Please bear with us as we update the website. If you have questions, feel free to contact the 2010 Competition Chair Karen Kaminski at kaminski@cahs.colostate.edu. In the meantime, below is the 2010 problem statement. Good luck to all!
A
large public, urban hospital is trying to reduce costs as well as their carbon
footprint. They would like all their employees to be “more green.” Upper
management has completed research to determine the prevailing culture of their
competitors related to “green” initiatives, and they are convinced they have a
compelling business case for going green. They want to drive this strategy
down through the organization and realize that an initiative will be required to
increase awareness and to shift employee attitudes. The hope is that this will
lead to changes in employee behavior which will result in cost savings for the
organization. In addition to enhancing their cost savings, they want to gain
public recognition for their environmental consciousness and their work on
environmental issues. The following information has guided their decision to
move in this direction.
They
are looking to hire a team to develop/design/provide training to create a
sustainable change in employee attitude/behavior. This includes awareness of
specific green initiatives leading to change in employee behavior at work and in
their home environments.
Within
your plan:
Specify
the types of behaviors and associated attitudes to be changed. How would
you address change management aspects of the initiative? What are strategies for
increasing transfer of learning? Finally, identify methods for evaluating the
impact of the intended changes on the workplace (e.g., reduced waste, increased
productivity, electricity savings, etc.).
First
Phase of the Competition
One
subset of the hospital management has been charged with finding a team to create
the training outlined above. This group would like your team to put together a
document outlining your approach to creating the training they seek. The
document should be detailed enough to give the group a sense of what you intend
to do, but it should not be the final product in all its detail. It should be a
discussion document for helping them decide whether to go forward with your team
or not. As you begin this project, the creation of this document is your first
task. This document must be submitted by May 1, 2010.
A
client representative (who will be announced later) will be available after
January to answer your questions about the context/circumstances of the problem.
Up to six proposals from Phase One will be selected to proceed to Phase
Two.
Second
Phase of the Competition
Once
there is agreement that your proposal represents a viable solution for the
hospital, you will work with an independent learning consultant who will be
assigned to you (a mentor) on what will become the final recommendation to the
hospital. What you create will be a detailed description of the content you
propose to include and the means by which you will deliver it. This will need to
be explained to the hospital management in terms that they will understand. As
much as possible, justifications for the decisions that went into your proposal
will need to be provided. The creation of the documents that will be distributed
to the hospital management is your second task. These documents are due on
August 15, 2010. The top three proposals from Phase Two will enter the third and
final phase.
Third
Phase of the Competition
You've
been part of the team that has put together all of the materials about how the
hospital can successfully implement the green initiative they desire. Your
liaison has now asked you to make a half-hour presentation to explain and
distribute these materials to the hospital director and the rest of the upper
management. Present your case for your solution.
Good
luck!