Master’s in Organizational Behavior Capstone Projects
- Theory into Practice
- Diversity- Benefits and Obstacles
- Policy and Procedure: Introducing Change
- The Use of Assumption-Planning for New Businesses
- Benefits of Servant-Leadership
Most Master’s in Organizational Behavior programs require a culminating project. At the end of an intensive period of learning it may be difficult to think of a creative and purposeful presentation, let alone to decide how to organize and present the project. Since the purpose of the venture is to display graduate competencies, it must not be too involved, nor too simplistic. Here are five ideas for projects in organizational behavior.
Related Resource: 50 Most Affordable Master’s in Organizational Behavior Degree Programs
1. Theory into Practice
The most direct of culminating projects might be to simply select a theory of Organizational Behavior and show how utilizing the policy affects businesses. Students might even select one isolated case study. The study might include attitudes and cultural differences related to the policy that employees bring to the workplace; groups that form; the influence of managerial attitudes; and the kinds of resources that are available to enforce the policy. One possibility for such a project might be a company policy on addictions and treatment.
2. Diversity-Benefits and Obstacles
This project would be possible studying organizations in large cities with diverse populations, small homogenous companies in rural areas, or contrasting the two. Demonstrated benefits of diversity are increased company morale, a broader base for interaction with the community which improves community relations, and differing perspectives on problem-solving. Obstacles to diversity impact company employee attitudes and behaviors as well. Some of these might be bigotry, misunderstandings arising out of poor communication and resistance to change. Smallbusiness.chron.com says that diversity includes racial differences, but also gender, age, religion, and sexual orientation. A good capstone might look at these issues, suggest ways to implement diversity, and then proceed to interview employees and to look at spreadsheets of financial health following the implementation to assess the impact of diversity.
3. Policy and Procedure: Introducing Change
Similar to the Theory into Practice project, this capstone would identify one policy instituted in an organization, discuss why it was initiated, and investigate the effectiveness related to employee satisfaction and profit gain or loss. Students might only deal with the policy as it is implemented or suggest changes that might make it more successful. Additionally, a good project would look at resistance to the policy, if there was any, and suggest ways of making transitions easier in the company culture.
4. The Use of Assumption-Planning for New Businesses
Most corporate bodies plan for the future by looking at past performance. New businesses don’t have statistical or anecdotal information upon which to base future plans. This project would look at the type of assumptions which are used to build plans like trends, market competition, product comparisons and others, and then follow the assumptions to procedures and outcomes. Which assumptions work, and which don’t? How did the changes impact the always-volatile finances of a start-up?
5. Benefits of Servant Leadership
The term “servant-leader” is trending in today’s business world. It refers to a leader who takes the needs of the group into account before he considers his own needs. The model began as a religious concept and today is being taught in universities and business courses worldwide. What are some of the differences that distinguish this type of leadership and how does it affect workplace relationships? Students taking on this project might consider interviews of managers, owners, and employees as resources for the benefits of this style of leadership.
Many different issues affect the way organizations function including workplace relationships. The ideas in this article could be used as presented, or they might act as springboards to other projects. Ultimately, the success of a capstone in a Master’s in Organizational Behavior depends upon the understanding and competence of the student presenting it.
