MBA 687 Module Two Memo Guidelines and Rubric

Scenario

As the HR consultant contracted to resolve issues related to miscommunication and workforce discontent at the U.S. branch of the Singaporean software solutions provider, you are expected to present a change readiness report and then submit a change management plan.

You have read that stakeholder analysis is an important requirement for change management. You know that you will soon need critical information from the VP of the U.S. unit to complete this activity. To convince the VP and the leadership team at both locations to share this critical information with you, you decide to send out a memo on the significance of stakeholder analysis in change management.

Prompt

Write a short memo explaining the significance of stakeholder analysis. Specifically, you must address the following criteria:

1. Describe the use of stakeholder analysis in organizational change management.
   • How will the identities of different stakeholders influence their views on change initiatives?
   • How can stakeholders encourage or inhibit change in an organization?
2. Identify and explain at least three benefits of conducting a stakeholder analysis.
3. Identify the key people in the organization:
   • Reference the Leaders’ Self-Evaluations to document your analysis.
   • Who are the critical stakeholders in the organization? Refer to the U.S. Branch Overview to identify the critical stakeholders.
   • Who could be interested in enabling change in the organization?
   • Why do you think these stakeholders will be interested in enabling change?
4. Include at least two valid questions or additional information you will need from the company leadership to complete your stakeholder analysis.
   • Reference the Leaders’ Self-Evaluations and Employee Engagement Surveys to document your analysis.

What to Submit

Submit a 3- to 5-page Word document using double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Sources, including course materials, should be cited in APA format and listed on a separate reference page. Consult the Shapiro Library APA Style Guide for more information on citations.

MBA 687 U.S. Branch Overview

• U.S. annual profit in 2023: $459,680
• Jump in U.S. annual sales in 2023: 7.8%
• Labor cost: 30% of total revenue ($1M)
• Benefits accounted for 29.9% of total employer costs for an employee’s compensation.
  o Benefits include paid leave, supplemental pay, insurance, retirement, savings plans, and legally required payments like FICA.
  o As mandated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), companies with more than 50 full-time employees must offer a company health
  plan or pay a tax penalty.
  o Medical and Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) cost: $41,160 annually
  Delaware Small Business Data

of small businesses in DE 82,212

of small business employees in DE 187,556

% of employees working in small business 46.9%
% of small business profitability in the United States 40%
% of small business CEOs concerned about growing revenues 23%
Average turnover small business (voluntary) 45%
Average call center turnover (voluntary) 30–40%
Average tenure of an employee in the United States 4.2
years
% of small business owners concerned about recruiting and
retaining talent
16%
Engagement
Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS): -10

• An eNPS score can range anywhere from -100 to 100.
  New Hire 90-Day Failure Rate: 46% of newly hired employees fail within 12 months.
• Total turnover rate: 28.8%
• Of all employee turnover, 70% is voluntary.
• Retirements account for 1%.
• Older individuals tend to stay at the same job for longer periods than younger employees.
  o High-tech industry turnover: 20.9%
  o Services industry turnover: 20.9%
  o Average call center turnover (voluntary): 30–40%
  o Average small business turnover (voluntary): 45%
  Potential Causes of Turnover
• Low company morale
• Lack of opportunities for training and career growth
• Work-life imbalance
• Poor management or leadership practices
• Poor communications
  Employee turnover costs a company 21% of the employee’s salary. The replacement cost per employee is $4,100 per employee.
  Demographics

1. Years of service with the job role

• Executive Leadership (VP): 7 years
• Manager (Director/Manager, Accounting, Sales, Customer Success [CS]): 3.33 years average
• Lead Specialist/Key Expert (Coordinators/Team Leaders-Payroll, CS, Shipping and Receiving): 1.76 years average
• Senior Level Specialist (Business Development Executive, Executive Office Administrator, Senior CS Specialist, Senior Sales Account
  Specialist): 1.26 years average
• Mid-Level Specialist (CS Specialist II, Business Development Specialist): 1.0 years
• Entry Level Specialist (CS Specialist I, Accounting Specialist, AR and AP, Office Specialist I, Sales Account Specialist I): 0.75 years
  average

1. Years of service with this branch
   Less than 1: 52.5% of respondents
   1–2: 27.5% of respondents
   3–5: 15% of respondents
   6–10: 2.5%
   11–15: 0
   16+: 0
   Prefer not to answer: 2.5%
2. Years of service by age group
   Ages 20–24: 1.2 years
   Ages 25–34: 1.4 years
   Ages 35–44: 3.9 years
   Ages 45–54: 4.1 years
   Ages 55–64: 4.7 years
   Ages 65+ 0.0 years
3. Percentage of employees by age group
   Ages 20–24: 45%
   Ages 25–34: 35%
   Ages 35–44: 10%
   Ages 45–54: 5%
   Ages 55–64: 5%
   Ages 65+ 0%
4. Percentage of employees by gender identity
   Male 30%
   Female 55%
   Non-binary 10%
   Other 5%
5. Race/ethnic identification
   African American or Black: 60% of respondents
   Hispanic or Latino/a/x: 12.5% of respondents
   Anglo American or White: 12.5% of respondents
   Asian: 5% of respondents
   American Indian or Pacific Islander: 0
   Multiracial or Other: 7.5% of respondents
   Prefer not to answer: 2.5% of respondents
   Organization Chart

MBA 687: Employee Engagement Surveys
Response Rate
The survey response rate is the first indication of the level of employee engagement
in any organization. Of the 140 employees invited to take the survey, 40 responded,
which is a response rate of 28.5%. As a rule, rates higher than 50% are best, while
rates lower than 40% may indicate trust problems within the organization, lack of
faith in leadership, and employees’ reluctance to engage in improvement efforts
until leadership demonstrates a clear commitment to change.
Company Data

1. Years of service with this organization
   Less than 1 52.5% of respondents
   1–2 27.5% of respondents
   3–5 15% of respondents
   6–10 2.5% of respondents
   11–15 0
   16+ 0
   Prefer not to answer 2.5% of respondents
2. My race/ethnic identification
   African American or Black 60% of respondents
   Hispanic or Latino/a/x 12.5% of respondents
   Anglo American or White 12.5% of respondents
   Asian 5% of respondents
   American Indian or Pacific Islander 0
   Multiracial or Other 7.5% of respondents
   Prefer not to answer 2.5% of respondents
3. I am currently in a supervisory role
   Yes 7.5% of respondents
   No 90% of respondents
   Prefer not to answer 2.5% of respondents
4. I received a merit increase during the past two years
   Yes 7.5% of respondents
   No 90% of respondents
   Prefer not to answer 2.5% of respondents
5. I received a promotion during the past two years
   Yes 7.5% of respondents
   No 90% of respondents
   Prefer not to answer 2.5% of respondents
6. I plan to be working for this organization in one year
   Yes 60% of respondents
   No 12.5% of respondents
   Prefer not to answer 27.5% of respondents
   Employee Engagement Questions
   Professional Development:

• In the last six months, my manager has talked to me about my progress, and
  we developed goals to help me grow.
  o 36% agreement
• I am satisfied with the on-the-job training I have received.
  o 27% agreement
• There is adequate cross-training in my department.
  o 36% agreement
  Company Vision, Values, and Mission:
• I am familiar with the company’s vision and values.
  o 26% agreement
• I have a clear understanding of the organization’s direction.
  o 36% agreement
• The organization is changing for the better.
  o 26% agreement
  Teamwork or Workgroup:
• I receive the support I need from employees in my workgroup to do my job
  effectively.
  o 89% agreement
• My coworkers make me feel that I am part of the team.
  o 78% agreement
• I trust my coworkers.
  o 83% agreement
• My workgroup cooperates to get the job done.
  o 73% agreement
  Senior Leader/Middle Manager:
• Senior leaders focus on creating a positive team atmosphere.
  o 36% agreement
• Senior leaders are open, honest, and transparent.
  o 36% agreement
• Senior leaders encourage and empower me to take initiative and suggest
  improvements.
  o 26% agreement
• My middle manager is open, honest, and transparent.
  o 70% agreement
  Culture:
• This company is a team-oriented organization.
  o 36% agreement
• This company challenges the status quo and seeks continuous improvement.
  o 18% agreement
• Employees have a strong sense of personal responsibility for the
  performance of their department and the performance of the company.
  o 80% agreement
• Overall, people care about my well-being at work.
  o 34% agreement
  Work Environment:
• I see the connection between the work I do and the benefits received by
  customers.
  o 65% agreement
• I have enough authority to make the decisions I need to make.
  o 36% agreement
  Communications:
• I usually hear about important changes through management communication
  rather than rumors.
  o 36% agreement
• In my workgroup or team, my opinions count.
  o 72% agreement
  Diversity:
• The company tries to promote a work environment free from discrimination
  and harassment.
  o 41% agreement
• The environment at the company is supportive of the expression of different
  opinions, styles, and perceptions.
  o 18% agreement
• I am satisfied with the company’s efforts to support and encourage
  differences.
  o 34% agreement
  Productivity:
• The technology, tools, and resources I have access to allow me to be as
  productive as possible.
  o 83% agreement
• Staffing levels have kept up with the increasing customer base, workload, and
  infrastructure.
  o 26% agreement
• Deadlines set by senior management are realistic.
  o 18% agreement
• I am given the opportunity to do my best work.
  o 26% agreement
  Performance Management:
• I have a clear understanding of work expectations.
  o 60% agreement
• My performance has a significant and direct impact on my pay.
  o 26% agreement

MBA 687 Leaders’ Self-Evaluations
Note: Individuals rate their skill levels on the following scale:
Not Skilled | Minimally Skilled | Somewhat Skilled | Skilled | Very Skilled
Title: Vice President
Job Summary
Leads departments and operations for an entire organization and creates its overall vision, mission, values, beliefs, and strategic goals. Directs and evaluates
other executive leaders’ work and the success of the organization. Maintains awareness of external and internal competitive landscapes, opportunities for
expansion, customers, markets, and new industry developments and standards. Manages the strategic plan that guides the direction of a team’s business and
collaboratively works with the executive management team to identify, prioritize, and act upon company needs, focusing on integration strategies to ensure
optimal efficiency. This position requires competencies such as analytic and strategic thought, vision, orientation to detail, customer focus, talent
management, resource management, and leadership skills.
Vice President Self-Assessment
As I reflect on this past year, I have driven business expansion from startup and evaluated the organization’s success. This past year, we identified ways to
increase revenue and decrease costs by 10%. I analyzed financial reports with the accounting manager, prepared new operating budgets, and greenlit pilot
projects using AI and chatbots to compete in an increasingly digital economy. My understanding of the external factors affecting the organization will help us
think ahead and be ready for changes in the market. My most tremendous success was bridging the gap between the company’s day-to-day running and the
board of directors’ sweeping visions. Since taking on the new role, I realized my leadership skills come from years of experience and knowledge throughout life.
This wisdom has impacted my judgments, decisions, and actions. I have learned to focus on a clear purpose and mission. I have consistently shown commitment
and motivation since joining the company, and I want us to succeed. I am a leader who focuses on meeting set deadlines and objectives on time. I realize that I
can be too controlling in a project, and I don’t give other team members enough room to contribute or develop their ideas. I must learn to give others more
space and let them take the initiative, too. Maybe I should try harder to promote the company’s culture and values within my team. While I regularly hold
meetings with this in mind, I should focus on boosting team spirit and collaboration. I am often frustrated, and I find it hard to communicate when faced with
other leaders’ behaviors. Despite the challenges we faced this past year, I am incredibly proud of what my team and I have accomplished during the past year.
Skill Level: Not Skilled: Minimally Skilled: Somewhat Skilled: Skilled: Very Skilled:
Your level of experience
demonstrating each
competency
I have not learned this
skill
I have little experience
demonstrating this
competency and need
substantial direction to
perform it effectively
I have some experience
demonstrating this
competency but still
need guidance
I have a good amount of
experience
demonstrating this
competency
independently
I always demonstrate
this competency and
could provide
guidance/training to
others
Leadership Skills ✔
Strategic Thinking Skills ✔
People Management
Skills ✔
Change Management
Skills ✔
Communication Skills ✔
Ethical Practice ✔
Tech Savvy/Computer
Skills ✔
Fostering Teamwork ✔
Visioning ✔
Self-Awareness and
Emotional Intelligence
(EQ)
✔
Cross-Cultural
Awareness ✔
Learning Agility ✔
Title: Sales Manager
Job Summary
Leads the sales and marketing functions, including strategic planning, budgeting, forecasting, and maintaining scalable processes that differentiate and
highlight the value proposition from concept to execution for all business areas. Drives profitable revenue and market share growth through domestic and
international marketing programs to email, print/digital, CMS, and social media platforms. This person is highly collaborative and works cross-functionally to
devise campaigns that engage, inform, and motivate to raise brand awareness. Manages and coaches inside sales and outside sales teams.
Sales Manager Self-Assessment
After taking the time to evaluate my performance, I would like to highlight a few of my best achievements from the past year. At the beginning of the period, I
spearheaded the launch of our organization’s first sales industry research report. My promotional efforts helped secure a speaking engagement at two national
sales conferences, which will help the company meet its annual objective of increasing industry exposure and promoting our customer value proposition.
Additionally, I assisted in overhauling our website content with IT and helped procure a new data partner. As a result, our paid search efforts’ ROI has increased
by 120% year over year and influenced $6 million in our latest service line sales. Because of this year’s marketing strategy’s ambitious nature, there were times
when I pushed my team hard to perform at their best, put in extra hours, and deliver on highly demanding projects. While I would never compromise on my
drive for results, I must take the time to give more thoughtful and considerate feedback to members of my team.
This quarter, I noticed that I could have delegated and communicated strategic goals to our team better. Passing more projects to the outside sales team will
help me become more efficient while also providing them with more opportunities for skill-building and career development. Additionally, I believe meeting
with the VP, call center, and sales team bi-weekly instead of monthly will help improve cross-department communication and ensure marketing campaigns are
better aligned with overall company goals.
By the end of next quarter, my goal is to improve my cross-cultural practices by taking an online training session. I’ve been working more closely with the call
center team in the past few months and want to collaborate more effectively to understand and achieve our team goals.
Skill Level: Not Skilled: Minimally Skilled: Somewhat Skilled: Skilled: Very Skilled:
Your level of experience
demonstrating each
competency
I have not learned this
skill
I have little experience
demonstrating this
competency and need
substantial direction to
perform it effectively
I have some experience
demonstrating this
competency but still
need guidance
I have a good amount of
experience
demonstrating this
competency
independently
I always demonstrate
this competency and
could provide
guidance/training to
others
Leadership Skills ✔
Strategic Thinking Skills ✔
People Management
Skills ✔
Change Management
Skills ✔
Communication Skills ✔
Ethical Practice ✔
Tech Savvy/Computer
Skills ✔
Fostering Teamwork ✔
Visioning ✔
Self-Awareness and
Emotional Intelligence
(EQ)
✔
Cross-Cultural
Awareness ✔
Learning Agility ✔
Title: Accounting Manager
Job Summary
Manages accounting functions, including analyzing various accounting functions (A/R, A/P, cost, and accounting) to understand what makes clients profitable,
ensures accurate transaction records, evaluates financial processing, and controls transaction processes. Manages sub-ledger agreements (inventory, AR,
sales, COGS) to the general ledger and investigates and corrects any variances. This person sets the example of integrity, ensuring monies and assets are
protected against unauthorized use or removal and loss due to a criminal act or breach of trust. Works cross-functionally, multitasks, problem solves, thinks of
the big picture, and focuses on process improvements to improve efficiency and follow generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Coaches accounting
associates and works with operating managers to ascertain their need for accounting data.
Accounting Manager Self-Assessment
After taking the time to evaluate my performance, I would like to highlight a few of my best achievements from the past year. At the beginning of the period, I
initiated corrective actions to maintain accounting records, improving record accuracy by 75%. The accounting team implemented an accounting records
maintenance system, replacing the old, inefficient one. I spearheaded our organization’s new digital timekeeping system, replacing the outdated process and
eliminating “paper” timekeeping. We continuously met audit standards this year, and this is for two years in a row, owing to exceptional account management
skills. This quarter, I noticed that I have not been delegating enough work to other team members and have challenges communicating strategic goals to our
team. Passing more projects to the accounting team will help me become more efficient while also providing them with more opportunities for skill building and
career development.
By the end of next quarter, my goal is to streamline the accounting systems by implementing standard operating procedures for each subsystem. It is important
not to build silos and understand the big picture and our team’s goals. I am working on improving transactional accounting, but I also think a strategic
approach is necessary. I have worked closely with the customer success coordinator/team leader, but I would like to address with top leadership the
communication breakdown, the top-down approach, and ways to collaborate more frequently. I can offer my professional opinion on where best to align
finance and accounting programs to the strategic plan and on building action plans to support overall business success.
Skill Level: Not Skilled: Minimally Skilled: Somewhat Skilled: Skilled: Very Skilled:
Your level of experience
demonstrating each
competency
I have not
learned this
skill
I have little experience
demonstrating this
competency and need
substantial direction to
perform it effectively
I have some experience
demonstrating this
competency but still
need guidance
I have a good amount of
experience
demonstrating this
competency
independently
I always demonstrate this
competency and could
provide guidance/training to
others
Leadership Skills ✔
Strategic Thinking Skills ✔
People Management Skills ✔
Change Management Skills ✔
Communication Skills ✔
Ethical Practice ✔
Tech Savvy/Computer Skills ✔
Fostering Teamwork ✔
Visioning ✔
Self-Awareness and
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) ✔
Cross-Cultural Awareness ✔
Learning Agility ✔
Title: Customer Success Manager
Job Summary
Manages the customer success function and provides input on strategic customer plans to help identify areas where the company can improve overall service
delivery, quality, and excellence. Develops customer relationships that promote retention and loyalty. Creates department policies and procedures that
optimize the customer experience. This person has the highest accountability level for call center supervision and performs basic human resource tasks such as
hiring and training staff. Coaches the customer success coordinator/team leader in improving service efforts, scoring performance, and developing support
strategies based on customer feedback.
Customer Success Manager Self-Assessment
In the past year, as a call center manager for the company, I’ve increased the customer satisfaction rate by 37% by overseeing day-to-day contact center
operations and business planning, employee development, operational efficiency, and service excellence. I worked with the customer success coordinator to
revise the existing cold call script and added a stronger value proposition, resulting in an increased call time average. We started interfacing closely with the
sales department to ensure alignment and spent a great deal of time “QC-ing” or monitoring queues and tracking inbound call performance. I coached our
customer success coordinator on performance metrics, including inbound calls, call waiting, and abandonment rates. We started working on creating a new
customer service training manual and quality assurance form. I empowered the customer success coordinator to work with the accounting team on the new
timekeeping implementation.
After reflecting on my performance, I noticed that while my ability to build rapport with employees and customers helps me as a manager, I will need to
delegate more to the customer success coordinator as the business grows. I began serving as the backup trainer and assisted in onboarding nine new
representatives, all of whom finished their first quarter meeting performance standards. Given this experience and my commitment to continued growth, I think
there is room for improvement. I want to shift the call center culture to a more employee-centric workplace where our employees are happy, comfortable, and
valued. I am aware of the possibility that the various technological advancements in AI voice processing, customer analysis, and chatbots may improve
customer satisfaction; however, it could also make some employees redundant. I am unsure if our employees see leadership as approachable and observant or
sensitive to what the agent is trying to tell us, even indirectly. If we can fix this, we can improve business performance and reduce turnover.
Skill Level: Not Skilled: Minimally Skilled: Somewhat Skilled: Skilled: Very Skilled:
Your level of experience
demonstrating each
competency
I have not
learned this
skill
I have little experience
demonstrating this
competency and need
substantial direction to
perform it effectively
I have some experience
demonstrating this
competency but still
need guidance
I have a good amount of
experience
demonstrating this
competency
independently
I always demonstrate this
competency and could
provide guidance/training to
others
Leadership Skills ✔
Strategic Thinking Skills ✔
People Management Skills ✔
Change Management Skills ✔
Communication Skills ✔
Ethical Practice ✔
Tech Savvy/Computer Skills ✔
Fostering Teamwork ✔
Visioning ✔
Self-Awareness and
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) ✔
Cross-Cultural Awareness ✔
Learning Agility ✔
Title: Customer Success Coordinator/Team Leader
Job Summary
Provides industry-leading customer care, order assistance, technical customer service, and customer success team leadership while engaging in real-time
troubleshooting of inbound Tier II and Tier III customer requests by email and telephone. Coaches employees in all customer service and contract sales facets,
manages the customer care escalation chain, and works with the customer success manager to improve overall service delivery improvement, quality, and
excellence. This person has a high level of accountability for call monitoring to improve service efforts and scoring performance and develops support
strategies based on customer feedback. Works with a knowledge-sharing mindset, works with a sense of urgency, works cross-functionally, is a problem solver,
and thinks outside the box while troubleshooting the root cause of all customer success center problems to identify the action(s) required to resolve the
customer’s issue immediately. Serves as customer success trainer.
Customer Success Coordinator/Team Leader Commentary
In the past year as lead agent in the call center for the company, I’ve worked with my manager to increase customer satisfaction rate by 37% through revising
the existing cold call script, adding stronger value propositions, and focusing on quality control QC-ing and agent dashboards. I spent time with agents,
communicating performance expectations on inbound calls, call waiting, and abandonment rates. I monitored calls using our new quality assurance form. I
handled 15–20 customer requests to speak with a supervisor per day and positively resolved the issues. I assisted my manager in 36 employee evaluations,
detailing observations of positive performance, opportunities for improvement, and specific details of supervisor calls taken for the week. I demonstrated the
ability to handle 50 or more calls a day as the lead customer success agent, too. By decreasing my talk time by 15 seconds per call, I believe I can increase my
call-per-hour rate by at least 10% next quarter without negatively impacting customer satisfaction. I also worked with the accounting manager and her team to
implement the new digital timekeeping system and train all agents.
After reflecting on my performance, I noticed that while my ability to work with employees at all company levels is one of my best skills, I understand our
customers. I am ready to take on more HR-related responsibilities. I began serving as the lead customer success trainer and helped my manager onboard nine
new representatives. I would like to understand the call center’s company goals and work with my manager to shift the call center culture to a more employeecentric workplace. Many call center workers have been here for less than two years (27.5 %), and most call centers have an average turnover of 30–45%. Let’s
focus on retention. I believe that additional sales training and education about our products would help me increase my up-selling performance in line with
company expectations. I want to discuss a potential promotion to assistant customer success manager.
Skill Level: Not Skilled: Minimally Skilled: Somewhat Skilled: Skilled: Very Skilled:
Your level of experience
demonstrating each
competency
I have not
learned this
skill
I have little experience
demonstrating this
competency and need
substantial direction to
perform it effectively
I have some experience
demonstrating this
competency but still
need guidance
I have a good amount of
experience
demonstrating this
competency
independently
I always demonstrate this
competency and could
provide guidance/training to
others
Leadership Skills ✔
Strategic Thinking Skills ✔
People Management Skills ✔
Change Management Skills ✔
Communication Skills ✔
Ethical Practice ✔
Tech Savvy/Computer Skills ✔
Fostering Teamwork ✔
Visioning ✔
Self-Awareness and
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) ✔
Cross-Cultural Awareness ✔
Learning Agility ✔

Module Two Memo Rubric