ORGANIZATION CHANGE COURSE ASSIGNMENT:
ARTICLE SUMMARIES
One exercise that is useful is to ask students to research an article and summarize it. Two
variants of this assignment are described and the instructions for this exercise are given below
as well as a marking key.
OPTION 1: Article Summary Assignment
An article summary on a significant theoretical piece on change or a major change initiative
described in the literature is required for the course. Article summaries should be submitted as
annotated PowerPoint slides (5–7 maximum). The summary cannot be on articles referenced in
the Toolkit. Articles and the journal chosen should be pre-approved by the professor. Students
must submit a copy of the article with the summary. The due date is to be determined after the
course begins.
Marking Scheme for Article Review
1. Power Point Slides: well formatted, clear, succinct?
2. Content of the Slides:
a. Useful précis/description/summary of the article. Covers key points of article.
b. Fair evaluation of article: based on content, not just presentation or
liking/disliking.
3. Quality of the Presentation Delivered in Class:
a. Introduction.
4. Copy of the article is attached.
Name of student: ________________________ Grade:____________
__
OPTION 2: Article Summaries Done as a Team Assignment
A variant of the earlier assignment is to ask students (in teams) to select a topic or change
issue, research and summarize a set of articles that shed light on the topic, critique what they
found and discuss the managerial implications. The instructions for this exercise are given
below as well as a marking key.
First, have your team select an organizational change issue and briefly set out why you see it as
important.
Third, make sure you offer your critical assessment of what you have read/seen.
Finally, address the “so what” question which is how does this material you reviewed help you
when thinking about the particular organizational change issue you set out to better understand?
When it comes to articles to review, stay away from the 2–3 page pieces of advice, written by
consultants attempting to sell their services. Make sure you reference sources so that class
members can access the material, if they wish to.
The marking scheme is contained on the following page.
Marking Scheme for Article Review
1. Power Point Slides: well formatted, clear, succinct?
2. Content of the Slides:
a. Useful précis/description/summary of each of the articles. Covers key points of
d. Reviewer covers managerial implications—the “So What” question.
3. Quality of the Presentation Delivered in Class:
a. Introduction.
4. Copies of the articles are attached and the Power Point Slides are available for posting.
Name of student: ________________________ Grade:______________