In this task, use the given complex case studies from the attached Case Study ? document. You will analyze the case study using the attached Four Steps Tool. ? You w

Case Study Option 1  

Jamal: When I started as one of the data analysts in a small but growing company, Jaechap Advisors, it took me a long time to learn the sophisticated analytic software program my department uses. Now, though, I easily use the software to complete all the essential functions of my work.   

However, my manager, Maria, wants our department to switch to a new software program. This would be a huge undertaking, and it could take a long time to learn a different system. I would not be able to perform my job nearly as well with unfamiliar software, nor would my teammates, and this would negatively affect our clients. Why change something that has been working so well?  

Maria: I understand that Jamal wants to continue using the software program. It would be easier for the team in the short run, and none of them, including Jamal, wants work quality or efficiency to suffer while learning a new system. In fact, it could take them months to become as skilled with a new program as they are with the current one.   

However, the CEO has made it clear that I need to keep my department up to date on the most advanced analytic tools available. This new software can do everything our current program can, plus it has cutting-edge features and capabilities our clients will love.   

Jamal is right about one important thing, though: How can the team maintain its current level of productivity while learning a whole new system?  

Pat: As CEO of Jaechap, it's my job to keep us competitive, especially as we are a small company trying to gain market share. We must not only meet our clients' current needs, but we also have to anticipate their future needs. If we are using outdated software, we may not have the best possible information and projections. And if we can't give our clients the best possible business advice, somebody else will.  

While our level of service meets the expectations of our clients for now, eventually they will demand more. We need to get ahead of their demands, not simply react to them. This new software program provides more accurate and precise data projections and analysis.   

To compete with larger and more established firms, we need to distinguish ourselves by taking advantage of enhanced features of new programs as soon as they're available. So why is it so hard to get the data analytics team to adopt new and improved software instead of continuing to use something that's becoming outdated?   

Focusing statement: What is the best way for Jaechap Advisors to remain competitive now and in the future?  

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WGU's Four-Step Tool (based on " Six Steps to Thinking Systemically" by Michael Goodman and Richard Karash)

STEP 1: Complete an Iceberg Tool for this case study.

The Iceberg Tool is a way to see how the structure (that is, the background of the case) ties together the individual events and the patterns and trends that emerge from recurring events. Using the Iceberg Tool allows you to see the basic facts and interconnections, an important first step.

Iceberg Tool to Understand Patterns and Structure

Iceberg tool shows events at the top, patterns and trends at the water line, structure near the bottom and less visible.

Questions to Ask

1. What are the key events in this case study?

2. What patterns do you notice in the key events of this case study?

3. What structure(s) explain the patterns of events in this case study?

STEP 2: Draw “Behavior Over Time” Diagrams. (Use as many blank BOT graphs as necessary, given the case study)

The BOT diagram helps you identify how human behavior plays out over a specific time period; here, the time is the period in which the case study occurred. It is best to group similar events or patterns together in a diagram; for example, you might create one BOT diagram showing the actions of different team members (all actions) and another for the investments made in marketing campaigns and the resulting return on those investments (all money).

Time

Behavior

Time

Behavior

Behavior Over Time diagram; the x-axis is labeled “time”; the y-axis is labeled "behavior". 

STEP 3: Select the systems archetype that best fits the case study. You may wish to refer to Section 2, Lesson 2.1.

The value of the eight systems archetypes is that they represent common problems within systems. If you can find an archetype that fits the system and the problem(s) you are confronting, you can use established ideas for dealing with the problem(s).

Examine each archetype carefully, comparing its causal loop diagram and text description with the given case study to see which one is the best fit.

1. Which archetype did you select?

2. Why does this archetype best fit the given case study? Explain how its causal loop diagram and text description match up with the facts of the case study.

3. What is the main problem that needs to be addressed in this case study?

STEP 4: Generate a solution to the problem.

Systems thinking is a mindset and a process focused on identifying and solving problems. Without problems, there is little need to think systemically. In this step, you consider a full range of possible solutions and select the best one.

1. What solution do you propose for the problem in this case study?

2. What are the strengths of this solution?

3. What are the challenges of this solution?

4. What other alternatives did you consider AND why is your selected solution superior to each of them?

5. What do you project the impact of your proposed solution will be on the overall system described in this case study?

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