Ashford University: Interventions on Apple Inc. Essay Week 4 – Assignment Interventions [CLOs: 1, 2] Week Four’s assignment builds on the previous assignm

Ashford University: Interventions on Apple Inc. Essay Week 4 – Assignment
Interventions
[CLOs: 1, 2]

Week Four’s assignment builds on the previous assignments and will be part of the final assignment. For this assignment, you will assume that the research supports Apple Inc.’s problem and that a change initiative is warranted. Create a hypothetical intervention for the identified problem that includes the following elements.

Identify the type of proposed intervention: individual, team, whole organization, or multiple organization.
Evaluate the purpose of the intervention.
Explain the recommended changes.
Explain how the intervention will help and/or fix the identified problem.

The Interventions paper

Must be four to five double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.).
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
Must use at least three scholarly sources, in addition to the course text.
The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA s Running Head: INTRODUCTION TO THE ORGANIZATION AND THE PROBLEM
Introduction to the Organization and the Problem
HRM 660 Organizational Development
Angelia Lucas
Instructor Robert Rupe
September 30, 2019
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INTRODUCTION TO THE ORGANIZATION AND PROBLEM
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Introduction to the Organization and the Problem
Introduction
Understanding the factors which contribute towards the success of a company is
essential to evaluate some of the conditions witnessed within the respective areas of
application. For instance, a company can exhibit a problem in the functional design aspects
and dimensions. Such problems may arise from diverse factors which can be rectified by the
management. However, numerous companies have failed to overcome such problems leading
to adverse effects such as reduced profitability in the long run. The failure of these companies
to overcome these challenges has been associated with the lack of a reliable set of resources
which in the end would be used to create the ultimate solutions as far as strategic human
resources management is concerned. The human resources department of a company plays a
crucial role in the overall coordination of the workers within the selected organization.
When a company operates with a reliable human resources management team, it
stands at a better position to overcome some of the major and minor challenges which may
arise in the course of operations promoting positive performance in the long run. Companies
such as Apple have reported improved performance over the years, which has been associated
with factors such as strategic human resources management among other aspects. However, it
is worth noting that such companies have been driven by able parties who have dedicated
their efforts and skills towards developing superior products in the long run. Outlining one of
the significant problems which the company encounters and faces today can act as a platform
for evaluating the potential alternatives which could be implemented in the future to reduce
the chances of occurrence of similar challenges and drawbacks.
INTRODUCTION TO THE ORGANIZATION AND PROBLEM

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Foundation for the company selected
Apple, Inc. stands out as one of the most reputable and successful companies across
the US and the globe as a whole. The reputation of the company has been based on numerous
factors. One of the primary factors which have improved the reputation and image of the
company is the ability to manufacture and deliver superior products. Apple deals with the
manufacturing and delivery of products which range from computing to entertainment
gadgets. The firm’s most reputable products are:
1. iPad
2. iPhone series
3. Smart Televisions
4. Wearable devices, such as smartwatches.
The firm has been seen as one of the most desired by diverse populations ranging
from potential employees to consumers. The success of the firm also has been driven by the
existence of able and visionary leaders. People and icons such as Tim Cook have been on the
frontline in the development of a superior set of products. This strategy has been a huge
contributing factor towards the witnessed improvement in the level of perception of the brand
as a whole in the industry. Visionary leaders such as the former CEO have formed a
foundation for the creation and delivery of quality products which satisfy the needs and
demands of the served markets across the globe. Apple has a reputation because of its size as
well as the total revenue generated and accumulated each year. Since its establishment in
1976, Apple has been on the forefront to develop and set bars in the market and industry as
far as the use of the latest and cutting edge technology is concerned. The creation of superior
computing devices such as the iMac and MacBook has allowed the company to establish a
significant market across the globe. Customer loyalty for the company has been another
major contributing factor responsible for the growth and success of Apple. Apple ranks third
INTRODUCTION TO THE ORGANIZATION AND PROBLEM
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as far as the most prominent and reputable mobile manufacturing firms across the globe is
concerned. The first company in mobile devices technology is Samsung, followed by
Huawei. With over 500 retail stores in about 24 countries, Apple stands out as a successful
and global company.
The corporate human resources management strategy
Each company operates under a given set of strategies which match the activities
carried out and the products and services delivered to the consumers. Apple has invested in
human resources management as a way of boosting its overall abilities to make profits in the
long run. The success of the company has been based on the existence of strategic human
resources management practices.
Since the company understands the role of exploiting and maximizing on the aspects
of human capital, it created a strategic human resources strategy which is meant to capture,
develop and sustain the highly talented employees in the workforce. Talent development has
been one of the features of the human resources strategy. The success of the company has
been based on the ability to maintain a reliable team of employees. Further, the company
operates with a blue sky program.
This program allows the engineers at the company to work on their projects. Further,
diversity has been another issue which the company has incorporated within the human
resources management strategy. The company understands the benefits which are reaped
when a firm adopts an approach which supports diversity in the workplace. The success of
the company, in this case, has been driven by the abilities to incorporate the right measures to
boost the perception of the employees and consumers through strategic human resources
management practices (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart & Wright, 2017).
Witnessed problem in the company
INTRODUCTION TO THE ORGANIZATION AND PROBLEM
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Regardless of the success reported and seen by the company over the years, Apple has
faced a problem when it comes to succession planning. Succession planning has affected the
abilities of the company to shift from one CEO to the other with no glitches in production and
perceptions of the consumers or a drop in the value of shares in the stock market. Succession
planning revolves around understanding the demands of the company in the future as far as
talents and leaders are concerned. This problem has been associated with poor management
practices when it comes to training and employee empowerment. For a company to achieve
the desired outcomes, it must ensure that the employees, in the long run, understand what it
takes to assume different roles. The company has, in a way, locked employees in fixed
positions, making it hard to select and develop talents to assume the leadership of the firm in
the future (Dignan, 2011).
Organizational chart
The company observes and operates with a hierarchical, weak matrix and divisional
organizational structure (Dudovsky, 2019). The three most likely positions to be affected by
the problem mentioned above are the president and the two vice president, as shown below.
INTRODUCTION TO THE ORGANIZATION AND PROBLEM
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The primary reason behind this conclusion is that the immediate vice presidents can
succeed in the senior management and president of the company. Over the years, the
company has failed to create a platform which promotes the overall abilities to reduce the
hurdles which arise in the course of operations as far as talent development and succession
planning is concerned. Therefore, the vice president positions would need to be supported by
regular training and improvement of the visibility of managing a company. Regular training
to the parties holding such positions will play a crucial role in promoting the overall abilities
of the firm to achieve positive outcomes through the reduction of succession planning
challenges.
Further, the senior management positions, in this case, form the foundation for the
success of the firm. The direction taken by the business in this context is dependent on the
aspects of the perceptions of senior management. Over the past years, the company has faced
a significant problem which revolves around the desire to achieve continuity. The problem in
this context has been based on the evaluation of past trends, especially when the former CEO
left the firm. Apple struggled to replace the CEO position for a long time. Even with the
current CEO, there was a gap in the ability to drive the company to success.
If the company had maintained a platform for ensuring that each member of the senior
management team had the right knowledge and skills, it would have reduced the overall level
of success which the company has exhibited. The major drawback which contributed towards
the witnessed problem was the lack of a common platform for promoting succession.
Mentorship, in this case, has been a significant problem in the long run. The company can
from this incident initiate methods and procedures to ensure that the employees from certain
positions are trained on the roles and responsibilities of the senior management. This
approach will create a room for the reduction of the last gap in the firm as far as succession
INTRODUCTION TO THE ORGANIZATION AND PROBLEM
planning is concerned. The success of the company will be based on the use of the right
planning approaches to guarantee continuity.
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INTRODUCTION TO THE ORGANIZATION AND PROBLEM
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References
Dignan, L. (2011). Steve Jobs resigns. Now Apple’s succession plan to be put to test. CBS
Interactive. Retrieved 25 September. From https://www.zdnet.com/article/steve-jobsresigns-now-apples-succession-plan-to-be-put-to-test/
Dudovski, J. (2019). Apple Organizational Structure: a brief overview. Necessary knowledge
to conduct a business research. Retrieved 25 September. From https://researchmethodology.net/apple-organizational-structure-a-hierarchical-structure-that-maychange-in-near-future/
Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2017). Human resource
management: Gaining a competitive advantage. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Education.
Running Head: Open Systems/Literature Review
Open Systems/Literature Review/Exploring the Problem
HRM 660 Organizational Development
Angelia Lucas
Instructor Robert Rupe
October 7, 2019
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Open Systems/Literature Review
Introduction
Burger king experience communication problems that may face the sales and
marketing. The question arises from the low motivation of the employees. The employees
were identified as having an issue that prevents them from performing as required. Low level
of communication to the customers, inadequate response to the clients and wrong delivery of
products so a significant concern. Through analysis of the issue, the employees have been
messy as a result of poor leadership. Low communication ability and the possibility of the
employees to the administration have created a significant issue that leaves most of the
workers working out of the visions and goals of the c company. For innate, there arising
complains from the customers that they receive wrong orders from the company. This shows a
hitch in the communication where the employees are not keen on getting the order details
right. To the clients, they assume that the staff is lazy and incompetent. However, the same
employees could perform. Thus, this creates need to understand the lack of motivation issues
and how the communication issues could be solved despite the company using a hierarchical
organizational structure that creates room for the excellent power distance and communication
levels between the employees and the top management that mak4es the company decisions.
Literature review
Open systems theories allow the interaction to take place through information when it
comes to communication in an organization. The open systems theories represent the
organization s that gets its influence from the surroundings such as social nature, political and
economic aspects (Thompson, 2017). Communication as a way of passing information or
Open Systems/Literature Review
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exchanging it through the form, of writing, speaking, or through any medium communication.
Communication and employee motivation are two integral aspects of an organization.
Generally, interaction determines the motivation of the workers where the poor
communication affects it negatively; usually, communication remains a significant aspect
that contributes to the enhancement of the relationships between the members of the staff and
the leadership. The interface is an integral part of the company growth where it provides the
backbone of day to day operations as well as the formation of future possibilities and
successes. All forms of communication are considered necessary, which includes the formal
and informal aspects of communication.
The open systems theory can be reflected in the aspects of environmental inputs such
as social-cultural political-legal, and the technological elements. The social-cultural comes
with a good understanding of the organization’s workers and their cultural background
(Chikere and Nwoka, 2015). Generally. Issues such as social norms of cultures differ and this
creates a connection between different cultures that will lead to a better working together.
This would include embracement of diversity that hinders the effective operation of those
from different backgrounds, cultures and other divisional lines. Nt6echnology is another form
of the open system that allows for changes to occur. In this case, adopting technology creates
room for a more natural way of communication. Today, the company can take several forms
of systems that will help it in creating improved communication flow between the
management and the employees as well as feedback mechanisms. Chikere argues that
effectiveness target effectiveness of communication means a lot to the satisfaction of the
employees. In this case, the employees require to be supported through numerous aspects such
as training and provision of feedback whenever they need it. Also, they require accessing the
Open Systems/Literature Review
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top management through various ways of communicating without struggling. The study
finds any ineffectiveness in communication, making a failure of the organization inevitable.
The organizations are exposed to utilize excellent communication in making tasks and
operations better. This includes the leadership being good listens to the workers so that they
can offer solutions through feedback. Again, one way for the company to provide
management and leadership is through excellent communication.
How the literature relates to the problem
The research on the aspect of communication and its relation to the motivation of the
company. Burger kings’ motivation will come through the implementation of the open
systems theory. Motivation is a crucial aspect of the organizational change that comes as one
of the tools management can use to boost the value of human resources. However, the main
issue arises with most of the managers having no ideas on how to create motivation for their
workers. Ellis et al. argue that management has a role to play to mould the behaviour of the
workers will lead to better outcomes.
With burgers kings suffering poor flow services arising as a result of lack of
motivation among the employees, there is a need to consider the application of the
technological systems that will ease the communication between the staff and the top
management. This will be a significant input to the problem that is likely to ruin the company.
With direct contact, the many levels that limit communication within the structure will be
eliminated in the aspect of interaction.
Models of organizational change
Open Systems/Literature Review
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Two main models of change that could support the organization’s effort to overcome
the challenges faced include; Kurt Lewin’s model of change and the Burke –Litwin model of
organizational performance and change. Each of the two models has its own strengths and
weakness, and thus, each could be used depending on the scenario of the problem being
addressed.
Lewin’s Change management model proposes three stages that include unfreezing,
change and refreeze. Unfreezing involves creating an understanding of the change that could
be adopted and preparing the organization for it (Cummings, Bridgman and Brown, 2016).
This is characterized by the motivation to change in addition to considering the pros and cons
of the proposed changes. The second stage involves change which refers to the transition
process. This issue consists of redirecting and guiding resources, including the workers
towards the new direction of the changes. The step creates lots of hardship due to resistance.
The last stage involves refreezing, where changes accepted to become the norm, and
automatically everything else becomes normal. However, the refreezing takes more time as
many challenges mar the transition process. Lewin’s theory is criticized as it’s claimed to take
simplicities in its approaches.
On the other hand, the Litwin Model of Organizational-Performance and Change
proposes consideration of various variables in the aspects of the inputs, outputs, and the
external environment. The external environment revolves around the forces affecting the
processes (Cooper, 2015). The subjective aspect considers the individual performance in
addition to that of the organization. Collectively, the performance can reflect general
employee satisfaction with their jobs. It also takes into regard the leadership, mission,
Open Systems/Literature Review
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strategies, culture, management practices, motivation, organizational structure, policies and
procedures, individual needs and values and task requirements.
The Burke-Litwin Model presents better options that will help the company to explore
the issues of communication. In this case, the model considers the issues affecting individual
employees. This issue will; help to understand the issues affecting them, leading to a
motivational outcome and job satisfaction.
Figure 1 shows how Burger King operates as an open systems model.
Elements in the open systems model.
Open Systems/Literature Review
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The main inputs in Burger king come from the capital, materials required for
preparations, equipment, and facilities that cook, prepare, preserve, and so on. Labor refers to
the human resources within the organization; the suppliers play an essential role in ensuring
that the products reach the customers in different units of sale. The environment involved
includes customers who are the main target, Suppliers, competitors, and regulations in
addition to technology applied to facilitate the actions. The change will be reflected in the
areas of communication on alteration, storage, transportation, and inspection. The effective
workflow requires control and monitoring so that the output is achieved as expected.
Generally, the burger outlets will offer the service to the customers as well as the product
itself.
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Open Systems/Literature Review
References
Chikere, C. C., & Nwoka, J. (2015). The systems theory of management in modern day
organizations-A study of Aldgate congress resort limited Port Harcourt. International
Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 5(9), 1-7.
Cooper, R. (2015). The Shared Services Organizational Model in Higher Education
Enrollment Management: the Application of the Transactional Components of the
Burke-Litwin Model of Organizational Performance and Change and the Moderating
Effect of Employee Engagement on Individual Motivation.
Cummings, S., Bridgman, T., & Brown, K. G. (2016). Unfreezing change as three steps:
Rethinking Kurt Lewin’s legacy for change management. Human Relations, 69(1), 3360.
Ellis, A. M., Nifadkar, S. S., Bauer, T. N., & Erdogan, B. (2017). Newcomer adjustment:
Examining the role of managers’ percep…
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