MGMT20001 Organisational
Behaviour Semester 1, 2023
Group Case Study– Disney Case
Worth 30% of the total mark for the subject
Due: 9am, Monday 1 May, 2023
Submit as one document via the LMS (only one team member needs to submit on behalf of
the team)
Overall word length: 5,000 words (not including executive summary and reference list)
Read the Disney case. The case concludes with this reflective paragraph:
"How could Geibel and Johnson instill autonomy in the new teams? Would employees accept
working in a shared environment? How would they measure success? What should they do
about titles? Ready for their next walk around to the various teams, Geibel and Johnson
looked out from their central location within the dynamic office environment they had created,
glanced back at their full Post-it note calendar on the wall, and considered the impact of the
recent and impending changes of their teaming model on Disney Animation’s performance."
In this assignment your group is to take on the role of management consultants who have been
called in by Geibel and Johnson to advise them on Disney's teamwork initiative. You must
compile a report for Geibel and Johnson that comprises two parts: 1) an identification of the
problems Disney was trying to solve through the introduction of teamwork and an analysis of
the success (or otherwise) of Disney's implementation of its practical teamwork initiative:
and, 2) based on the foregoing analysis, the development of recommendations about how
Disney might build on its teamwork initiative to improve things like productivity, autonomy,
decision-making, innovation, employees' job satisfaction, etc., etc.
You should focus primarily on issues within the topic of teams and leadership in the subject.
Your analysis should draw on theories, models, and concepts we have covered in the subject,
the assignment readings list, and your own team research.
The two main sections of your report will be:
Part A: Identification and analysis (word limit 3,000 words).
Part B: Recommendations (word limit 2,000 words).
2
Required Readings: You must include the following three peer-reviewed academic
articles (each article must be cited and referenced in your report). You will need to
retrieve these articles from the library databases, as they are not provided in the Canvas
reading list.
• Barry, D. (1991). Managing the bossless team: Lessons in distributed leadership.
Organizational Dynamics, 20(1), 31-47
• Tuckman, B. W. (2001). Developmental sequence in small groups. Group Facilitation,
(3), 66. 65–81.
• Dunne, D. (2018). Implementing design thinking in organizations: An exploratory
study. Journal of Organization Design, 7(1), 1-16.
Academic Research: In addition to the three required readings, you must incorporate at
least 11 additional references from peer-reviewed journal articles in your report.
This research should be reflected in your description of the concepts/theories, in your critique
or limitations discussion of the concepts/theories, and/or in your recommended actions for
the case.
You are expected to use the library search engines and search by topic, i.e., Business Source
Complete, ProQuest and Google Scholar. You could start searching for articles by looking up
the references provided for the case analysis, from the readings and the textbook.
The aim of this assignment is to provide you with an opportunity to:
• Work with other students to identify and critique various approaches to organisational
behaviour.
• Collaboratively develop alternative models of practice.
• Work collaboratively and effectively as a team to answer a case study question on one
or more of the themes covered in the subject.
The team assignment will also provide you with formative feedback on your:
• Understanding of the theories and concepts covered.
• Ability to apply theoretical concepts to identify problems and explain examples from
the case study.
• Ability to apply theoretical concepts to analysing a ‘real’ situation and then make
recommendations about how the organisation might improve/change its functioning.
• Ability to analyse and evaluate theories/models used to analyse the case study.
• Ability to analyse and evaluate recommendations suggested to improve/change the
functioning of the case study organisation.
Structure/Presentation:
INSTRUCTIONS: Please read and follow carefully
3
• Word limit 5,000 (not including executive summary and references) - 10% either way
is acceptable (penalties apply for exceeding the word limit – refer to subject outline).
• Use double-spacing, and 12 pt font size.
• Arial or Times New Roman font
• Structure as a REPORT, with appropriate use of headings (refer to the Group Case
Study Report Template on how to set out a report). Do not use terms such as ‘Body’
or ‘Paragraph’ as headings/subheadings. Headings and subheadings should reflect a
key idea or theme that is covered in that section. The following sample is to provide
you with the general structure of what should be completed in the report:
Front Matter
Title page ● Name of your organisation/team
● Titles/names of all team members
● Course subject name & topic of assignment
● Tutor’s Name
● Date of Submission
Contents page ● Includes all section headings and subheadings
● Corresponding page numbers listed
Executive Summary Provides a brief overview of the whole report including:
● Background
● Aims
● Main findings
● Conclusions
● Recommendations
Body
Introduction Provides:
● Aim, scope and limitations
● Background or context
● Outline of report structure
Part A: Analysis ● Identifies and analyses problems
● Is based on evidence from the case and research
● Organised in logical sections, with headings & subheadings relating
to the focus of analysis.
Part B:
Recommendations
● Suggests specific actions based on the problems identified
● Supported by evidence
Conclusion ● Restates position/key message
Back matter
4
References ● All sources used are cited in text and included in the reference list (APA)
Presentation
Headings ● Headings are consistent throughout
● Main headings are centred on the page & capitalised
● Sub-headings clearly different to headings
Formatting ● Executive Summary spacing: single spaced.
● Main document spacing: double space
● Font: Times New Roman or Arial , Font size 12 pt
● Margins: 2.5cm (1”) on every side
Language ● Language is clear, concise and direct.
● Key terms from the theory and case are used
● Paragraphs contain one clear point, supported with evidence and
examples.
● There are no spelling and grammar errors
Assessment criteria:
Refer to the Group Case Study Report Rubric for detailed information about the assessment
criteria and weighting:
Cover page:
Include a front page on your assignment as the first page of your assignment and fill in the
relevant details: full names, student numbers, subject code and name, due date and assignment
name. If you do not include these details, we cannot mark your assignment.
The Assignment Cover Template is available on the OB Canvas page via:
Subject Overview > Assessment Information > Group Case Study Report > TA Coversheet
Referencing:
All material used must be correctly cited and referenced, using the APA Referencing System
which includes:
• In-text citations in the body of your short answer questions
• A reference list as the last page of your assignment (listing only references you have cited).
• Material that has not been referenced correctly may be considered to be plagiarised, and as such
may be penalised. We will also look for evidence that material included in the reference list has
been used in the assignment. Including references that have not been used may also result in your
assignment being penalised.
There is a link to the APA Referencing System Guideline on OB Canvas page via
5
Subject Overview > Assessment Information > Assessment Guides
If you would like to find out more about Academic Integrity, take a look at the Academic Honesty
page available under Assessment Information.
Plagiarism and collusion:
Please note: Your assignment will also be screened for plagiarism using the Turnitin software
program. More information about the university’s policy and the Turnitin program
is available from the following website: https://academicintegrity.unimelb.edu.au/
• Presenting material from other sources without full acknowledgement (referred to as
plagiarism) is heavily penalised. Penalties for plagiarism can include a mark of zero
for the piece of assessment or a fail grade for the subject.
• Plagiarism is the presentation by a student of an assignment identified as his or her
own work even though it has been copied in whole or in part from another student’s
work, or from any other source (e.g. published books, web-based materials or
periodicals), without due acknowledgement in the text.
• Collusion is the presentation by a student of an assignment as his or her own work
when it is, in fact, the result (in whole or in part) of unauthorised collaboration with
another person or persons. Both the student presenting the assignment and the
student(s) willingly supplying unauthorised material are considered participants in the
act of academic misconduct.
• The Academic Skills unit has prepared a help sheet on avoiding plagiarism
Word count:
• Total word limit 5,000 - 10% either way is acceptable (penalties apply for exceeding
the word limit – refer to course outline).
• Please note: Executive Summary, In-text Citations and Reference list are NOT
counted in the word count.
Assignment extensions and penalties for late submissions:
Late submission of an assignment is permitted only where an extension has been granted.
Requests for an extension can be made through the OB Canvas page via
Subject Overview > Assessment Information > Assessment Extensions (or Special
Consideration)
All requests for an extension must be made prior to the assessment due date.
• Unless an extension has been granted, penalties to the assessment will be applied.
• To ensure equality for all students, assignments must be completed within specified
time limits. Late submissions will attract a marking penalty where approval for late
6
submission has not been given. Assignments exceeding word limits may also attract a
marking penalty.
• Penalties for late submission: The mark a student group is awarded for their work will
be reduced by 5% for each day the work is late.
• Assignments that exceed the word limit by more than 10% may attract a marking
penalty of 10% of the marks that would otherwise have been awarded.
• Assignments that exceed the word limit by 25% or more may attract a higher penalty,
including a cap on the maximum grade awarded, unless a student gains an exemption.
• (For example, an assignment with a limit of 2000 words will be marked down by 10%
if there are more than 2200 words. If there are 2500 words or more, the maximum
result that may be awarded is an H2B.)
Special consideration:
• Students who have been significantly affected by illness or other serious circumstances
during the semester may be eligible to apply for Special Consideration.
• Requests for a special consideration can be made through the OB Canvas page via
Subject Overview > Assessment Information > Assessment Extensions (or Special
Consideration)
• You must submit your online application no later than 4 working days after due date for
submission or examination of the particular component of assessment, to which your
application refers.
Submission Instructions:
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY
The LMS allows you to submit your assignment online from home or from any of the student labs
on campus.
You can access the Assignment Submission function by clicking on the Assignments link on the
left-hand pane on the OB Canvas page.
Please note that you are required to keep a copy of your assignment after it has been submitted,
as you must be able to produce a copy of your assignment at the request of your tutor or lecturer
at any time after the submission due date.
Assignment submission guidelines can be found on the OB Canvas page via
Subject Overview > Assessment Information > Assessment Policies