinction with this comprehensive and well-organized set of IOP3705 Assignment 2 (ANSWERS) Semester 1 2025 - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED. Ensure accuracy and excellence in your submission!!!! Case Study: Digital Solutions Group (DSG) Digital Solutions Group (DSG) is a technology consulting firm founded in 2010 that provides digital transformation services for businesses across various sectors. Over the years, DSG has built a reputation for delivering innovative solutions and driving digitalisation efforts for its clients. However, the company’s rapid expansion over the last five years has led to internal inefficiencies, employee dissatisfaction, and challenges in maintaining high-quality client service. DSG’s leadership initiated a comprehensive organisational development (OD) process to address these issues and engaged Dr Samuel Collins, an experienced OD consultant, to lead the change efforts. COMPULSORY ESSAY ASSESSMENT 2 Semester 1: 2025 BASED ON LESSONS 1 TO 4 Assessment 02: Instructions The following are specific requirements relating to the layout and technical presentation of assignments: • Cover page: The first page of your document should display information such as the module code, assignment number, and your name and student number. • Table of contents: Always include a table of contents on the second page, listing the headings and subheadings of your assignment. The titles and subheadings should describe the content of the sections, should be numbered, and provide the page numbers. • Introduction: There should be only one introduction to the assignment, not one per question. • Discussion: This is also called the body of the assignment. Use the decimal classification system up to four decimals, alphabetical classification for the fifth level and small Roman numerals for the sixth level, for example, 1, 1.2, 1.2.1, 1.2.1.2 and (a)(iii). • Conclusion: There should be a conclusion at the end of your assignment. This section summarises the most important aspects addressed in the assignment. There should be only one conclusion and not one per question. • Reference List: Provide full details in a list of references at the end of your assignment. Use the APA referencing method. 2 Upon meeting with key stakeholders at DSG, Dr Collins uncovered significant discrepancies between the company’s ambitions and its internal realities. While DSG marketed itself as a forward-thinking, customer-centric organisation, its internal culture was fragmented, and operations had become siloed. Communication between departments was sporadic, and employees frequently reported feeling undervalued and disconnected from company goals. Concerns about high employee turnover were also prevalent, negatively affecting client relationships and overall service delivery. Through surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions, Dr. Collins gathered valuable insights into the underlying issues at DSG. Employees expressed frustration with the lack of clear career development opportunities, ineffective performance management systems, and an overburdened leadership team that struggled to balance strategic decision-making with day-to-day operational demands. Leadership's resistance to open feedback further exacerbated these challenges, with many middle managers feeling caught between unrealistic executive expectations and the needs of their teams. Despite some reluctance from leadership to fully embrace the findings, Dr. Collins proceeded with the OD intervention. The overarching goal was to improve communication, increase employee engagement, and streamline operations to better serve clients. Dr. Collins proposed a plan that included the following interventions: 1. Restructuring internal teams to break down silos and encourage greater collaboration across departments. 2. Implementing a mentorship program to provide employees with professional development opportunities and enhance retention rates. 3. Enhancing leadership capabilities through training programs to foster effective communication, team empowerment, and conflict resolution. Although Dr. Collins had extensive experience in OD, he lacked technical expertise in digital transformation technologies. As a result, his plan overlooked critical aspects of technology integration and client management. During the implementation phase, leadership restructuring and team-building exercises were carried out successfully, but these changes led to inefficiencies in client-facing operations. Developers and consultants struggled to adapt to the new collaborative structure, finding it challenging to manage multiple client projects simultaneously without the appropriate technological infrastructure to support them. The failure to address the necessary technological tools and systems resulted in delays in project timelines and increased client dissatisfaction. Additionally, while the mentorship program was beneficial in some areas, it lacked alignment with the rapidly changing digital landscape, making it difficult for employees to build the specific skills needed to thrive in their roles. Dr. Collins became increasingly isolated from the technical teams as the change initiative progressed. His lack of familiarity with digital transformation technologies made it challenging to provide relevant guidance or address the obstacles developers and consultants faced. Despite efforts to involve technical experts in the process, resistance from employees grew as they began to question the effectiveness of the changes and the leadership’s ability to support them. 3 Ultimately, the OD intervention at DSG did not achieve its intended outcomes. Although some positive cultural changes were made, the lack of technical expertise and insufficient focus on technological integration decreased employee morale, client satisfaction, and service quality. The leadership at DSG was disappointed with the outcomes and began questioning whether a consultant without the necessary technical knowledge could effectively lead a successful OD effort in a technology-driven company. QUESTION 1 Discuss the four activities involved in the general model of planned change and indicate whether you feel these steps were adhered to in the above case study. Substantiate your answer with relevant examples from the case study. (16) QUESTION 2 External consultants may have several advantages over internal consultants. However, they may also face some disadvantages. Describe any four (4) disadvantages of external OD consultants, specifically during the various stages of the planned change process. (4) QUESTION 3 Discuss the critical areas in the contracting phase and indicate whether the essential aspects were addressed. Would you have done it differently? Please motivate clearly. (10) QUESTION 4 Identify and critically discuss the 5 (five) ethical dilemmas this initiative might present and how to avoid them. Substantiate your answer with relevant examples from the case study. (10) TECHNICAL ASPECTS A further ten (10) marks are awarded for the technical presentation of your assignment, which includes the table of contents, introduction, headings and numbering, conclusion, in-text referencing and the reference list). (10)